The Born-Again Nature
When you begin reading the Bible, you soon discover that when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and ate the forbidden fruit, sin entered into the world and death by sin. Genesis 2:17 & Romans 5:12
Always remember, we are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. It’s our nature; we are born with it. Babies, children, boys, and girls, moms and dads, grandparents, and so on have this sinful nature until we die. We are by nature the children of wrath. Ephesians 2:3
It is a fact today that because of sin, death is passed onto all humanity. Ezekiel 18:4 & Hebrews 9:27
Disobedience brought death; it is obedience that brings life. Romans 5:19 & Romans 6:23
Jesus told the Apostles to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15
The Gospel is the good news of:
• the death,
• burial, and
• resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We are not to just believe the Gospel but believe and obey the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Mark 16:16
We obey the Gospel through repentance and Water Baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in an unknown tongue. Acts 2:1-4 & Acts 2:36-39
Jesus said that you MUST be born again. See: John 3:3,5,7
The old nature is not born of God; it is born of fallen man. When Adam sinned, his seed became corrupt. When we are born again, we are born of incorruptible seed by the Word of God which lives and abides forever. (1 Peter 1:23-25)
The new birth is incorruptible! 2 Corinthians 5:17
When we are born again, we have been given a divine nature, the nature of God. 2 Peter 1:4
This divine nature of God is the Holy Spirit. If you do not have the Holy Spirit, you do not have the divine nature of God. This new divine nature does NOT commit sin. It cannot sin because it is the nature of God. 1 John 3:19
Even after we receive the Holy Spirit, which is the divine nature of God, we still have the old carnal nature living inside our physical bodies. This old carnal nature will sin any time you let it sin. James 1:13-15
As a child of God, you must keep the old nature under control. 1 Corinthians 9:27
Do not yield to the desires of your flesh or the old carnal nature will keep you under its control. Romans 6:13, Romans 7:18
The power to live a righteous life cannot be found in an old nature. It can only be found in the new divine nature. Galatians 2:20
When you are born again, you have two natures: the old nature and the new nature. You are walking according to one or the other. Now, we must always examine our Christian Walk in the Light of the Word of God. Romans 8:5-8 & Romans 8:14
Now, we must surround ourselves with the people and influences that can help us grow spiritually instead of feeding our carnal nature. Even the Apostle Paul realized this reality. While in the flesh, we will always have this battle. Romans 7:18-23,25
Conclusion
It is the knowledge of God’s Word that gives us divine strength and grace that pertains to life and Godliness. 2 Peter 1:3, 2 Peter 3:18, 1 John 2:29, 1 John 5:18
The more we learn to yield to this new divine nature, the weaker our carnal nature will become. Always remember, as a born-again Christian, if you fail, if you commit sin, it is not the divine nature that’s in you that has failed. It is the fleshly carnal nature that has led you astray.
When you get weak, you do weak things. In this born-again life, there is the prefix “re”. The prefix “re” means “to do again”.
As we journey through this physical life, the carnal nature may prevail at times, but God has graciously given us the opportunity to repent, to recommit, and to recover ourselves.
If we do these “re” things, God will respond with His “re” things: He will renew us, regenerate us, refill us, and revive us because He has redeemed us! 1 John 1:9-10
In God’s eyes, He is more interested in how many times we recover from sin than in how many times we fail. The Lord is right there every time to make us as white as snow again. Isaiah 1:18, Lamentations 3:22-23
Remember, in the eyes of God, the sin that has been forgiven is the sin that has been forgotten. Isaiah 43:25, Philippians 3:13-14
As long as we are in these physical bodies, we will always have something that we will have to continue to overcome. Revelation 3:21, 1 Corinthians 15:31
Once the blood of Jesus has been applied to our lives through the waters of baptism in the Name of Jesus, we can continue to go to that fount for cleansing for forgiveness, for renewal, and for regeneration. Now, we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. Romans 8:37 , 1 Corinthians 15:57
