Two Natures???
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Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 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.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 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.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
A Christian has 2 natures warring for control of the person.
Which of course it is true for a Christian still has the capability to sin if they desire.
It depends on whether you allow the Spirit to lead you or the flesh.
And if the flesh you will not inherit eternal life for those in the flesh cannot please God.
Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Allow the Spirit to lead you and you can abstain from sin.
2Ti 3:4 lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
These people did not allow the Spirit to lead them and loved sin more than God not able to come to the truth.
If we allow the Spirit to lead us we will still be tempted to sin so there is the nature of the flesh still trying to have its way.
If we did not have the nature of the flesh trying to have its way we would not be tempted and would be sinless.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 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.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 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.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
A Christian has 2 natures warring for control of the person.
Which of course it is true for a Christian still has the capability to sin if they desire.
It depends on whether you allow the Spirit to lead you or the flesh.
And if the flesh you will not inherit eternal life for those in the flesh cannot please God.
Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Allow the Spirit to lead you and you can abstain from sin.
2Ti 3:4 lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
These people did not allow the Spirit to lead them and loved sin more than God not able to come to the truth.
If we allow the Spirit to lead us we will still be tempted to sin so there is the nature of the flesh still trying to have its way.
If we did not have the nature of the flesh trying to have its way we would not be tempted and would be sinless.
This brought to mind a quote from CS Lewis, You Have Never Talked to a Mere Mortal, and excerpt from his book, The Weight of Glory:
"There are no ordinary people.
You have never talked to a mere mortal.
Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat.
But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors."
"There are no ordinary people.
You have never talked to a mere mortal.
Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat.
But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors."
The war is between our 2 natures: the mortal, corrupt nature we received from Adam and the immortal, incorrutible nature we received from Christ.
Human nature of itself is not able to do righteousness
Human nature of itself is not able to do righteousness
For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. Romans 7:18
Divine nature of itself is not able to sinWe know that every [one] being born of God does not sin; but the one born of God guards himself, and the wicked [one] does not touch him. 1 John 5:18
Romans 7 is a bit of an interpreters problem. Does it describe a regenerate person or an unregenerate person under the Law?
Is the 'flesh' a sinful nature or just human nature under the power of sin?
Just questions bouncing around my head.
We are a new creation in Christ, the old man has been crucified with Christ.
"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin." Romans 6:3-7
The old man can only influence us to the degree we allow it to.
"But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor." Galatians 2:17-18
I believe Scripture indicates every normal adult has one human nature that differs from animals by having God-consciousness
(Gen.1:27-30), conscience (Gen. 3:6-7), and moral free will or the ability to seek salvation or not (Gen.3:22 & 4:7, IF), unless they harden their hearts to the point of becoming totally depraved (Matt. 13:14-15, Heb. 6:4-6). IF a soul seeks salvation (Matt. 7:7), they will find it by accepting God/Jesus as Lord, who will indwell them as the supernatural Holy Spirit (Rev. 3:20, Rom. 5:5 & 8:9).
You asked if the Christian has two natures. The answer is no; the sinful man is dead and buried. Unless you dredge it up from the grave, as many believes often do (See quote from Galatians 2 above).
If our old man was truly dead though would we still struggle with sin?
Romans 7 describes the Christian dilemma. We have a new nature, yet we still struggle with desires that we may find overwhelming. Galatians 5:17 is more specific, "For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want."
The answer is death. The believer is included in the death of Christ: Colossians 3:3: "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." and, of course, Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!"
We need to see ourselves dead in Christ. Who demands anything of a dead man? No one expects him to come to work on Monday. If he was a criminal, no one will take him to court. God expects nothing from the old "us'. The problem for most Christians is that they have a secret hope that somehow they can contribute something to their salvation. We have to be utterly convinced of our helpless and hopeless condition before we give up. That's the Romans 7 situation.
The danger is that we may give up. Romans 7 finishes with the answer to the believer's dilemma. The second last verse really belongs on chapter 8. I believe that God allowed the last verse to stay in chapter 7 to encourage those who are discouraged by what they've read. "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Romans 7: 24 & 25 are the answer.
it's pretty difficult to get around the fact that it's specifically Paul talking about himself, not an imaginary arbitrary person and that it's all written in present tense.
so, Paul is definitely not under the Law, and he is not unregenerate. the problem of interpretation is a problem of not believing what's clearly written, imo, because it doesn't fit with many people's preconception.
corpses don't immediately turn to dust; that takes time - and they still must be dealt with.
in the same way, Christ has risen, and our salvation is secure, but we wait for Him now.
how then can John say, anyone who says they have no sin is a liar?
I do find it interesting that even Paul struggled with his flesh when he was an ideal model of what dying to self looks like, it makes me wonder if we can ever truly die to ourselves.
And yet there are those who say they do not sin.
Some even teach that sin causes the loss of salvation.
The flesh is sinful. Has a sin nature.
The closer to God we become the more we can resist the nature of the flesh.
Man will never be sinless until this flesh is changed into a new glorified body at Jesus' coming.
Yes I do find it odd that some believe they can be without sin and that one can lose their salvation due to sin, the blood of Christ must not be enough.
I knew one who believed as such and he even wanted me to try things his way you know to never sin and such but the more I tried things his way the more I found myslef to be lacking in every way and a darkness filled my soul a deep darkness until I was saved from that darkness by remembering what it was like to simply love God and be loved by him.
Then I was suddenly filled with life and joy but wow to live in that kind of death trying to not sin and be sinless it truly is death
Dying to self is a misconception and stumbling block IMO. Nowhere does the bible say to die to self. That is a Buddhist or Hindu or something concept. We are to die to the impulses of the flesh. There's nothing evil about self. Disassociating from or dying to self accomplishes nothing except self-delusion.