If God hates homosexuality, why does He make people gay? This is a common argument levied against Christian sexuality by those who do not understand theology, biology, or both. Although it is applied most commonly by unbelievers, I want to address this article primarily to Christians who use it. This does not mean an unbeliever will not benefit from reading it, but it does mean they will lack a few key assumptions that a real Christian will not.
If applied to things like black skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, the female gender etc., this argument would actually be logical. These things are all biologically determined. One cannot choose their skin, hair, or eye color, nor can one change their gender. Thus, we could logically ask "if God does not like black people, why did He make them?" The obvious difference here is that God never says He doesn't like black people (and in fact, He loves them), whereas He does condemn the sin of homosexuality.
But homosexuality is not a biologically determined trait. It is an entirely avoidable action, fueled by desires, which are not biologically determined, and in fact run contrary to nature (Romans 1:26-27).
To show this from Scripture, let's read James 1:13-15. “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
Notice how, first of all, James tells us that no one should say “God is tempting me”. Now, what are you saying when you say "God made me gay"? In effect, you're saying "God is tempting me", which is exactly what James, under inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17), tells us we cannot say. Why? Simply because God cannot be tempted to sin, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
But if God is not the one tempting us, why then are we tempted? James continues to tell us the real source of temptation. We are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires. In this case, we (and as an ex gay, I mean "we" in a very literal sense) have a desire for sexual intimacy with members of the same sex. But where do these desires come from?
The temptation is to just say "well I was born that way". But this is not true. In fact, countless attempts have been made to prove a biological basis for homosexuality, all of which have failed. This should not surprise us, given that heterosexual intercourse is essential for genetic material to be passed down, or at least it was until IVF became a thing. If there was a biological basis to homosexuality, homosexuality would cease in just one generation.
But then, whence commeth the desire? It may be surprising to hear that actually, evil cannot exist without something good. Think of it this way: Imagine you have a donut, and you leave it on a plate to go and do a job. When you come back, you ask "hey, who took a bite out of my donut?" How do you know a bite has been taken out of your donut? Because there is a donut for a bite to have been taken out of.
In the same way, every evil thing is actually the result of something good. Sex is a very good thing, and it is perfectly in line with God's will if we desire it. But because we are sinners, that otherwise good desire can be twisted in bad ways. And so James tells us we are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires.
As James tells us, this isn't God tempting us. Nor is it even really the devil. God is not an almighty tempter, and the devil, while he certainly plays an adversarial role, isn't even really visible here, simply because we sin well enough without him. Furthermore, he's completely impotent as long as we make him so.
See, not only does James make it clear that God doesn’t tempt us, but Paul even says He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond our abilities to resist. "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13).
So, while you're running around saying "God made me gay", God Himself says "no, I have commanded you not to be, and this is a command I have thoroughly equipped you to obey". Every sin you commit, including homosexuality, belongs entirely to you. You don't get to outsource the blame.
This does not mean it's easy, of course. In fact, following Jesus is described as denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily (Matthew 16:24). That is, it is an ongoing struggle against sin. Think of it as being like a 10 year old threatening you with a knife. Objectively, there is no real reason an able bodied adult is in any danger here. On their own, a knife is harmless, and in this analogy, it is wielded by a spindly little nipper. But there is still some threat. A child can use a knife to devastating effects.
If you let them.
Setting aside the ethical concerns of harming a child in self defence, no one in a situation like this is going to do nothing. If you stand there like a lemon, it's your own fault you bleed out. At the same time, what exactly can you do? It is a struggle to restrain the child, and even then you still might get hurt. A knife is a knife is a knife, and any credible self defence school will tell you that when a knife comes out, there's no way to guarantee you won't get hurt. The goal is to minimise damage.
But Christians who run around blaming God for their homosexuality, and especially those who blaspheme Him by using it as an argument to condemn Him for outlawing it, aren't struggling against sin. No, they're struggling against the police officer who shows up to restrain the knife wielding child, and the paramedic who deals with their wounds. Scripture tells us if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But if we instead defend our sins, and impugn the character of God by suggesting we are actually the righteous ones for opposing His Holy laws, what are we doing that wasn't already done in the Garden of Eden?
Ultimately, God forbids homosexuality. Regardless of where we think the desire comes from, the command alone is enough to leave us without excuse for practicing it. In fact, even the most ardent LGBT advocate must admit this basic concept, as homosexuality is not the only sin in the world. It’s not even a special sin. Temptation for all sin exists, and comes in various measures. Some people are exceedingly covetous. Some people are full of hatred and anger. Some people are unforgiving. Some people are liars and gossips.
Even if we limit it to just sexual immorality, there are many lusts that every LGBT Christian would admit must be denied. Should a necrophile be allowed to sleep with corpses because "God made me a necrophile"? Should we legalise bestiality because some people feel sexually drawn towards animals? Should we release all pedophiles from prison because they supposedly couldn't help themselves?
The obvious answer to all of these is no! If you feel drawn to any one of those sins, you don't get a free pass to commit them, you need help to get rid of them, even if that help is unpleasant. Homosexuality, by comparison, is fairly tame. And that does make it more accessible, so in many ways it is harder to resist, but at the same time, sin is sin, and as James tells us, "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10).
Because homosexuality is a sin, Christians should flee from it (1 Corinthians 6:18). More importantly, we should repent, acknowledging that God is Holy, and just, and when we fall short of His standard, we are in the wrong. And He will forgive us for that. That's the most ironic thing about all of this. Even Christians often get into this silly idea that God hates sinners, yet when all is said and done, "...God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). God hates homosexuality, He does not hate those afflicted by it. Rather, He loves us, and calls us to repentance. The result? Eternal life. We get to call ourselves His children, because the wrath God owes us, He put on Jesus instead. We take up our cross because Jesus took up His. Now if Jesus can hang on splintered wood for us, is it really so hard to avoid sexual contact with members of the same sex for Him?