We are living in the midst of an all-out assault on biblical anthropology. It is no longer a sneak attack but rather a high-handed rebellion against God’s order and design of humanity. Scripture teaches us, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27).[1] There are only two sexes. The sex you received is static. God chose your sex prior to birth, and it is witnessed at a chromosomal level. The technology and pharmaceuticals of today only foster a delusion that one can change what is intrinsic. It is a masquerade, and a dangerous one at that.
Many are concerned about the physical, emotional, and psychological effects of such rebellion against divinely ordered nature. The concerns are legitimate. Yet, the problem is deeper and costlier. There is a spiritual price to be paid by all those who rebel or empower such rebellion against the Creator. They cannot actually accomplish what they are seeking. A male cannot become a female or vice versa. It is a self-deception that is continually exposed. When Christians, conservatives, or others deny the fluidity of gender, it is met with anger and outbursts. Why? Because the delusion is being exposed. It is, in fact, an idolatry of self. As human beings, we do not possess libertarian freewill. Our Creator determines our sex.
Those rebelling against the Lord are surprised that Christians don’t approve or participate in their sins (1 Pet. 4:4-5). They do not like Christians repudiating their sins because it highlights their guilt and shame. So, the rebels malign Christians. They employ emotional sabotage and manipulation to bring Christians into conformity with their ideology. As Joe Rigney writes, “Sabotage is inevitable. Attempts to steer you will come. The world will seek to wield names and labels against you in order to manipulate and render you mute and impotent.”[2] The question for followers of Christ is, will we remain faithful to Christ in what we think and say, regardless of how uncomfortable it becomes? Being called things like transphobe or hater is one thing. What about when we hear the emotionally charged question, “Would you rather have a live son or a dead daughter?” No good parent wishes his or her child dead in ordinary circumstances. Yet, the question is loaded with emotionally manipulative language. The truth is, we are not confined to the parameters set by the question. It is not that far from the scenario of a child in the store who throws a tantrum over not being able to get a toy or a candy bar. Children lob emotionally charged grenades such as, “I hate you… I will never forgive you… You have ruined my life… My life is over…” In such instances, parents have to function like the mature adults they are supposed to be. They have to maintain a cool head. For Christians, we are called to sober-mindedness (1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:6). Just because others are drunk on their passions and lusts does not mean we are supposed to be. We must refute the lies of the world with the truths of Scripture (2 Cor. 10:3-5).
Let’s say that you hold to a biblical view of sex and sexuality, and you are willing to speak that truth to others. What do you do when others, even some who profess to be Christians, take issue with your tone? The question of tone has far-reaching implications, even outside of the issues of sex and sexuality. The subject of tone relates more to one’s feelings or perceptions of how someone else has communicated something. On its own, tone does not deal with the content of one’s message or its validity. We can all acknowledge that there is a proper tone of speaking that is appropriate at a five-year-old’s birthday party that is not appropriate in a courtroom. The tone of a campaign speech in the run-up to an election is different from the tone of a campaign victory speech after the election has been decided. The tone that one speaks with at a wedding reception is different than the tone one speaks with at a funeral service. Why is that? We learn, based upon the culture and even the family that we grew up in, what is socially acceptable and appropriate for particular settings and what is not. Yet, the problem with tone policing is that it is very subjective. It can become a gotcha card in any situation where the hearer does not particularly like what has been said. We cannot allow the individual feelings of a person to override truth.
Scripture clearly says things that would be considered today to be harsh or even aggressive in tone. What do we do with the saying of Jesus, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves” (Matt. 23:15). Or this one, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed” (Matt. 16:4). I think many look at the context and see Jesus targeting the Pharisees and Sadducees, and automatically conclude those are the “religious bad guys.” Of course, it is appropriate for Jesus to use sharp words to indict their sin. I know we cannot evaluate the tone of what was said because we were not there. Furthermore, this is the sinlessly perfect Lord of all Creation who is doing the speaking. So, we know what he said was true, justified, and holy. Let’s consider another scenario. The apostle Paul declared to Elymas the magician that he was “full of all deceit and fraud… [a] son of the devil… [an] enemy of all righteousness” (Acts 13:10). Some would say that this was acceptable because he was rebuking a man who was trying to prevent the pronconsul, Sergius Paulus, from believing the gospel (Acts 13:8). In addition, Paul is decribed by Scripture as being “filled with the Holy Spirit” just prior to his scathing rebuke of Elymas (Acts 13:9). So, in light of these details, most Christians would say that Paul was justified in what he said.
But what about when we, as average Christians, refer to certain behaviors as sinful that the Bible describes as sin? When Christians call homosexuality a sin, which is what Scripture clearly teaches, who determines the acceptable tone? What is the standard by which we evaluate said tone? Thankfully, we have answers to these questions. We must have an objective standard by which to judge such things. We know ultimately that the Lord is the One who is in authority above all (Eph. 1:20-23; 4:6; cf. Rom. 9:5; 11:36). If God is the supreme authority, which he is, we need to know what his standards are. Scripture is the revealed Word of God. It is the binding standard upon us, revealing to us God’s authority and his view of things. So, when someone accuses a Christian of having a bad or aggressive tone, we must go to the Scriptures to determine the validity of such an indictment. The problem is that most accusations of bad or aggressive tone are merely instances of someone’s feelings being hurt. Scripture does not condemn speech that makes someone feel guilty about sin. In such a case, the emotions of the hearer have become the standard. The individual has become the authority. As Christians, we rightly reject these as faulty. We know these are not the supreme standard or authority by which we judge things. We are called to submit to the authority of the Lord and to abide by his authoritative Word.
[1] “Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
[2] Joe Rigney, Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World (Moscow: Canon Press, 2024), 48 Kindle Edition. ↩︎