Words of faith: Let’s celebrate our genders’ differences

People are basically the same. Whether you never leave your hometown or travel the world, you have probably discovered this reality.

It really makes no difference if a person is tall or short, rich or poor, Democrat or Republican. To put it simply; people are people. One may speak Spanish and another speaks French. One person’s family may originate from Europe and another may come from Asia, Africa or South America.

Even so, we all have much in common.

One major difference does, nevertheless, exist. It is the difference of gender. Gender is a gift from God and is part of the goodness of His creation. To blur or merge this beautiful distinction is to reject a blessing. Here are three ways gender is a special blessing.

The first blessing of gender differences is seen in creation. After God created Adam, He said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). God then created the female – Eve. Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” The difference of gender is, therefore, something to be celebrated. After God created Adam and Eve He said that it was very good.

The second blessing of gender differences is seen in marriage. My belief is that marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The book of Ephesians paints marriage as a picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our marriages are designed to speak the truth about Christ to the world. The Apostle Paul said, “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior” (Ephesians 5:23).

The third blessing of gender differences is seen in the family. God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. It may seem painfully obvious but there are no children without a man and a woman union. Just try to think of a world with no people in it. It’s hard to imagine isn’t it? God created this structure of the family to be the only foundational institution of human society.

Let there be no doubt, males and females are of equal value before God. They are both created in the image of a powerful and loving Father. Both should be treated with the utmost respect and honor. The clear differences of gender are worthy of celebration. Without the gender differences life would have no exciting flare.

Wait a minute; Actually, there would be no life at all.

This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Words of faith: Let’s celebrate our genders’ differences."