Going Forward in Chaos, Part 4
The New Nature
By Bob Benson, President/CEO CCBA
The New Nature, given to you when you receive Jesus Christ into your life and put your trust in Him, is a game-changer! The new nature is made in the image of God and cannot sin. I will explain how the Bible instructs us to live in the new nature.
Summary to Date
No matter what is happening in the world or your life, “You’ve got to keep on dancing.” How does one do that effectively and with a sense of peace and hope? One needs an anchor for their soul. If you would like to read more, you can find Parts I-III at CCBAlliance.org under Resources < Blog.
Practical Strategic Insights: The Key Insights in this article and the articles to follow fit together like key pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Whether you have been a Christian for many years or are an inquisitive seeker, I pray you will read them all. Why? Because
The Bible is reality, not a religion.
In Part I: The Anchor, presented scientific evidence from an astrophysicist in Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for Miracles. The evidence concludes the Universe had to be created by an intelligent and creative higher power from outside of the Universe. The Bible calls this higher power God or Jehovah. If you have doubts, please read Part I published in January 2022. The bible is reality, not a religion. Christ never intended His Church to be a religion. The bottom line repeated throughout Scripture concerning our relationship with Jehovah was summarized by King Solomon, “Fear God and obey His commands for that is the whole duty of man.” WHY?
In Part II: Jesus Christ, Undercover Boss, we noted the Bible declared creation, including humans, to be “very good,” perfect, without blemish or “shame.” Adam and Eve were in perfect harmony and connection with God and His life-giving force. They were happy and at peace, experiencing everything they needed for a fulfilling life. To keep it that way, God gave them a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan persuaded Adam and Eve to disobey God. Because of this disobedience, “sin” entered their bodies, giving them a sinful nature that passes from generation to generation. Everything changed! It resulted in a dysfunctional world population influenced by Satan and his forces. The Bible says sinning is punishable by physical and spiritual death.
This is why Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross. He paid the penalty for our sins and He provides a way for us to live life on earth with a new nature. One that is again, as it was in the beginning, made in God’s image and sinless. Each person can obtain that new nature if he/she chooses to receive Christ into their life as Savior and Lord. We have to choose to live in the new nature daily through the power of Christ in us and the renewing of our minds. How do we renew our minds? With the Truth!!!
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-2
Key Insight: To experience this fullness, you must read and apply the Bible as reality! Do this even if you don’t understand what you are reading, or you don’t see a positive outcome immediately. That will come in God’s timing as you ask Him for help, direction, understanding, and wisdom. The Bible is reality, not a religion. Christianity was never intended to be a religion. The Bible is a book of truth (reality), an operating manual so to speak. It instructs us how to experience life as God originally intended, in a positive relationship with God, His Son Jesus Christ, and each other.
Part III noted Jesus Christ came to bear witness to the truth.
“Then Pilate said to Him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’”
John 18:37 ESV
In the Strong’s Concordance, the meaning of alétheia: truth is summarized: “In ancient Greek culture, 225 (alḗtheia) was synonymous for “reality“ as the opposite of illusion, i.e. fact.” The definition: “truth Usage: truth, but not merely truth as spoken; truth of idea, reality, sincerity, truth in the moral sphere, divine truth revealed to man, straightforwardness.” Christ came to define reality.
Following are some key teachings about “the truth” that change your life forever. When you sincerely ask God for the forgiveness of your sins, thank Christ for coming to earth to die (pay the penalty for those sins), and receive Him to dwell in your life as Savior and Lord, you are “born again.”
Key Realities: At that moment, five (5) very significant changes happen.
- You are born into God’s family and you become one of His children!
- Christ enters your life and dwells in you through God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
- Your old sinful nature dies on the cross with Jesus, and you receive a new nature, made in the image of God. Your new nature has no “sin” living in it!
- You become a descendant of Abraham and an heir of the promise God made to him!
- You have powerful spiritual weapons to defeat Satan and his forces of darkness.
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32 NIV
What does Christ mean here? He means precisely what he said. To hold to means to “comply with” and “cling to” them. To never let go of them. “I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!” John 8:51 NLT
The New Nature
You Are a New Creation in Christ!
“That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self [old nature], which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self [the new nature], created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:20-24 NIV
The New Nature is a Game-Changer
The reality of the sinless new Nature does not appear to be clearly understood in Christian culture. If you are born again, you received this new sinless nature and you are a “new creation”. Therefore, you don’t have to be controlled by the old “sinful nature.” The question is, what are you doing with this game-changer?
Millions of Christians believe the following is reality and use it to excuse their behavior and lack of focus on their spiritual growth.
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”
Romans 7:15-20
However, Paul goes on to give us the solution for this Dillema!
“So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Romans 7:21-25
Following are additional key realities that work together with Christ to make our transformation possible and sustainable.
Key Reality: You can set your mind on what the Spirit desires!
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”
Romans 8:1-8
Key Reality: For believers in Christ, the sinful nature died on the cross with Christ.
“Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with so that we would no longer be slaves to sin…”
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.”
Romans 6:6, 8-12
Be Intentional About Living in the New Nature
Jesus said “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:9-10. That is, the way it was originally intended by God!
Key Reality: The new nature is part of what makes this full life possible.
This new nature, combined with Christ’s power living in us, renewing your mind with the truth (see Part II summary above), and setting your mind on what the Spirit desires, makes this full life possible. Learning and practicing how to use these tools in harmony gives you freedom from the bondage of our sinful nature and Satan’s power.
Key Reality: Satan will try to derail your progress with schemes.
One of the upcoming articles will be on how to take your stand against the devil’s schemes. In short, you need to put on the Armor of God. The Armor of God is all about learning how to have faith in God and trust His power to fight the battles with the devil. The battle is God’s, not yours. Your only offensive weapon is prayer and The Sword of the Spirit, Scripture – the word of God.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm…”
Ephesians 6:10-14 NIV
For example, one day, several years ago, after spending months learning about spiritual warfare and Satan’s schemes, Satan tried to trick me. I was shaving while preparing to go to work. Things were not going well at American Business Advisors at that time. Thoughts started coming into my mind, “God does not care about my business. After years of obeying God’s calling, there is little to show for it.” I started to get depressed and discouraged. All of a sudden, the light came on for me. These thoughts are coming from Satan. “That is not true, Satan” I declared. “The Bible says God will never leave me or forsake me. I command you in the name of Jesus to go away.” I had instant peace and finished preparing to go to work. ABA went forward to serve many clients who were very successful, operating in the top 25% of their industry and giving millions of dollars to charities and Christian organizations.
Like anything new, learning how to live in the new creation is a process, not an event. Until you learn the components of the process in this article and practice doing them regularly, you may find yourself living in the dilemma above. But do not be discouraged, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, our counselor, will guide you and direct your steps. Just ask for forgiveness and ask them to help you each day. They are “with you.” Eventually, the battle with your old nature will reduce greatly and you will find yourself living primarily in the New Nature.
Some may be asking; how do I receive Christ into my life? You can easily do it by praying to Him. Following is an example. Begin by being honest with Christ and pray about what’s on your heart. Admit to Him that you have sinned against God and His law (the ten commandments). Thank Him for dying on the cross as payment for your sins, and invite Him into your life as your Savior. Receive him as the Lord of your life. Ask him to direct your steps, and to give you guidance, wisdom, and knowledge. Pray about anything else that is on your mind. Then read the Bible regularly, asking Him and the Holy Spirit to guide you to the truth. And then hold to his teaching. If you have not already done so, start with the New Testament.
Next month, we will move forward with Part V of Going Forward in Chaos. In the meantime, remember:
The 15 Dynamics of Building a Cash Cow
The Management
“Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.”
Proverbs 24:3-4 LB
Action Item: Develop sound management systems & reporting to all members of the management team to keep them “abreast of the facts” they need.
THE LORD BE WITH YOU AND BLESS YOU!
