Are People Born Asexual?

If you attend Harvest Bible Chapel, West Olive, you know that this past Sunday, as part of my current series on Hard Questions, I dealt with the subject of sexuality and some of the questions submitted by our congregation relating to that topic. When the service ended and I began to engage various people in conversation, I was reminded just how privileged I am to pastor the church I do. It is joy every week to encounter people who are hungry for God’s Word and who desire to apply it to their lives. That enthusiasm for God’s truth is demonstrated in their follow up questions and the effort they put forth to truly understand the principles presented in God’s Word. My only regret is that time is limited and I can’t answer every question as exhaustively or as comprehensively as I would like.

It is that limited time that prompts my blog entry this week. This week, because of time, I was forced to skip a question I had intended to get to in my message. As you read the question and my answer below, I hope that it will encourage and motivate you to dive into the Scriptures and your Bible study tools to discover the answers to some of the hard questions that you may be wrestling with.

Question: In Matthew 19:11-12 Jesus speaks of those who are born as eunuchs. Is this person asexual? Are there people who from birth have no sexual orientation?

Answer: In Matthew 19:1-10, Jesus instructs His disciples about the permanence of marriage. In response, the disciples basically say (vs. 10), “Wow, if marriage is that permanent and one cannot get out of it, it is better not to marry.” In verses 11 and 12 Jesus gives this reply:

But he (Jesus) said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying (about singleness) but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

So what is Jesus saying? He is not saying that a person is born asexual or gender neutral. Rather he is describing how some people are able to remain single without an overwhelming sex drive: some are born eunuchs, meaning that they suffer from some genetic deformity that involves diminished or undeveloped sexual capacity. Some are made eunuchs by men, meaning that they were castrated to control sexual desire and some make themselves eunuchs. The idea in this final group is not that they literally castrate themselves, but that they voluntarily choose a life of celibacy so that they can give unhindered devotion to God and God’s work. Over in I Cor. 7:32-34, Paul promotes singleness as a way to be fully devoted to God and unhindered by the cares of a wife and family.

Sadly, in our society, singleness if often viewed as some kind of disease to be cured or curse to escape. The truth is, singleness is freedom to be enjoyed and utilized, not in selfish ways, but in service for God. If you are single follower of Christ, don’t grumble about it; use it to God’s honor and glory. If you are married, don’t pressure your single friends to find a mate, instead, encourage them to have God’s perspective on singleness, and like the self-imposed eunuchs of Matthew 19, to use their freedom to advance the kingdom of heaven.

Answering Hard Questions

Well, this past Sunday I probably rushed in where angels fear to tread. I began a series entitled, Hard Questions, in which I answer questions submitted by the congregation. These questions cover a host of topics and issues and include questions about specific passages of Scripture, relationships, doctrine, current events, and much more. While I am enjoying the study required to give the most biblical answers possible, I am reminded that when it comes to the hard questions of life, a person can’t simply rely on his or her pastor for the answers. They also need to do their own study and draw their own conclusions and convictions. It is that need for personal study that is the focus of today’s post.

In Acts 17, verses 10 and 11 we read these words, “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Do you see what is being commended and encouraged in this passage? The Bereans engaged in the personal study of God’s Word. They didn’t simply accept all that Paul and Silas had to say. They searched the Scriptures for themselves to confirm that what was being said to them was indeed God’s word and God’s truth. What a great model for every believer to follow.

Thankfully I have some Bereans in my church, people who do their own study and who check out what their pastor has told them. After answering hard questions about election (God’s choosing of those who will be saved) this past Sunday, one of the women of my church asked me to recommend some study tools and materials so that she could engage in her own study of hard questions. Perhaps it is a lack of resources or not knowing where to turn, that has hindered you in your personal study of God’s Word. If so, here are some of the Bible study tools that I find helpful.

1. A reliable translation of God’s Word.

To do good Bible study requires a translation that is a word for word translation of the original languages. Some of the better translations include the English Standard Version (ESV), the New American Standard Version (NASB), the New King James Version (NKJV) and the King James Version (KJV). This is not to say that other versions are bad, but these seek to capture the precise wording of the original text not just the ideas and concepts.

2. An exhaustive Bible concordance

An exhaustive concordance provides a list of all the words in the Bible and the references where they are found. This is a very helpful tool when doing word studies. I own two concordances, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, which is based on the KJV and New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance, which is based on the NASB. There are many others but you will find the most help if you own a concordance based upon the Bible translation you study from.

3. Nave’s Topical Bible

This tool provides Bible passages arranged by topic. For example, if you want to do a study on the love of God, you simply look up, “God – Love of” and there you will find the verses that speak of God’s love.

4. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology

This tool provides a wealth of information on doctrinal issues, theologians and their perspectives, and much, much more. If you wan to explore doctrine and the views of various people this is an invaluable reference book.

5. Bible Dictionary and Bible Encyclopedia

These tools provide meanings for people, places, and things, in the Bible. I would recommend several reference works that fit under this category: The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible.

6. A reliable commentary

Bible commentaries come in many sizes, from one or two volumes that cover the entire Bible, to multi-volume sets that address the books of the Bible in far greater detail. I find that the single volume commentaries provide only general information. For more intensive study you really need to own a multi-volume set. Two I would recommend are The New American Commentary (Old and New Testament) and The MacArthur New Testament Commentary.

There are a host of other books and resources that I draw upon, but these that I have listed are certainly worth owning and will provide a great deal of assistance when studying the Bible. Of course the other great tool for doing Bible study is personal discipline, making the time and effort to do it. If you give that time and effort, not only will you find answers to the hard questions and issues that you are facing, but God will transform your life in the process. So how about it, will you be a Berean? The Bible has the answers, all you have to do is go there and start finding them. I encourage you to dig in and discover the joy and growth that personal Bible study brings.