We All Battle Brokenness
Not Just Those with Same-Sex Attraction
- Message Excerpt by
- Topic: Homosexuality
Audio Transcript
Same-sex desires and same-sex orientation are part of our broken and disordered sexuality, owing to God’s subjection of the created order to futility because of man’s sin. In Genesis 2, we read about the catastrophic moment when the first man and the first woman rebelled against God. And the effects on them, and on the world, are unfolded for us in Genesis 2–3, and then illustrated in the sin-soaked and death-ridden remainder of the Old Testament — indeed all of history.
The apostle Paul gives the key interpretation of what happened there, and its effect on us. Here’s his key word from Romans 8:20–21: “The creation was subjected to futility.” This is God’s response to human rebellion. “The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope.” So this is God who did this. The devil didn’t subject it in hope. God cursed creation. We read that in Genesis 3. He subjected it “in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
“All of us are broken — no exceptions. Everybody is disordered.”
And then maybe one of the most important verses of the Bible for my understanding of almost everything I deal with in the brokenness of my life, my marriage, my children, this church, this world: Romans 8:23. The point of Romans 8:23 is that Paul is looking at the Romans in the face, as it were, who are about to say back to him, “Oh, yes, the curse fell upon the world and the whole creation was subjected, but we’ve been redeemed.” And here’s his response to that: “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” That’s an important verse.
Now, I’m arguing that same-sex desires and same-sex orientation are in that category of groaning: waiting for “the redemption of our bodies.” Which means they’re in the same broad category with all kinds of disordered bodies and minds and emotions. If we tried to make a list of all the kinds of emotional, and mental, and physical brokenness in the human family, the list would be unending.
And all of us are broken — no exceptions. Everybody is disordered. We are disordered in different ways. All of you, without exception — all of you — are bent toward desiring things you ought not to desire. All of you. And I could document mine. We haven’t even gotten to behavior yet.
We all have disorder in our emotions, and disorder in our minds, and disorder in our bodies, and we groan. We groan over the damage we do, waiting and waiting for our final, full, complete adoption — the redemption of our whole bodies, brains, emotions, will.
This calls for very, very careful distinctions to be made, lest you hurt people or hurt yourself unnecessarily. All disorders, all brokenness, is rooted in sin — original sin.
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