Isaiah 40:8 KJV – “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”
2 Timothy 3:16 KJV – “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
Psalm 100:5 KJV – “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
But can God’s Word be trusted in this generation? Does His truth expire? Does it depend on popularity? Is Jesus Christ really the same yesterday, today, and forever?
Genesis 1:27 KJV – “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Matthew 19:4 KJV – “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,”
Somehow this is now a debate in our culture. Forces of darkness are assaulting the very truth of Scripture and blaspheming God.
At what point is God’s wrath released, and when do we know it is being poured out on a people or society?
Romans 1:18 KJV – “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;”
It is understood that creation is evidence of a Creator and men are without excuse. They abandoned common sense, and the ability to reason, “and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” (Rom. 1:21-22)
What we’re witnessing today is a result of God giving them over to a depraved mind. Any attempt to define humanity and morality differently than how God has clearly defined it in His Word is an act of rebellion. And yet, evil is called good in today’s culture.
Things have changed so radically and rapidly in such a short time, many of us feel like we have whiplash. Just a few examples:
- A conservative student at William and Mary University, Skylar Culbertson, wrote an article last month stating, “I told my peers men cannot have babies. They’ve threatened to kill me because of it.” (actual death threats)
- Education Secretary, Miguel Cardona, refused to define a “woman” under oath at a congressional hearing two weeks ago. Cardona’s job includes enforcing Title IX, which prohibits discrimination (including on the basis of sex) in education programs! Biden Democrats want to alter Title IX and punish states that protect women/ girls from males competing against them, using their locker rooms.
- A bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week by Florida’s Greg Steube and co-sponsored by 93 Republicans. H.R. 734 will prohibit school athletic programs from allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in programs for women or girls. Every Democrat voted against it.
- In Keil, WI, three 8th grade boys were suspended for not using the preferred pronouns of a classmate.
- In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) defined homosexuality as a mental illness, but were forced to alter that classification. The APA also considered transgenderism a mental health issue but again, due to pressure from the LGBTQ activist lobby, they have defined it as “gender dysphoria” since 2013.
Make no mistake: this is a clash of worldviews; a spiritual battle that has manifested and metastasized in our culture, on our watch. How do we respond?
A.W. Tozer said,
“The Holy Scriptures tell us what we could never learn any other way: they tell us what we are, who we are, how we got here, why we are here, and what we are required to do while we remain here.”
Transgender Ideology Unleashed
Once waiting in the wings to be rolled out, transgender ideology has been unleashed like a blitzkrieg. It has evolved from a behavior to a disorder needing treatment, then to an orientation, a political movement, and finally, to an identity and even a “right.”
A young mom contacted me back in 2016 and shared a disturbing experience regarding her six-year-old daughter and gender ideology being promoted in public schools.
“I’ve been struggling. After the very first day of school, my daughter comes home from her first-grade class and says, ‘There is a girl in my class who is going to be a boy! She is going to take medicine and have a p___s put on!’ The kids are forced to call the girl by her ‘boy’ name and she uses the teacher’s bathroom.
“Shocked, I needed to take a breath. I told her, ‘No matter how much medicine that little girl takes or if she has surgery, she will still be a girl. God does not make mistakes, and we are exactly who we are supposed to be.’ I’m upset that my child has to be subjected to this. We are moving both our girls to private school next year, and it’s going to be worth every penny! I never thought this could happen in a small Wisconsin town. What six-year-old wants to be the opposite sex?”
Good question! Small town USA, this deviance has come to your door.
Christians in America who adhere to the Bible and its authority have been put into a very difficult position. Truth defenders are now the minority of believers. The silence of the American church has opened the door for this pervading darkness.
God-hating activists now demand we accept what the Bible considers sin. Those who do not approve of certain sexual behaviors and lifestyles are marginalized.
Romans 1:26-27 says, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”
The sexual revolution peaked in the 1960s, then the homosexual revolution took off in the wake of radical feminism and lesbianism. Naturally then, what has been under attack is life in the womb, marriage, family, fatherhood and masculinity.
Romans 1:30 says these depraved minds are “inventors of evil things” such as convincing children they’re unhappy, confused about gender, and selling life-altering surgeries that leave them scarred, depressed, and often suicidal.
Is Assault On The Image Of God A Modern Phenomenon?
This assault on the image of God and sexuality is not a modern phenomenon. Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, Philo of Alexandria, who lived during the first century, expressed disgust about effeminate males who used cosmetics on their face and hair.
Here’s one translation of Philo on the subject:
“Another evil, much greater than that which we have already mentioned, has made its way among and been let loose upon cities, namely, the love of boys, which formerly was accounted a great infamy even to be spoken of, but [now] which sin is a subject of boasting not only to those who practise it, but even to those who suffer it…”
Philo lived during the time of Christ; a time in which the Imago Dei was understood to be a foundational truth in the Old Testament.
In a brief overview of the history of the Jewish people in Psalm 106, verses 19-21 states: “They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image. Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;”
Sound familiar?
Those who “identify” as LGBTQ+ can now get married or undergo gender “reassignment” surgery (which doesn’t exist). They create a persona (idol) in their own image: Man’s.
What Does It Mean To Be Made In The Image Of God?
The Hebrew phrase for “image of God” is tzelem Elohim. Tzelem is likely the root of the word meaning ‘shadow.’ In practical terms, we are like mini shadows that the Lord casts on the world. The deeper understanding is that there is something uniquely sacred about human life, unlike the animal kingdom or any other created life.
Imago Dei is a Latin phrase. The image of God refers to the immaterial part of humanity, a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.
In Genesis, chapter 1, the Word states: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Note the use of “Us” and “Our” indicating the triune God. Mankind was created in the image and of Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. God even repeated it twice. It is also clear He created them male and female.
He then told them to procreate, which two people of the same sex cannot do. To be fruitful and multiply, a man and a woman are needed. Context will show in Genesis 2 exactly how the two different genders were created.
Pastor David Guzik at Enduring Word states:
“Men are not women, and women are not men. One of the saddest signs of our culture’s depravity is the amount and the degree of gender confusion today. It is vain to wonder if men or women are superior to the other. A man is absolutely superior at being a man. A woman is absolutely superior at being a woman. But when a man tries to be a woman or a woman tries to be a man, you have something inferior.”
Imago Dei is an order established and maintained by the Creator. Contrary to modern delusion and opinion, it’s impossible for man lose this image. But they’re trying.
Hebrew references to “image” (tselem) and “likeness” (demût) convey the idea of an object similar to or representative of something else, but not identical to it.
Humanity is unique among all God’s creations, having both a material body and an immaterial soul/spirit. We’re different from angels and the animal kingdom. Even after the Fall of mankind, the Bible reinforces the value of every human life: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man.”
The New Testament Greek word for image (eikōn) conveys virtually the same meaning as the Hebrew. Both languages indicate that God created humans to be similar to himself, but not identical to himself.
Imago Dei is one of the key doctrines of the Old Testament, the Christian faith, and Western culture.
Ephesians 4:24-25 states: “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”
As new creations in Christ, our identity is in Jesus, the author, Creator, and sustainer. Colossians 1:15 says, “He is the image of the invisible God…” and verse 17 states, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
Jesus Christ; the Word, Mighty God, Everlasting Father; His Truth is our final authority!
Hebrews chapter 1 says in these last days, God has spoken to us through His Son, and:
Hebrews 1:3 KJV – “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:”
Jesus is the beam, the light, the “radiance” of God’s glory. We’ve never seen the sun, only the rays of its light shining on the world. We have also not seen God the Father, but we see Him through the Son. Jesus exactly represents God. He and the Father are one.
Other translations: The express image of His person; exact imprint of his nature.
Perverting The Image of God
Can you see why this demonic movement today is trying to pervert the fact mankind was made in the image of God?
If we take Him at his Word, the created order has always been two sexes. The science most people agree on is males have a pair of XY chromosomes and females have a pair of XX chromosomes.
The Bible and observational science agree on these foundational truths.
Since we are truly made in the Image of God, even though that image has been tainted by sin, then each person is created with inherent dignity, value, and worth. We know this instinctively, even though we live at a time when common sense is out the window and people are working to deceive, undermine, and pervert this truth.
The Bible is crystal clear on this. Deuteronomy 22:5 states: “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.”
This prohibited a man from wearing any item of feminine clothing or ornamentation, or a woman from wearing any masculine clothing or ornamentation. The same word translated “abomination” was used to describe God’s view of homosexuality. Here, transvestism.
Why? The creation order distinctions between male and female were to be maintained without exception.
There’s an alarming perversion of Imago dei permeating academia. Somehow, it has flown under the radar. It is the cancerous movement of D.E.I. (diversity, equity, and inclusion).
A Trojan Horse
Whereas Verbum Dei is Latin for the Word of God, the modern, deceptively named acronym DEI stands for quite the opposite. These three redefined words may seem harmless and even sound good, but they have become weaponized.
Christopher Rufo, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute says the radical left in the U.S. is hiding behind a Trojan horse. Inside are perpetrators of a new religious cult: diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). They are using DEI to mask tyranny. They push Queer Theory, for example, a ruthless criticism of God’s creative order and the male-female gender binary that is assumed by most societies.
More and more colleges and universities have DEI departments. They are being used to enforce “ideological conformity” and silence dissent across America.
The University of Florida (UF) is one quick example: UF hosts 31 DEI initiatives at a cost of $5 million per year. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is not a series of standalone programs but an ideology that has been embedded in virtually every department on campus.
The university has created over a thousand (1,018) separate DEI initiatives;
- 73 percent “have a DEI committee” and “DEI officer”;
- 70 percent “espoused commitment to DEI”;
- 53 percent “have a DEI strategic plan”;
Many of our kids have endured years of woke education in the nation’s public school system followed by more years of cultural Marxism in American colleges.
Christians Must Defend God’s Good Design
We must never tire of speaking the truth and giving to causes that honor the dignity of human life. Believers today must interpret cultural, social, and so-called “political” issues through the lens of Scripture and the image of God.
Contributing writer to Bible Study Tools, Rylie Fine, states:
This lens will apply to issues like abortion, sex trafficking, immigration, war, civil rights, pornography and prostitution, criminal justice, [LGBTQ issues] and more. Many Christians on both sides of the political aisle have allowed these topics to become partisan issues rather than Imago Dei issues.
In a world that increasingly suppresses and manipulates the truth of us all being made in the Image of God—mostly by saying there is no God to make us in his image—Christians must be bold in their defense of God’s good design. We must proclaim that every human being is valuable, from the tiniest baby to the oldest, sickest hospice patient.
Christians can be confident in the truth of Scripture and God’s good design.
Psalm 139:13-16 states: “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”
Not surprisingly, attacks on God’s image-bearers has increased dramatically in the U.S. Family Research Council (FRC), released a report documenting highlighting a 300% rise in acts of hostility against the church in 2023. These acts include “vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents, bomb threats, and more.”
Author and Pastor Mark Hitchcock recently spoke about the “growing hatred for Christians in America.” He said:
“The battle lines are being drawn, and we’re seeing a real clash of kingdoms, the clash of Satan’s kingdom versus God’s kingdom, a clash between darkness and light, a clash between the culture of death and life, a culture of disorder versus peace, a culture of dysphoria versus divine order.”
Opposition will come, but so will God’s wrath and justice.
I wish we had time to go through this whole chapter, but I’d like to conclude with 2 Thessalonians chapter 1.
2 Thessalonians 1:4-10 – “So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”
God’s judgement will be swift on the unbelieving world, He will deal out retribution – away from the presence of the Lord – as part of their eternal destruction.
In contrast, He promises to never leave us or forsake us and will give you relief when the Lord is revealed from heaven. And we will be in His presence forever.
HIS truth endures to all generations!
