Born That Way

The phrase stands alone these days. I throw it out and you know exactly what I'm talking about. People who identify as homosexuals believe they do not choose it; they were "born that way." Is it true?

Well, yes ... yes it is. But, wait. If you don't get the whole thought, you don't get the point.

The Bible teaches that we are all "born that way." Gay? No. Sinners. David wrote, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psa 51:5). That's not an accusation against his mother; it's an admission that humans are born sinners. "The wicked," David wrote, "are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies" (Psa 58:3). From birth. So, were homosexuals born sinners? Yes. So were you. So was I. Our individual sins vary, but we all sin (Rom 3:23).

What's the point? The point is that "born that way" is irrelevant. It isn't an excuse. It isn't a good reason to continue in it. It doesn't make heterosexual immorality or homosexual immorality okay. It would be like a child born without arms and legs saying, "I was born this way and this is the way I will stay" even though there are ways to address those problems. Our birth condition isn't a good reason to continue in it. It is a declaration of guilt and a certification of absolute need.

Yes, we were all born that way, sinners in need of God's grace and mercy. We all have desperately wicked hearts (Jer 17:9). We're all dead in sin (Eph 2:1). We all need a clean heart (Psa 51:10). We all need to die with Christ and be raised with Him to new life (Rom 6:3-5). "Born that way" isn't justification; it is a desperate cry for help that only God can give. We -- none of us -- should let it lie at "born that way." What we need is new birth.