Biblical Anthropology: The Family

I really wasn’t sure what to call this the fourth part of the Biblical Anthropology series. And maybe that’s part of the problem! Talking about families, that is, men and women and marriage and children, is to enter into a very complicated discussion in today’s world.

Of course, many years ago, if we started talking about boys and girls, we knew that we were talking about … well, boys and girls!

But let me quote Dr. Edgar Iván Zazueta Luzanilla, from an article in the Mexican news source La Jornada (translation mine). (Remember that this study was originally given in Mexico, so I’m going to preserve at least some of the Mexican examples – I’m sure you can find your own similar examples from your country.)

Gender, in sociocultural studies, can be understood as a category in a society bounded by various intersections, such as sex, time, place, or a certain population. Gender can vary from one generation, society and/or region to another. Gender is also the construct that each society imposes through rules and/or agreements that are often hegemonic, and is seen as conceptions, behaviours, practices and duties of how men, women, or specific groups are expected to react and behave in their lives.

Dr. Edgar Iván Zazueta Luzanilla

And so all of a sudden we’re using terms such as “marriage equality”, “biological gender”, “gender identity”, “gender nonconformity” … and the rest of an endless list.

But that all sounds very academic. What’s actually happening in the culture on the ground today? To get an idea, I decided to go to the billboard of top songs in Mexico. You could do the same in your country, although I probably wouldn’t recommend it. Out of the first five songs, every single one was immoral and completely against God’s plan for the family. Every single one! And I have a hunch that Mexico is in no way unique.

We’re starting our discussion of the family on the foundation of what we’ve already discussed. Last time, our theme was the imago dei, We are created in God’s image. And so whatever your “gender” may be, you have an incredible value.

That’s why we treat everyone with respect, as someone created in God’s image. It doesn’t matter how strange that person may seem to us, or if they have a disability, or if they think differently – we show everyone God’s love.

But back to gender. Christian historian Carl Trueman made a good observation, using this example. Imagine that someone says, “I’m a man trapped in a woman’s body.” Now, imagine that your great-grandfather heard that, say 100 years ago. What would he have said?

He probably would have just laughed, or said something like, “Don’t be ridiculous. Your body is you! You’re a woman, and I don’t need a university degree to say it.”

But today, such a comment about being “trapped in the body” of another gender or sex is considered normal.

Now, here’s something very important that many people don’t understand. We know, of course, that the Bible is going to challenge a lot of things that are considered “normal” today. Sure, topics like family and gender may seem challenging, but we have already been talking about issues that are far more fundamental.

If someone thinks that the Bible’s teaching about men and women is subversive, revolutionary, discriminatory, or whatever, they need to understand that our first three studies were far more destructive to this world’s sinful system.

Fellow Christian, we are very very revolutionary in that sense, in the sense of truth. We say and believe “dangerous” things, according to this world. If you didn’t already know that – surprise!

This study may seem to be more directly related to the world in which we live. But we have already laid the foundation.

This world has always hated the Lord Jesus. Oh, sure, many people take the “like Jesus, hate the Church” route, but that’s more because they really haven’t listened to what Jesus says. This world has always hated the Lord, and His Word. Ever since Genesis 3. If you’ve always wished you were fighting the great battles of history – guess what? The battles we have to fight may be even more important.

One of Mexico’s revolutionary heroes, Emiliano Zapata, once said, “I want to die being a slave to principles, not to men (Quiero morir siendo esclavo de los principios, no de los hombres)“. Well, if those principles are God’s principles, we will in fact be free. In life, or in death.

Jesus Himself said, “…if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36) And so I would very much like to know what Jesus thought – what Jesus thinks – about gender. Wouldn’t you?

That’s what we’ll talk about next time.