Course Overview and Objectives
WE ARE DESIGNED TO LIVE AS WHOLE PEOPLE
“And God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”
– Genesis 1:28
God created people to be whole and life-giving like Him. In Genesis 1:28, it says, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.’” God intended for Adam and Eve to produce fruit, in other words be life-giving in all aspects of their being. They were designed male and female (their sexual nature) with five aspects: physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual. God’s intent for them was to express their male and female nature through all five of these aspects and thus represent God’s nature and expand the Kingdom of God. We are also created to live in agreement with our design as male and female persons, infusing our sexual nature through all five aspects of who we are, adding to this our unique personalities, gifts, talents and purpose. This “sexual integrity”, or sexual wholeness, was the original intent for Adam and Eve’s design and their relationships and this is God’s intent for us as well. Integrity means: the state of being whole and undivided. This means if a person is to live with sexual integrity, all of their aspects will be unified, in agreement and functioning as a whole. Whole means: in an unbroken or undamaged state; in one piece. We are designed to live whole, unified and integrated so that we bear our unique self. In doing so, we are a reflection of a loving God, and as a result, our relationships will likely be unified and healthy. Image bearing is one of our greatest purposes, not only who we are but also a glimpse of who God is.
In Genesis 1:26 it says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.’”
God is three persons, in one God-head. God is a communion, or union, of persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit and we see this represented in Genesis 1:26a, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” God is the first and most complete example of unity in a relationship. Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” In His communication, Jesus made it clear that He and the Father were one and His actions continually revealed how important their unity was to His mission. John 17:22 says, “That they [His followers] may be one, just as we are one.” Unity is an important principle in Scripture, especially in relationships. Ephesians 4:2-6 says, “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all Who is over all and through all and in all.” This is such a great declaration for unity!
God’s intention for us to be whole and live as one, or unified, is a powerful picture of His Kingdom. It is so powerful in fact, that the enemy wants to destroy it in any way possible. He wants to hurt people to bring fracture and wounding in their life and destroy relationships in the process. If he can confuse or distort someone’s image, even just in the mind of a person, he assaults God. This course will take you through the assault on God’s image bearers to the core of their identity. It will help you see how distortions of the mind and heart can hurt people, and yet we will also see how the gospel has power to save and God’s grace is abundant where pain and heartache and confusion reign.
Course Objectives
- Reflect on scriptural mandates for wholeness and integrity.
- Understand the Transgender journey through powerful personal stories.
- Examine key terms and current transgender ideology pervading the culture.
- Understand why someone might believe they are in the wrong body.
- Engage scriptural teaching on sexuality and gender expression.
- Gain insights on how to help those struggling with their sexual identity.
