Born This Way? Sure!

As I was sorting through my RSS feeds this morning, I came across this story from NPR: "Born Gay, Born This Way: A Photo Blog". The news story is about this blog - BornThisWayBlog.com - and its purpose is quite simple: to give a platform for homosexual men and women to tell their own stories of realizing they were homosexual from birth. From the "About" page:

"A photo/essay project for gay adults (male and female) to submit pictures from their childhood (roughly ages 2 to 12) - with snapshots that capture them, innocently, showing the beginnings of their innate LGBT selves. It's OUR nature, our TRUTH!" - Source (CAPS in original)

Normal?

My opinion might surprise some: I actually agree, in part, with the premise of this photo blog. There are people who do not choose to be homosexuals, but are instead pre-programed, as it were, to be this way. In fact, it is their nature and their personal truth.

The real moral question, though comes down to this: is something morally "good" and "right" because it is "natural"? "Yes" seems to be the opinion of the man running this blog:

"And the sooner we teach all children that being gay is as normal (and biological) as being straight, then maybe it really WILL get better, and we can save some young lives in the process. That’s my biggest goal with featuring your pictures and stories: That struggling gays kids of today can see themselves in the faces & stories of the gay kids of yesterday, to LIVE to create their own memories." - Ibid (CAPS in original)

As one who affirms the truthfulness and infallible teaching of the Holy Scriptures, my conscience is bound to first search out the Scriptures to discover how God sees human nature, and the lifestyles that are borne of it.

"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...." - Romans 1:21, 22 (ESV)

There are two doctrines of the Christian church that are essential in this discussion: Original (or Imputed) Sin, and Total Depravity. The doctrine of Original Sin teaches that the result of the sin of Adam is imputed (or passed down) to all his prodigy. This means that all human beings today are sinners by nature (both spiritual nature and physical nature) because the curse of sin is passed down to us from our parents. And before someone shouts, "Well that's not fair!" all I can say is this: one is born in the likeness of the one giving birth. The offspring of two sin-filled parents are sin-filled children. Not only do we inherit the image of God from our parents (which is a good thing), but we also inherit a sin-cursed human nature (which is not so good). Romans 5 one text of Scripture used to define this doctrine.

Total Depravity is the doctrine that all of our being - that is, our mind, will, and spirit - is infected with sin. Not only do we inherit a sin-cursed human nature from our parents, but that nature totally affects everything about us, from our physical bodies (the death rate is 100%) to our thinking mind and emotions (how often do you think of something that, if made public, you would be utterly ashamed of?). Total Depravity doesn't teach that people are as sinful as they can be, but that we are sinners through-and-through. In fact, our sin nature is such that, we are both unwilling and incapable of doing anything of eternal good before a holy and righteous God. This is why the Scriptures say, for example, that we are "dead in trespasses and sins...sons of disobedience...and [are] by nature children of wrath..." (Ephesians 2:1, 2b, 3b; ESV). And in another place: "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 8:7, 8; ESV).

Born to be this way?

Are some people born homosexuals? Is it in their DNA to be such a person? Well, I would say "yes", it's definitely possible. Yet, doesn't mean that what they are by nature is good and moral. In fact, without the saving and transforming power of Jesus Christ through the gospel, everything that makes up a person by nature is inherently evil and cursed by sin.

My message to the homosexual community is this:

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." - Galatians 5:19-24 (paragraphing mine; ESV)

Your sinful passions, whether spiritual or physical, can be overcome through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Your "flesh" (synonymous with sinful human nature) can be killed and restored to a new life, if you belong to Jesus. Christians are often accused of being hateful and bigoted toward homosexuals, and perhaps there are some Christians for whom those labels are appropriate. However, the gospel of Jesus is not hateful, but loving and compassionate. And yet, 100% of the time, unless the Spirit of God has first worked a miracle in your heart, you will read these words and be offended by and dismissive of them. My motivation of potentially offending you with the gospel is love, because until you hear the gospel of Jesus, you will have no opportunity to be saved from the coming wrath of God against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

God, in desiring to have a people for himself so that he might love them, and they might enjoy him forever, decided in eternity past to place the appropriate judgment for their sins on the back of Jesus. This Jesus was killed for the sins of his people, and was raised from the dead in newness of life so they might live too. And if you, dear sinner, trust in Jesus to save you from your sins and the coming wrath of God, then you will be made right with God, made holy by God, and will be able to enjoy God forever. Your sins will be washed away, and you will no longer have to fear condemnation ever again.

As well-known Christian pastor and author John Piper once said, "The gospel is the good news that God saves sinners from God."

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil.

"For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out by God." - John 3:16-21 (paragraphing mine, ESV)