Two Natures
Nicolas Simon
Table of Contents
Endnotes
John Newton, Out of the Depths, pg. 83
John Newton, Out of the Depths, pp. 113-114
J. N. Darby, Notes and Jottings, pg. 11
J. N. Darby, Practical Reflections on the Psalms, Psalm 63
Two Natures
Introduction
Every true believer in Christ has two natures. The first is what he or she possesses as a child of Adam—it is a nature shared by all. The second is that divine life which we now possess as children of God. These are sometimes referred to as our old and new natures—one comes with natural birth, the other with new birth.
Our old nature is also called the flesh—not to be confused with our physical bodies, which are simply flesh. It is also called sin—not the action but the source of it. This is our sinful, fallen nature; it is the natural condition of everyone born into this world—Jesus excepted. We find the flesh mentioned in many verses. One, where it is used along with the word nature, may be found in Ephesians: “We all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Eph. 2:3). Paul is speaking here of his own Jewish race, but he shows that all (even as others, both Jew and Gentile) are by nature the children of wrath, wholly subject to the desires of the flesh.
The second or new nature is also mentioned in many verses. Peter in his second epistle explicitly uses the expression the divine nature: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Pet. 1:4). Here Peter does not say how we come to possess the divine nature. God has, in His divine power, “given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). Peter, therefore, exhorts believers to walk in fellowship with the divine nature—to give expression to it. Only one who is born of the Spirit possesses this nature (John 3:6).
For one without Christ, he or she is very much in the flesh. The old nature dictates their every desire and action—and it cannot be otherwise. It is, as we say, in their nature. One who is saved, on the other hand, has a nature directed and powered by the Holy Spirit. They are no longer bound to act according to the dictates of the flesh: “Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit” (Rom. 8:9). Although the flesh is still in them, God sees it as crucified with Christ—it is done with in God’s sight. “God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). We, too, are to account it so. “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:11). “They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Gal. 5:24).
This subject is not an academic one. If we do not understand that we, as believers, possess a new nature, and that our old nature is dead in God’s sight, it will result in a frustrating struggle. Throughout the history of Christianity many a saint has sought to subdue the flesh and eradicate sin, not understanding that it is altogether done with in God’s sight, and that he or she can live in the good of a new nature and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Flesh
In the epistle to the Romans, we read: “I am fleshly, sold under sin” (Rom. 7:14 JND). Again, “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18). In the next chapter we find: “The mind of the flesh is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God; for neither indeed can it be” (Rom. 8:7 JND). Paul is not alone in writing on this subject. In John’s Gospel we read: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6). The flesh cannot be anything other than what it is. This stands in distinct contrast to the thoughts of man. Philosophers have long looked for and promoted good in humanity. God in His Word tells us there are none good (Rom. 3:12). I do not deny that natural affection and benevolence may be found in the world, but we are talking here of the moral condition of man. Man’s natural goodness is for his own preservation and benefit with no thought of God (Rom. 3:18). It will be said that telling someone they are bad is destructive; that it destroys self-esteem—but that is true only if we leave the individual there. It is for our good and blessing, not our destruction, that God tells us what we truly are. The goodness of God leads us to repentance (Rom. 2:4).
The first few chapters of Paul’s epistle to the Romans are occupied with our sins—those acts of wickedness and self-will that we do. From Romans 5:12, however, the Apostle takes up the subject of our fallen nature. In these chapters when we come across the word sin, it is no longer the act spoken of, but the nature that produces it. “By one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12). Sins and sin are obviously connected. One may object and ask: What has Adam’s sin got to do with me? To such a question we respond: Do you sin? Who, in all honesty, could answer in the negative? We must acknowledge, by our actions, that we are the children of Adam. The fruit reveals the root. The sins we commit are the evidence of a nature within; they are symptomatic of a deeper issue.
Every religion of man seeks to address human behavior; they do not, and cannot, address the root cause of that behavior. Two questions were put to Adam and Eve in Eden. The second was: “What is this that thou hast done?” (Gen. 3:13). This man seeks to answer by offering excuses, or he will ask for another chance. The first question, however, is the more fundamental: “Where art thou?” (Gen. 3:9). Adam hid himself from God; later he was driven from the garden and the presence of God. We are born, not only with Adam’s nature, but also in Adam’s position, separated from God.
The consequence of Adam’s sin was death. It resulted in spiritual and ultimately natural death. Death is separation. In physical death the body and spirit separate; one remains in this world, the other departs (James 2:26). In spiritual death there is separation from God—Adam and Eve experienced it in the day they ate of the forbidden fruit. Again, if there is any question whether we are Adam’s children, death is the proof—man may not recognize spiritual death, but that he is mortal is without question. There is yet another death which awaits unregenerate man, the second death (Rev. 21:8). This death is eternal separation from God; it is the lake of fire—hell. Over the course of human history numerous invectives have been hurled against God; and yet, does man really want a world without God? In hell separation from God will be his eternal state; it will be a place without light or love. “Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:30). “These shall go away into eternal punishment, and the righteous into life eternal” (Matt. 25:46 JND).
Quickened
Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians begins with the condition of man before God—dead! “Being dead in your offences and sins—in which ye once walked according to the age of this world” (Eph. 2:1-2 JnD). This is not talking of physical death, for we are found walking in this condition; it is our spiritual state. The Epistle to the Romans takes things up from a somewhat different perspective—although the conclusion as to man’s condition are the same. In the first three chapters of Romans humanity is on trial—it is very much a judicial setting in the court of God. “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18). The trial takes in the entire human race, Gentile and Jew—the privileged Jew is examined second. The verdict is given in the third chapter (vss. 10-19). “There is none righteous, no, not one ... we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom. 3:10, 19). Man is a sinner and is worthy of death. Furthermore, Romans also tells us that through Adam’s fall death is stamped upon the first man and his progeny—it is in our very nature (Rom. 5:12). Man may plead for impartial judgment (God has already judged and given His verdict) but, as it turns out, the sins we commit are nothing more than the fruit of the nature that is within us. Yes, sins may be forgiven, but not sin—the flesh must be judged for what it is.
If we are spiritually dead, and incapable of producing fruit for God, what hope have we? A dead man can do nothing. Truly, without God there is no hope. Only God can give life to that which is dead. The word used in the Bible for the giving of life is quickening. This old English word gives the precise meaning of the underlying Greek (zoopoieo) to give life. Both John and Paul speak of quickening. “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ” (Eph. 2:4-5).
Quickening is entirely a work of God—the initiative is His also. Imagine one who has drowned, lying (for all intents and purposes) dead on the ground. Their resuscitation hinges upon the initiative of the medic. He or she is unable to evaluate their own state; they are in no condition to seek help, and they are clearly incapable of assisting in their own revival. It is going to take the breath of another.
In the book of Ezekiel, we have a vivid picture of quickening, although the word is not used. The subject is the future revival of Israel. Even though a nation, rather than an individual, is spoken of, the principles remain the same. “The Lord ... set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones ... And He said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?” (Ezek. 37:1, 3). Naturally speaking, such a thing is not possible; the answer lies solely with God. “Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live” (Ezek. 37:5). It is noteworthy that the word for breath in this instance is the Hebrew word for wind or spirit. Later in the same chapter, we read: “The Lord God ... shall put My Spirit in you, and ye shall live” (Ezek. 37:14). In the New Testament we have a verse which answers to this: “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63).
In John’s gospel we have various illustrations of quickening. The infirm man in the fifth chapter had been bound by his affliction for 38 years; he lacked strength to benefit from the healing power of the water. The Lord Jesus delivers him from his infirmity at His word: “Rise, take up thy bed and walk” (John 5:8). Despite the extraordinary miracle the Jews found fault with Jesus. In the Lord’s response He says: “For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom He will” (John 5:21). The Father’s power in quickening is shared by the Son. Quickening is the sovereign work of God. All the persons of the godhead are involved in quickening—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Every activity of God is in trinity. The heart of the Father is the source, the Son is the agent, and the Spirit is the power. The Lord then looks beyond the physical healing (a form of quickening the Jew understood) to the spiritual state of mankind: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:25). Here we have the connection between the word of God and quickening. We find it in the next chapter also: “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). It was the voice of the Son, the Resurrection and the Life, that brought Lazarus from the tomb. The voice was not loud for Lazarus’ sake (he was beyond hearing,) but for those who stood by. Nevertheless, the effect of that word upon the dead Lazarus was that he lived.
The Apostle Paul takes up the subject of quickening from a different perspective. John views quickening in the context of a living Savior, the One who quickens whom He will. The Apostle Paul, whose heavenly vision of a risen Savior characterized his ministry, views us as dead with Christ and risen with Him in newness of life (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12-13). In Paul’s ministry, the quickening power of God is that same power which He exercised in raising Christ from the dead. “That ye may know ... the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:18, 19-20). Connected with Christ in resurrection, quickening now places us in an altogether different sphere: “God ... hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4-6).The new life we possess brings us into altogether new associations: “Being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Col. 2:13).
Born Anew
John not only speaks of quickening but also of new birth. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). New birth answers not now to death but to our moral condition before God. It stands in contrast to corruption. It is notable that the Apostle Paul does not explicitly speak of new birth—of the consequences, he undoubtedly does. Peter and James also touch on new birth; both address a faithful remnant within Israel for whom new birth was especially significant. Quickening and new birth are not different events but rather complementary aspects of the same life-giving work of God.
John’s ministry takes up the nature of God and the family of God. John knew the living Savior: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life” (1 John 1:1). It was he who lay on the Lord’s breast (John 13:25; 21:20). John also “beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). It was the Son making known the Father—without the Son there could be no revelation of the Father. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him” (John 1:18; see also John 14:9). It is in keeping, therefore, with John’s ministry that we have the subject of new birth. By it we are brought into that same family. “Every one that believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God” (1 John 5:1 JnD). The life we now possess as the result of new birth is quite distinct from our natural life. John, in his gospel, presents that life in Jesus—it is a book of beginnings. When we come to John’s first epistle, however, we find that thing which was true in Him is now in us. “Which thing is true in Him and in you” (1 John 2:8).
The converted soul is born again, and it is not merely a fresh start, as Nicodemus erroneously thought; he or she is born from above: “Except a man be born from above” (John 3:3 KJV margin). For the Jew there is a special significance in this. They rested on their natural birth: “We are Abraham's seed” (John 8:33 JnD). Natural birth, however, gives us an Adam nature—that corrupt, fallen nature known as the flesh. New birth, on the other hand, is an entirely fresh beginning with a completely different point of origin. “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). The word from above is found a second time in the third chapter of John: “He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly” (v. 31). In character, the Son never left His heavenly position. “The Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:13 JnD). With new birth, that heavenly life is now our life. Israel’s hopes were earthly; the Lord would be introducing them to heavenly things (John 3:12). These things were difficult for the Jew to grasp, and to be told that he must be born again was an affront to his heritage.
The subject of new birth is not unique to the New Testament. It should not have been a remarkable doctrine to Nicodemus, a teacher in Israel: “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” (John 3:10). It is notable that the Lord says: “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). Ye is plural—it is not just Nicodemus who needed new birth, all Israel needed it. Israel is not going to come into blessing on natural ground—the ground upon which they rested. The necessity for Israel’s moral cleansing is clearly given in the Old Testament. “I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you” (Ezek. 36:25-27).
The water spoken of by John is the Word of God—as it is also in Ezekiel. Water is figurative; literal water can never wash away the filth of the flesh (1 Pet. 3:21). The cleansing power of the Word, however, is confirmed elsewhere: “Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3). “Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:25-26). When Peter touches upon new birth, the Word of God is unambiguously the agent. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Pet. 1:23). James likewise connects new birth with the Word: “Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:18).
Much of Christendom interprets new birth as a regeneration of the human spirit. This amounts to nothing more than a restoration of the fallen nature. The nature of a lemon tree is to produce lemons; nothing will change that except it be cut down. The earthly can only beget the earthly. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6). The flesh is done with at the cross; there it is cut off: “In whom also ye have been circumcised with circumcision not done by hand, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of the Christ” (Col. 2:11 JnD). To be perfectly clear, circumcision here speaks of the cross—the cutting-off of Christ—not literal circumcision. There is no restoration of the old nature. Instead we have a new life born of the Spirit through the Word of God. It is a holy nature, entirely free from corruption. “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9).
Before moving on from the subject of new birth, we must note the difference between what was promised in the Old Testament and eternal life as presented in the New. Yes, Nicodemus should have understood the necessity of new birth and cleansing. He could not, however, have known of eternal life. The Lord says to him, in this regard: “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12). Eternal life is not simply a life that never ends—which is true of everyone. The expression eternal life reflects the character of the new life that we have through Christ: “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3). The presentation of eternal life is especially the ministry of the Apostle John. Eternal life was manifested in the life of the Lord Jesus—this we have beautifully portrayed in John’s Gospel. “For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that Eternal Life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us” (1 John 1:2). Eternal life is now the present possession of all who believe. This is the subject of John’s first Epistle: “A new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth” (1 John 2:8). “These things have I written to you that ye may know that ye have eternal life who believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13 JnD). The disciples of the Gospels (Judas excepted) were converted souls—they possessed new life: “Ye are clean, but not all. For He knew who should betray Him; therefore said He, Ye are not all clean” (John 13:10-11). It could not be said, however, that they possessed eternal life. Up until Christ’s death the hopes of the disciples were earthly; His death, of course, changed everything (Luke 24:21). After Christ’s resurrection “He breathed into them, and says to them, Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22 JnD). Just as with the first Adam (Gen. 2:7), in this act we have the imparting of life, but now it is eternal life. It is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus imparted to the believer (Rom. 8:2).
Washing of Regeneration
In Paul’s epistle to Titus we have the word regeneration. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). The Greek word paliggenesia, translated regeneration, literally means a beginning-again. It is commonly treated as a synonym for new birth, but is it? The word is not used by John, Peter, or James—all of whom touch upon new birth. This word appears in just one other place in the Scriptures. In that instance its usage is plain enough. “In the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory” (Matt. 19:28). Here Matthew is describing the new order of things during the millennial reign of Christ.
Titus is occupied with our testimony before the world. “We should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:12). “Be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work” (Titus 3:1). Our conduct as God’s elect (Titus 1:1) is contrasted with our former condition: “Foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). From all this we have been delivered through the kindness and love of God our Savior. It is important to recognize that a Savior God does not simply deliver us from the penalty of our sins. He also delivers us from our former condition. In fact, until we experience that deliverance, it could not be said that we are saved. The children of Israel were not saved while they remained in Egypt (though under the shelter of the blood)—it was only when the tyrant lay dead on the seashore that we read of salvation (Exod. 15:2).
The use of regeneration in Titus is in keeping with its usage in Matthew. The salvation of God has brought us into an entirely new order of things—we have passed from a state of ruin into an altogether new place. The washing of regeneration is not exactly new birth. It is an expression of the new state of things for which grace has fitted us. The days of the Kingdom, when all will be made new, are not yet, but we have been prepared for it. Baptism is a figure of it. Peter, in his first epistle, connects baptism with the flood: “While the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us” (1 Pet. 3:20-21). The world was cleansed by the flood; Noah stood in a new condition of things. The corruption associated with the antediluvian world had been destroyed by the waters of the flood—those same waters buoyed the ark, thereby saving Noah and his family.
Buried with Him by Baptism
It is necessary to speak a little on Baptism, although only indirectly related to our subject. Many believe that born of water (John 3:5) refers to baptism. They speak of being born again through baptism—this is the so-called doctrine of baptismal regeneration. Scripture plainly teaches that the water of baptism cannot remove the filth of the flesh (1 Pet. 3:21). Water, likewise, cannot confer or produce new life. The water spoken of in the third chapter of John is figurative of the Word of God as Peter and James confirm (1 Pet. 1:23; James 1:18). Baptism is first and foremost a burial; nothing could stand in greater contrast to the giving of life. By it we are outwardly disassociated from our former life and are set in a new place on earth—not in heaven. Baptism is administrative and not judicial. A person may be baptized and not saved (Acts 8:13). Conversely, every true believer has new birth whether baptized or not.
“Are you ignorant that we, as many as have been baptised unto Christ Jesus, have been baptised unto His death? We have been buried therefore with Him by baptism unto death” (Rom. 6:3-4 JND). Through baptism we administratively leave the life of Adam by death. This teaching is pictured to us in the Old Testament in the crossing of the Red Sea “Our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:1-2). In crossing the Red Sea, the Children of Israel were delivered from their former associations, death being the figure, and they found themselves in a new position—the wilderness. Furthermore, the children of Israel, having been separated from Egypt and its ruler, were now under a new authority—that of Moses. We, who have been baptized, have likewise been placed administratively in a new position before both man and God and are under a new authority, that of Christ. There is a conduct commensurate with the position taken. We note that all the children of Israel—men, women and children—were brought through the Red Sea into this new position, even though many failed to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief (Heb. 4:6). Both Lydia and the Philippian jailer (Acts 16) had their households baptized. In both instances, only the personal faith of the individual is recorded, nevertheless, no part of their household was going to be left in Egypt—their home was outwardly marked as Christian; it was no longer Jewish or pagan.
It is necessary to correct a few other things attributed to baptism. Baptism is not the washing of regeneration spoken of in Titus, although a figure of it. Baptism does not give us the remission of sins. It is true that we read: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). In this chapter, Peter is preaching to a crowd of Jews less than two months after the crucifixion. These Israelites, exercised as to their precarious position as having crucified their Messiah, were not being promised the remission of their sins in the act of baptism. Rather, baptism was for or in view of the remission of sins. They were identified with a perverse generation and, as such, were guilty of the blood of Jesus (vss. 36, 40). Judgment would come upon that nation and city (as it did in 70 AD). In baptism, however, they would disassociate themselves from that guilty people. In so doing, they stood in a place where remission could come. We also note (without expounding) that baptism does not make us members of Christ and it does not admit us to the Church. These erroneous doctrines are widely taught.
There are, however, things which baptism does do—identification with Christ in death, identification with a new authority, and so forth. In each case baptism deals with our outward position and not our inward state. No ordinance can ever change man’s inner state. Peter tells us that baptism saves, but in what sense? “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh)” (1 Pet. 3:21). Baptism saves us from this evil world—Noah’s separation from the evil that existed prior to the flood could not have been more complete. As surely as baptism associates us with Christ in His death; it also disassociates us from our former identity—just as it did for those Jews in the second of Acts (Acts 2:38, 40). Baptism also washes away sin, but in what sense if it does not remove the filth of the flesh? “Why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Paul wanted nothing to do with his former self (Phil. 3:8). In baptism, all of that was set outwardly in a place of judgment. In this chapter, Paul recounts his conversion before the Jews. Because of baptism they could no longer accuse him of being what he was formally—in fact, because of baptism, he would have been rejected as an apostate. There is no mention of this in the historic account (Acts 9) nor when he spoke before Gentiles (Acts 26). If it held a more significant meaning, it would have been found in all three portions. In baptism we put on Christ (Gal. 3:27-28). Again, outwardly, it most assuredly does. The soldier of a regiment puts on a new uniform—it says little as to his future conduct, or even as to his preparedness for the role, but it certainly identifies him before the world as being a part of that regiment. Similarly, baptism makes me a disciple (Matt. 28:19). It also brings me into the sphere of Christian profession (Eph. 4:4-6).
The Seventh of Romans
The Sinai wilderness was merely the land through which Israel travelled on their way to the promised land of Canaan. We, too, have a destination before us—to be with Christ in heaven. In the epistle to the Ephesians we are viewed as seated in the heavenlies in Christ (Eph. 2:6). Positionally, God views us this way, and it should characterize our outlook and walk. The book of Romans does not take us as far as Ephesians. It is occupied with the wilderness experience of the believer—our present pathway through this world. This does not diminish the value of the book. The wilderness experience is a necessary one for it is there that we are tested in responsibility. In the wilderness, the children of Israel were proven and humbled (Deut. 8:2). Similarly, we must learn what we are in the flesh.
The Christian has two diametrically opposed natures—the flesh and the new nature. The Adam nature is to be viewed in the placed of death and the divine nature is to govern our lives. God does not tell us to die to sin—we are to mortify every movement of sin (Col. 3:5). As alive in Christ (who has died) the Adam nature is viewed by God as dead. We are likewise to reckon (account) it so. “Reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11 JnD). In baptism, the old has been buried. To whom do we yield ourselves now? “Neither yield your members instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but yield yourselves to God as alive from among the dead, and your members instruments of righteousness to God” (Rom. 6:13 JnD). In this verse, the first yield is present action; the second, on the other hand, could have been translated “having yielded yourselves to God.” Unless we’ve done the second, we cannot hope to achieve the first. A happy Christian life comes when we surrender ourselves wholly to God and allow Him to take control. We cannot look to ourselves for the power of the Christian life; we must look beyond ourselves to the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Before we get to this—the happy state of Romans eight—we must, however, pass through the seventh chapter.
The first half of the seventh chapter considers our deliverance from the condemnation of an infringed law. It addresses itself to the Jew—the Gentile was never under law. The Jew fell short of the standard established by the law in every way conceivable. Man supposes that grace has lowered the bar set by the law thereby making it possible for him to clear it, but this would be unrighteous on God’s part. The courts of men may reduce a sentence based on a lesser violation, but not so God. Deliverance from the condemnation of the law comes, not through weakening the law, but, through death. A woman is wedded by law to her husband so long as he is alive; should he die, she is absolutely and unquestionably at liberty (Rom. 7:3). The law, likewise, has nothing to say to a dead man. We are dead to the law. Note, the law itself is not dead—we are.
The second half of the chapter takes up a related subject. One born of God has a desire and a zeal to please God. They look at themselves and compare it with what God requires. More than that, they seek to meet God’s righteous standard; this is, in principle, law. It is a necessary step in recognizing our true state, but it is a path that leads to bondage. This was the prodigal son between his soliloquy and meeting the Father— “make me as one of thy hired servants” (Luke 15:19). We must each learn by experience that the flesh is just as attracted to its former vices as it ever was—that the flesh hasn’t changed, and it is not going to change. This portion of Romans seven describes the struggle of one who seeks to control the behavior of the flesh through legal means. Any such attempt presupposes a power within capable of controlling and reforming the flesh. The discovery must be made—and it is an important and necessary one—that we are quite powerless to control the flesh.
John Newton in his autobiography, “Out of the Depths”, recounts this struggle. Having almost lost his life at sea (and not for the first time) John began to pray and earnestly seek after God. It is evident that he was a different man after this experience, though still very much in bondage—the bondage, I believe, spoken of in Romans seven. Newton writes: I cannot doubt that this change, so far as it prevailed, was wrought by the Spirit and power of God, yet I was greatly deficient in many respects. In some degree, I sensed my more enormous sins, I was little aware of the innate evils of my heart.i This is consistent with one who has new life. There is a zeal to do that which is right, and sinful thoughts and conduct are keenly felt. One without new life, though he has a conscience, does not feel sin. His condition is given in Ephesians: “dead in your offences and sins” (Eph. 2:1 JnD). Newton struggled for years in this state until he ultimately came to have peace. “He is able to save to the uttermost,” gave me great relief. ... and to expect to be preserved, not by my own power and holiness, but by the mighty power and promise of God, through faith in an unchangeable Savior.ii Key to Newton’s discovery was a power outside of himself. Unfortunately, John Newton’s understanding of his experience, and the truths of which we have been speaking, were limited by the theological system to which he subscribed.
Returning now to Romans seven, we read how law, far from subduing the flesh and suppressing sinfulness, provokes the very behavior it condemns: “Sin, getting a point of attack by the commandment, wrought in me every lust” (Rom. 7:8 JND). The fault, it must be admitted, is not with the law but with the flesh. This is the speaker’s first discovery: the flesh is worse than weak; it is sold under sin. “We know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin” (Rom. 7:14). Once we get a hold of this truth, we cease to be surprised by the thoughts and behavior of the flesh—it will do what the flesh always does. And yet, despite this, there is a true desire to do that which is right: “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I” (Rom. 7:15). Where do these right and proper desires spring from, and who is the “I” which does that which “I” hate?
This leads to the second discovery: “If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me” (Rom. 7:16-17). The individual learns that there is a new principle—a new “I”—at work within himself distinct from the flesh. Responsibility has not been abandoned; the speaker clearly accepts responsibility for his own behavior—it is what bothers him so. Nevertheless, he has come to the realization that there is now an entirely new principle at work distinct from the old “I”. In fact, he refuses to identify with the old “I” and calls it for what it is, sin (the old nature, the flesh). Another has said: You have three “I’s” in Scripture, and, in terms, they are contradictory: “Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal. 2:20). Then have I no flesh in me? Yes, indeed, and that is another “I”.iii The life we now live is that new life in Christ—not the old “I”, which is viewed as having been crucified with Christ. While the expression of it may appear awkward, it is clear to one who has experienced it. As to the third “I”, it is the narrator reflecting on the experience.
We now come to the third and delivering discovery: “I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Rom. 7:23-25). Despite the previous two discoveries, they have not brought happiness. Two principles are at work—the word law is now used to mean a governing principle, as in the law of gravity. What is the solution? The final lesson learned is that we cannot deliver ourselves. The cry is who and not what shall deliver me. We must look outside ourselves; the answer is found in the power of the Holy Spirit—or, as Romans eight puts it: “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and of death” (Rom. 8:2 JnD).
In one sense nothing has changed; the two natures are still present—one governed by the law of God and the other by the law of sin. It is important to recognize this. Although some teach otherwise, these verses show us that the old nature stays with us (Rom. 7:25). If the believer could be rid of the old nature in this life, it would have been stated in these verses—it is not. We find the opposite; the flesh remains in us. Nevertheless, we are no longer in the flesh—that is to say, under its power. “Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit” (Rom. 8:9). There is a power outside of ourselves—a new principle—which delivers us from the dominion of sin. These things are developed in Romans eight.
Though written in the first-person, Romans seven is not autobiographical. The account begins, “I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died” (Rom. 7:9). This was not true of the Apostle Paul; as a Jew he had been bound by the law (Phil. 3:5-6). And, contrary to an alternative line of reasoning (and an even worse characterization), this chapter does not give us the Apostle’s daily struggle with sin—a suggestion which says much about the heart of those who would propose it. The chapter presents the discoveries of one who knows forgiveness (Rom. 1-5) but not liberty. These are the lessons learned by a quickened soul seeking to control the flesh by their own means. It is a retrospective; one in such a condition is neither in a state nor position to analyze their struggle.
Romans seven is often confused with Galatians five. In that chapter we read of the conflict between the flesh and the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:17). The Holy Spirit is not once mentioned in Romans seven. It is not until we arrive at Romans eight that we find the Spirit of God, and there He appears close to 20 times! This observation is key to understanding Romans seven. The tone of chapters seven and eight are vastly different. Romans seven and Galatians five are, in turn, often confused with Ephesians six. There the warfare is not internal but external, “against spiritual power of wickedness in the heavenlies” (Eph. 6:12 JnD). The Romans seven experience is a one-time (but necessary) struggle for the believer; it may be brief, or it could be lengthy as it was for John Newton. The Galatians five conflict could be daily, but it should not be thought of as the normal Christian walk. The Ephesians six experience, however, will be the normal experience of a Christian going on well for God.
Romans seven describes the experiences of one who has new life, though not yet indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, we experience a similar struggle whenever we seek to control the flesh in our own power. If we are ignorant of the two natures and genuinely believe that we must reform the flesh, or bring it into obedience to the law, Romans seven will characterize our Christian life. Many find themselves in this miserable state because they do not know better. The monks of old tried to destroy lust by killing it with austere living; it never worked and will never work. All it ever did was provoke the flesh and produce lust of the worse kind. I may drive down the road quite comfortably at a certain speed with a clear conscience. When, however, I see a speed limit posted, what do I do? I do not drive five under, but rather, five over! When I’m ticketed, the law establishes my guilt. It told me what was right but did not give me the power to do it.
Our Practical Walk
We are not only to recognize that we are dead and buried with Christ, but we are to walk in the good of it. Sin need no longer have dominion over us; that bondage has been broken at the cross. The Christian’s experience should be one of liberty. Not liberty to please the flesh—for we are no longer in the flesh—but rather, to please God. In Romans seven “we were in the flesh” (v. 5); but when we get to Romans eight, there we find: “Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit” (v. 9). This is not mental gymnastics—the believer is truly no longer the same person as he or she was before salvation. The unbeliever can never be anything other than in the flesh. We have a new nature and the indwelling of the Spirit of God. “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh” (Rom. 8:12).
In seeking to apply these principles to our lives, it is important to understand that our natural, God-given, desires are not in themselves sin—they result from being in flesh not the flesh; we are human beings. Jesus hungered, thirsted, and tired (Matt. 4:2; John 4:6-7; Mark 4:38). God has given us desires for our good and blessing. If we never hungered, we would die of malnutrition; if there was no sexual attraction, there would be no procreation. God has made provision for mankind to satisfy these desires in a way suited to His holiness and without sin. “To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:2). Our desires, however, can and do lead us to wrong thoughts, and they most certainly can be satisfied in ways contrary to God’s holiness. When we allow ourselves to entertain wrong thoughts (the internal temptations we feel,) desire becomes lust. The root of lust is sin (Rom. 7:8). It is false to say that temptation and lust are not sin unless we act upon them. Certainly, when lust acts the sin is consummated, but the sin was present long before (James 1:15). We must keep our thoughts in subjection to the Word of God. There are practical things that we can do to help, but most importantly, we must recognize that the power to put these things into practice comes, not from ourselves, but from God through the Holy Spirit.
When the Lord Jesus was tried, nothing in Him responded to the external temptation. If I place a magnet near iron, there will at once be an attraction. If, on the other hand, I place the magnet near gold, nothing in that metal is attracted to the magnet. Likewise, with our blessed Lord, it wasn’t simply that He resisted temptation (as many claim), there was quite simply nothing in Him to respond to the temptation. He was, as it were, pure gold. So long as we have the old nature in us, there will be something which reacts to temptation—something for Satan’s hook to attach. For this reason, we need to walk as if we have truly reckoned ourselves dead unto sin but as alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:11). The new nature cannot be tempted.
If I am hungry, does it make sense to stand before the window of a bakery selling exquisite pastries? Will this suppress the desire or provoke it? If we are occupied with those things that arouse our desires, why should we be surprised when wrong thoughts enter our minds? The Psalmist does not merely ask that his words be acceptable, but also the meditation of his heart: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psa. 19:14). Simply denying ourselves, however, will not address the problem—the monks and their ascetic living proved that. Nevertheless, if we are feeding upon that which is in fellowship with our new nature—reading the Bible, praying, listening to ministry, in short, being occupied with Christ—and forsaking the old, the mind will not so easily be distracted. I do not want to make light of the powerful desires that live within us. Hunger is one that we all understand. Since stealing is not an option we don’t (I trust) entertain the thought. When it comes to sexual desires, however, turning to illicit material to satisfy the craving is increasingly viewed with indifference. The truth is, such material will never satisfy and only serves to make things much worse. Furthermore, those thoughts must be identified for the sin they are. “Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). Fantasies of the mind are sinful. Every sin acted upon begins as a thought. If the fruit is sin so is the root.
We have been focusing on the negative; what about the desires of the new nature? Are they not just as real? The nature which is of God would have none but Him—and would earnestly have Him! It desires after God and longs to see Him possessing His full power and glory.iv David wrote, though as one under law: “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary” (Psa. 63:1-2). If we recognize that this world is a dry and thirsty land the less satisfied will we be with its offerings. Furthermore, we cannot know God in His sanctuary if we’ve never spent time there. Instead of pampering and indulging the natural desires, we should provide for the desires of the new nature. Christ is our sustenance for this wilderness journey: “He that eats My flesh and drinks My blood dwells in Me and I in him” (John 6:56 JND). Paul exhorted Timothy to “follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called” (1 Tim. 6:11-12). We are to lay hold of that which is really life—not this temporal life. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:21).
Conclusion
Chapters one through eight of Romans contain foundational teachings of Christianity and every believer should be firmly grounded in them. Sadly, as indebted to the Reformation as we are for recovering the truth of salvation through faith and not works, the teachings of Romans one through eight were, and still are, widely misunderstood. Sound commentaries on Romans are readily available. The things which we have been considering, and the practical application of them in our lives, may be further enjoyed by exploring some of this ministry. As a young man, I personally found “On the Epistle to the Romans” by Charles Stanley helpful. “The Epistle of Paul to the Romans” by B. Anstey, provides a thorough exposition of the book.