THE SINFUL NATURE WAS CRUCIFIED ALONG WITH CHRIST!

                               

THE SINFUL NATURE: IS CRUCIFIED and UNDEPENDABLE for living in FREEDOM

 “…Who will free me from this life that is dominated by SIN? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord (the WORD OF GOD)…” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT).  “…if the Son (Jesus Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit)…shall make you FREE, ye shall be FREE indeed.” (John 8:36 KJV).

“... Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin...” (Romans 6:6 KJV).

“... I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me...” (Galatians 2:20 KJV).   

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God, the Holy Spirit, personally PURSUED “every” REDEEMED person. He also personally CHOOSE each one of them and DREW them to LOVE (himself) and RESTORED them to BACK into a covenant relationship with him.

The body of flesh and its dictates is dead and crucified. “...We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin...” (Romans 6:6 NLT).  “... My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me...” (Galatians 2:20 NLT).

“..they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts...” (Galatians 5:24 KJV). “...Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there...” (Galatians 5:24 NLT).

To CRUCIFY someone means to literally put them to death by NAILING them to a cross, in the manner of the old, ancient practice for capital punishment. The body of flesh and ALL its dictates is CRUCIFIED (dead) with Christ and were NAILED to the CROSS, which set ME and YOU “FREE.” Therefore, I AM; WE ARE DELIVERED forever!

REMEMBER The BODY of flesh was given to us by God to participate in the activities of the natural world. The body of flesh was ONLY a vessel in which the soul could EXPERIENCE, ENGAGE, AND INTERACT WITH everything in the natural world.

The body of flesh was originally meant to enable the soul to experience, engage and interact with God’s newly created world through the FIVE SENSES (sight, smell, sound, taste, touch) in GOOD ways.

When the body of flesh was ENGAGED, through the FIVE SENSES, the SOUL was enabled to learn and experience THINGS in God’s newly created world.

The FIVE SENSES were created so the SOUL could learn and experience THINGS in God’s newly created world, through the body of flesh, by sending INFORMATION to the heart (brain), to inform the thoughts.

God gave mankind the heart (brain) to be the information center that helps the soul perceive, learn, experience, and observe HIS CREATED WORLD.

The body of flesh, through the FIVE SENSES, helped the SOUL engage, interact, and experience God’s “GOOD” created world. For instance, SIGHT helped with visual learning. HEARING helped with associating different sounds. TASTE helped with learning to discriminate one preferable thing from another. SMELL helped by providing memories. TOUCH helped with experimental learning.

In the BEGINNING ALL of mankind’s FIVE SENSES were influenced by the GOOD and LOVING GOD’S newly created WORLD. “….God saw every thing he had made… [he said], it was VERY GOOD…” (Genesis 1:31 KJV).

After the separation of God’s Holy Spirit, from mankind, ALL of the FIVE SENSES became AFFECTED and CORRUPTED by the EVIL ONE’S influence.“… One sinner destroy[ed]… much good...” (Ecclesiastes 9:18 NASB).  “…Then…Lord God asked [Eve]…“What have you done? …“ …” (Genesis 3 NLT). “…[they became]...separated … from [their]… God… …” (Isaiah 59:2 KJV).

MUCH GOOD WAS DESTROYED when the “good” God became separated from MANKIND. The serpent deceived EVE through her FIVE SENSES.

GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT SAID: “…of every tree of the garden THOU MAYEST FREELY EAT: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou  SHALT NOT EAT of it; for in THE DAY THAT THOU EATEST thereof THOU SHALT SURELY DIE…” (Genesis 2:16-17 KJV).

THE SERPENT APPEALED TO THE WOMAN’S SENSES, USING THE BODY OF FLESH. “…The woman [became] ... convinced (THROUGH SOUND) [to eat from the tree, anyway]... She saw (SIGHT) that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked (LUST of the EYES) delicious (TASTE), and she wanted (LUST of the FLESH) the wisdom (PRIDE of LIFE) it would give her. So she took (TOUCH) some of the fruit and ate it (TASTE)...” (Genesis 3:1-7 NLT). “….She [choose to take] (human will) ... some of the fruit and [eat] ... IT. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and HE ATE IT, too …” (Genesis 3:1-7 NLT).

Eve’s SENSES enabled HER to learn and experience THINGS in the world which influenced HOW she MADE her decision and choice to EAT the apple.

The body of flesh was ACTIVATED by one or more or her FIVE SENSES. Eve’s body of flesh and one or more of her FIVE SENSES influenced how she should engage, interact, and experience what the SERPENT said.

The body of flesh was not CREATED to obey God, but to be a SERVANT VESSEL for the soul and the SPIRIT’s benefit. “…The [flesh]...nature  ... never did obey God’s laws, and it never will…” (Romans 8:1-14 NLT).

Therefore, the body of flesh cannot and will NOT obey God, but it will FOLLOW AFTER the FIVE SENSES by engaging, interacting, and experiencing the world as it was CREATED to do.

Without the indwelling Holy Spirit and left to itself, the body of flesh, can become TOTALLY DEPRAVED, in the EVIL ONE’S world and out of control, through the FIVE SENSES, taking the imprisoned SOUL along with it! “…The [flesh]...nature  ... never did obey God’s laws, and it never will…” (Romans 8:1-14 NLT).

Thus, the problem, with the body of flesh, came when God, the Holy Spirit departed and the SOUL was trapped, within a nature that would NEVER follow after God’s holy commandments.

After the Holy Spirit departed, from mankind, the WORLD became FILLED with LUST and PRIDE, which was totally controlled by the EVIL ONE. “.. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:16-17 NLT).

The body of flesh engages, interacts, and experiences the world through the five senses and the world is under the power and influence of the evil one. The soul has NO control over the body of flesh without the indwelling Holy Spirit. The soul, therefore, is engaging, interacting, and experiencing existence or natural life, in a world totally under the power of the EVIL ONE, which leads them inadvertently to follow after him whose only goal is to enslave them through their five senses. “...We know … that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19 RSV).

The body of flesh cannot and will NOT obey God, but it will FOLLOW AFTER the FIVE SENSES by engaging, interacting, and experiencing the world as it was CREATED to do.

Left to itself, the body of flesh can become totally depraved and out of control, through the FIVE SENSES, taking the SOUL along with it! “…The [flesh]...nature  ... never did obey God’s laws, and it never will…” (Romans 8:1-14 NLT).

The freed and redeemed soul CAN FREELY and willfully choose to follow either the body of flesh and its dictates (outward influences) or the indwelling Holy Spirit (inward influences). “…Choose you this day whom ye will serve (the flesh or the Spirit).” (Joshua 24:15 KJV).

An untransformed mind will continue to FOLLOW the information put into the heart by the body of flesh and it dictates, which is now dead, and will, therefore, remain a willful slave to the EVIL ONE. “….you [will become] ... slaves of the one you obey (follow and cooperate with)…” (Romans 6:16 NIV).

For example, if you have an unhealthy eating habit, the untransformed mind will continue to FOLLOW the information put into the heart - by the body of flesh and its dictates - about what and how you should eat. You will, most likely, constantly struggle with it, or continue to eat unhealthily disregarding your personal desire to be healthy or your personal desire to stick to a new eating lifestyle..  “...I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. …I [am] …a slave to the sin (nature through my untransformed mind) …” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT).  “... the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will...” (Romans 8:5-7 NLT). “…The sinful nature (flesh) wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the [Holy] Spirit wants. And the [Holy] Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature (flesh) desires. These TWO FORCES are constantly fighting each other, so you are not FREE to carry out your good intentions. … …” (Galatians 5 NLT).