A Remedy for the Sin Nature

Edward Byrd

Text: Galatians 2:20

“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.”

It appears to me that many people who say they know Jesus are not really acquainted with Him. At least they do not know Him well. I do not say this as an accusation. If one can settle for the experience of saving grace, entered into in all seriousness, is finished at the time one first trusts God for salvation, then what we call growing in grace, maturing as a believer, and other elements of sanctification are not understood.

When I was saved at age sixteen I came to feel that God had forgiven me of all my sins. I felt that my name was entered into the roll of the saved. I did not have to be told that I was saved. The release of the burdens of conviction came right then. The peace which flooded my soul was very real. I immediately felt I should join the church I had attended with my parents and begin to live for Christ. I desired to be active in the Sunday School and prayer meetings. I wanted to know more about this wonderful Savior. I immediately began to read the Bible at every opportunity. It seemed that an attitude of being right in my life was proper for me and every believer.

Soon, though, a new problem confronted me. My previous life was not perfect, but now I could see that many things where not good and I wanted to avoid these. It seemed that I could never be satisfied with how much I knew about the Bible and how good my thoughts were. It was obvious that I still lacked a lot being as good as I felt I should be. I had heard sermons about "getting your want to fixed." I probably had heard messages about the "old man" or "the sin nature." It soon became evident to me that the tendencies toward sin where still in me. This concerned me very much. If I had ever heard that all sins of my life, past, present, and future, where already paid for and of no further concern, I do not remember it. I have heard this since, and am convinced that it is not true. Paid for, yes, but not to be ignored. No, I do not question that the death of Christ was a price which His Father accepts on behalf of all believers.

The truth of the matter is that the payment He made is sufficient for all men, not just those who now believe. But all men do not get the benefit of this. They must yield to Him as sinners and trust Him for His mercy. Yes, the case is still the same. If one would be cleansed of sin he must yield himself to God in faith. Even though one trusted and was cleansed when he first met Jesus he must now come the same way, repentant and in faith. If he does not he will begin to feel the weight of that sin, the guilt and shame of it. This tells me that the sin nature is no different in a saved man than in the same man before he was saved. Therefore, I see a problem. Did not Jesus die for the old sin nature? I am sure He did. The saved man must come to realize that he has a need which God's grace will remedy whenever He faces it and lays it before the Lord.

Just what is the remedy for the sin nature? It is the cross. The blood is for cleansing. The blood covers the sins. But the nature of a man goes on sinning unless restrained. Only one thing can stop it -- the cross. How does that work? Romans 5:10: "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Read this record in Romans 6:1-18. There it is: Reconciled by the death of his Son, much more, we shall be saved by his life. The cross took the life of Jesus, the necessary payment for our sin. That cross is designed for every man. We may not have been born as babies when He went to the cross, but He took our sins to that cross. Just remember that it took our consciousness of sins to bring us to Him at some age in our lifetime. Now you are conscious of Him. You go to the cross with Him when He died. You went on Calvary. You were buried with Him in Joseph's new tomb. But, wonderful truth, you were raised to new life from that tomb.

Do not let the calendar, nor the geography, deprive you of that experience. Faith surpasses all these details because it is in Him Who lives. Are you willing to be "crucified with Christ"? (Galatians 2:20). Until you die with Him you cannot expect Him to live in you fully. Is it hard to live as a Christian? You should know that not only is it difficult, it is impossible for you as a natural man. Only the resurrected Lord can live a holy life. He can live that life in your body of flesh, but you must identify with Him through faith. This "mystery of Godliness" has not been grasped by many, even by many preachers. We admonish, we rebuke, we plead for people to live as they ought. It does not work.

Every believer must come to live in Christ. His grace is sufficient, but it does not work when you are in charge. You must die with Him. A lot of questions receive an answer when you come to see that His death was your death, His life will be your life, actually lived in you. Is there any wonder that God pleads for our attention, to get us to allow Him to be the Savior, full and complete? Sufferings, deprivations, disappointments, plagues, disease, pain, all sorts of attention-getters may be brought to bear upon your life.

God only wants us to see that the cross does its work, but you must consent to it. Paul said he died daily (1 Corinthians 15:31). His Body Left in the World This is His church, an institution seen in local congregations. It perpetuates the ordinance of baptism to remind us that we died at Calvary. We were raised from the tomb in which Jesus was buried. His resurrection life, not only as a priest at the Father 's right hand, but in reality in His body.

How little evidence of this do we see today. How deprived we are by not recognizing this gracious provision. Baptism does not resurrect us from the dead any more than it crucifies us. It simply testifies to the gospel and we reckon its truth by faith. Thus are we identified with Christ and become one with Him. Living the Christ life is God's gracious provision for us. He said, "Without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).