Did God Make Me Gay?

Did God make me gay? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Well, hi, this is Bill Meyer, along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. You can call us right now. Our phone lines will be open for the next 25 minutes or so. That's 1-833-843-2673. You can also email us your question at questions at corechristianity.com.

First up today, here's a voicemail from one of our listeners named Ty. I'm 57 years old. How do I deal with my sluggardness in my life so I can glorify God? Thank you. Hey, thank you for that question. How do you deal with your sluggardness?

Well, one, I just appreciate you bringing this up. This is not often a sin that people will confess, but the fact of the matter is laziness, being a sluggard. This is something that is condemned in Scripture. It keeps us from doing the things that God calls us to do. I don't understand or know all of the specifics with regard to your particular case, but I will say that oftentimes there are lifelines that feed our particular sin, whatever that sin is, and we are called to cut those lifelines off, to sever those lifelines so that this sluggard behavior doesn't continue. That might be related to diet, what you drink, exercise, some of those things I think that can help contribute to a life of laziness, but this is certainly something that God calls you to repent of. Of course, especially in the wisdom literature, there's all sorts of advice for the sluggard.

Consider the ant, for example. You think of what the Proverbs say in terms of preparing and being diligent, and so that's my recommendation. I would say pray and say, Lord, what are the things that help contribute to my laziness? Is it the schedule that I keep?

Is it the diet that I have? Is it the fact that I'm not pursuing things that I should be pursuing? Whatever it is, what are those things that I'm doing that are the lifelines to this lazy behavior? And then repenting, cutting them off, saying, God, fill me with your spirit and give me the grace to be diligent and to use the strength that you've given me for your glory.

Thank you for reaching out to us with that question, and may God help you, and may God help all of us to be diligent with the lives that he's given to us. You know, I'm thinking of that proverb that says, I walked by the field of the lazy man, and I saw it was overgrown with weeds, and I said to myself, oh, if you're lazy, you'll starve. Yeah, it's one of those amazing things about Proverbs that does really give us those cause and effect relationships, doesn't it?

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, again, I love that you bring up that passage. The text that I was mentioning, Bill, is in Proverbs chapter 6, verse 6. Go to the ant, O sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise.

Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber and want like an armed man. In other words, this laziness leads to destruction, and so it's a serious sin.

It's something, again, that we're called to repent of and to exercise wisdom, and so praying for that wisdom, praying for that diligence, and turning from whatever behavior it is that's contributing to this type of laziness. Netflix. Yeah.

Oh, Bill, don't say that I'm convicted. No. Yeah, I mean, it can be, right? You're totally right.

I mean, what are the things that sometimes we can just sort of veg out and not take responsibility, not do the things that we should be doing because we're just being lazy, you know? Let me just fold my hands a little bit and rest here, and nothing gets done, and it's a dangerous place to be. Yeah, you bet. Good advice. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Our phone lines are open if you've got a question about the Bible or the Christian life, doctrine, theology.

Maybe you're running up against some sort of persecution on your workplace or at school. We'd love to hear from you, or maybe you just need some prayer today. Give us a call right now. 833-THE-CORE is the number.

That's 1-833-843-2673. We'll be taking calls for the next 15 minutes or so. Let's go to Dana calling in from Missouri. Dana, what's your question for Adriel?

Hello, Michael. My question is, the Bible I've heard over and over says we are to have a sound mind. However, I am bipolar, among other things, and often in seasons my mind is not sound at all. And I have to take, I actually take 27 different pills a day plus a shot in the butt. I am not sane unless I'm medicated. So how does that work out?

Hey, Dana. Thank you for your question. And boy, I could see how this would be a real dilemma if you feel like the Bible is commanding me to do something that is just impossible. What does the Bible mean when it sometimes uses that phrase, having a sound mind? One of the places where you will sometimes see that translated in that way is in 2 Timothy 1, verse 7.

The ESV translates it in this way, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. And so, I mean, it just depends on how you're understanding this idea of a sound mind. The Bible is not denying or minimizing, I think, the reality of the fact that there are serious mental health conditions that we can suffer from. In fact, I think the Bible, just in our doctrine of sin, when we think about how sin has affected every single part of us, including our minds, the Bible makes room for this. And so we have to deal with this problem of how sin has affected not just our bodies and our souls but also our minds. And one of the ways I think that God has provided for us in common grace is through things like doctors and medicine. And so I don't think that 2 Timothy 1, verse 7, for example, is denying the reality of something like bipolar disorder. Here's what I will say to you, Dana, is in Christ you've also been given the Holy Spirit. Yeah, there is this battle. There's the battle between the flesh and the spirit.

There's the battle that we have with sickness, disease, mental health disorders. But I want you to listen to what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians, chapter 2, verses 5 through 11. He says, Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, but found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. That is the mind of Christ that we are called to have and that we've been given through faith in his name. We're united. You're united by faith in Jesus Christ to him so that it's as if your life is hidden with Jesus Christ and you are called to have the mind of Christ.

And what does that look like? It doesn't mean that you won't suffer or struggle with something like bipolar disorder. It does mean that we're called to humble ourselves, to serve each other, to consider the needs of others, even as more significant than our own needs at times. And that's something that you can do and something that you do have by the grace of the Holy Spirit. And I pray that you also have the support and encouragement of the local church as you wrestle with bipolar disorder. But also, and I think, Bill, you can speak to this, the support and encouragement of a good doctor. And you mentioned some of the pills that you're taking to help you. And I'm glad that this is something that you've been able to get under control.

Bill, would you add anything else? Well, I love what you said when you really helped her kind of flesh out that passage. Self-control.

You talked about how that is really important. And if the medication is helping Dana have self-control in her life, then it's exactly what she needs, right? So God wants her to have self-control. And if she needs a medication because of her brain chemistry to be self-controlled by all means. And of course, you know, we always say to make sure your medication is carefully monitored. If you feel it's not helping you, there are other types that you can try. That's the amazing thing about medical science. Now, there are also those that are physicians sometimes that will push medications on people when maybe they aren't necessary. I'm not saying that's the case in Dana's case, but I think we always need to be good consumers, good kind of quarterbacks of our own mental health treatment and physical health treatment as well.

Absolutely. Dana, thank you for reaching out to us. May the Lord bless you and continue to be with you. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, maybe there is a Bible passage that's always kind of stumped you. Something from Leviticus and you're saying, I just don't really get that.

Well, you know, Adriel loves the Book of Leviticus and he'd be more than happy to help you with that. So give us a call right now. Here's the phone number. It's 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. Let's go to Frieda calling in from Missouri. Frieda, what's your question for Adriel? I was just wondering if, when I get to heaven, if my husband will know me after 44. Oh, I'm sorry. You got cut off there, Frieda. What were you saying, after 44? I said I was wondering if my husband would know me after 44 years, if he would have an idea who I was when I get to heaven.

Frieda, God bless you. I believe that when we get to heaven, we're going to see the Lord ultimately, right? I mean, the psalmist in Psalm 73 says, Whom have I in heaven but you?

And on earth there is none that I desire besides you. But even though we're ultimately going to see the Lord and worship the Lord, and that's going to be the greatest joy of heaven, we're also going to have the joy of seeing and knowing and recognizing our loved ones in Christ who are there, worshiping God, who have gone before us. And so the way I would answer your question is by saying, yes, I believe that when you die and your soul is in the presence of the Lord, you know, we believe that when a believer dies, they're immediately perfected in holiness, their spirits are in the presence of the Lord, our bodies go down to the ground, waiting for the resurrection on the last day, the final judgment. But that there, around God's throne, worshiping him, we're going to be gathered together with all those who have gone before us and the angels, and it's going to be glorious. And so it will be a beautiful reunion full of perfect love and an even fuller knowledge. You know, sometimes people say, man, I don't know if we're going to know our loved ones in heaven, but it seems to me like in places like 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul seems to indicate that our knowledge is going to be even fuller in the presence of the Lord, perfected in holiness, perfected in love. It's going to be a glorious thing, something that you and I, that we have to look forward to through the great work of Jesus on our behalf, paying for all of our sins so that we might have the hope of eternal life, the hope of heaven, and the hope of the resurrection of the dead. God bless you, Frida.

Painting a great picture for us. Thank you for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. If you'd like a book that will help you answer some of the tough questions that maybe friends or relatives or work associates might have about the Christian faith, maybe people in your life who are skeptics or maybe even agnostics or atheists, and they're often peppering you with questions you're not sure how to respond, we want to offer you a great book that really will bolster your faith and help you answer those questions. It's The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. Yeah, and as we've been offering this resource, we've been saying, hey, get a hold of The Case for Christ because it'll strengthen your faith and it'll help you understand some of the good reasons that we believe in the resurrection of Jesus, that we believe in the authority of scripture. But this is also a great resource to go through with friends or even children if you have teenagers and they're beginning to ask questions. It's so important for us that we're equipping them and having the important conversations that need to be had about the reality of Christ's resurrection from the dead and the reasons why we hold fast to these truths. And so get a hold of The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, and you can access that over at corechristianity.com. By the way, this is the very last day that we'll be offering this resource on the air, so this is your day to get it. It's a great book. It's sold over five million copies.

It was in the New York Times bestseller list. And we know, as Adriel said, it will help strengthen your faith. It's The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, and you can find it at our website corechristianity.com forward slash offers. Again, corechristianity.com forward slash offers and look for The Case for Christ. Well, we do receive voicemails here at the core. In fact, you can call us 24 hours a day and leave us your voicemail if you've got a question that comes to your mind over the weekend, feel free to call in, leave us a voicemail.

Here's one that came in from one of our listeners earlier this week. I'm Angie, and my question was, I feel like God made me gay, and is that bad? Am I going to go to hell? Isn't God supposed to be love, if you can answer my question? Thank you.

Angie, thank you for calling in with that question. You said you feel like God made you gay. And I suppose what you mean by that is that you're attracted to women, you feel like this is just natural for you.

You're not attracted to the opposite sex, and so this is who you are. And if this is who you are, isn't this how God made you to be? How could Christians, how could I, as I've said on this broadcast before, say that homosexuality is a sin?

First, let me say this. All of us, according to the Bible, are born in sin. That is, none of us are perfect, and we have these proclivities towards sin, different kinds of sin. For whatever reason, it could be because of the way that we were raised, it could be just our own temperament or whatever, but all of us, I think, are, and again, according to scripture, not just I think, but this is the reality, we're bent toward sin because we're fallen.

And so in one sense, it feels like the most natural thing to us, and that goes for everyone. Now we're called to confess those sins to the Lord. It's not that God created us as sinners, it's that sin entered the world, and when sin entered the world, all of us essentially have been corrupted by that reality through Adam's first sin.

This is again what the Bible teaches. And so when I talk to people and say, oh man, people are just born gay, in one sense I want to say, well, we're all born as sinners, and that's the reality, we all have these struggles that seem very natural to us, when in fact, they're not a part of how God created the world to be, and we're called to confess those struggles, those sins to the Lord. And Angie, there is an ocean of grace and mercy and love, as you said, for you and for me as a sinner, when we come to God and say, Lord, I know that this is not right, I know that my own desires even are disordered, that there is brokenness inside of me, help me. Well, the Lord hears that prayer, and he does help, and he does forgive. And so, no, God did not make you gay. This is a part of the fall, what we experience, and there is grace for you in this struggle, just like there's grace for all of us in whatever struggles that we have, and we bring those to the Lord and confess those to the Lord and receive that grace and that mercy. You said in your question, you talked about how, isn't God supposed to be love?

And I just want you to think about this for a second. I want to challenge this idea that love means just affirming me in whatever I feel or do. That's a sort of common definition of love that people will give. Why aren't you being loving? You just should love. And usually what they mean by that is you need to affirm the decisions that I make, whatever those decisions are, and that's the loving thing to do. But of course, Angie, we know that that's not always the loving thing to do, that there are plenty of examples that we could give of individuals who are choosing things that maybe they know it, maybe they don't, but they're choosing things that ultimately are destructive for them. You think of someone who's addicted to drugs or something like that, and the loving thing to do is not just to say, hey, that's great for you. That's wonderful for you. No, the loving thing to do is to say, this is not okay.

This behavior is not okay. It's something that you bring to God and receive His grace for as you confess it to the Lord. So true love, the love of God, doesn't just say, whatever you want to do, however you feel, go for it. The love of God receives sinners, people who have broken God's law, as we turn to Him and He forgives us freely. He embraces us, and that doesn't mean that we don't continue to have struggles and disordered desires and these feelings. It's like, man, gosh, why, Lord?

Do I still wrestle with this? But instead of just saying, well, I'm just going to embrace it, we confess it to the Lord. We receive His grace and His help, and He promises to give us that. And so, Angie, I would say, confess this to the Lord.

Know that God didn't make you this way in the sense that you're thinking, but He made you in His image to follow Him, to reflect His goodness, His light, His love, His law even, as you embrace His gospel, the good news of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. God bless. Amen. Just a follow-up question for you, Adriel. I want to ask you this as a Christian leader. There are some pastors, there are some denominations even, that are saying to people, yes, God made you gay, and you should celebrate your homosexuality.

I'd like to know how you would respond to that. I think you need to, if you're someone who struggles with homosexuality, I would say you need to run from those quote-unquote Christian leaders and pastors or whatever churches because they're going to lead you astray, and they're going to harden you in your sin. And, Bill, we've brought it up before, but the false prophets in the Old Testament who said to Israel, peace, peace, where there was no peace, who were unwilling to call people to repentance, and saying, God's not going to judge you. Do whatever you want.

That's the loving thing to do, right? Well, no, God rebuked those false teachers, and I think those false teachers today who are affirming people in their sin and the things that God hates and the things that God says, no, flee from that, they're going to face a severe judgment. I mean, they're going to stand before the Lord, just like we all are. But for teachers to twist the word of God and to lead people astray, that's a more serious thing. And so it's sobering, and I would just say, I mean, get out of those churches. Don't buy into that because it's dangerous for your soul.

Well said. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to one of our callers from Oklahoma. What's your question for Adriel?

Hi, Adriel. Thank you for taking my call. So I am an elected official in the state in which I live, and I sometimes feel the need to, or maybe that I should be, tempering my civic duty as an elected judicial officer with the desire sometimes to just tell people, you know, the answer is not going to be found in this treatment facility that I send you to or, you know, whatever actions I'm trying to take that really, you know, Jesus and the Bible is the answer. But at the same time, there's the separation of church and state, and sometimes I don't really know how to, you know, to mix that in without also getting sued or ending up on some news network. Wow.

Okay. I mean, what a complex and difficult question. I would say this is where we really require, you really require wisdom in terms of, God, how can I be sure that I'm not compromising my belief in you and who I am as a Christian first and foremost?

I mean, that's above all else, right? Even if you're an elected official, you are primarily, brother, a citizen of heaven, of the new creation. This is what Paul said to the Philippians. And so you wouldn't ever want to do something that compromised or called into question that reality. And so I want to, one, encourage you in that in saying, you know, I think that there's a temptation for all of us regardless of, you know, our job to be afraid, to be timid about our faith in Jesus Christ. And I just want to say, look, don't go that way. At the same time, you do need to wisely think about what it looks like for you to fulfill your office as a civil official in a way that is good and right and still honoring to God without compromising.

I don't think that there's an easy answer to that. I'd be happy to talk further. I know we're coming to the end of the broadcast here, but I'd be happy to talk further in terms of thinking about the wisdom here. But may the Lord bless you. And we'll be praying that God gives you wisdom to honor Christ in all that you do. Thanks for listening to CORE Christianity. To request your copy of today's special offer, visit us at corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833-THE-CORE. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this program. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.