I was blessed today by a conversation between myself and a new friend of mine. He asked what my thoughts were on homosexuality, and so I explained what my convictions were - those of the Bible - but I also took the time to explain that the Bible does not exalt that particular sin above any other sin; for instance, my own self-righteousness. And after explaining that God does indeed deem homosexuality as rebellion against Himself, my friend asked me this: "But what if a gay person has felt gay ever since they can remember, and what if they can't help it?" I thought for a moment, and then answered thusly: "I have also been self-righteous since I can remember, and without Jesus, I can also not help being self-righteous." After this, we both had to agree to continue the conversation later due to the circumstances.

But I have not stopped thinking about his question since. "What if they can't help it?" And, after thinking for a while, I have to say that this question addresses the human problem. We are sinful, and we can not help it. We are born with original sin...we don't learn it. As we grow, our internal fallen nature finds new and various ways to live out that sin, and like my friend said, we can't help it. We are fiends when it comes to sin. We have it inside us and we seek to act it out. And it is this very bondage which God frees us from by the slaying of his own Son to pay our debt. We are completely helpless apart from Jesus.

Now, I think some may disagree and say, "That's wrong. We can indeed help it, we just don't do it." But I think this gives glory to mankind. It is unbiblical for me to point at someone who is not born again and say, "You are a sinner, and you are so because you just won't use the power inside yourself to stop yourself from doing it." This nullifies the cross, it negates the power of Jesus, and it glorifies man. Rather, Christians should talk like this: "You are a sinner. And you are a sinner just like I am a sinner. Apart from Jesus, you and I will only continue to sin because we can not help it. And on judgment day, without Jesus and his righteousness, you and I will both pay for our sins by spending eternity in hell." Humanity is a fallen race. We are rebels who defy God and seek our own glory, and without Jesus we can't help but keep doing the same.