The state of fallen man is not recognized for what it really is. Since we are all born with the Sin Nature of fallen mankind, that Sin Nature seems 'natural' and 'normal'.
The fact is that the Sin Nature is NOT natural and it is NOT normal.
We were created in the image of God. This means we were created to be like Him.
When we observe God - Christ Jesus - we see how He expects us to be. We see what His 'natural', His 'normal' looks like.
We are to lose our old understanding of 'natural' and 'normal' and accept His revelation of who we were created to be.
In His death, burial and resurrection He eliminated that which kept us in bondage to unnatural 'natural' and abnormal 'normal' AND He enabled us to step into His 'natural', His 'normal'.
But He did not issue a blanket healing, a universal transformation. Rather, He made provision for it for all men, but requiring a complementary action on our part to appropriate His provision.
That requirement is FAITH.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to the Lord must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. |
It is by faith and only by faith that we 'enter in'. Remember, the people who left Egypt did not enter the Promised Land because of UNBELIEF - a refusal to Walk By Faith.
God does not change. His requirement has always been faith, it is still faith and it will always be faith.
Considering those people who left Egypt and failed to enter in to the Promised Land, they no doubt said "You see, I knew all along we wouldn't make it".
It was 'natural' for those people to be Fearful And Unbelieving.
It was NOT 'natural' for Joshua and Caleb to be unbelieving. And so they entered into the Promised Land.
Nothing changes with respect to basic, unregenerated humanity. That Sin Nature of its fallen state dominates unrelentingly and unmercifully.
The momentum of the Sin Nature being 'natural' and 'normal' is substantial. That is why it required God Himself - Jesus Christ - to make it possible for man to become like Him - supernatural - as he was originally designed to be.
Giving in to our fallen state is the recipe for death.
Rejecting our fallen state and being regenerated in and by Christ Jesus is life.
But just because we turn to Christ and receive this newness of life in our spirit does not accomplish the transformation of our soul and body.
That transformation will be completed and perfected at the appearing of Christ Jesus.
In the meantime, we must condition ourselves to Walk By Faith, to Live In The Spirit and this happens only through exercising His Word in His Spirit.