The Two Natures

When you were born you had one nature, the nature of man.  The nature of man is corrupted and warped.  No one is perfect and if you look around the world it seems pretty obvious that mankind is far from perfect.  That does not mean man cannot do good deeds, but the good deeds will always be tainted by sin.

Jesus was a man of two natures.  He had the nature of man by way of his mother, Mary.  He also had the nature of God because Mary was a virgin and God implanted the life of Jesus within the womb of Mary.  Every day of Jesus' life he had the choice to follow the nature of man or the nature of God, and every day he chose to follow the nature of God.

When a person accepts Jesus as their Messiah to take away their sins, they are reborn.  This time their birth is a spiritual one.  Their spiritual nature and their natural nature are united together in the soul of that person.  Just as Jesus' nature was a union of man and God, so is the Christian's nature a unity of man and God. 

We have the same choice that Jesus had when he was on this earth.  Do we follow the nature given to us by man or the nature that God gave?  Since the nature of man is warped even at its best, we must always choose to follow the nature of God.  We must die to our human nature and live in the nature of God.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - This is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."  Romans 12:1-2

Photo Credit: Two Face by Aasef Iqbal J