The sin nature - What is it?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The sin nature is the inherent part of humanity that compels us to sin, inherited from Adam and present in every person (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12). The Bible teaches that all of us have a sin nature (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8). We are sinners by choice, meaning we choose to commit sin, but it is also in our nature to do so. This teaching is in contrast to that of many religious movements that deny original sin or total depravity. Apart from Christ, we are separated from God and spiritually dead. Yet God provides a solution through Jesus Christ, offering forgiveness, salvation, and the promise of being "born again” (John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17). When we trust in Christ, our sin nature is replaced with a new, Spirit-filled nature, empowering us to live in fellowship with God and reflect His character. This transformation is not merely behavioral but a complete renewal, equipping us to experience eternal life and walk in the freedom and power God provides.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• When God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He called them "good" along with the rest of His creation (Genesis 1:31). They had no sin. However, their eating of the forbidden fruit had a devastating spiritual effect. Adam and Eve's children did not follow the "good" creation of God; in fact, the first child mentioned in Scripture, Cain, murdered his brother (Genesis 4:8).
• Seth, another child of Adam and Eve, was born with this sin nature as well. Genesis 5:3 notes, "When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth." Each person born since has likewise entered the world in the likeness of Adam, inheriting a sinful nature that stands in need of redemption by God's grace.
• In Psalm 51:5, David says, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." David saw himself as a man whose sinful parents had brought forth a sinful child. David recognized that he possessed a nature that would sin and fall short of God's glory (see Romans 3:23).
• David's son Solomon would later write, "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins" (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
• The prophet Jeremiah also comments on the sin nature: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).
• Isaiah says, "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away" (Isaiah 64:6). Even our good deeds are tainted by sin.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The sin nature is mentioned in Romans 7:25; 8:3; and 2 Peter 2:19. It is called the "earthly” nature in Colossians 3:5.
• The book of Romans offers the most comprehensive look at the human condition. In Romans 5:12, Paul writes, "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned."
• Adam's sin started it all, and now we are all sinners. Those who deny the sin nature are self-deceived (1 John 1:8).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Being sinners by nature, we cannot help but sin. These sins separate us from the perfect, sinless God. Yet God has provided a way to receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke of salvation as being "born again" (John 3:3) He told Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again'" (John 3:5-7).

Only Christ can overcome the sin nature within us. When a person trusts in Christ for salvation, he or she receives a new nature. The "natural man" becomes spiritual ( 1 Corinthians 2:14). Believers "have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Colossians 3:10). This transformation is not just a change in behavior but a complete renewal of who we are at the core. Through Christ, our old, sinful nature is replaced with a new, Spirit-filled nature that empowers us to live in fellowship with God, reflect His character, and experience the eternal life He promises.

UNDERSTAND

• All humans are born with a sin nature.
• Sin separates us from God and leaves us spiritually dead without Christ.
• Faith in Jesus transforms our nature, empowering us to live for God.

REFLECT

• How does recognizing your own sin nature change the way you view your choices and actions?
• In what areas of your life do you see your sin nature influencing your thoughts or behaviors, and how can you rely on Christ to overcome it?
• How has trusting in Christ transformed your heart, caused you to sin less, and empowered you to reflect God’s character more fully?

ENGAGE

• How do we see the effects of humanity’s sin nature today?
• What does it look like to rely on God to overcome the pull of our sin nature, even after we have been saved?
• How does understanding the sin nature deepen our appreciation for the gift of being “born again” in Christ?