June 11, 2018 - Suggested Reading Genesis 1 for June 17th’s Father’s Day message on 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 in both services

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

Genesis 1:27 (NIV) 

We read this verse and in our present political and cultural climate in Ontario we wonder if this verse is classified by the rule makers as “hate speech”. I think that the fact that this verse is part of our sacred scripture will provide protection for me??? But there is no doubt that if I as a person, communicated this statement as my personal point of view, separate from Scripture to the right/wrong person I would be in trouble with the rule makers, because this verse clearly states that there are only two genders in the human race. It is a reminder that Scriptures teach that no matter what surgeries a person has, or how a person chooses to self-identify, that God only knows us as how He made us, either male or female, which means that when we stand before Him, we will be the gender that He made us. The wonderful truth that is revealed in this cryptic, poetic account of the creation of everything that exists, is that male and female together are the image of God. The genders are unique, they are distinct and they are interdependent upon each other being each other, in order to fulfill their God given duty of reflecting God’s image. Men must be men and women must be women, and they must be in harmony together to truly reflect the image of God. The Bible calls God Father, and yet the Bible describes God’s character and how He acts in female terms,
for females reflect the image of God.

Two genders existing together created in the image of God!

This is a description of love not hate.