What does the Bible say?

What does the Bible about gender, intersex and transgender people?

This is the one verse in the Bible that mentions us being created male and female, in the context of a poem.

“God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:2

It is quoted twice in the Bible: once when it is referenced in Genesis 5:1-2 as part of Adam’s genealogy, and once by Jesus in Matthew 19:4 when he answered about divorce. He referenced it because he had to quote something from the pre-Moses law, to answer a trick question of the Pharisees.

A POEM OF “IN-BETWEENS”

The poem uses a common poetical method ancient Israelites used to explain things: a method of opposites. This method of describing “opposites” is also found in their Kashrut texts (the Jewish dietary laws in Leviticus). In the same way, this creation poem mentions opposites: “day and night”, “light and darkness”, “evening and morning”, “land and sea”, and “flying birds and swimming fish”.

The in-betweens are not mentioned: between day and night, we have dawn and dusk; between land and sea we have coral reefs and estuaries and beaches; between flying birds and swimming fish we have penguins and high jumping dolphins. The beauty of creation falls on a spectrum.

Just because the in-betweens are not mentioned, does not mean they are not there. It’s not a verse that we can use to deem all the in-betweens a sin. We need to go elsewhere in scripture to find that prohibition.

The Post-Creation = Good or Bad

The verse just mentions that there are two genders. We now know that some people are born different, but regardless of that scientific fact, can we condemn any gender differences from that one creation verse? How do we handle things when they are different after creation?

POST-CREATION BEAUTY

Everything created after creation is also beautiful. Babies came after. The domestic dog didn’t exist in Eden, because it evolved from wolves. Cows, chickens, and even goldfish, are all the result of breeding. Hybrid flowers. Things we make with the brains God gave us: Cars, computers, planes, books, and guitars. Just because something came after Eden, does not deem it a sin. We need to go elsewhere in scripture to find that prohibition.

POST-CREATION DEFECTS

People born blind, deaf, or lame are are still beautiful people who are created in the image of God. Because it’s about the heart, our spirit. Physical defects are not a sin, nor a cause of our sin, as Jesus taught us. The religious leaders in Jesus’ day thought they were and Jesus reprimanded them for teaching that. We need to go elsewhere in scripture to find that prohibition.

POST-CREATION DIFFERENCES

People were born after eden with different hair color, eye color, skin color, and even different internal differences. Some people are born with different internal chromosomes, hormones, organs, and brain structures. Everyone is different and unique. Whether this was a part of God’s design or not, is not necessary for the subject of sinfulness. This verse cannot dictate that anyone who is born a little different from those first two humans, is a sin. We need to go elsewhere in scripture to find that prohibition.

Who Reflects God’s Image

Genesis 1:27 says that God’s image is reflected in “humankind” (that is the word used for Adam). Scholars widely agree that this is both a collective representation and an individual one.

The verse is divided into two sections, and the part of the text that mentions the first two humans being made male and female, is not part of the statement that mentions what the image of God is. The text does not say that the union of male and female is what reflects God’s image.

SINGLE PEOPLE

Some people believe that the union of two biological sexes are needed to reflect God’s image, but we believe that Paul and any single person can reflect God’s image and be created in God’s image just as much as anyone else. Jesus never married. Paul never married. Neither of them found it necessary to tell people to get married to reflect God’s image.

PHYSICAL BODY VS SPIRIT

We are made in God’s image. Is that talking about how many finder we have, or the color of our eyes? Is it talking about our physical body, or our spirit. God is spirit, so we worship in spirit. God is spirit and does not have a physical body. So we are created in his image, his spirit.

IS IT ABOUT SEX?

Do humans need to have sex (and specifically a male – female sex) in order to complete that image?

IS IT ABOUT GENITALS?

We have heard some people say that “our genitalia are an important part of the image of God” (which was a common pagan belief among many ancient middle eastern people groups). The person who is born without genitals (it happens), still reflects the image of God.

TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

While maintaing purity with our physical body inpacts our spirit, no where does the Bible say that our physical body is what reflects the image of God. God is spirit and we worship Him in spirit. We reflect our creator in who we are in our emotions, ability to love, decide, create and so much more. Gender, genitalia and sexual intercourse has nothing to do with being in the image of God.

THE IMAGE OF GOD

It’s about our souls, our emotions, our mind and our hearts. The fruit of the Spirit in Ephesians 4, does not reference our sexuality, but rather our character, our heart.

Is Manliness = Godliness?

In his book Bringing Up Boys (2001), Dr. Dobson tells parents to raise their boys to be “manly”. He advises parents to force them to wrestle, play sports, and not allowed to do “feminine activities”.

• Emphasizes that boys must be raised to be “masculine” and should avoid behaviors deemed “feminine” (like household chores, cooking, cleaning, care for the children).
• Suggests activities like roughhousing, sports, and assertiveness are essential to male development.
• Warns that boys who are gentle, artistic, sensitive, or uninterested in stereotypical boy activities are at risk of becoming confused about their gender or sexuality.
• Encourages parents to steer boys away from interests like dolls, dancing, or “soft” traits, as these could (in his view) lead to gender nonconformity or even homosexuality.

BIBLE EXAMPLES OF MEN

• Jacob preferred to be with his mother at home, enjoyed cooking and was smooth-skinned, in contrast to his brother, who was hairy and preferred to hunt and be outdoors. (Genesis 25)
• Joseph, Jacob’s son, was given an “ornate robe” by his father (Genesis 37:3); the Hebrew word used here for the robe (ketonet passim) means “the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore” (2 Samuel 13:18).
• Deborah (Judges 4-5) was a judge of Israel, acting as a prophet and military leader at a time when women were treated like property and valued by the number of children they could bear.
• The man carrying a water jar, whom Jesus indicated would take the disciples to the room for his last supper, was doing work that was normally done by women, and yet was given this part to play in Jesus’ ministry (Luke 22:10).
• King David, a warrior and king, also was a musician, played the harp, loved to dance gracefully, expressed deep emotion, artistic sensitivity, and relational vulnerability.
• The Bible contains feminine images of God: like God’s wisdom in Proverbs personified as female (Proverbs 1:20, 8:1, 9:1), references to God describing actions associated with women: nurturing life in the womb (Psalm 139:13), giving birth (John 3:5-6), and protecting children (Matthew 23:37), the original text for Genesis uses feminine words in reference to the Holy Spirit and the earliest Christians spoke of the Holy Spirit as a feminine entity. 
• Matt 5:22 reads “anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca/rakkah (sissy) is answerable to the court”.  

Maybe the point of godliness is our heart, not our gender nor how manly or feminine we act.

Did God Make a Mistake?

Transgender man and Christian author Austen Hartke writes:

“Did God make a mistake? Personally, my answer is no. I don’t believe God made a mistake in creating me just as I am. God created me with a body that was designated female when I was born—a body that I struggled to connect with for the first twenty-six years of my life and that I now finally feel at home in—but God also created me with a capacity for change and with a mind that identifies as male. I believe God made all of me—gender identity included—and intended for me to be a transgender person who sees the world through a different lens. I don’t think God made a mistake. I think God made me transgender on purpose.” (Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians)

God created so many spectrums of beauty around us, and it looks like gender is one of those beautiful creations. Instead of experiencing the blessing of having Transgender people in our lives and in our church community, we have pushed certain people away. Even worse, we have condemned, ridiculed, mocked, and blocked them out of the Kingdom of God.

When someone is born different, it might make them wonder if something went wrong, but Scripture reminds us over and over that God doesn’t make mistakes.

“For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.” Psalm 139:13-14

Each of us are crafted with intention, care, and purpose. Our differences aren’t accidents; they are reflections of the beauty and diversity of God’s creation. When someone doesn’t fit the mold others expect, these realities do not disqualify them from God’s love, purpose or design—they are embraced within it. God made us just the way we are, not in spite of His love, but because of it.

Nowhere in the Bible are intersex people, third gender people, or transgender people addressed, and yet we have deemed them unclean, unsaved, and rejected.

What does Jesus say?

Jesus said: “There are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.” Matthew 19:12. 

Eunuchs were people that had either been born with ambiguous genitalia or had been castrated when they were young (by either men in power for slave purposes, for temple purposes, or due to illness).

Jesus is acknowledging the value and dignity of this sexual minority. Throughout scripture, Jesus stands in solidarity with all those who were pushed aside by society and religious leaders as “unclean”.

While the Pharisees prohibited certain people from coming to the temple, Jesus said all were welcome. Jesus looks at the heart, not at the physical body. We are all saved by faith through Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), marked clean because of his blood on the cross. God does not look at the gender, the skin color, or how our body is made. He looks at the heart. We should as well.

Jesus never mocked, excluded, or condemned people based on their bodies, their roles, or how they didn’t fit into social norms. In fact, he did the opposite.

This fits with Jesus’ entire ministry: over and over, he stands with those who were considered “unclean,” unworthy, or outside the boundaries of religious purity—lepers, bleeding women, tax collectors, Samaritans, and yes, eunuchs.

Jesus makes one thing clear: God looks at the heart.

Not the body. Not the chromosomes. Not the gender presentation. As Paul writes, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Jesus made a way for all people to belong—regardless of gender, anatomy, or social category. He sees people not by their labels but by their love, their faith, and their willingness to follow him. So should we.

Jesus uplifted and included those whom society excluded, including gender and sexual minorities.

Jesus consistently sided with the outcast, the overlooked, and the misunderstood. He saw beyond categories and appearances and looked straight into people’s hearts. When it comes to gender-diverse or sexually different people, his response wasn’t fear or exclusion—it was welcome. He acknowledged the existence of people who didn’t fit the norms of male and female and declared their value in the kingdom of heaven.

If we claim to follow Jesus, then we must ask: Are we creating the same kind of open space he did? Are we seeing people the way he did—not for how well they match our expectations, but for their faith, their love, and their image-bearing dignity?

In the end, what Jesus says—and what he doesn’t—calls us back to grace. And grace always makes room.

How far do we follow Jesus?

Following Jesus is sometimes messy. Following Jesus means following to the unknown. Following Jesus means going with him to the part of town that is scary. The disciples had to follow him into uncomfortable places: into the home of a tax collector, into the presence of a bleeding woman he chose to touch, and into a room where a prostitute wiped his feet with her hair.

They didn’t always understand what he was doing, or why he welcomed the people he did. Following Jesus meant surrendering control and letting grace lead. That can feel scary sometimes.

Today, some feel that same fear when it comes to transgender people—unsure of what’s right, what’s real, or how to respond. But if Jesus consistently drew near to those who had been cast out, maybe following him now still means walking toward people we don’t yet fully understand, with compassion, curiosity, and courage.

It’s Different When You Know Them!

It’s easy to form opinions about people from a distance. But everything changes when you actually know someone. When you sit across the table, hear their story, see their heart, it’s no longer just an issue, it’s a person. Many times it’s a person who is hurting, longing to be seen, known and understood. When that person is kind, brave, funny, or hurting, your heart opens in ways arguments never could.

Love doesn’t grow in the abstract—it grows in relationship. If we’re serious about following Jesus, we can’t stop at labels or headlines. We have to get close enough to see the image of God in people who are different from us. Only then can understanding—and love—take root.

There are over 1.6 million people in the States today that were born with gender differences. They had no choice. We are not talking about adult people that want to rebel against God. We are talking about children, teens, and young adults, that are caught in the crossfire. These people experience high levels of discrimination and violence. They are bullied at school, rejected by families, denied employment, refused health care, often fired, denied promotions. They are at high risk for hate crimes, experience partner violence, and sexual assault. Due to society’s hatred towards them, they are more likely to experience mental issues, depression, anxiety, negative self-image and psychological distress. These disabilities lead to health issues, chronic illness and extreme loneliness.

Stop to hear their stories. Listen.

Jesus does not condemn them, and neither should we.

Austen Hartke Helps Us Understand

• Human Rights Campaign and the Bible (website)
• Trans Theology Books (books)
• Theology Transgender Authors books)
• Queer Theology (podcast)
• Transgender Welcome: A Bishop Makes The Case For Affirmation (online book)

Does God allow Name changes?

First, do we let people change their names? Have you ever heard anyone say they prefer being called a different name to their own? A nickname that could be a shortening to their name or something different all together. I see most people being ok with that, and even think those names are fun. It’s all fun and games, until it’s a Transgender.

While some transgender and non-binary people do not feel that affirming their gender identity requires a change in name or pronouns, many do. Transgender people often want to change their names, as part of identifying with the corrected gender. Is this allowed? What does God think about this?

Names are very important and in many cultures they are inseparable from how people connect with one another and establish meaning for their lives. In many Native North American cultures, for example, names were dynamic, not fixed at birth like in much of Western tradition. A name reflected a person’s personality, deeds, or life journey, and it could change multiple times throughout someone’s life.

What if calling people by their name is about honoring who they are, no matter who they are?

What does the Bible say?

The Bible never prohibits us from being able to change our names. In fact, it is full of stories of people having their name changed. Here are some of the examples of people changing their names in the Bible:  

• God changed Abram’s name to Abraham in Genesis 17 
• God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah in Genesis 17 
• God changed Jacob’s name to Israel in Genesis 32:28 
• Moses changed the name of Hoshea to Joshua in Numbers 13:16 
• God changed Simon’s name to Peter in Matthew 16:17-18 
• Nebuchadnezzar changed Daniel’s name to Belteshazzar in Daniel 1:7 
• Naomi changed her name to Mara in Ruth 1:20 
• Pharaoh changed Joseph’s name to Zaphenath-paneah in Genesis 41:45
• God changed Solomon’s name to Jedediah in 2 Samuel 12:24-25 
• Nebuchadnezzar changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah in 2 Kings 24:17 

The Bible establishes a precedent that name changes can be either an uncovering of who God has always seen a person to be, or as the recognition of a new identity and a new beginning. These too are important principles at play for many transgender and non-binary people in being able to affirm their gender identities with themselves, with their communities and ultimately with God.

Does God Allow Clothing Changes?

Deuteronomy 22:5 tells us that “a woman shall  not wear a man’s apparel, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whoever does such  things is abhorrent to the LORD your God.”

• DECEPTION: Some scholars believe the verse addresses those who were cross-dressing for deceptive purposes. Some women were dressing as men, pretending to be a warrior. Some men were disguising themselves as women in order to not have to go to war. The  word translated as “clothing” here, keli, is translated elsewhere as “armor”, and the word  translated as “man”, geber, actually means “warrior”.  

• TEMPLE ORGIES: Some scholars think it talks about the cross-dressing that was happening in the temple pagan sexual orgies, and the law wanted the Israelites to not even look like those cultic practices. There were male priests in surrounding tribes that were dressing as women in the temple, for the purpose of having sex with other women as an offering to the sex God. The purpose of dressing as women was part of their idolatry practice.

• MIXING LAWS: Some believe the fact that prohibition of using clothing from two different genders or of the opposite gender, involved being part of the instructions from the Torah that forbid “mixing”. Many of the laws were about mixing two different things (which today we would not abide by), such as wearing clothes made of two different fabrics, or the law against planting variations of seed together. Today you see women wearing male clothing and men wearing women’s clothing, even when they are not Transgender or cross-dressers.

Today, we have women wearing pants, and men in Scotland wearing kilts. There is nowhere in the Bible that it dictates what kind of clothing we should wear. 

Regardless of what the original meaning of this one verse is, Bible scholars agree that we do not fall under the Levitical Laws that were given to the Israelites.

Does God Allow Body Changes?

TAKING AWAY BODY PARTS

Nowhere does the Bible say it is a sin to take off a body part. In fact, it tells us to cut off our hand if it causes us to sin (Matthew 5:29). Most churches today would not deem the following a sin:

• women who take breasts off due to cancer
• amputating legs due to diabetes
• amputating feet due to infection
• some children are born with an extra finger and the doctor takes it off
• surgeons perform operations on babies born with two genitalia, to take one off

ADDING HORMONES

Nowhere does the Bible said it is a sin to take hormones. Most churches today would not deem the following a sin:

• Women taking hormones for menopause
• Hormones deficiencies in men or women
• Thyroid illness or cancer
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
• Adrenal Disorders

ADDING BODY PARTS

Nowhere does the Bible say it is a sin to add body parts. Most churches today would not deem the following a sin:

• Recieving prosthetic leg or other limbs due to acciendets and birth disorders
• Recieving titanium ear drum, donated organs (eyes, heart, kidney)
• Surgeons helping babies born with no genitals
• And so many other scenarios

ALIGNING A GENDER

If someone is one gender inside and another gender outside, there are no verses in the Bible that prohibit that person from aligning the body to the inside gender (hormones or surgeries). In fact, the person in this case is not changing their gender. They are aligning their body to the gender that they are inside. This is a scientific fact, so the more we understand how this, the easier it will be for us cisgender people to not only accept transgender people, but come alongside and support, help, love, and experience the blessing they are to our lives, to the world and to God’s family. 

A Beautiful Creation

When we step back and look at the full picture—biology, Scripture, and the heart of Jesus—we find that the conversation around gender is far more complex, human, and beautiful than many have allowed.

Nowhere does Jesus condemn those born with differences. Instead, He repeatedly moved toward the marginalized, embraced the misunderstood, and honored those who had been cast aside.

The image of God is not confined to binary categories or cultural norms. It is reflected in every soul created, every story unfolding, and every life courageously lived in truth. Jesus never drew his circle small. Neither should we.