Today in one of my Facebook groups a gal who is transgender said how glad she was to find a group that focused on being a Christian and transgender. How she has struggled with “Biblical teachings”.

And right there it struck me… is it really “Biblical teaching” that some Christians use to condemn those who are transgender? Or is it an individual’s (or group’s) interpretation, regardless of the stretch, of the contemporary’s language’s translation based on copies of the originals (which no longer exist) and without taking into context the time in which it was written?

“Biblical teaching” has been used to rationalize the use of poisonous snakes in church. “Biblical teaching” has been used to tell people not to write left-handed. “Biblical teaching” has been used to exclude people who are black from joining a church, and women from speaking from the platform.

What is “Biblical teaching”?

Is it taking the words in the Bible (for this discussion, let’s say the English language Bible) for exactly what they mean with no account for the times nor the purpose in which they were written? With no exceptions?

We all get caught up in the mess that we don’t understand. And that’s okay. We’re not God.

So here we go…

Does Exodus 21 say you can have slaves? Verse 20 says if you beat your slave to death you’ll be punished. But in verse 21 it says if the slave survives after a day or two, you won’t be punished—because you OWN the slave, he/she is your property! (save your “buts” for later)

Leviticus 25 verses 44 and 45 say you can BUY the men and women from nations you have conquered around you. And more, you can BUY the children of strangers and they will become your property as well. (I know, but save your “buts” because I know what’s coming).

So parents, what do you do with this verse in Leviticus 20:9? “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.” If your teenage son or daughter says “F” you, or “G-D” you, will you kill them? That’s what’s in the Bible!

Deuteronomy 23:2 makes it “clear” that no one born out of wedlock can enter Heaven (even ten generations beyond that). It doesn’t matter if they or their children claim Christ as their Lord and savior, because it was already set in stone long before Christ was born. So if your parents weren’t married when you were born, or someone in your genealogy going back some 200 years, YOU can’t enter Heaven. Your fate is sealed.

Here you go. Here’s the “BUT” you’ve been waiting to say… That was the OLD Testament and it pertained to the Jews—how God was teaching them His ways as a people and building them as a unique people in the world. It doesn’t apply to us today living in a world after Christ has been here.

And you’d be right. God was teaching the Jewish people how to behave, what was important and in a time of tremendous turmoil how to defend themselves and fight for the land He had prescribed for them to live in.

But let’s look at the NEW Testament…

In 1 Corinthians 14:34 Paul says that women should stay SILENT at church, they are not allowed to speak just as Jewish law says.

1 Peter 2:18, written by Peter AFTER the death and resurrection of Christ addresses slavery, but not as something you shouldn’t do, but how to behave if you ARE a slave. NO condemnation of a slave owner. So is owning a slave Biblical? There are people who would make that case (I’m not one of them).

The Apostle Paul also wrote in Philemon 1:12 saying he was sending back the slave. Granted he wanted the slave set free, but he didn’t condemn anyone for having a slave.

In Matthew 5 verse 29 says if your right eye makes you stumble (guys, that means if a looking at a woman makes you hot for her and THINK about having sex with her), then you should gouge out your right eye. Lord knows I go to a big church with thousands of members and I haven’t seen one guy wearing an eye-patch, just sayin’.

I don’t think God is happy with slavery. I don’t think he wants women to stay silent or forbid them from teaching in church today, or that we should kill our children if they swear at us (though he probably wouldn’t mind seeing a few more eye patches).

“Biblical teaching” has been used to exclude people who are black from joining a church, and women from speaking from the platform.

But that’s what the Bible says… unless you consider the context and the times being referred to.

There are a couple of verses some Christians like to use when talking about people who are transgender, one is Genesis 1:27 and the other is Deuteronomy 22:5, both I address in my post from a couple of years ago (God Doesn’t Have Boobs) so I won’t go into them here. If you think the perfection that existed in the garden still exists today, you need to explain to me every birth defect that occurs on Earth today. If you think the Bible is literal in every word then you have to explain all the verses (as a starter) I mentioned above – and there are plenty more needing explaining.

Picking and choosing the verses that make you comfortable is great, until you’re challenged on them. And I’m challenging you. It’s okay to not have all the answers. Lord knows I certainly don’t have all the answers. But I KNOW God doesn’t make mistakes, I KNOW that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, and I KNOW that He loves all who call Him Lord and Savior. It’s okay to say “I don’t know” and “I’m not sure”. That’s where we have to leave it to God, trust that His grace is sufficient. Both for you and for the people you’re not sure about, because that’s God’s business, not yours.

We all get caught up in the mess that we don’t understand. And that’s okay. We’re not God. We don’t have to understand everything. It’s when we want to understand everything that we become our own god, make our own determinations and don’t give the Lord the respect that He deserves.

One day, you and I will understand it all. Who you are. Who I am. Why we are the way we are. Until then, Jesus gave us the GREATEST commandment… To love each other as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-39)

So when someone says they are speaking using “Biblical teaching”, at the very least, give it some thought. I don’t think anyone reading this really thinks it’s okay to own slaves or kill misbehaving children. When YOU think you’re speaking from “Biblical teaching” give it some thought. It might be the theological teachings of a person you may respect, but is it “Biblical”? Is it what God wanted for you, for us here on Earth, today. You HAVE to ask the question, or else go ahead and buy some slaves.

-Blessings

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