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.