I've noticed something. With each of my seven children, especially when they were babies, when they are left to themselves they do the most self destructive things. Sometimes with foolish stubborn defiance. They need constant guidance, for the sake of saving their own little lives.
This is the sinful nature: Independence. Separation. Death.
Adam and Eve separated themselves from God, changing their natures from God connected to God disconnected. Every human in them were born in this state of God disconnection. This is the origin of sin.
Good sins.
Bad sins.
Good sins are when we do good without God, giving ourselves the credit for inherent goodness, thinking that we're "good people," and that all people, deep inside, are really good. Self-righteousness. Doing good to look good, not because we really love God or people.
Bad sins are the obvious ones. You know them. I know them.
The sinful nature is God disconnection.
How do we overcome it?
The answer is in the definition.
By birth we were born in a state of God disconnection.
By rebirth we are reborn in a state of God connection.
How are we reborn?
- We admit that we have lived independently from God, trusting ourselves instead of Him.
- We admit that because of this we are dead. Zombies. God's enemies.
- We accept that God gave us a way of being forgiven and born again: Jesus died for us. Jesus rose for us.
- We stop ignoring God and living independently from Him. And from now on we live in total dependence upon His Spirit, as it is written:
"Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him."
John 3:6
The sinful nature is God disconnection.
We overcome it by God reconnection:
- by faith in Jesus, being born again,
- and by living in dependence on His Spirit.
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