Psalm 139:14-16 – “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.  15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”  NKJV

 

Through the years I have encountered those who defend particular lifestyles and abhorrent character flaws, declaring that “God made them that way.”  My problem with that ideology is that, if true, makes God a horrible tyrant and not the God of Grace the Bible describes.  The Bible clearly reveals that God is Love and that He is also Holy and demands holiness from His children.  He does not wink at sin and holds people accountable for their actions.

I heard a politician says recently regarding homosexuality, “…they were born that way…”  This politician has also declared a strong commitment to the Christian faith.  I won’t name the politician for I would not be surprised if more of them feel the same but have not heard them say so and rather than making this political I leave the politician nameless.  My immediate question was and is, “If God made them that way, how can he then call the lifestyle an abomination?”  I would press it further and ask, “Is God to blame for sin?  Is God a sadist?”  How can a loving merciful God create someone with a genetic makeup that causes them to exhibit characteristics that He calls abominable?  If that is God, then I have a problem with God, and I do not.

This issue goes far beyond a particular sexual preference for if they are made this way it is not a preference but a normal execution of who they are.  Could this be applied to pedophilia or a host of other conditions or choices people make?  If this is how they are created then they are not responsible for their behavior, God is.  It cannot be viewed as sin if they are the way they are because of how God made them.

Jeremiah spoke as a messenger from God in 31:30, “…every one shall die for his own iniquity…”  I have heard the defense so often that I wonder if I should have chronicled them and published the protests of people seeking to justify their behavior and blame God.  Let me give you a few quick examples:

• ANGER – – I have dealt with people who have an incredibly short fuse and when confronted they would often argue, “God made me this way. I just tell it like it is.”  Matthew 5:22 addresses that issue, “But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to the same judgment!  If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council.  And if you curse someone, you are in danger of hell fire.”  [NLT]  The Message Bible translates it, “I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder.”  The NKJV renders it, “…whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment.”

If God places uncontrolled or unbridled anger on the same level as murder, why would God create some people more susceptible to anger?  Genetics are a factor but so is one’s environment, upbringing, developed attitudes and ultimate choices.  That could be applied to many of our flaws and failures where discipline or lack thereof and choices play a major role.

• PROMESQUITY – – I have had more than one tell me that their almost insatiable appetite for gratuitous sex was simply the way God made them and they could do nothing about it. So, you are violating the marriage covenant, participating in decadent behavior and living like an alley cat is God’s fault.  1 Corinthians 6:18, warns, “Flee from sexual immorality…”  Galatians 5:19-21 describes this as a “work of the flesh” and sin.  2 Timothy 2:22 issues the warning to “…flee youthful lust or passions and pursue righteousness…”  (Choice not Creation).  Romans 13:13, the apostle Paul issues the directive, “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.”

God made us “fearfully” and “wonderfully”.  We are created in the Image and Likeness of God.  If God made us, as some argue, with the inability to be anything but what the Bible calls abominable and reveals as sinful, He is a diabolical sadistic terror and not the God the Bible describes.  How you view God is important and if you blame Him for your failures you create a God I could not serve.  God is Love and He is Holy.  He not only created me fearfully and wonderfully, He has made provision for me to live a life that is pleasing to Him and consistent with His word.  Another statement, I will address later is, “the Devil made me do it…”

         God bless you as you go through this day!