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Author
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Topic: The Sin Nature
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MentorsRiddle
Advanced Member
Member # 2108
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posted
quote:
I like the New Living Translation of Ephesians 4...
Ephesians 4:21 - 24 (NLT)
21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
I like that translation too, Carol. I'll be honest I've never really read that version of the bible before. I usually stick to the King James version of the bible, as that is what I was raised on.
But, as the saying goes, a rose by any other name still smells as sweet. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
quote:
Your statement reminded me of something that the Chinese Christian Watchman Nee wrote in his book, Changed Into His Likeness (and I paraphrase), how after a while our own spirit of man begins to discern how the Spirit of God thinks, so that over time the spirit of man, in certain decisions, no longer needed the input from the Holy Spirit because the spirit of that man had already learned how the Spirit thought and how the Spirit would have reacted, so that our very own spirit becomes accustomed to think in a more Godly way, and hence, the internal change you spoke of.
love, Eden [/quote
I've never read that before, Eden. That is a very interesting thought you shared with us. I've never heard that before, but does make since.
Thanks for sharing.
[quote]Satan) sin forces you deeper and deeper into its grips...
(Yahweh) love only stretches out His arms inviting to choose what is right....
I enjoied this part alot, becauseHElives. I think it is a very good analogy. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
--------------------
With you I rise,
In you I sleep,
kneeling down I kiss your feet,
Grace abounds upon me now,
I once was lost
but now I'm found.
The gift of God dwells within,
To this love I now give in.
Posts: 1337 | From: Arkansas | Registered: Sep 2003
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becauseHElives
Advanced Member
Member # 87
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posted
what a person yields to day by day determines his or her master.....
(Satan) sin forces you deeper and deeper into its grips...
(Yahweh) love only stretches out His arms inviting to choose what is right....
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, (Who ever you let be your master) his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (In other words you can be a servant of Satan and perish or you can serve our Lord Jesus Christ, being obedient to Him in your righteousness, and be granted eternal life. It’s your choice.)
a daily choice!
otherwise the term in scripture "endures to the end" has no meaning to the Christian believer!
Jesus said, "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:21-22).
He Who Endures - Since Jesus has overcome, it is possible and necessary for us to overcome with Him. John said, "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10). It is sad for us when family and friends turn against us. It is necessary, though, for us to continue in our determination to be and do that which the Lord teaches. We may lose for the moment, but we will certainly be victorious in the final outcome. (See Romans 8:18 and 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:8.) May God give us the strength and faith we so desperately need in such an hour.
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
Posts: 4578 | From: Southeast Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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Eden
unregistered
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posted
Hi, MentorsRiddle, you wrote quote:
The more I studied the Lord and his ways, the more I began to notice a change occurring in my life – like a transformation from inside out.
Your statement reminded me of something that the Chinese Christian Watchman Nee wrote in his book, Changed Into His Likeness (and I paraphrase), how after a while our own spirit of man begins to discern how the Spirit of God thinks, so that over time the spirit of man, in certain decisions, no longer needed the input from the Holy Spirit because the spirit of that man had already learned how the Spirit thought and how the Spirit would have reacted, so that our very own spirit becomes accustomed to think in a more Godly way, and hence, the internal change you spoke of.
love, Eden
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Carol Swenson
Admin
Member # 6929
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posted
I like the New Living Translation of Ephesians 4...
Ephesians 4:21 - 24 (NLT)
21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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MentorsRiddle
Advanced Member
Member # 2108
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posted
Cool. I felt like the spirit was speaking through me.
When you put a bible verse that says the exact same thing that I was saying out of my heart, it lets me know that God has me on the right path.
Thanks Carol
--------------------
With you I rise,
In you I sleep,
kneeling down I kiss your feet,
Grace abounds upon me now,
I once was lost
but now I'm found.
The gift of God dwells within,
To this love I now give in.
Posts: 1337 | From: Arkansas | Registered: Sep 2003
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Carol Swenson
Admin
Member # 6929
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posted
"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15)
![[clap2]](graemlins/clap2.gif)
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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MentorsRiddle
Advanced Member
Member # 2108
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posted
You could look at it like we are being adopted into Christ's family
--------------------
With you I rise,
In you I sleep,
kneeling down I kiss your feet,
Grace abounds upon me now,
I once was lost
but now I'm found.
The gift of God dwells within,
To this love I now give in.
Posts: 1337 | From: Arkansas | Registered: Sep 2003
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MentorsRiddle
Advanced Member
Member # 2108
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posted
The sin nature in human beings is spread through the father -- or a childs dad.
The reason Christ did not have a sin nature is because his father was God him self, which did not spread a sin nature to Christ, because God is without sin.
We, and our physical bodies, do have a sin nature -- and only through faith in God, who is Jesus Christ, can we be saved from our sins.
Once we have the Holy Spirit working within our lives we a new nature takes over and begins to change us from inside out.
We still have a sin nature, but we are now able to resist the temptation of sin through the gift of Guilt, which we didn't feel before.
Because of Adam, our entire species is codemned.
Because of the Second Adam, Jesus, our entire species can be redeemed -- if they choose Christ.
--------------------
With you I rise,
In you I sleep,
kneeling down I kiss your feet,
Grace abounds upon me now,
I once was lost
but now I'm found.
The gift of God dwells within,
To this love I now give in.
Posts: 1337 | From: Arkansas | Registered: Sep 2003
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Carol Swenson
Admin
Member # 6929
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posted
Good topic!
Sin Principle Or Sin Nature?
The Old Man
Some teachers inconsistently vacillate between whether the old nature is gone or not gone while others definitely teach the total eradication of the old nature because of Ro 6:6 "Our old man was crucified with Christ." The problem is: we and the world have been crucified:
Gal 6:14 "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."
Do we and the world still exist? Of course we do.
Ro 8:7 says "We who have died are freed from sin." Since we have died with Christ, do we still exist? Most people forget that means separation, not extinction, and hence many errors result.
According to Ro 8:3, God condemned sin. He forgave "sins" but He condemned "sin":
Ro 8:3 "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh."
God is finished with the Old Man. He is not improving him or rehabilitating him. God has said everything He is going to say about the Old Man. He has judged and condemned the nature of Adam at the cross. It is we who give countenance to the Old Man, not God. But we are supposed to put him off like a dirty garment. Those who are improving themselves out of self-discipline and self-improvement techniques are really just polishing up the old nature. Some of them do a pretty fine job of it too!
Colossians says that we have put off (past tense) the Old Man. Ephesians commands us to put off (present tense) the Old Man. Is this a contradiction? No, Colossians is coming from God's perspective because He has condemned the Old Man, released us from his power and left him ineffective:
Ro 6:6b "that the body of sin might be destroyed [rendered powerless], that henceforth we should not serve sin."
We have already put off the Old Man. God has provided separation from the Old Man for us. Now Ephesians is telling us that we can choose which nature we currently submit to. We should put off the Old Man. We need to switch men, from the Old to the New, by turning and abiding in Christ. But in the current discussion, how can one put off the Old Man (present tense) if he isn't supposed to exist?
Col 3:9 "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;"
Eph 4:22 "in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old man, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,"
The god of this world, Satan, is also judged, Jesus said (Jn 16:11). Does that mean Satan doesn't exist? Of course not. The judgment has been made but the sentence just hasn't been executed yet. The same is true of the Old Man. He will be banished forever when our bodies are redeemed because when we see Jesus, we shall be just as He is.
The problem is that we still sin. The question is, what is the source? Some believe there is a "sin principle" that resides in us, or that these are only "habits" that still exist in our unredeemed body. Where did we get a "sin principle" that is different from the old nature or the flesh? The sin nature came from Adam. These are synonymous terms for the same entity. "Habits" doesn't fully explain the continuing sins of the flesh which are really no different than they were before.
Ephesians indicates that the old man is still "being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit." There is one internal source of sin in a believer's life. The sin nature is not removed upon regeneration. Instead, there is a new nature implanted and indwelt by the Holy Spirit in the same body. God gives us the opportunity to choose Him over our former master. The choice is ours.
It is important to realize that the old nature can produce its own version of "good" apart from God. It can go to church, read the Bible, etc. But "all our righteousness is as filthy rags" (Is 64:6), even for Christians. The real problem is that once a person denies the existence of the sin nature and moves forward to "live for God", they may well be living the Christian life out of their own energy and don't even realize it. That's why there is so much burnout and strife in Christian ministries.
The great thing about what God has done, is not that He has terminated the old nature so that we could produce our own good, but that he has released us from the old nature's stranglehold, and implanted a new nature in the same body which has all the “DNA” of Jesus Christ and can bloom into all the character of Jesus through the watering of the Holy Spirit. We now have the opportunity and the power to choose Him over self, and see His life grow in us to produce lasting fruit to His glory.
Now That's Grace!
http://www.nowthatsgrace.com/2009/01/qa-what-really-happened-to-the-sin-nature.html
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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yahsway
Advanced Member
Member # 3738
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posted
Amen, and thats called being "Born-Again" Born of the Spirit.
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
Yeshua
Posts: 1238 | From: Tennessee | Registered: Aug 2004
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MentorsRiddle
Advanced Member
Member # 2108
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posted
But, God be thanked, we were the servants of sin – but you have obeyed from your heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you. Being then made free from sin, we became the servants of righteousness.
The Book of Romans 6:17-18
In the beginning God created mankind in his image and his likeness – beautiful, powerful, clean, and full of grace.
However, because of our “first” parent’s sin against God, mankind fell from grace and most – if not all – of the beauty given to us by God was lost.
We, as descendents of Adam, carry the burden of sin upon our shoulders – rendering us virtual slaves of our self acquired sin nature, which began in The Garden of Eden.
Can we escape the sin nature?
The answer is no, our fleshly bodies are corrupted to the very core, and can not break free of our sin nature, which is inherent in all of us.
But, there is hope in the faith we have in our Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ, the one true Son of God.
Because of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins – that we may be forgiven – we have hope, that through him we may receive everlasting life.
Through Jesus Christ, we are able to escape the slave master, which is our Sin Nature.
Through Jesus Christ we may become servants to righteousness in stead of slaves to Sin.
Not to say we will not have a sin nature, but God, through us, will keep the sin nature in check – allowing us to better withstand the temptation of Sin.
But, what are the works of Sin?
Lets refer to the following verse of the bible:
Now, the works of the flesh (sin) are manifest which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
The Book of Galatians 5:19-21
So, as we can see from the scripture above, our sin nature produces horrible fruit.
I, like many of you, remember how before I was saved, would practice these fruits and think nothing of it.
But, once I dedicated my life to God who is Jesus Christ, suddenly felt the sharp twinge of guilt for every sin I committed. Each sin was virtually weighing me down with guilt – the only relief being to pray to my Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness.
The more I studied the Lord and his ways, the more I began to notice a change occurring in my life – like a transformation from inside out.
To better understand this transformation that I speak of, lets refer to the scripture again.
But, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
The Book of Galatians 5:22-23
As we can see from above, the fruit of The Spirit of God is much more beautiful than anything the flesh offers.
Not to say that we are free from the flesh, no that will not happen until the Lord sees fit.
But, God, because of Jesus’ Sacrifice, dwells now within us, who choose to seek him first – and he through us will allow us to experience the fruits of the spirit, which feel so much better than the Sin nature that we are born with.
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With you I rise,
In you I sleep,
kneeling down I kiss your feet,
Grace abounds upon me now,
I once was lost
but now I'm found.
The gift of God dwells within,
To this love I now give in.
Posts: 1337 | From: Arkansas | Registered: Sep 2003
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