Born this Way?

Born This Way? God’s Image and Our Desires

Born This Way? God’s Image and Our Desires

Text: Genesis 1:27; Romans 1:21–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11

[Opening]

In our culture, there’s a popular argument that goes like this:

“If God made me this way, then what I feel and how I live must be right in His eyes.”

We hear it in conversations about sexuality, gender, and identity.

It sounds compassionate, but there’s a problem—it’s not what Scripture teaches.

[The Image of God Is Real, but Marred]

Genesis 1:27 says, “God created mankind in His own image; male and female He created

them.”

That’s where human dignity comes from. Every person—straight, gay, transgender—has value

because they bear God’s image.

But Genesis 3 reminds us: something happened.

Sin entered the world, and the image we bear is now marred.

Our minds, our bodies, even our desires are no longer perfectly aligned with God’s will.

[Desire Does Not Equal Design]

Yes, we’re all “born this way” in one sense—we all have tendencies toward sin.

Some struggle with pride, some with greed, some with anger, some with sexual

temptation—heterosexual or homosexual.

But being inclined toward something doesn’t mean God approves of it.

Romans 1 shows that human desires can be exchanged for passions outside His design.

[The Danger of Redefining Sin]

If “God made me this way” becomes our moral compass, anything could be justified—lying,

violence, even abuse—because those desires can feel natural too.

The real question for the Christian isn’t, “What feels natural to me?”

It’s, “What has God said is good, and will I trust Him even if it costs me something?”

[Identity in Christ, Not in Desire]

Scripture never defines us by our temptations.

It defines us by our relationship to God.

Jesus says in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his

cross daily, and follow me.”

That’s not about denying our humanity—it’s about denying the rule of anything in us that

competes with Him.

[The Hope of the Gospel]

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 lists all kinds of sins—including sexual ones—and then says, “And

such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the

name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

The church is not a gathering of people who have nothing to repent of—it’s a gathering of

people who have been changed by grace.

[Closing]

God’s image in us is real.

Our brokenness is real.

And God’s power to transform is just as real.

So when we hear “God made me this way,” let’s respond:

“Yes, He made you in His image—and He calls you to be remade in Christ’s image.”

That’s not rejection. That’s the invitation to true life.

Amen.