One of the many executive orders President Donald Trump signed last Monday proclaimed that the U.S. government will recognize only two sexes, male and female.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

While we may applaud his action as affirming the truth of God’s Word, we must also be aware that there will be opposition to this. There are a lot of confused and hurting people out there. I know I was upset a few years ago when a biological male who identifies as a female won the national championship in the NCAA 500 meter freestyle. “What’s this world coming to?” But then I took a step back and asked myself whether or not I am looking at this person like Jesus would. Am I seeing him with the eyes of Jesus, someone that He loves and for whom He died?

I say “him” because that is the way God created. No one is denying this individual is a biological male. And Scripture tells us there are only two options. God declared everything He created good, and it was. Then man disobeyed Him and screwed it all up! Instead of living in harmony with God and according to His will, we think we know better and follow our sinful desires. He spoke about that after the flood when Noah offered a sacrifice to the Lord:

Genesis 8:21  “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.”

We all have those evil inclinations. We have our individual proclivities for pet sins. The temptations themselves are not sin. Acting on them is. That is what happens when someone who is biologically male identifies as female, or a biological female identifies as male. They are identifying themselves according to their fallen, sinful nature.

In God’s sight, sin is sin. If a person acts upon a temptation to lie, it is sin. If a person acts upon a sinful desire to be homosexual, it is sin. If a person allows anger to control them, like Cain did when he killed Abel, it is sin. To say, “That is the way God made me” is inaccurate. To say “This is the way I have chosen to live” is the reality. You have identified yourself according to your desires, your sinful desires.

Jesus sees that in people. But He still loves them. So much so that He came down to earth to be their substitute, to pay for the sin of everyone so that we would not have to take that penalty. He wants everyone to be forgiven and saved from sin and death. He does not want anyone to continue to be controlled by the sinful nature or to identify themselves according to their sins. He has a better path.

Romans 6:6 “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

God wants you to be the new creature that finds your identity in Christ. Receive the forgiveness He offers freely, let Him control you. When you slip and fall, admit it, and be forgiven again. You get to identify yourself as a forgiven child of God that has been declared righteous. Faith in Jesus claims the benefit He earned and offers.

Matthew 25:34 “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

You get that for free because Jesus paid your admission price. Recognize and live with your identity in Christ.

Philippians 1:21 For me to live is Christ