Humankind was created as God’s reflection: in the divine image God created them; female and male, God made them (Genesis 1:27; TIB).
Introduction
Recently, in a split second, God showed me a fresh way of understanding human gender. This experience rocked me to the core, especially as I was very ill with covid at the time.
The creation of human beings
Until that day, I accepted that Genesis 1:27 (see above), regardless of translation, meant human beings were created either female or male, although I knew that, in reality, there are many exceptions to this general principle. Now, however, I saw that when creating us in the divine image, God makes each of us ‘female and male’, not ‘female or male’.
Embryonic development
Every human embryo starts with undifferentiated, bipotential genital structures, which have the potential to develop into either male or female sexual organs (“Sexual differentiation in humans”: Wikipedia). Only later in gestation do these structures generally become female or male. However, for about 1 in 300 babies, gender at birth is unclear, ambiguous, or hidden. This makes complete sense once we recognise that everyone is somewhere on a spectrum of feminine to masculine.
Oestrogen and testosterone
Furthermore, all adults manufacture both oestrogen and testosterone, both of which are essential to every aspect of our health, mood and functioning. Within each individual, these hormones are present in a personal, changing balance throughout life. Their ratio places us all on a gender continuum. Some of us incline more towards femininity, others, towards masculinity, regardless of our sexual organs. It is therefore essential to remember that we all have both feminine and masculine hormones.
We also need to be aware that ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ behaviours are largely learned from parental and societal assumptions, customs, expectations and pressures, which vary widely throughout the world. Seeing gender as a simple, absolute, binary split between female and male is therefore a social construct, unconsciously absorbed during childhood. Whatever gender we most strongly identify with, we are all both female and male – just like Yahweh (please see my top-level menu: ‘God’s gender’ for more information about this).
Conclusion
One final detail about my ‘human gender’ revelation continues to amaze me: God sent the prayer-poem below several hours before the insight described above! God really is amazing! So now, here is today’s prayer…
My dear friends, now we are God’s children, but it has not been revealed what we are to become in the future. We know that when it comes to light we will be like God, for we will see God as God really is (1 John 3:2; TIB).
Every child
Is your much-loved daughter,
And every child is your son –
So you want us all
To grow like Christ:
Our God, may your will be done!
Every adult:
Your precious daughter,
And every adult, your son –
So you long for us
To become like you:
Our God, may your kingdom come!
Gender: irrelevant!
You love all!
So let us make no mistake –
For your peace on earth
Is beyond our reach:
Until we love all, for your sake!
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you (1 Thessalonians 3:12; NIV).
References
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5; NIV).
Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ (Ephesians 5:2; NLT).
This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ (Ephesians 4:13; NLT).
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10; NLT).
Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).
Love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).
Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).
Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).
Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT).
