COMPELLING TRUTH

Sin Nature

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The Consequences of the Sin Nature

The reality of the sin nature brings with it many disappointing consequences. The first effect is that each and every person in born spiritually dead. That is, they are devoid of any spiritual life or desire for the things of God. Jesus affirmed this condition when asked by a person if he could first go bury his father before following Christ. Jesus responded by saying, "Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead" (Matthew 8:22). In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul (describing his readers' condition prior to being born again) says simply, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1).

The lack of spiritual life in a person results in behavior that is both hostile toward God and mindfully ignorant of His truth. In Romans, speaking about the hostility and inability of spiritually dead people to respond to God, Paul says, "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so" (Romans 8:6-7). The Apostle underscores the same fact in his first letter to the Corinthian church: "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

The final and natural consequence of the sin nature is eternal death — an eternal separation from God. God's wrath remains on those who are not born again (John 3:36), and so their destiny is only one of judgment, which is spelled out in the book of Revelation: "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14-15).

The Cure for the Sin Nature

Fortunately, there is a cure for the sin nature and a way to escape the judgment of God. The cure is the new birth, which is described by the Apostle John in Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?' Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again. The Spirit breathes where He desires, and you hear His voice, but you do not know from where He comes, and where He goes; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit'" (John 3:3-8).

The good news is that Christ's sacrifice supplies spiritual life for any person who calls on the name of the Lord for salvation. Paul says, "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:10). The Apostle also highlights this spiritual regeneration when he writes, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The Spirit of God takes up residence in each person who is born again and supplies the power to not only defeat the effects of the sin nature, but to supply strength to defeat the old sinful nature's pull to do wrong in God's sight. Paul says it like this: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16-17).

The great news is that the sin nature can be defeated by the One who did not inherit a sin nature from His earthly parents (Jesus was born of a virgin). Through His finished work on the cross, Jesus, being sinless, satisfied God's wrath for sinners and rose again to offer life to those devoid of spiritual life.

Conclusions

The fact that each person ever born possesses a sin nature is verified by human experience and the Word of God. The good news is that Christ provides a way of conquering the inherited sin nature and a victory that can be experienced both in this life and the next. No matter how bad off the person is, Jesus can defeat the sin that enslaves him. As John Calvin put it, "For certainly, Christ is much more powerful to save than Adam was to ruin."

Image Credit: Billy Wilson; "Apples"; Creative Commons

Tags: Biblical-Truth Sin-Evil Theological-Beliefs

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Published 2-2-15