WE NEED A NEW NATURE
THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS TRUTH IS BROKEN DOWN INTO TWO POINTS
1. OUR NATURE BECAME CORRUPTED THROUGH ADAM
When God made Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, he stated that all of His creation was “very good” (Gen 1:31), so how can humans now be considered corrupt? When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit they sinned against God and corrupted their nature. Every human being from Adam on is corrupted in their nature. We have no desire to seek God, love Him, or obey Him. Our very nature is sinful which causes us to sin. Our corrupt and sinful nature produces death in us and harms others around us. 1 Corinthians 15:22 (NIV) 22 For as in Adam all die. Through Adam we have all become corrupted.
To be depraved is to be corrupted. To be totally depraved means that there is nothing good that lives in any man. As the apostle Paul states, “18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” Romans 7:18 (NIV)
This is why Jesus, being born of a virgin, is an important truth of the church today. Christ was not born with the corrupted nature that we received from the beginning with Adam. Jesus was completely sinless, incapable of sin due to the fact that he did not inherit a corrupted nature. (Matt 1:18, 23)
So what is this corrupt nature that I have inherited? Romans 8:7 (NIV) 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. Our very nature is to rebel against God. Without a new nature we are like apple trees trying to produce bananas. We cannot.
The understanding of this truth affects the way in which we educate, discipline, pray for the lost, witness, and understand salvation. It affects the way we look at ourselves and deal with the sin issues of our day. Why are there school shootings and other such tragedies in life? Is it mental illness or could it be our corrupted nature? We are all just as guilty as the next person; the only difference may be with the intensity of the evil that comes out of us. One man may physically murder or harm another, while another man hates someone in their hearts. In both cases, the Bible declares these men to be totally depraved before God, both deserving the just penalty of separation from God for eternity in hell. Matthew 5:21-22 (NIV) 21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Note: I am not saying there are no mental illnesses; but I am saying that many times we label corrupt nature as mental illness.)
A just God cannot overlook a lawbreaker. We understand this point from how we handle lawbreakers in our own society. If a man commits a terrible, senseless murder, we know that he needs to be brought to justice and then punished for his actions. God’s punishment for sin is death. Ezekiel 18:20 (NIV) 20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him. James 2:10 (NIV) 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
This Biblical truth goes against the teachings of this generation in which many believe that all men are inherently “good” and we just need to bring the “good” out of ourselves. Mark 10:18 (NIV) 18 Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. This teaching that we have “good” within us is contrary to the Scriptures. Romans 3:10-11 (NIV) 10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
This teaching does not mean that man cannot do anything “good” in the eyes of man, or that we are all intense sinners. It does say that we are all in the same boat together and the boat is called depravity. We are all corrupted by sin, from Adam’s original sin in the garden, to our own sin that we commit against God.
God in His mercy and love for us gave us the law (Ten Commandments) to reveal to us just what kind of sinners we really are. Romans 3:19-20 (NIV) 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
God gave us the Ten Commandments that we are to obey, but also to reveal to us that we have a corrupt nature that does not want to Love God or His ways.
Have you ever lied? Yes, we all have – GUILTY
Have you ever not honored your mother and father? Yes, we all have – GUILTY
Have you ever not honored the Sabbath? Yes, we all have – GUILTY
Have you ever loved something more than God (idolatry)? Yes, we all have - GUILTY
Romans 3:19 declares that all of our mouths are silenced when we look at ourselves according to God’s righteous standards. Then, verse 20 tells us that the law reveals to us our sin and our sinful state. The apostle Paul writes in Romans 7:24 (NIV) 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
So how wretched are we? We are totally depraved and we are completely and utterly unable to do anything about our condition. Unfortunately, in our state of corruption, many times we do not even see our state before God. We compare ourselves to others. We look at only the “good” things that we do. We continually justify ourselves before a holy God. But this is how God sees us: Revelation 3:17-18 (NIV) 17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Since Scripture alone is what governs, let’s look at three ways the Bible describes our state.
a. Without Christ we are bound for hell
Galatians 3:22 (NIV) 22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, The Bible declares that all of us, because of our sin, has made us prisoners of sin. Since, God is holy and cannot be around sin we are bound for hell.
Are we really that corrupted and evil that we would be bound for hell? Yes! Have you ever been in a situation where you lost your temper and evil started coming out of your mouth? You said hateful and hurtful words. Have you ever regretted what you said and even wondered where that came from? It comes from our sinful nature which is corrupt. James 3:6 (NIV) 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
b. We can be blinded about our own condition
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NIV) 4 The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. John 12:40 is a similar verse that speaks about how blind we are in our sin. We can justify ourselves and feel secure in our corruption, but we are deceived. If we do not understand our corrupt selfish nature we will end up in hell. Our flaws and the fact that we continue to do the very things that we say we will never do again should reveal to us our corruption.
c. Satan wants to destroy our lives and the lives around us
1 John 5:19 (NIV) 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
Ephesians 2:1-3 (NIV) 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
When we sin, we become a slave to sin, and give control of our lives to Satan. We think that we are in control, but the Bible declares that there are only two powers and we are not one of them. You are either under the control and influence of Satan or you are under the power of the Holy Spirit. The scary thing is that we can be destroying many lives and not even realizing it. A man who does not bring his family up in the training and instruction of the Lord is just as much a destroyer of lives as the man who enters into a room and kills people. The man who does not obey God’s command to teach the Word to his children is not only deceiving and destroying their lives but he is destroying the next generation. Look at our society today. Look at our government and the tragedies that are going on almost daily. Where is it originating? Did these children grow up knowing that they have a sinful nature and are in need of Jesus to give them a new nature? Were they taught the Word and the dangers of following their own evil desires? There is no God in our government because we have a generation of people who have grown up without being taught scripture, God's Holy Word. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Again, the apostle Paul writes in Romans 7:24, (NIV) 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? This brings us to our second point which also brings us the good news!
2. THROUGH JESUS WE CAN HAVE A NEW NATURE
Who can rescue us? Romans 7:25 (NIV) 25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! He can rescue us from our totally depraved state.
What good would it be for a man to live his life acquiring wealth, property, friends, respect, admiration, plus lots of entertainment and leisure? Sounds like the perfect life, doesn't it? Who wouldn’t want to have all of those things? On the surface, the question may seem odd, but with God's perspective those “things” the man acquired will fade away as dust in the wind. Look at how Jesus put it Matthew 16:26 (NIV) 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If we live our lives thinking that we are pleasing to God, and that we are doing enough “good” to appease the wrath of God from falling upon us, we are deceived. When our life is over and we are standing before God, none of these “things” that we have acquired will amount to anything. Could we offer God money to enter into heaven? Could we claim our good deeds and how we helped others? Could we ask him to call our friends and have them put in a good word in for us? The deeper question is, are we living our lives for ourselves, or are we living our lives to glorify God? Selfish ambition is a flaw in our nature that will cause us to be separated from God forever. Galatians 5:20, lists sins that if we live in them, will keep us from entering into the Kingdom of Heaven. Selfish ambition is one of those sins. We cannot live to please ourselves; we must live to please God.
Justice must be carried out. How could a just God ignore or even excuse our sin? He cannot! He will not! The sentence must be carried out.
Many of us know this passage John 3:16 (NIV) 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. I’m not sure that we fully understand what it means when it says, “he gave.” He gave Christ? Yes, he gave him to be the substitute for our punishment. Not just any punishment, but God's wrath was poured out on him. Here is how the Bible describes what he gave His son unto:
Galatians 3:13 (NIV) 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
1 Peter 2:24 (NIV) 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
Matthew 27:26-31 (NIV)26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged (flogging was a brutal beating that was done with many whips on the end of a stick. The strands on the whip had glass and other sharp objects attached so that when they hit a man the straps would wrap around the body and then rip the skin off), and handed him over to be crucified. 27 Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
Just before this brutal treatment of God, Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew the soldiers were on their way to crucify him and he was praying. Mark 14:36 (NIV) 36 "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." What cup was Jesus referring to? Some scholars believe that he was saying, “Father, please, do not allow me to experience the cup of your wrath.” The sins of the whole world were placed upon Jesus and the wrath of God was delivered upon Him to make atonement for our sins.
Jesus took the wrath that I deserved. Jesus took the punishment that I deserved for the evil that I did. For those careless, hurtful words that came forth out of my mouth. For those actions that I now regret and know caused pain to others that I love. My corruption deserved that punishment. If you are honest, you would say that your corruption deserves the wrath of God as well. But not Jesus! He did not deserve any of it!
1 John 2:2 (NIV) 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Wow! That is amazing love! So then, are we all saved? Has God taken care of everything and we no longer have to worry about the wrath of God? No, as God enables us to come to Him we still must respond.
John 3:17-18 (NIV) 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
When the Holy Spirit awakens us to the truth that we need Jesus, then we must choose to respond. He enables, and then, we must respond.
We are so corrupted that we would never choose to seek God. God’s spirit must first enlighten us to our need of Him and then He enables us to respond. John 6:44 (NIV) 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. When God reveals our need and enables us we must still respond. Matthew 4:17 (NIV) 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Has the Holy Spirit revealed to you that you are totally depraved and in need of Jesus? Then do what Peter told the crowd to do when their hearts were awakened to the truth. Acts 3:19 (NIV) 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
Repentance means to stop living our lives based upon our corrupted minds and opinions and start listening to and obeying the Bible. That is what these LIFE TRUTHS are all about. Submitting to the governing authority of the Word of God and obeying the principles that God has set out for us, by the power of the Holy Spirit within us.
When we repent, God gives us:
a. A new nature. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
b. A new mind. 1 Corinthians 2:16 (NIV) 16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
c. The Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 (NIV) 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Why should education begin with salvation? Have you ever met someone who was disrespectful, has no love for God or others, is lazy, a liar, selfish, a complainer, argumentative, materialistic, or just lives for themselves? Should we try to teach that person to be “good” or to be saved? Perhaps, they behave like they do because they do not have a new nature.
When John the Baptist came on the scene to prepare the way for Jesus, what was his message? Did he come saying, “there is good in all of us and we need to just learn to bring it out?” What did he teach to educate us about God? Matthew 3:1-2 (NIV) 1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Matthew 3:7-10 (NIV) 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
John declared a nature change is what can save you from the coming wrath. “Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Then he goes on to say that that the nature change is from the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:11 (NIV) 11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. John started his education with the need for a nature change.
Jesus came and began his teaching ministry and what did he come saying? Matthew 4:17 (NIV)
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
The fact that we need a new nature should cause us to educate ourselves and others as Jesus did. It should cause us to search the Scriptures and seek to honor Him as His living word is revealed to us. It should cause us to pray more for our loved ones and to be deeply concerned when we do not see the “fruit” of God coming from them. Are their words and their actions as loving as the words and actions of Jesus? There is nothing good that lives in us, that is in our sinful nature. We must proclaim our need for Jesus to a lost and dying world.
