What Is An "X"?

TITLE: What is “X”?
DATE: January 24, 2019
TEXT: Isaiah 5: 20-21 – ESV - Woe to those who call evil good  and good evil, who put darkness for light  and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet  and sweet for bitter!  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!       

When I first heard the story told by Abraham Lincoln, it was about a dog. In doing some investigation for this devotion, I found out the story Lincoln told revolved around a calf… not a dog. So, coming down through the corridors of history, here is the story the way Abe told it:

The boy was asked, “If we call your calf’s tail, a leg… how many legs will your calf have?

Knowing his math, the boy almost instantly replied, ”Sir, in that case, my calf would have five legs.”

To which he received the reply: “That is incorrect. The calf would still have four legs. Calling a tail a leg does not make it so.”

There is little doubt that the OT prophet Isaiah would have understood Abe’s point. Isaiah clearly saw a time when people would get mighty confused… a time when good would be evil and evil would be praised.

The Apostle Paul also had understanding into the mind of sinful humankind. In the first chapter of his book to the church in Rome, Paul said, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools… (ESV vs, 21-22)

And if you are wondering, “What’s got Paul all worked up?”, I’m obliged to tell you. I think Paul got a prophetic insight into  a tweet which came out of the office of the Mayor of New York. It reads, “To all trans and non-binary New Yorkers: We see you, hear you, and respect you. Starting in 2019, all New Yorkers will be able to change their gender on their birth certificate to M, F or X – without a doctor’s note.”

Yup, you can be whatever you want to be… including “X.”
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And to accomplish this miracle of legality, you don’t need a parent’s letter; you don’t need a Physician’s explanation; you don’t need to check things out with your spouse. In the language of Larry, the Cable Guy, “All you got to do is ‘get ‘er done.”
Larry would be joined by Abraham the President, Isaiah the Prophet and Paul the Apostle, who would agree saying, “Calling a calf’s tail, ‘a leg’ doesn’t make it so.” And if all the Mayors of all our cities; and all the Governors of all our states use up the paper from forests of trees to write legislation backing up their opinions… they will still be wrong.

AND, They will be countered by the simple truth of Scripture. In those pages we meet the Triune God Who speaks the truth rather than trying to do an end run around it.

In Scripture, God’s truth says, humankind is lost and condemned. BUT, the Lord, in His love for damned humanity has decided He will provide a path out of hell for those who, having acknowledged their disobedience to their Creator, follow His Son. With Holy Spirit given faith in Jesus Who has taken our place under the law, resisted Satan’s temptations and defeated death so we can be saved.

THE PRAYER: Lord, I have to confess that things are getting just a little bit weird down here. Rather than being confused by the foolishness of man, help me rely on what You have decided is right and best. Forgive my sins, strengthen my faith, and allow me to see clearly the difference between Your right and man’s wrong. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Today’s devotion was inspired by various articles, amongst which is the one written by Peter Heck for Illinois Family Action. Those who wish may check out this link which was, at the time of writing, fully active: https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2019/01/what-can-a-christian-do-when-up-is-down-right-is-wrong-regressive-is-progressive-boy-is-girl/

The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann, one of my long-ago confirmands. He is singing with three brothers. This song comes from the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html