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NASB | Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old self with its evil practices, |
Bible Question: Thanks, Lifer, for your answer. Please read my response to Prayon. What's the difference between "old nature" and "flesh?" Thanks again. |
Bible Answer: The difference between "old nature" and "flesh" is a subtile but important one. I believe that the Greek word for 'flesh' is 'sarx.' The KJV, NKJV, and NASB all tranlate 'sarx' as 'flesh.' The NIV, unfortunately, translates it as 'sinful nature.' Although I don't claim to have a complete understanding of the subject, I do understand what God says about it. Allow me to explain and also comment on the other posting. When the Bible talks about us being 'dead in trespasses and sins,' this is refering to our being born without the Spirit of God in us. Our spirits are not dead, otherwise we'd be just animals, but they are dead to God. This is a spiritual condition that leaves us having no inherent knowledge about God, only a vacuum where He should be. So Paul says we were alive to sin and dead to God. When we become believers, God's Spirit once again indwells His creation the way that He designed us to be. We are then alive to God but dead to sin. Here's where we need to make the descrepency between flesh and old nature. Somehow, I don't understand the process (maybe someone out there can explain the mechanics), God crucified our old nature, sinful nature, old man with Christ on the cross 2000 years ago. It was buried with Christ, also. Paul makes it clear that it was crucified and is now dead. I understand it best by thinking of it in these terms - nature: what comes natural, instinctively. It was our nature, before Christ, to be sinners. We had no choice. So our 'nature' was to sin. After Christ, it is no longer 'natural' for Christians to sin. We still can sin but that is NOT who we are. The New Testament uses the word 'saint' 63 times to stress our new identity - 2 Cor 5:17 - new creations, creatures in Christ. Believers are NEVER called 'sinners saved by grace.' God has something better. We are saints who may, against our new nature, sin. But sinning is no longer natural for us - it goes against who we REALLY are in the spirit realm. But we still have what the Bible calls the 'flesh.' As I understand it, this is our old patterns of self-sufficiency that we CAN rely on instead of His sufficiency and walking in the Spirit. The old spiritual (our identity) sinful nature is dead, crucified with Christ. The new spiritual nature, a divine nature - (2 Pet 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.) is our true identity but it is housed in unredeemed, still fallen 'flesh.' As Christians, we can choose who we will submit to - Christ in us, our hope of glory or the 'flesh.' That's why Paul says not to yield ourselves to sinning - that is not who we are - instead submit ourselves to let Christ live His life out through us - Hebrews 12. Well, in summation, I don't know if I helped or just confused the issue more. I'm sure there are others in the forum who can probably explain it better than I. The key is that Christians do NOT have 2 natures, 2 natural tendencies, 2 identities. The Christian has 1 identity that is housed in a body that still has old habits. Only as we let Christ live in our bodies can we keep from walking after the flesh. That's why Paul says, in Gal 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." We are now new creatures, not sinners saved by grace. We, because of Christ, are children of God. Let us 'live out' what Christ has put in. God bless. |