The Sinful Nature

Physically, we develop habits from the moment we are born and throughout life.  As we form them, some replace prior habits for one reason or another, and some we seem to hang onto for long periods of time.  Habits, we said are driven by our will, and to change our habits, our will therefore must be changed. Everyone must come to grips with their habits from time to time when they begin to adversely affect our health or our relationships. Unfortunately, we do not always realize when that happens until we get into trouble. But, for the Christian, it is important that we admit that we have them, allow The Holy Spirit to reveal all of them, and surrender them to Christ to do with as He wills.  I know, in my own experience upon turning to Christ, some of my habits were just "taken" from me, yet, to this day; others still can be found and get in the way of what God is doing in me.  As I said, it is important to ask The Lord to help us search out these habits and deal with them in such a way as to allow Him to have more of us... all of our mind, body, and soul.

Now, there is a number of Christians, that will tell you that, "you've" got to work on these things yourself, because they have not learned what we will be studying today. Others will say that you must not be saved if you are still dealing with these things we are talking about... but that is because they have not learned, that, "while you may have been made Holy unto God, by salvation unto Jesus Christ, it is only by and through the righteousness of Jesus… His righteousness. You may be a new creation, but now Christ wants to change you as much as we will allow Him to, while we are yet, alive".

No matter how much The Lord changes us initially, the process of change is never completed until we are taken home (heaven). More importantly, it must be The Lords' power and direction in the process of change, and NOT of our own doing. I should add that for some habits… even those The Lord has brought to our attention, it may be necessary to seek professional medical assistance to help us.

The greatest threat presented by habit and ritual, is that they inhibit the submission of our flesh to the work of The Holy Spirit. Habits are found so prevalent in all of us, like: nail biting, hair chewing, saying, "er..." between ideas when speaking, playing with the change in your pocket, brushing your teeth after every meal, and Smoking (may also be classed as an addiction re: the nicotine)… these are just a tiny example of the many habits we find. Obviously, some of these are bad for us… Some don't seem as bad as others and others don't seem bad at all, however, it is easy to follow our habit sometimes and ignore The Holy Spirits' leading.  When this happens, it is a sin, no matter how healthful, simple, or wise it seems. Considering habits as sin… which they can be… then 2 Corinthians, chapter 5 can be one area of Gods' Word that would be very helpful to look at.

2 Cor 5:4." For while we are still in this tent, we groan under the burden and sigh deeply (weighed down, depressed, oppressed)--not that we want to put off the body (the clothing of the spirit), but rather that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal (our dying body) may be swallowed up by life [after the resurrection]. 5. Now He Who has fashioned us [preparing and making us fit] for this very thing is God, Who also has given us the [Holy] Spirit as a guarantee [of the fulfillment of His promise]. 6. So then, we are always full of good and hopeful and confident courage; we know that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the home with the Lord [that is promised us]. 7. For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance. 8. [Yes] we have confident and hopeful courage and are pleased rather to be away from home out of the body and be at home with the Lord. 9.Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth away from Him] or away from home [and with Him], we are constantly ambitious and strive earnestly to be pleasing to Him."

Let me interrupt this section of scripture for a moment to say this. The body of flesh is a heavy burden, and too, the calamities of life are a heavy load. Not only in dealing with sin, but also with both, the affect that our fallen world has on us, along with bad mistakes we've made, etc., adding to the aging of our bodies. But believers groan, being burdened with a body of sin, and because of the many corruptions remaining and raging within them.  Death will strip us of this clothing of flesh, and all the comforts of life, as well as end all our troubles here below.  But believing souls shall be clothed with garments of praise, with robes of righteousness and glory.  The present graces and comforts of the Spirit are earnests of everlasting grace and comfort. And though God is with us here, by his Spirit, and in his ordinances, yet we are not with him as we hope to be.  Faith is for this world, and sight is for the other world. It is our duty, and it will be our interest, to walk by faith, till we live by sight.  This shows clearly the happiness to be enjoyed by the souls of believers when absent from the body, and where Jesus makes known his glorious presence.  We are related to the body and to the Lord; each claims a part in us.  But how much more powerfully the Lord pleads for having the soul of the believer closely united with Himself!  You are one of the souls I have loved and chosen; one of those given to me.  What is death, as an object of fear, compared with being absent from the Lord! Now, as you continue on through this section of Gods' Word, we come to these verses…

17. "Therefore if any person is [engrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 18. But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. 19. It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but canceling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor)."

The renewed man acts upon new principles, by new rules, with new ends, and in new company. The believer is created anew; his heart is not merely set right, but a new heart is given him. He is the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Though the same as a man, he is changed in his character and conduct. These words must and do mean more than an outward reformation. The man who formerly saw no beauty in the Savior that he should desire him, now loves him above all things. The heart of the unregenerate is filled with enmity against God, and God is justly offended with him. Yet there may be reconciliation. Our offended God has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ. By the inspiration of God, the Scriptures were written, which are the word of reconciliation; showing that peace has been made by the cross, and how we may be interested therein.  Our obedience that Christ wants most is in the faith presented by all of what He says in His Word. The end and design of all this was, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, might be justified freely by the grace of God through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.  So, with the issue of habit, we must depend on the work of Christ.

Augustine wrote,
"I was bound by the iron chain of my own will. I was rather an unwilling sufferer than a willing actor. And yet it was through me that habit had become an armed enemy against me, because I had willingly come to be what I unwillingly found myself to be."

In a day when personal responsibility is lacking, this quote reminds us of an undeniable truth, i.e., you are the sum total of your habits.  Habits either elevate you to the next level of achievement or they shackle you to your not so productive past. They prod you to continue on despite the obstacles, or they allow you to make excuses for failing to excel. Have your habits become an "armed enemy" against you?  Are you willingly becoming what you unwillingly find yourself to be?  Are your habits an "iron chain" binding you to an attitude that obviates change and progress?  Augustine did not allow the iron chain of this armed enemy to keep him from his high calling.  As a theologian he went on to record a marvelous compendium of religious writings that have served the church since the fourth and fifth centuries.  Augustine found freedom in Jesus Christ and the principles he declared.  As a result his habits became his best friends instead of his enemies. The chain of bondage was released and he was free to willingly become what Christ had chosen him to be.  What habits are helping or defeating you?  Are you willing to allow Christ to change those habits into productive friends that enable rather than disable advancement? 

Spiritually… in seeking to please God, there are many, whom have had ingrained in us, habits in the form of religious ritual. Some man-made, others that are linked to Gods' Word, presented in the old covenant God made prior to Christ's Death, Burial, and Resurrection.  Now, friends… This is why we are looking at tents in this study, today. I hope to prove through Gods' Word that there is only one way to deal with sin today, and it is NOT found in the old testament. If we are saved under the Blood of Christ Jesus… the old covenant is not just old, but over… no longer active. God has not given us two agreements to live by… for He has given us a new one to replace the other.  Jesus has given us many areas of scripture that teach the very distinct difference between the two covenants, but we are going to use the teaching from Hebrews to help us see, First… the difference between the two. This section of scripture will take us to the first of our two tents.  

The special key I asked you to hang onto at the start of this study, we will use in the next study to, "prayerfully and hopefully" lock (so-to-speak) the first tent (the old way of dealing with sin) and unlock the second tent (our heart). We will come back to the issue of habits and rituals later and discuss the way to resolve them after this issue about "tents" is revealed. So, if you will read all of Hebrews, chapter 9, and join me next time at, "The First Tent". 

I love you, Preston
Two Tents - Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV