About This Project
the problem we all face
Ever since sin entered our world, our rebellious natures have naturally blocked intimate communion with God. We were designed in the image of God, and designed for a wonderful purpose. Yet the Apostle Paul describes how we instinctively long to do the opposite of what we were created to do and be. He wrote, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). The reason we find this so difficult is simple: due to sin, we all struggle with a nature that is naturally antagonistic to God (Ephesians 2:3; Romans 3:10-12). Andrew Murray writes,
Why is a lamb always gentle? Because that is its nature. Does it cost the lamb any trouble to be gentle? No. Why not? It is so beautiful and gentle. Has a lamb to study to be gentle? No. Why does that come so easy? It is its nature. And a wolf—why does it cost a wolf no trouble to be cruel, and to put its fangs into the poor lamb or sheep? Because that is its nature. It has not to summon up its courage; the wolf-nature is there. (Absolute Surrender, 16)
the sin factory
The problem Murray highlights lies at the core of who I am. My battle is not simply against the sinful acts I do, but the factory inside me that generates those sins. That factory is my sinful nature. Indeed, the closer I move towards God, the more I will see the gravity of this situation. The closer I move towards God’s light, the more the Holy Spirit is able to reveal the power of my own sin factory.
The problem of the sinful nature factory goes all the way back to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). While living in a perfect world Satan arrived in Eden and tempted Eve to disobey God. She chose to follow Satan’s suggestion, and Adam chose to follow her. The result was the corruption of the image and character of God within them. Rather than longing to be with God, Adam and Eve both hid from Him. They were both, by nature, in rebellion against His authority as King. Therefore, if we are corrupt and sinful by nature (Ephesians 2:3), we cannot simply modify our sinful natures to become nicer or kinder. We can only replace it with the nature of Jesus. But for this replacement to happen, we must be emptied of self—the sinful nature has to die because it prevents the power of the living God operating within us. My only solution is to follow Paul’s advice and “put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Colossians 3:5). Indeed, Jesus describes the doorway into a life of discipleship using the language of death, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23). A cross is necessary for all disciples of Jesus because only a daily death can address the problem of the sinful nature—it must be put to death. But how?
how does the sinful nature die?
Dying to my sinful nature successfully is not done by focusing on my sins, or trying harder, but by focusing on Jesus. When I spend time facing my sin, Satan brings discouragement and I can become frustrated. But when I face Jesus, I see the source of my help and realise I cannot fix my problems myself. As I look to Him, I realise I can’t do anything about my sin except hold out my hands, palms upwards, and yield my sin to Him.
Notice how Paul emphasises this idea of yielding or offering in Romans, “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” (Romans 6:13) Using the language of the Old Testament sacrificial system, Paul urges later “to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1).
using your journal
The first column in your prayer journal is to daily confess sin and sinfulness that is blocking your intimacy with God. When the sinful self is put to death, space is created for communion with God. Each day your challenge is to open yourself to the Holy Spirit so that He can identify aspects of your life that need to die (John 17:8). As you are created in the image of God, and that image consists of everything you are—mind, body and spirit—there will be sin to yield that impacts everything about you—your attitudes, habits, feelings, the way you treat your body, your ambitions, etc. When the Holy Spirit points out something to yield to God that is precious to you, you may find yourself in a struggle. Dying to the sinful nature takes time because we resist yielding things that feel part of us, or feel are essential to our happiness. Don’t give up when it is hard, because the Holy Spirit will only ask you to sacrifice the things that would otherwise damage your life or risk eternal life with God.