Born This Way? Then Be Born Again
The Gospel, Human Nature, and Cultural Excuses
Born This Way? Then Be Born Again
The Gospel, Human Nature, and Cultural Excuses
In the modern age, the phrase “I was born this way” has become a shield against accountability and a slogan for moral justification. Yet, the gospel command remains: “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). No matter the source, the call to be born again is a reminder that the gospel always demands transformation, not affirmation. This is not complicated. It is simple, but it is not easy.
Cultural Simplicity vs. Gospel Simplicity
Cultural narratives thrive on the claim of authenticity. People want to be affirmed for their natural inclinations and celebrated for their identity, no matter how it is defined. Social movements encourage people to “live their truth,” assuming that happiness and fulfillment flow from embracing every inner desire.
The pulpit cannot be separated from the political. Issues such as abortion, marriage, and gender have shifted from legislative policy to foundational moral territory. Political discourse now serves as the main battleground for questions of right and wrong. Lines once drawn in law or tradition are now lines that separate moral conviction from moral confusion. Christians must see clearly that the cultural talking points of the age are, at their core, claims about righteousness, truth, and the authority of God.
Christians often feel pressured to adapt the message of Christ to fit this cultural framework. Some attempt to make the gospel more appealing by reducing it to self-affirmation or making it about therapeutic improvement. In this attempt, the gospel is overcomplicated by trying to fit every cultural expectation and soothe every cultural offense. In reality, the gospel is simple: repent and obey. Jesus declared, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
Overcomplicating the Gospel in the Name of Cultural Simplicity
Ironically, in trying to simplify the gospel to appeal to modern sensibilities, many make it more complicated. The Bible teaches that salvation is accessible and clear, but it is also demanding. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13–14).
Every day you are tempted to go back to an old lifestyle. Bearing your cross is a daily, deliberate act. Sometimes, you have to "choose your hell." People will object, saying that living for Christ and denying yourself sounds like a kind of hell on earth. The truth is, the alternative is worse. If you reject God's call, what awaits is an eternity of suffering from which there is no relief. You must decide: endure a temporary struggle for the sake of righteousness, or risk an unending spiritual misery. The discomfort of discipline now is a far lighter burden than the consequences of refusing to change.
Salvation is not therapy. It is not self-help. It is not an invitation to stay as you are. The gospel calls every person to transformation. The message is not “come as you are and stay as you are.” It is “come as you are, be born again, and walk in newness of life.”
Refuting the Finality of “I Was Born This Way”
Having established the simplicity and challenge of the gospel, we turn to one of the most common objections. People raise claims based on innate identity and desire. Before examining the excuses built around identity and desire, it is necessary to look at the real nature of human accountability.
The phrase “I was born this way” ignores the basic truth about human nature. Every person is born with certain proclivities—some are born with temperaments prone to anger, others to covetousness, others to sexual desire outside of God’s will. No one escapes the influence of fleshly instincts. Paul wrote, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
When all external structures are removed, when civilization is stripped away, human beings resort to their baser instincts to survive. Animals act according to their instincts. Male lions kill rivals’ offspring, and zebras cause miscarriages to propagate their own lineage. Humans, by contrast, are not bound to instinct. Each person is endowed with the ability to choose, to rise above instinct, and to be held accountable for moral choices. Nature is brutal. If humans “live their truth” as animals do, society becomes as cruel and brutal as nature itself.
Yet, there is a crucial difference between human beings and animals: humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–27). Each human being possesses a soul, a mind (psyche), and the moral capacity to rise above mere instinct. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
That “way of escape” is the soul. We have volition. No one is a slave to proclivity. Temptation is universal, but God provides the soul, the psyche, to choose what is right.
Being born with certain impulses or desires does not excuse sin. There is no virtue in identifying as a “born thief,” a “born liar,” or a “born adulterer.” The solution is not to redefine sin or justify it, but to crucify the old self and be born again. “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:6).
Made in God’s Image: Rising Above Animal Instinct
Human beings alone are made in the image of God. Animals act on instinct and lack moral responsibility. Humans are called to reflect God’s holiness, righteousness, and justice. The call to be born again is the call to choose God’s will over natural desire. Paul wrote, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:22–24).
Christians do not claim moral superiority as individuals.
To clarify the distinction between the biblical system and all others, consider the following:
The biblical standard for morality is rooted in the unchanging nature of God and is preserved consistently through the entire scriptural record.
Human-centered moral systems, including atheistic and materialistic worldviews, base right and wrong on preference, culture, or majority rule, and therefore shift with time and circumstance.
Only the biblical system provides an objective, external anchor for morality that endures across generations, cultures, and nations.
Christianity is built on an epistemology that stands outside the shifting standards of human culture. The moral framework established in the Bible is not based on personal preference or passing trends but on the unchanging nature of God as revealed in scripture.
Even if one grants, for the sake of argument, that God does not exist, it remains a fact of history that the Judeo-Christian tradition presents a standard of right and wrong that is uniquely stable and unchanged across millennia. The scriptures have preserved the same essential moral boundaries and vision of God’s character from the earliest Hebrew texts through the completion of the Christian Bible. When other worldviews or systems are subjected to scrutiny, their standards shift with time, leadership, and prevailing sentiment. In contrast, the Bible has offered an unbroken moral code, always rooted in the nature and will of God.
This consistency means that the biblical foundation for morality can be objectively demonstrated. The call to holiness, the condemnation of evil, and the standards of justice and mercy do not evolve according to the whims of society. Instead, they rest on the revealed character of God. That character is unaltered by culture, circumstance, or era. Even a skeptic must acknowledge that the Christian worldview possesses an epistemological stability and an internal coherence that no merely human or atheistic system can match. The very existence of this unchanging standard stands as a witness both to the authority of scripture and to the seriousness of the gospel’s call to transformation.
One’s identity is not determined by genetics or proclivity. One’s identity is determined by relationship to God and response to His call.
The Universal Call to Be Born Again
Christians do not claim moral superiority. Every person must be born again, regardless of the sins that come easily or the ones that require a lifetime of discipline to master. Peter wrote, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
Repentance is required of every sinner—no one gets a pass based on how they were born. The grace of God reaches all, but it demands transformation from all.
Conclusion
Every person is born with desires and instincts that, if left unchecked, will destroy the soul. The world urges self-acceptance as the highest good. Christ calls for transformation and new birth. The gospel is clear: being “born this way” is not the end of the matter. God requires every person to grow, to change. The conversation only ends when you stand before God.
Reject cultural excuses. Rise above base instincts. Embrace the transformation God offers. Be born again.
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