THE TWO NATURES
By R.B. Mott
Year 1996
The Two Natures (Spirit and Death)
It has been said that nature is the essential characteristics and qualities of a person or thing. It's a person's disposition or fundamental character. It's the force that compel you to act in some particular way.
This pamphlet deals briefly with two types of nature: 1. Human(sinful) nature and 2. Divine (Godlike) nature. Divine nature is an expression of deity. It is not just superhuman but also Godlike. Divine nature is supremely good; magnificent, Heavenly and perfect.
The nature given to us by Adam was through generation; the nature which is ours in Christ is by re-generation. The human nature or the nature of the flesh is in conflict with what is known as the Divine nature or nature of the Spirit. As soon as we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our saviour we become partakers of Divine Nature - 2Pet. 1:4. But the old nature of the flesh remains, waiting to get in our pathway, tempting us in an attempt to cast us down. we will have the old nature as long as we live in this tabernacle of flesh even though we have been delivered from the power of it. Thus we need to know how to deal with the two natures - flesh verses the Spirit.
New converts too often fall because they have not been taught the doctrine of the two natures as it is given in the scripture. Many are living defeated lives because they don't know how to overcome or keep the old nature under subjection. New Christians do not expect to be tempted. They often believe that after conversion they are immune to temptation. When flesh asserts itself and temptation becomes a problem, they become discouraged and ready to quit.
The Nature of The Flesh (Old Man)
When Adam was created God took the dust of the earth and put into it the breath of life to make man a living person - Gen. 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Man was made with two types of particles: material and immaterial. Some of the material particles are arteries, brain, muscles, hair, etc. Within the immaterial there is soul, spirit, will, conscience, etc.
Before the fall in the Garden of Eden, Adam(man) was without sin. He had complete fellowship with God. Adam had a free will and a mind capable of choosing good or evil. He was in harmony with God. There was no sense of guilt because he was all innocent. But after the fall there was guilt and a broken fellowship with God. Let's look at Gen: 3:8: Even though Adam and Eve had instantaneous took on another nature(old man), they could still hear the call of God; “...and they heard the voice of the Lord God...” But because the old nature is full of guilt and shame we sometime try to hide from God. Adam had sinned before God and now he along with all mankind must face the penalties of sin. Sin changed the whole creation. Animals, seeds all plants, etc. changed. Man began to walk not in that guiltless, sinless, pure nature he previously had but in a corrupted nature full of sin and agony known as the Old Man or the nature of the flesh.
The human being that God created was perfect in regard to his spirit , soul, and body. But the fall affected each part of man. His spirit died, fellowship with God was broken. His soul began to die because man began to lie, cheat, and kill; and his body eventually died. God said “...for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”. - Gen. 3:19.
Here in the Garden we see God pass the sentence of death upon all flesh. Resulting in physical and spiritual death. the entire nature of man, mentally, morally, spiritually, physically, is affected by sin.
All men, without respect of condition or class are sinners before God. There is an old man in all of us, whether, rich or poor, tall or short, educated or ignore, we acquired this nature from Adam.
Rom. 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Because of this one man's sin we were sinners by nature. We were born of Adam and therefore received the Adamic nature(sin) and death.
Children of Wrath By Nature
We were not our own. We were controlled by “the prince of the power of the the air(Satan). The Bible tells us of our old life and who we served and obeyed before we found Christ. This is found in Eph. 2:1-3 “...and were by nature children....”. We walked according to this world system. This world system is ruled by the prince of the power of the air(Satan). The same spirit that was in us is also in the children of disobedience. Those that disobey God. Our life style focused around the lusts of our flesh. The things we done were desires to please the flesh. Our minds were blinded by Satan. We could not see the truth of God - 2Cor. 4:3-4 “...the god of this world hath blinded...”. This was not our choosing; we were born with it - “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”- John 3:6.
The old man is corrupt, according to Eph. 4:22. Old man is sometime called the “flesh”. The flesh has a worldly appetite. The flesh craves sinful lusts of the world. The old man is the “body of sin” -Rom. 6:6. The “body of sin” is not our human body, but our rebellious sin-loving nature inherited from Adam. Paul said in Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” There is a struggle within us. But thanks be to God for the victory over sin.
The flesh is enmity(hostile, ill will) against God. It is not subject to the Law of God - Rom. 8:7. There is nothing good in the flesh - Rom. 7:18. Jer. 17:9 says “...flesh is deceitful above all things,...” Jesus paid for a new heart - Ezek. 36:26. The flesh was weak, not the law, - Rom. 8:3,4. What the Law could not do(what man could not do for himself) God sent His Son to do it. Jesus conquered sin in the flesh.
Nature of the flesh cannot be changed. -Jer. 13:23.
In the Garden of Eden, God passed the sentence of death upon the flesh. -Gen. 3:19. 1Cor. 15:22 says, “in Adam all die,..”. Man flesh remains as corrupt in those who are born anew as in those who are not. The flesh in a Saint is the same as that in a sinner. In regeneration New Life is given in order to overcome the flesh. Birth means “to impart life”. God's Life is the Spirit. God puts His Life into our spirit. -John 3:6; 6:63.
NATURE OF THE SPIRIT
The Spirit nature is called “Life”. - 1John 5:11,12,
“...God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” V12 “He that hath the Son hath life;...” Just as surely as we receive the nature of the flesh in our natural birth, we receive the nature of god when we are born from above. There are then two distinct natures abiding within the same body - and a war between the two begins. <
War Between Natures:
Rom. 7:18-24
Rom. 6:14- “...sin shall not have dominion over you...”. This deliverance requires active participation of the believer himself. We must “walk in the Spirit.” - Rom. 715-21. We must “put off concerning former conversation the old man.” - Eph. 4:22-24. Whoever you yield yourselves servant to obey, his servants you are. -Rom. 6:16. Don't feed the flesh - Rom. 13:14. Watch what you read, where you go, programs you watch, etc. 1Thess. 5:22 says, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
The only way to control the habits and desires of the flesh is to keep the New man in the things of God. Keep him strong and healthy by feeding him the right kind of Spiritual food. You can't kill the old nature, but you can subdue it. 1Cor. 9:27, Paul said, “..I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:...” Col. 3:5 says, “Mortify(destroy, put to death) your members which are upon the earth;...”
You got to do something with the old man. God is not going to do it all. You must learn to be lead by the Spirit of God - Rom. 8:14, if you are going to be victorious in this battle between the Spirit and the flesh(old man).
DIVINE NATURE
We become partakers of Divine Nature or sharers of the very nature of God. We participate or take part in the nature of God; His characteristics. God has certain qualities and properties that's like no other and we can have a part of these traits.
Every Christian has the conscious experience of two natures being present: the nature of the flesh and the nature of the Spirit of God or Divine Nature.
To be partakers of Divine nature gives us the assurance that we are partakers of the promises of God since God's promises are a part of His qualities and properties. Eph. 3:6
(To Be Continued)
