Part CXVI on Galatians Study

This is where we like to depict the two natures of the believer. We know a lot of folks have no concept of the two natures. But when we become a believer the old sin nature, the old Adam, the Adam-Satan nature or as one well know author put the bestial nature that we're born with has to be crucified, it/he had to be literally put to death in the realm of the unredeemed soul/spirit. Now that is done when we believe within our heart this Gospel. We then receive our salvation, that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again. When we do that then Christ reckons that old nature crucified, and we'll see that in Romans again in just a moment.

After salvation then immediately God replaces  that old Adamic nature with His Divine nature, for through the Lord's Last Supper we become a God-child. Just as the Greek word for father means and we maintain that new nature cannot sin because it's now divine. So when we, as a true believer, sin it's just the simple matter that old Adam has taken control for a moment, and it's through the old nature that we continue to sin, but always remember that as far as God is concerned the old Adam is dead. That's why God can declare us "justified," and it's just as if we've never sinned, because old Adam is dead and gone so far as God is concerned. But experience tells us that in our every day life old Adam is still there lurking in the shadows but we are to keep it/him suppressed.This is our warfare daily.

The new nature is imparted by a divine act of God. So in this area between the old sin nature and the new divine nature, which is now receiving its prompting and power from the Holy Spirit, we now learn how to live through obedience or submission to the Spirit. The Holy Spirit at the same time came in and indwells and takes up residence, as well as regenerates our spirit (imparts the power of an Endless Life into us) which in Adam's case died the moment he sinned. So with the Holy Spirit now in consort or in complete agreement with our spirit, we once again have the means of fellowship (intimacy) with God through the Spirit, and then, here is the crucial part. The Holy Spirit working on our spirit is going to influence the New nature and this New nature in turn is going to control the acts of the physical body (our intellect or human wisdom is changed to the mind of Christ). So as long as we're led by the Spirit the body is going to find itself in complete agreement with the divine laws of God that are good for society, good for family, they're good for material relationships, all of these things prompted by this God-child part of us makes the difference.

Like we said, we as humans are going to sin, occasionally. We all fail, and it's when this part of us, the new nature suddenly withdraws and comes away from the battle line, and old Adam immediately jumps at the opportunity and immediately begins to control the acts of the body, then, of course we find ourselves as believers, sinning. We mean believers sin, and we can't get away from that. But the whole idea is that we keep that spirit part of us literally exercised by the Word, by prayer, by Christian fellowship through our mediator and High Priest Christ Jesus, and then He can pretty much control the activity of the body. As we're to grow in the knowledge of Him and His Spirit is to grow stronger and mature within us. For His Grace and Love are infused into us and we begin to take on His divine nature which was lost. Now let's look at verse 17 and 18 and then we can go back and compare Scripture with Scripture.


Galatians 5:17-18
"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one with the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit ye are not under the law."
Now let's show this from Scripture. First and foremost we cannot do the things that we would do, let's not find ourselves beating our breast and saying, "Oh, I'm without hope, I can't seem to win," because the Apostle Paul went through that same thing. Now let's look at his dilemma in Romans chapter 7 first, and maybe that will give us some comfort. See we're not alone when we know we should do something and we just don't do it. We know we shouldn't do certain things, but the first thing we know, we've done it. All right in Romans chapter 7 let's just drop down to verse 15. We mean this just says it all.

Romans 7:15a
"For that which I do I allow not:..."
Well what does he mean? Well that's what Paul is doing in the body and flesh, this new nature prompted by the Holy Spirit tells him that it's wrong. Do you see that? So he says, "the things that I do I know better. I don't want to do them." Now move on in the verse.

Romans 7:15b
"...for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I."
What's he's saying? The things that now the Spirit and his new nature hate he's finding that old Adam nature is still slipping in and getting the job done, whatever it is. But in order to control the failures of the body this new divine nature has to be strengthened and becomes uppermost in all of our thoughts, acts, and deeds. We have to constantly keep that old Adam-Satan nature in suppression or under in submission. Now, we've all heard the expression, "Well the Devil made me do it." That's not very often the case, rather it's old Adam who makes us do it, but let's not leave Satan out of the picture entirely. Where does Satan work? Through that old nature and in the mind and our imaginations. That's his playground, that's where he loves to fulfill his desires. He loves for our old Adam-Satan nature to control, and to exercise the desires of the old bestial nature, and that mostly is in the area of our intellect and mans earthy wisdom, but we have in I John, this:


I John 4:4b
"...because greater is he that is in you, than he that is the world."
So we have this comfort to always rely upon. For we now live in a four dimensional world, no longer the three dimensional of nature man. For this is the meaning of Ephesians chapter3. Now let's turn a page to Romans chapter 8. We like to show that Paul doesn't just write these things in one place and leave it, but it's a constant repetition of these things. Let' just start with verse 1.

Romans 8:1a
"There is therefore (in spite of our dilemma in chapter 7 that the things we know we shouldn't do, we find ourselves doing them sometimes, but in spite of that there is therefore) now no condemnation (how can anybody twist that? That's what it says, that in spite of our dilemma, in spite of our failures, God has promised that there is no condemnation, but what's the criteria?) to them which are in Christ Jesus,..."
Now remember no unbeliever is in Christ. Oh, he may try to walk like a Christian, he may try to behave like one, but unless he's in Christ, he's not one. But for those of us who are in Christ, and remember we get to that position by faith and death, and then faith alone in believing and receiving by way of illumination this Gospel. (Ref. I Corinthians 11:23-32; 15:1-4) And that's an act of God. Now we're going to leave the last part of that verse because we would rather pick it up in verse 4. But now for verse 2.

Romans 8:2-3
"For the law (remember we've explained that the word `law' doesn't always mean the Ten Commandments, but in this case it means a fact of life. For the law, or fact of life, the teaching) of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from (another fact of life, and that is the) the law of sin and death. For what the law (now we're coming back to the Mosaic Law) could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God (now God takes precedence. We can't do it but He can by) sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, (to take care of that problem of old Adam nature) condemned sin in the flesh:" Now here's the verse we came for.