30/03/13

What I will, I do not and what will not, I do

Romans 7:19 - For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.


Many years back when the Lord was teaching me the basics of the Bible I had gone for a trip with a Man of God and we stayed in a hotel. As usual the scriptures I mediated on the Lord used to open them to my understanding at time in dreams (like He did with Daniel and others).

That night I had a dream in which I see this Man of God doing something that was not of God, so in the day when I got the opportunity to converse I opened this matter with him and he was devastated to find how I knew of it. He did take a long time to overcome but through this we learned about the dual nature that dwells in us as Believers who is baptized in the Lord.

We all are born in Adam and in Genesis 5:2 we see God called all the generation of Adam by the name Adam. This was the place where the nature of Adam was imputed to the generations of Adam. So by birth we have the sin nature of Adam and so we do not need to be taught to sin. Even if we like it or not we will sin because the nature of Adam is in us.

When we believe in Jesus Christ we reject this world (the understanding of this world) and accept the Kingdom of God (the understanding of the Kingdom of God). To do this we repent and are forgiven of our sins, we cleaned of our sins but that does not change the sin nature in us or remove the ability to sin. For this Jesus by His sacrifice of gave us the promise of the Holy Spirit. It is only when receive this promise and are baptized in the Holy Spirit we find a change in us. This change does not mean we are a totally new people, No. This change means now a new nature of Christ is born in us. Now dwells in us 2 natures one of Adam (our Old nature) and the other of Christ (our new nature).

Being a Christian is being a battle field wherein our old nature conflicts with our new nature. This battle is a very long battle and our success of being Christian comes when our new nature gets an overhand over our old nature. Believe me it is not so easy as we write or say it. Every moment, every day this battle continues in us.

The greatest mistake most Christians do is they try to fight the old nature. No man has succeeded including Jesus Christ as man. He too took help to overcome and since He being the first to succeed we too have hope if we do what He did.

Jesus as man overcame the sin nature of Adam by the Power of the Holy Spirit (He was not born with Adam's sin nature since He had a human mother and not a human father and the nature is transferred only from father to child and not mother to child, the mother's nature /curses comes through the father when they come together or know each other, yet Jesus was not spared temptation since He dwelled in this world).

In today's message we see Paul who was a great Man of God uses the word 'we' thus including himself in this battlefield wherein the new nature fights the old nature. We see now Paul first takes a stand on whose side he is. He says in him dwells the evil sin nature that makes him do things that he does not like or want to, he does not say good dwells in him but says he is good (nature) and sin (nature) dwells in him. He takes delight in the Law of God but the law of this world conflicts with the Law of God in him.

The law of the world tells us it is normal to do the things which are sin but the Law of God which is written in our hearts when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit does not agree with the law of the world. Our mind (symbolizing understanding) fights against our members / limbs (symbolizing our doings - being tempted in not sin but acting on it is sin). Our victory lays where we stand and whose side we take in this battle.

Paul starts this stand by denying life to the old nature by declaring it nailed with Jesus on the crucifix and gone to hell when Jesus went there with all the sins of those who believe in Him after being forsaken by the Father. On the third day only Jesus returned from hell and not the sins, so by declaring this Paul states his sinful nature did not exist in him (even though it does he refuses the acknowledge it).

When we too do this we will see a renewed energy in us to fight this unknown nature (since we refused it being part of us). It is important we take this stand in this battle. And when we do this the Holy Spirit helps us fight this enemy. The Holy Spirit will not help fight us but will help fight our enemy, so it is very important to take the stand like Paul.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, we struggle with the nature of Adam that exists in us. Believing in You and by receiving the Holy Spirit we are bornagain, in us is born a new nature according to the nature of Christ. Lord, help us no longer to be the nature of Adam but be the nature of Christ. Help us release it is not us born according to nature of Christ that sins but the nature of Adam that dwells in us that causes us to sin. Help us Lord to deny life to this nature taking away its breath by denying its existence not only in words but also in our deeds...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Genesis 5:1-2
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Romans 7:14-25
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.
17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.
22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
25 I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Romans 2:14-15
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Colossians 2:10-15
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)