Many Christian organizations have started using a statement that says “Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person” which is man-made up. If man can “create” this statement using biological sex man can also change it to anything else they feel like. Let’s try this one “Rejection of covering your hair in Church is a rejection of the image of God within that person” or “Rejection of a ‘man of God’s’ sexual advance is a rejection of the image of God within you” or how about this one “Rejection of the earth as the center of the universe is a rejection of the image of God within that person?” We could keep going but probably better to look at what God tells us instead.
In the New Testament of the Bible, when Jesus is Transfigured, we are told by our Heavenly Father, not once, not twice but THREE times “this is my Beloved Son, Hear/Listen to Him.” Before we look at what Jesus says we need to remember some things can seem contradictory so when you read what Jesus says make sure you know who He is speaking to, what the context is, what He is doing before and after and also if it is before or after He sacrifices Himself for us and He sends the Holy Spirit to help us.
In the Gospels, when Jesus speaks harshly, it is to the self-righteous Pharisees and Sadducees who can quote scripture but who do not know the heart of God.
In John 8, to the woman caught in adultery our LOVING Savior said “neither do I condemn you” after He told the men who wanted to stone her “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.”
In John 4 to the Samaritan woman at the well that Jesus went out of His way to speak to
“16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered, “I have no husband.”
Jesus said to her, “You said well, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly.”
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father. 22 You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah comes, he who is called Christ. When he has come, he will declare to us all things.”
26 Jesus said to her, “I am He, the one who speaks to you.”
Christ revealed Himself as the Messiah to this woman at the well who was with a man who was not her husband. Jesus tells her “I Am, He” and she runs to tell everyone the good news. I wonder what she would have done if Jesus had said to her “you have rejected the image of God within you” instead?
To the little children that Jesus blessed, would He have said “all of you can come to me, except you – you can’t come because you are rejecting your biological sex so you are rejecting the image of God within you. I will die for the women in adultery but not you.”
That seems pretty unlikely, especially when we look at Matthew 18 and we can see what Christ DID say.
“1 In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the middle of them 3 and said, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5 Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a huge millstone were hung around his neck and that he were sunk in the depths of the sea...
10… See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 11 For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.
12 “What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? 13 If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.“
In John 3 Jesus also says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, so that EVERYONE who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”
Jesus also said “Just as I have loved you, you also love one another.”
He is greater and He loves you so live life loved