Old nature versus the New Nature.

If the Spirit of God, (Holy Spirit) who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, then he who raised Christ from death (the Holy Spirit) will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of his Spirit in you. (Resurrection life, and resurrection from the dead-[after physical death]) -(eternal Life).

When one becomes a Christian they receive a new nature which enables them to live for God, and to put off the sins of the flesh. The old nature must die because it is corrupted by sin, and the new nature is enlivened by the Holy Spirit. The old nature is dormant when a person receives the Holy Spirit, and it is by cooperation with the Holy Spirit that one puts away the evil deeds of the flesh. We should never feed our old selves, that is the person we were before trusting Christ.

If we put to death the sinful actions of the human nature, and live by the spirit, not by the sinful human nature we will live. If you continue to be led by the sinful human nature, you will die in your sins Romans 8:13. God’s Holy Spirit in me doesn’t cause me to fear God, instead I am a child of God and by the holy spirit’s power I cry out “Father! my Father!” v.15. Romans 8:16 “God’s Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God’s children.

Sanctification is a process even though it is guaranteed to the Christian. We must be willing to work with the Holy Spirit because there is no such thing as automatic sanctification. The work is done by trusting Jesus everyday, not just initially for our salvation but everyday for our sanctification. Resisting sin is part of the Christian’s duty. There really isn’t a free ride after you get saved. You have a choice to live not after the flesh, but after the spirit. The flesh is our natural human abilities in conformance with our old human nature. To choose that means that you put yourself back under the law, (which is impossible for a true believer, because you are dead to the law) and it would mean that you forfeit grace.

This is why it is important for the Christian to understand that they are born again, or new creatures that live by the spirit, and not by the flesh! Why would you want to be enslaved again to a nature that eventually would have lead to your death. But thanks be to God, that your old nature is dormant, and you are alive in the spirit, so keep putting off the evil deeds, and live more and more from your new born again nature. Amen. This is Mike.

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