Biological Information:
One’s gender is determined by genes at conception. Females have XX genes, while males have XY genes. Surgery and hormones cannot transform the numerous differences between sexes. In fact, for those dear people who do undergo sex reassignment treatment, the emotional and social struggles are severe. We quote from the landmark, thirty-year longitudinal study (1973-2003) entitled, “Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden” by Cecilia Dhejne, Paul Lichtenstein, Marcus Boman, Anna L. V. Johansson, Niklas Långström, Mikael Landén. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0016885
“This study found substantially higher rates of overall mortality, death from cardiovascular disease and suicide, suicide attempts, and psychiatric hospitalizations in sex-reassigned transsexual individuals compared to a healthy control population.”
Acting like a person of the opposite sex is prohibited in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NASB), “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed…” Therefore, if acting effeminate is unrighteous, then an actual sex change would be contrary to God’s will as well.
All of us struggle against unrighteousness. The Apostle Paul shared his own battles against his fallen flesh in Romans 7:15-25 (NLT). “I want to do what is right, but I do not do it. Instead, I do what I hate…I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature…there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me…Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Therefore, whether we struggle with transgender thoughts, greed, alcoholism, rage, pride, etc., we turn to Jesus to help us stop our sinful behaviors and to help us with our thoughts. Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV), “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
It is common to ask why God would allow such a profound conflict within a person, but God did not directly create you—or any of us—to be as we currently are in our imperfect, fallen state. Humanity was originally created perfect and in God’s image, but through the entrance of sin, we are now many generations removed from that perfection. Consequently, we are all born “shapen in iniquity,” meaning our physical and mental states are often out of harmony with God’s original design.
Struggle and trial are permitted by God as a “growth zone” to distinguish between good and evil and to strengthen our characters for an eternal purpose. While this does not take away the immediate pain, God’s plan uses ordinary people to carry out extraordinary works through their personal “prepping” and testing.
There is no shame for a Christian to seek counseling or medical treatment for mental health challenges. Just as one would see a doctor for a broken bone, it is appropriate to see a professional for an unsettled mind. Additionally, journaling or speaking our fears out loud will help get them into the light where they can be healed.
We recommend listening to the Christian Questions Podcast: Episode #1022: “As a Christian, Should You Just “Be Yourself”?
This episode describes a 12-step process to help find our “spiritually driven self,” which involves renewing our mind so that our thoughts are guided by God’s spirit rather than our own distress. While our feelings are real, we are encouraged to look beyond the “temporal” things that are seen (our current body and pain) toward the “eternal” things that are not seen (God’s ultimate plan for our reconciliation and peace).
