“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 ESV ///
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…” Isaiah 5:20 ESV
“I was born that way,” someone told me one day in referring to a particular sin with which he struggled. He was not the first, nor the last, to believe such a thing. Countless others struggle with the same sin – and same justification. As though being “born that way” condones the sin and makes it okay. As though it is not sin. As though God would create anyone to live in direct opposition to His Word. I don’t struggle with the same sin, but “I was born that way” when it comes to numerous other sins. We are all “born that way” when it comes to sin. Being “born that way” doesn’t justify sin. It doesn’t mean sin isn’t sin! Sin is sin and will always be sin! Being “born that way” in truth means every human since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and lost their ability to live there and enjoy God’s presence forever has been born into a world of sin and born with the natural tendency to sin against God.
We are “born that way” in that we all as humans are sinners (Rom. 3:10). There is no exception. We all fall short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23). We are all born into the curse resulting from sin that ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against God means separation from God and a final destination of death, hell, and the lake of fire, a place of eternal torment forever apart from God. We are all destined to this indescribably horrific eternity because we are “born that way” in that we are born into sin. But God loves us so much and so desperately wants us to spend forever with Him that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins so if we repent and devote our lives to Christ and God’s ways we will be forgiven and will be with Him everlastingly.
The trouble, and danger, of this “I was born this way” expression and justification is that people use it as though it makes sin okay. As though our sins are not sins, our wrongdoing is not wrongdoing, and our evil and wickedness not evil and wickedness, as though our sins are simply who we are and what we feel, think, say, and do, as though they are part of our genetic makeup and how God created us as though He created us with the desire for us to be and do evil. As though He wants us that way. But this is a deceptive, deadly lie of Satan to keep us in sin and headed for hell! We were “born that way” only in that as humans we were born with a propensity to sin. Being “born that way” doesn’t mean we’re not sinners; it means we are sinners! The only way to have a forever relationship with God is to be “born again” spiritually by crying out to God in repentance and giving our lives utterly to Christ! Have you?