"For those who live according to the flesh set their
minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live
according to the Spirit set their minds on the things
of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is
death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and
peace. (Romans 8:5,6)
Since writing the blog yesterday, I have been looking
at various translations to see if I should water down
the words so it will make sense to my readers. What
I found were such differences in translations that they
actually changed the meaning! Please plow through
this as it is so important. In the verses above, the word,
'flesh,' found in the King James, the NAS and the ESV,
was translated differently as 'the mind of sinful man' in
the NIV and 'the Old Sinful Nature,' in the Living Bible.
Back in college I read a little book called, Two of You.
The author explained that we have two natures inside
that war with each other; our old sinful nature, and
God's nature. He used the black dog, white dog analogy
showing that a constant battle is fought between the two.
Does this ring a bell with any of you? I saw it as truth
and lived it out most of my life.
What does scripture say?
Romans 6:6
"Knowing this, OUR OLD NATURE WAS CRUCIFIED
with Him that our body of sin might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves to sin." NAS
"OUR OLD SELF WAS CRUCIFIED with Him." NIV
Galatians 2:20
I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED with Christ. NIV
Scripture tells us that when Jesus died 2,000 years ago
something in us died with Him. What Died? Your
sinful nature, the old man, the old self died. It did not
rise when Jesus rose from the tomb. Every one of us
has to answer this question because it affects the way
we live our lives; in victory, or constant defeat. Your
belief system about these verses will affect how you
look at yourself and how you think God looks at you.
Does God frown or smile?
So what do we wrestle with each day? "The world,
the flesh, and the devil." The battle is definitely real!
Reader, if you do not know that your old sinful nature
died when Christ died, you will continue to see
yourself as a sinner--and you will walk it out. But, if
you know that God killed your old nature and gave you
a new identity in Christ, placed His righteousness in
you, that He now calls you His Holy One, it will change
you. Instead of "a Sinner saved by grace," you will see
yourself as a "Saint who sometimes sins."
Think of it this way. You were born into the turkey
family and learned to peck at the ground and gobble.
But when you became a Believer, God changed you
and put you into an eagle family. You can now soar,
but if you don't know this, you will never fly.
minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live
according to the Spirit set their minds on the things
of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is
death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and
peace. (Romans 8:5,6)
Since writing the blog yesterday, I have been looking
at various translations to see if I should water down
the words so it will make sense to my readers. What
I found were such differences in translations that they
actually changed the meaning! Please plow through
this as it is so important. In the verses above, the word,
'flesh,' found in the King James, the NAS and the ESV,
was translated differently as 'the mind of sinful man' in
the NIV and 'the Old Sinful Nature,' in the Living Bible.
Back in college I read a little book called, Two of You.
The author explained that we have two natures inside
that war with each other; our old sinful nature, and
God's nature. He used the black dog, white dog analogy
showing that a constant battle is fought between the two.
Does this ring a bell with any of you? I saw it as truth
and lived it out most of my life.
What does scripture say?
Romans 6:6
"Knowing this, OUR OLD NATURE WAS CRUCIFIED
with Him that our body of sin might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves to sin." NAS
"OUR OLD SELF WAS CRUCIFIED with Him." NIV
Galatians 2:20
I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED with Christ. NIV
Scripture tells us that when Jesus died 2,000 years ago
something in us died with Him. What Died? Your
sinful nature, the old man, the old self died. It did not
rise when Jesus rose from the tomb. Every one of us
has to answer this question because it affects the way
we live our lives; in victory, or constant defeat. Your
belief system about these verses will affect how you
look at yourself and how you think God looks at you.
Does God frown or smile?
So what do we wrestle with each day? "The world,
the flesh, and the devil." The battle is definitely real!
Reader, if you do not know that your old sinful nature
died when Christ died, you will continue to see
yourself as a sinner--and you will walk it out. But, if
you know that God killed your old nature and gave you
a new identity in Christ, placed His righteousness in
you, that He now calls you His Holy One, it will change
you. Instead of "a Sinner saved by grace," you will see
yourself as a "Saint who sometimes sins."
Think of it this way. You were born into the turkey
family and learned to peck at the ground and gobble.
But when you became a Believer, God changed you
and put you into an eagle family. You can now soar,
but if you don't know this, you will never fly.
No comments:
Post a Comment