Are People Born Queer?

Queer. Butch. Gay. Queen. Fag. LBGT. There are many labels people give toward homosexuals and others who question their sexual orientation, and sometimes these people even use these terms (like queer) among themselves. There are also a number of people who are mean, hateful and derogatory toward those same people. On the other hand, there is a growing number of people who increasingly call for ‘equal rights’ for those of differing sexual desires. So who is right? I’ve heard people claim that God loves everyone, and will accept you whether you’re straight or not. I’ve also heard people that claim ‘sexual deviants’ are cursed from God, and that their sin is especially terrible. So which is it, because they can’t both be right? Someone quotes Scripture regarding one point and someone else will quote Scripture for the opposing point. There are also scientific studies which state there may be evidence of a genetic influence on sexuality – a ‘gay gene’ as some have termed it. With all these contradictory statements made by ‘experts,’ then who are we to believe? As with everything else in life we need to turn to the Scriptures to find our answers.

Rom 5:19

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Is it possible to be born a homosexual (queer)? This is a valid question, and many – even Christians – seem to have a lot of difficulty in answering this simple question. If people are born as homosexuals, then they are not responsible for their choice of orientation. That is an important point to consider, as there are multitudes of people who say that sexual orientation is a choice. If it’s true that there is no choice then we can hardly fault those who simply follow their genetic tendencies. In fact, for years I was one of those who believed that very premise, but that premise is not sound according to the Scripture.

WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING? No, I’m as serious as I can be! People are not only unable to change their sexual orientation, they are unable to change any of the other actions arising from a sinful heart. This is because it is not a matter of making a simple choice, because sinners commit sins. It is a part of their nature, because that is who they are. Scripture states that people don’t have any choice in determining their sexual orientation. For that matter, people don’t have a choice in their being a thief, a murderer, a liar or a drunkard. What Scripture plainly teaches is that the heart which is devoid of the life of God is filled with darkness and sin. Until we come to Christ we have no choice in whether we obey our sinful desires or not.

I know this goes against the majority of teaching within the orthodox Christian church, but I’m not concerned with that. What I am concerned with is the teaching of the truth of God’s Word and not the teaching of what people perceive as God’s Word. The Word of God should, and MUST, have preeminence in the life of everyone who claims the name of Jesus.

As the title verse states, when Adam sinned he condemned the whole human race to the servitude of sin. Sin is total in nature, and while there are degrees (or severity) of sin, the classification is still the same. If something, like being queer, is sinful then it is sin. If something is righteous it is in obedience to the Word of God. There is no blurring of the lines between the two. So when we label sexual deviancy (queer) as sin, we are correct, because that is what the Word of God labels it;

1 Cor 6:9-11

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Did you notice that there is no special ‘queer’ sin listed? Did you notice that sexual perversion is not singled out as a separate form of sin? Instead, it is lumped together with other ‘traditional’ forms of sin such as covetousness, drunkenness and idolatry. That’s because sin is sin, and while there are various degrees of sin the end result of sin is still the same – exclusion from the kingdom of God. Sexual deviancy – just like other forms of sin – is the direct result of a heart that is devoid of the life and nature of God. And because we are all descendants of Adam, we have all, ALL, been born into sin.

What are we to do then? The answer, just as in every other case of a sinful heart, is to come to Christ. By His death on the cross, His burial and His subsequent resurrection we have been freed from the power of a sinful heart, because we have been given a new nature in place of the old one! And while we may not have a choice in what we do before we come to Christ, we definitely have a choice afterward;

2 Cor 5:17-18

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

The answer to sexual ‘disorientation’ (as with any other form of sin) is submission to the Word of God and a new birth, which is freely offered to all through the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ!