The verse 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.” This verse comes from the first creation account in Genesis and describes God’s creation of humanity. There are a few key things to understand about what this verse teaches regarding gender and sexuality:
1. Gender is part of God’s good design in creation
When God created humans, he deliberately made them male and female. This tells us that gender is not a mistake or accident, but part of God’s intentional design for humanity. God could have created just one gender, or multiple genders, but in his wisdom he created two genders – male and female. This complementarity of the sexes reflects something of the image of God in mankind. As Jesus said, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female?” (Matthew 19:4). Gender is part of God’s original blueprint for human beings.
2. Gender roles are rooted in creation
Because male and female genders are part of God’s created order, gender roles also have their basis in creation. Gender roles are not just social constructs that can be changed based on cultural preferences.Biblically speaking, men and women areequal in essence and value (Galatians 3:28) but were alsocreated to fulfill different roles and responsibilities(Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Timothy 2:12-14). Masculinity and femininityare part of God’s design and carry God-given meaning.
3. Marriage is between male and female
Genesis 1:27 teaches us that God made humans as male and female for a reason – so they could fulfill His command to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). This tells us that biblical marriage, the kind God instituted at creation, is meant to be between one man and one woman. same-sex relations cannot fulfill God’s original purpose for marriage. Jesus emphasizes this truth when he quotes Genesis 1:27 and says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Matthew 19:5). Biblical marriage is heterosexual by divine design.
4. Complementarity reflects God’s nature
The plurality and diversity seen in male-female relationships point us to the nature of God. Within the one Godhead exist multiple persons – Father, Son, and Spirit. This complementary diversity within unity models what God intends for marriage – two becoming one. Male-female relationships, when aligned with God’s design, display the glory of the Creator. This is why homosexuality distorts God’s intent, because it loses the complementarity that images God.
5. Christ’s union with the church pictured in marriage
When God created man and woman, he was picturing the future relationship between Jesus (the groom) and the church (His bride). This is why marriage matters spiritually. The marital union of husband and wife is meant to illustrate Christ’s sacrificial love and covenant relationship with His redeemed people (Ephesians 5:22-33). God’s purpose for placing Adam and Eve in the garden was to prepare the way for the true marriage of the Lamb of God and His people, which consummates God’s redemptive plan (Revelation 19:7-9).
6. Fall into sin corrupted God’s ideal for gender
Because of the fall (Genesis 3), God’s intentions for gender and marriage have been distorted by human sinfulness. We must acknowledge that males and females – due to indwelling sin – often fail to exhibit the character qualities God intends. Men and women both fall short of God’s standards for biblical manhood and womanhood. Only through the renewing work of the Spirit can we recover God’s ideals for how to properly embrace our God-given masculinity and femininity (Romans 12:1-2).
7. Redemption in Christ restores God’s design for gender
When we come to faith in Jesus, we begin the process of being conformed back to God’s intentions. Followers of Jesus are called to steward their gender identity according to the Word of God rather than cultural trends. Males and females both have the privilege and responsibility of growing in godly, biblical masculinity and femininity. Jesus redeems human relationships and identity – including gender and sexuality – and brings them back in line with God’s creational norms.
8. New creation consummates gender complementarity
At the resurrection, redeemed men and women in Christ will inhabit glorified, immortal bodies, no longer corrupted by indwelling sin. While still retaining their God-given gender identities, they will relate to one another in perfect harmony, completely free from sin and its effects (1 Corinthians 15:42-44; Revelation 21:1-5). The new heavens and new earth will be the consummation of God’s intent for creation, fully upholding His ideals for masculinity, femininity, and gender complementarity.
9. Homosexual desires are out of sync with God’s design
Since God created men and women purposefully as heterosexual beings, homosexual desires are clearly at odds with God’s original design. Same-sex attraction disorder is part of the fallen human condition that stems from the curse of original sin. Though not always a willful choice, homosexual desires are nevertheless a sign of mankind’s need for radical redemption. God promises to forgive and transform those struggling with disordered affections when they repent and believe the gospel (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
In summary, Genesis 1:27 teaches us that gender complementarity and heterosexual marriage are fundamental to God’s design for humanity. Deviations from these creational norms lead to distorted relationships. But through Jesus there is hope for healing and change back to God’s ideal. By upholding biblical truths about gender and sexuality, Christians point towards God’s grand story of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation.
