I Can't Help It, I Was Born This Way

Last week someone asked me why homosexuals receive so much flack from the church, when its just part of who they are, the way they were born.  I answered “I don’t know.  The church does need to work on that doesn’t it ?”

Now before you misunderstand my response, I believe homosexuality is a sin (much of my conversation with this person pertained to whether it was or not).  Let me explain the deeper issue here.

Much of the secular world believes people are born homosexual, that it is the way God made them, or at least that they are not able to change this aspect of their person.  There is truth in that belief.  First, and what the church often fails to convey clearly to the world, is that people are born with homosexual tendencies, just like they are born with other sinful tendencies: thievery, anger, greed, etc.  Man is fallen at conception.  Inherent in being human is the sin nature. 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” –Romans 3:23

“As it is written ‘None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
 no one seeks for God. 
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” –Romans 3:10-12

Secondly, however, God does not wish for us to remain sinful (homosexual).  He wants us to die to our sinful nature in order to be redeemed.  Within the church are many sinners, maybe even homosexuals, but that does not mean we are okay as we are.  Just because we are born a certain way does not mean that behaviour is acceptable for a Christian.  Life is a constant struggle against our old nature, however with Christ our old nature can be eliminated and forgotten.  Meaning thieves can stop stealing, liars can stop lying, homosexuals can have relationships God intends them to have. 

“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” –Romans 7:21-25

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Romans 8:5-8

To quickly re-examine the original statement: “people are born homosexual, they are not able to change this aspect of their person.”  We see that though we are born into sin and that we are unable to change ourselves, through the power of Christ we can be changed.  Not through our own will or power, but through God.

“How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” –Romans 6:1-4

The church sometimes fails to communicate the natural state of man, perhaps fearing that to concede a person may be born sinful may be a concession for the justification for sin.  It is not.  It is important to remember all men have been born sinful since the fall of Adam.  This does not call for a loss of hope, but rather should increase our amazement at the power of Christ’s Love and Redemption.

 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” –Romans 12:1-2

As for the Church’s attitude regarding homosexuality, we ought to love those outside of the church, understanding that we once struggled with sin and belonged to death.  That being said, sin within the church must be fought, with love and forgiveness, but also with uncompromising zeal. (1 Corinthians 5)