Do Christians have a sin nature?

Question:

I know we still sin - just ask my kids! But, the old man teaching .... I wonder about that. If we are crucified with Christ, are we still sinning in the old man, or the new man??

Answer:

Wow what an amazing question!

Remember that in the beginning Adam had no sin nature. He had complete open fellowship with God and was perfect. No sin nature! Yet even though he was a sinless man with no sin nature, he sinned. How was that possible? He still could be tempted by the lust of the eye's, the flesh and the pride of life...even without a sin nature! When Adam disobeyed there was a spiritual change inside of him. He became dead to God, alive to sin. Had a evil heart and sin was living inside of him. Now man's default condition is to be just like Adam because we have all come from him. Adam lost his position before God and acquired a sin nature because of HIS OWN DISOBEDIENCE. now all humans have a sin nature because of ADAMS disobedience.

but then.......

A second Adam came. He was like the first, with no sin nature. His Father was the Holy Spirit (Adam came straight from God as well), thus no sin nature was passed to Him! Like Adam He was tempted with the pride of life, lust of the eyes and flesh (40 days in the wilderness). Everyplace where Adam failed, Jesus succeeded. He obeyed perfectly under the law for 33 years, and died with no sin nature. When He died, our old man died with Him. He became our sin, and we became his Righteousness. The life He died to sin He died once and for all (and we were in HIM! Gal 2:20) Thank God that Jesus (second Adam) was successful where first Adam had failed! Therefore we died to sin once and for all! To sinning-no ( it says that Jesus died to sin-what sin did He die too?...He never sinned!), but to the condition of death(sin nature) that we were in, in first Adam!

At the cross you and I (our sin nature, old man and wicked heart) were baptized into His death and done away with. We were also buried with Him and rose with Him in newness of life! The lineage of Adam had been broken. Just like Adam cursed mankind with a sin nature because of his one act of disobedience, Jesus has blessed you and I with a sinless new God nature BY HIS ONE ACT OF OBEDIENCE. Our sinless nature is not because of our obedience and disobedience, but because of Christs obedience.

Adam lost it for all of us when he disobeyed. Christ won it back for us when HE OBEYED. So you have a sinless nature totally dependent on the perfect performance of Jesus Christ. Now we know that someone with a new nature can still be tempted and sin (Adam was tempted and sinned and Jesus was tempted and did not sin). You and I can still be tempted and sin even without a sin nature. The difference is, we will never lose our sinless nature, because it is not ours to lose. It is Christs. He earned it..It was His act of obedience!

The best part of this is, sin is no longer our master. We can still be tempted, but we have victory because Christ already won! We are no longer victims of sin. We do not have to obey it...It is not our lord...A person with a sin nature can't help sinning...it is part of their nature. You and I have a God-nature (as an act of grace....Christ in us). We desire to do good works because our default setting is to act with a nature that comes from from heaven! And even if we do sin, our nature and position in Him is secure, because it was His performance...not ours! We have a faithful high priest who has made us forever accepted in His presence, because he was rejected. God turned His face from Christ so that He would never turn it away from you!!!!! Christ was cursed so you could be blessed, with acceptance, blessing and a new nature. Unlike Adam-you will never lose your new nature because of your messing up. Yours is kept by faith in Christ and faith in HIS PERFORMANCE!

Christ was the firstborn of many sons and daughters of God...His Father was the Holy Spirit. When He rose, many Sons and Daughters transferred from the sinful lineage of Adam into the sinless new lineage of God, with the Holy Spirit as there Father! Do you think Gods lineage has any sin associated with it? NO way! And you are of that lineage!!! Good news! You are a child of the KING!