A couple of weeks ago my friend Marcie gave the message at our small group bible study. In her message she greatly emphasized the fact that we, as born again christians, no longer have a 'sinful nature.' We are new creations and have the power to overcome sin through Christ that lives within us. Of course, we are humans with emotion and fleshly desires, so at times we forget who we are in Christ - and that we no longer have a sinful nature. (Colossians 2:9-12)

This concept was easy enough to grasp (with the help of some Lion King references), but it seemed that a few people were still unclear as to the whole 'sinful nature' thing.

Aren't we still sinners even though we now live in Christ?
Have we all not fallen short of the glory of God, with Grace being the only thing that saves us from death?
Isn't the fact that we are still human, that temptation comes from our own fleshly desires within us, proof enough that we are still of a sinful nature?

Sure, we can overcome temptation and sin, we have authority over it, and with our salvation we are made new creations, but that doesn't make us any less sinner than we already were. Right?

Now, I'm not going to rehash Marcie's entire message, because I believe she did a good enough job as it was to represent her ideas and the word that God put on her heart. I only want to clear up this slight confusion because, though it may not seem like a big deal, it's actually the most important part of her message. In my conversation with her, we agreed that some christians like to rely on this grace blanket. That sin is something they can overcome, but if they fail then it doesn't matter, because Christ still lives in them and God still forgives them. People are under the impression that, because we are human and destined to stumble and fall, that it's ok to do so as long as we repent and choose christ first. Well that's all fine and dandy, but there's a misconception there that believes that we are going to fall, and if we can't stop it, Grace will always be there - and that's just who we are.

True. Grace will always be there, but that's no longer who we are.

What people tend to forget about sin and salvation, is that once you become a believer in Christ something happens to you that changes your perception of sin in the future. Now, as a Christ follower, when you sin there's a feeling that comes over you that never - ever - would have happened in the time that you were a sinner and not a believer in Christ. We tend to call that feeling 'Conviction' or 'Guilt.' You see, we are no longer of a 'sinful nature' because that conviction is what separates us from our older selves - the ones we were before being 'born again.'

Using that same analogy, when we were born into this world we were born into a 'sinful nature,' but when we choose to follow Christ we call ourselves 'born again' because we now follow a 'new nature.' Our lives before were about ourselves and our fleshly desires, and that's what we cared about first and foremost. As christians, our lives are now more devoted to spreading the Love of God, the message of Christ, and worshiping our Father. So when we say we are no longer of a sinful nature, it's because we have shifted our focus from our own desires to God's desires, which makes us living in, I dunno, a 'Godly Nature' or 'Christ-like Nature;' however you want to put it.

"loving nature." that's it.

Yeah. We are still tempted. That doesn't stop.
The problem is, if we forget that we no longer have to succumb to that sin, that we are no longer bound by our sin as in the past, that we are no longer of our sinful nature, then we are denying the true power of our salvation that is given to us through Jesus Christ. Though we are still tempted and may sin, never forget that you no longer have to allow it to happen to yourself, and that you can get past it no matter how strong of a hold it may have in you. Don't ever chalk it up to: "well we all fall short..." or "I'm still human..." Don't keep relying on grace.

"It's a balance of grace in a place where I tripped and fell. But if Grace receives all my weight, then it becomes a crutch, and I don't wanna walk with a crutch so much that I can't stand taller than before."

You don't have to live like that anymore.