3/1/04 The Sin Nature

Hi, my name is Ashley Eaton and today I’ve been asked to Explain the meaning and significance of the sin nature. According to Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology : The sinful nature is Inherited corruption, a sinful nature because of Adam’s sin.

How does a worm get inside an apple? Perhaps you think the worm burrows in from the outside. No, scientists have discovered that the worm comes from inside. But how does he get in there? An insect lays an egg in the apple blossom. Sometime later, the worm hatches in the heart of the apple, then eats his way out. From the beginning of its life a worm is in the apple much like the sin is inherent in man.

Through the following 4 areas will be discussed to clarify the meaning and significance of the sin nature:

· What are the effects of original sin

· We can’t please God on our own

· No one has to be taught to sin

· With Jesus we can overcome

First, What are the Effects of Original Sin

Paul explains the effects of Adam’s original sin in Romans 5:12, ”Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” According to Grudem this idea that all men sinned means that God thought of us all as having sinned when Adam disobeyed.

Second, We can’t please God

Romans 8:8 states: “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God,” and Eph 2:1-3: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath” Because man is sinful by nature, all righteous deeds are like filthy rags in God’s eyes. Romans 3:23 declares: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Third, No One Has To Be Taught to Sin

Three year olds are such perfect angels. They never need to be told to not touch anything. Or not to scream and whine. The word NO is understood perfectly. There is no disobedience in 3 year olds. Now obviously these statements are not true. Parents are ALWAYS having to tell three year olds “don’t touch the china, buckle your seat belt, get down off the cabinet” among many others and often the three year old doesn’t listen even then. No one needs to be taught how to sin. Babies, three year olds, everyone does it naturally. This illustration shows how sin is inherent in everyone and it is confirmed in scripture. Psalms 58:3 “Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.” And in Psalms 51:5 David states, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”



With Jesus, we can Overcome

Christians have two natures at work in their being. One, the old sinful nature, and the other is a new nature found in Christ. These two natures are constantly at war with each other. Paul explains that despite his good intentions, he is still influenced by his sin nature: "I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do this I keep on doing" Romans 7:18-19. Though our natures are constantly conflicting, it is not the sin nature that will ultimately control the Christian. Part of the sanctification process involves dying to the old sinful nature. The Christian will sin, but the Christian will not continue in unrestrained sin: "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you" Romans 8:9. At Christ's second coming, when the believer's body is glorified, the sin nature will be destroyed once and for all. Until then, we are told to resist the sin nature's temptations.

In Conclusion

I hope to have shown today the meaning and significance of the sin nature through my points

· What are the effects of original sin

· We can’t please God on our own

· No one has to be taught to sin

· With Jesus we can overcome

Just like the worm, which is there from the beginning, if left untreated spoils the apple; so too the sin nature inherent in man if left unredeemed leads to death. Thank you.