Sinful nature or not?

[Guest truds]

Following on from Blueliner's question about whether sin can become a habit, I would like to ask the following: Is our sin nature completely taken away at our salvation? Are we now perfectly righteous in God's sight and therefore perfectly righteous in our nature?

According to the author of the Bondage Breaker, and Victory over Darkness, Neil T. Anderson, sinfulness is a behaviour that man learns as a result of the condition (seperation from God) into which he is born. When we are saved, we then need to be reconditioned by the renewing of our minds. In other words, as a man thinks, so is he. According to this belief it is then theoretically possible to stop sinning. Scriptures used to confirm this belief are:

Col 2:11 in whom ye were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ;

2Pe 1:4 whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in that world by lust.

For the record, I do not agree with this view of sin.

Rom 7:19 " I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh'

Rom 7:24 Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?

Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts.

Any opinions?

truds

[Leonard]

If the 'Old Man' only needed to be 'reeducated', then Jesus could have been JUST a teacher! Instead He died; meaning that the old nature needed to be KILLED, not just taught!

But in Christ Jesus the old man is truly dead because of the Crucifixion, and 'buried with Him in baptism.' Fortunately we are also 'raised in newness of life, with Him.'

[gypc]

Rom 8:1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Gal 5:16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Gal 2:20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

1 John 1: 8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

[Guest truds]

I appreciate your replies. Thanks for the confirmation and scriptures.

truds

[Smalcald]

Scripture does not support the idea that we could become totally sinless in this life, obviously.

But not even reading scripture, does anyone know anybody who really IS totally sinless? I have never met anyone that would mean I have never met a true believer according to this guy. It is frankly rather creepy that he may believe this about himself.