I'm not talking about that nature. You know, leaves. And squiggly worms. Not today.
I'm talking about my nature. Specifically, in regards to a question: what, for the sake of all things sanitary, is it? As a believer, do I have a new nature, or am I bound to my old sin nature while bound to this earth?
Can I just give the quick answer? Yes. Uh-huh.
Okay, okay, you and I both know I find quick answers as unfavourable as canned salmon.
So, here's the long of it:
It would be entirely irresponsible of me to claim that Christians are not plagued by remnants of sinfulness. We still sin. Every day. We are bound by and to our old self, our sin nature, our fallen state, until the day we die. The process of sanctification does not promise we will be perfect here. That's why we cling to the hope of things to come. One of those coming things will be the full realization of glorious rebirth, where even the lingering shadows of the whispers of sin will have no place to rest.
And yet, in a sense we are entirely free right now from our sin nature. It no longer has a hold on us. We are considered perfect in the eyes of the Father, through Christ. He has given us complete and finished mediation. He has enabled us, by the quickening of our hearts and the opening of our eyes, to resist sin's lure and temptation.
Ephesians 2:3 says,
"...among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."
The fascinating thing about this passage is all of the past-tense language. Paul is saying, "this was our state." It would seem to indicate that something has replaced what was our past nature. Thankfully, Paul goes on:
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-7 ESV)
Earlier in Ephesians, Paul expounds on the grace and glorious mercy of God, touching on the idea of adoption. We have been adopted as God's children. So we are no longer children of wrath, but children of heaven. We have been brought into a new family, the family of grace, redeemed, renewed, and reclaimed. So our "were" nature as children of wrath has been replaced with the "are" of God's adoption.
Our new nature is found in the adoption into God's family through Christ Jesus. We are a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old has passed away. What we were previously is demolished. The new has come! I find this glorious.
What this does not mean is that we don't battle daily against our sin. We do. Yet the Bible is clear on something: sin no longer has a hold on us. Believers are no longer under the dominion and control of sin. We have a new heart, new desires, and a new perspective - to see sin as it is, all ugly and demented, trying to be beautiful.
...to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)
The original Greek word translated "self" was the word for "man". In this passage, Paul is saying we should put off our "former man". This is a daily battle; as we live by the grace of God and the power of Christ, we have the ability to put off the former, corrupt, deceitful desires. We are engaged in life. Life doesn't become an easy ride once you are a believer. There is battle, struggle, and strain. But through it all we have the hope of Christ's very sure promises, and we know that His work has been completed in us. We don't have to worry that our former nature will overcome us at any point; we have a new nature, created in Christ Jesus, given new hopes, new desires, new wills and new delights.
You see, our nature is made up of the essential qualities and characteristics which we possess. So, our former nature is one of sin. The qualities and characteristics are against God. However, once redeemed and made alive in Christ, the essentials of our being are won over by Christ. Our characteristics move and align themselves closer and closer to Christ-likeness as we seek to please the Saviour whom we love with love incorruptible (Ephesians 6:24).
So, back to the short of it: yes, we do have a new nature, and yes, we do struggle with our old nature here. I think there are two things to understand regarding this.
1) We can have the assurance that comes along with the finished, final promises of Christ. He has the victory, we are with Him now, and His wonderful proclamation will never cease or be overcome. We are His new creation. We are created in Him. We are called His saints, God's children. No longer stained.
2) We must remember with humility that we are not perfect. It is dangerous and arrogant for any believer to claim that he or she has reached perfection in either faith or practice. We wage war against sin in ourselves from now until the day we die. Yet, remember this hope: Christ does not leave us to fight alone. He is with us, sanctifying us as the Founder and Perfecter of our faith. He never leaves us to stand by ourselves. Remember the contrast found in Philippians 2:12-13:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)
We can be confident that our Saviour is sanctifying us and leading us to greater things. With that confidence, it becomes much easier to put off the old self.
