Dual Nature of the Believer
📖 Ephesians 4:22-24 KJV That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
🔷 A great doctrine to fully understand is how the old man (flesh) and the new man (Spirit) are both operating within believers because what we need to understand is that christians will continue to sin because of the flesh, but at the same time we can never sin because of the new man the spirit, sounds bizarre but thats biblical, now if you don’t understand this concept what happens is that people start to teach two extremes, one called sinless perfection, or the other free license to sin which both are wrong, so its understanding the dual nature of the believer.
1️⃣ The Conflict Within
📖 Romans 7:14-25 (KJV) For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 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. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after 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 shall deliver me from the body of this 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.
✅ The Old Man Still Lives
🔷 We see here that the Apostle Paul who is saved, is stating that as christians we can be carnal because of the flesh, he is showing how the two nature dwell together, in fact Paul addresses that in the flesh is nothing good! This means that because we still in the flesh we will continue to sin. Yet at the same time he is delighted in the law of God after the inward man, but with flesh the law of sin.
📖 1 John 1:8-10 (KJV) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
📌 We know as christians we can never be sinless perfection, because if that were true, then why is the Bible telling us to walk in Spirit if we will automatically do that? Why Paul saying that he struggles with sin and that he is carnal, there is no one here that is better than the Apostle Paul, and yet he is saying he struggles with sin.
📖 Galatians 5:16-18 (KJV) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 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. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
✅ Confusing passages
📌 So Paul shows that the flesh and your spirit are constantly fighting within you so that ye cannot do the things that ye would, this is not a very hard concept to understand yet people want to go to either extremes and confuse it all, and they get stuck on verses without looking in wider context for an example:
📖 Romans 6:6-7 (KJV) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
‼️ They think it means that your old man will never be in effect again because it’s crucified and gone? No, look we just read Romans 7 which is after this passage and the apostle Paul is telling us that we will continue to sin being in the flesh, So what does this mean?
💭 This is speaking about the body of sin “might” be destroyed, because we aren’t judge by sin anymore after salvation because the grace is now in effect, we are covered by law of grace.
📖 Romans 5:20-21 (KJV) Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
📖 Romans 6:14-15 (KJV) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
📌 This is obvious just because we are under grace does not mean we have the right to sin? But this does mean that sin have no power over us even if we were to sin thats why Paul says in the next chapter 7.
📖 Romans 7:17 (KJV) Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
💭 And just because the body is dead or crucified, that doesn’t mean it’s gone!
📖 Romans 8:10 (KJV) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
📌 This means that the body is considered dead because of sin, but its not gone its actively fighting against the Spirit!
2️⃣ The New Man Within
📖 Ephesians 4:22-24 KJV That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
✅ Receiving the Holy Spirit
🔷 We receive the new man the moment we believe on Jesus Christ
📖 Ephesians 1:13 (KJV) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
‼️ So to receive the Holy Spirit we must believe that we all are sinners, that there is an eternal punishment for sin (thats the bad news), but God made away through the sacrifice of his Son who died on cross for you and me and rose again, if we believe this you too can have the new man the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, its free to all who believe by faith alone on Jesus Christ….
📖 Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
📖 John 3:16-19 (KJV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
📌 We also have eternal life the moment we believe, because our spirit is sealed with the Holy Sprit until the return of Christ.
📖 Ephesians 4:30 (KJV) And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
📌 This means our spirit is sealed by the Holy Spirit until Christ returns thats what the day of redemption is referring to, so we can never lose our salvation because our spirit is separated from the flesh and its the flesh that condemn and sins but our inner man or new man which is our spirit is kept cleaned from sin via the Holy Spirit. This means that our spirit cannot sin if we have the Holy Spirit.
✅ Sinless new man
📖 1 John 3:8-9 (KJV) He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
‼️ remember its not us that sin but the flesh, this means that our flesh is of the devil but that which is born of God is our spirit and our spirit cannot sin or though our flesh does, but the spirit cannot because its sealed with the Holy Spirit which is of God, and its separated from the sins of the flesh, thats what Romans 7 is all about.
✅ Walking in the Spirit
📖 Ephesians 4:22-24 KJV That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
🔷 To put on new man that is to walk in Spirit
📖 Galatians 5:16-18 (KJV) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 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. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
📌 To be able to walk in the Spirit we can only do that by the renewing of the knowledge of God.
📖 Colossians 3:10 (KJV) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
💭 This means that those that are saved but don’t learn the Bible are naturally going to walk in the flesh which can lead to physical death, because its the word of God that has power to cleanse us.
📖 Ephesians 5:26-27 (KJV) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
📌 It’s important to read and learn Gods word to overcome the flesh and thats why its important to go to church so you’re surrounded by others that are learning, the Bible says, Iron shapenth Iron.
📖 Romans 7:25 (KJV) 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.
💭 Its in the mind that we serve God through the knowledge of Gods words but we serve sin through the body.
3️⃣ We sin no more
📖 Romans 7:20-25 (KJV) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after 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 shall deliver me from the body of this 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.
‼️ So then we can say that we sin no more because we are not of the flesh nor are we judged by the flesh as the Bible said.
📖 2 Corinthians 5:16 (KJV) Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
📌So the Apostle Paul was right, its not him that sins but his flesh and we rejoice in God after the inward man yet the Bible is clear that “with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
