Our Sinful Nature...

You’ve heard it time and time again, “my sinful nature caused me to.....”. But what exactly is a sinful nature? By definition, it’s anything the goes against God. It’s missing the mark. It’s the reason everyone isn’t right with God. It’s the reason why people end up in Hell for all eternity (because of there lack of acknowledging it through repentance). These are all good descriptive words but what does our sinful nature look like in reality? Here are three examples that will help clarify what it looks like in our own lives. Have you ever said you’d do something and then didn’t do it? You feel bad, and know you should do something about it, but you don’t. That willingness to not own up to your word is your sinful nature. Have you ever done something to someone that hurt them, and they tell you how hurt and upset they are, and you blow it off or try to downplay it’s serious effect it had on them? That justification, that putting yourself before others, is your sinful nature. It tries to protect yourself at the expense of another person, make you look better than you really are. Have you ever done something that you knew was wrong, and yet still did it anyway? That’s your sinful nature. As Christians, we will always have this tendency to be rebellious, to preserve ourselves, to justify our actions, or to divert blame from ourselves. We are Saints and Sinners at the same time. We’ve been saved from the power of sin, but still are tempted by sin. We don’t have to give into it any more. To a rescued sinner, sin has lost its power to control us. However, sin will always be there crouching at our door. The issue isn’t about whether we sin or not, rather it’s what do about it when we sin. It’s what we do when we are tempted to sin. It’s what we focus on doing instead of focusing on what we are trying not to do. We don’t live our lives thinking about ways to not sin, rather we live the way God wants us to by doing the things that are above the law. The only way to counter act our sinful nature is to live by the Spirit, to love, to honor, to do justice, and to walk humbly with God. We focus on that. And when we do sin, we don’t waller in self pity, rather we repent, and make it right with God and whom ever else that was involved in the offense. Peter did just that. He denied knowing Jesus, then repented, and was strengthened enough to lead the early Church. So recognizing what our sinful nature looks like is the first step towards being made right with God and learning how to really live. The question or attitude of “Is it possible to live the rest of your life without sinning?” shouldn’t be our focus. Our focus should be recognizing the difference between living by our sinful nature and living by the Spirit. As Paul said (Gal 5:23) about living by the Spirit, “against these things there is no law”, and thus no condemnation. This is the freeing truth of the Gospel, it shows us we are condemned sinners, then points us to the Solution, giving us a redeeming way to live. No that’s Good News.

69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”70 But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.71 Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”72 Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.73 A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”74 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying–I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know Me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly. Matthew 26:69-75