Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— (Romans 5:12 ESV)
Beloved,
We all act according to our nature. We make choices and decisions that are in line with our nature. David
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Bisgrove shares an illustration of a hungry lion. He says to imagine a hungry lion with two plates of food in front of him. One a plate of raw red meat and the other a plate of perfectly cooked string beans and the Lion can choose either one. The Lion has the choice between both dishes, but because of his nature, he will always choose the red meat.
In Adam, our nature is enslaved to sin. We do not desire to please God or to honor Him. We are born with a nature that lives to serve self. We are self-centered and live for our own desires. If given the choice of two paths, the path of righteousness and the path of wickedness, we will choose (according to our sinful nature) the path of wickedness. In Adam, all have sinned and our very nature has been corrupted. We cannot choose God unless we have a new nature. When we come to Christ, God makes us new creations and gives us a new nature (2 Cor. 5:17). We no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died for us and was raised. We cannot shed our old nature until we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. God sovereignly calls us to Himself and when we receive Jesus Christ, we are born again. We inherit the new nature of the second Adam, Jesus Christ.
Have you experienced this new nature? Are you drawn to righteousness? Are you convicted by the Holy Spirit when you walk contrary to your new nature in Christ? Beloved, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. Let us walk not according to the old nature of the flesh, but the new nature wrought by the Spirit of Christ (Gal 5:16-24). We are born with the nature of the first Adam, but those who belong to the New Adam, Jesus Christ, have crucified the flesh and live in line with the new nature by the Holy Spirit.
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