Ok, so I am really late responding to the Diane Sawyer interview with Bruce Jenner. I have been busy…. we all have! Today, I’m finally getting around to addressing the man who has, once again, captured our attention.
Before I dive in, I want to say that my heart grieves for Bruce Jenner. I am not sitting down to write out of anger or mockery. I do not want to belittle or disdain him and others like him. I do not write setting out intending to offend. Though, I realize the below will be found offensive to some. I am saddened and concerned for Jenner specifically and for society in general.
This does not make me better than him or anyone else! As you will see below, I believe that I am a sinner in great need of a Savior!
Bruce Jenner’s Problem And All Of Our Problem
I found the Sawyer interview interesting. It was fascinating how Jenner has diagnosed the problem and provided his solution to the problem. Jenner himself explained a number of times the confusion he has experienced over the years. He described his confusion to be lifelong, beginning early in life. Jenner’s interview was to say, I have had this problem, it is not a new problem, I am a person stuck in a man’s body with a female psychology.
Here’s the deal: I have more in common with Bruce Jenner than you think! Jenner and I have the same problem – yes, you heard me correctly. My problem and Jenner’s problem is that we are both sinners. No, I have never had the thought… maybe I should play God and change who he has made me to be, or maybe I should become a woman. This has never crossed my mind. BUT, many sinful thoughts have crossed my mind and only God knows how many of those thoughts turned into actions. Jenner is a sinner. And so am I. That is the greater problem and he is not alone. Jenner and I share this one thing in common. WE are sinners. Jenner’s problem is not confusion about his manhood or womanhood. Jenner’s greater problem is that he is a sinner in need of a Savior. And that is my greatest problem and….. yours as well.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 ESV)
That is our problem – what is the answer?
Jenner’s answer to his problem sounds radical doesn’t it!?! Actually, it is not radical enough. Jenner does not need body transformation; he needs a more radical and thorough transformation. Jenner and I both, need soul transformation. You see, we cannot simply take some pills, do some surgery, and whatever else. Jenner will wake up from surgery still being…. Jenner. He may look different on the outside but the soul is unchanged. Jenner is changing on the surface; however, he needs to take an even more radical approach to his problem.
Let me explain. Jenner believes he was born this way. I am fine with his perspective. You and I are no different. We too were born sinners. That is the whole point of the gospel. You and I were born sinners but we can be born again!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
(2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)
The Good News
The good news is that Christ came and went to the cross to make that radical change possible.
God….. died for our sins so that we might be born again, transformed, made new in Christ Jesus. Now that is radical transformation! Nothing less than the life, death, and resurrection provides this transformation for sinners like me, you, and Jenner.
Jenner’s answer is to change how he was born physically as a male. He believes that changing his identity, by dressing as a woman, will solve his problem. This is what saddens me; Jenner will wake up tomorrow with a different set of clothes, but an unchanged heart. As long as he continues to answer his problem on a surface level, he will never be satisfied.
He needs… and I need, a bigger transformation, a better Savior. We need a thorough transformation from the inside out, a soul transformation. Jenner and I are men wrestling with sin in need of the Savior of our souls. He, you and I need the grace and mercy of God.
Good news…..Christ came to make that possible!
