~ Four States of Mankind Regarding Sin ~
Innocent Man (before The Fall) ~ “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:15-17). God gave man clear instructions of what to do and what not to do.
Adam had the ability to sin, but more importantly the ability not to sin!
Natural Man (after The Fall) ~ “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Apostle Paul explained it this way, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me” (Romans 7:14-20). Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden we are not able to not sin! Fortunately, the believer who is experiencing normal (not average) spiritual growth is sinning less and less as they are in the process of becoming transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
Regenerated Man ~ “Put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:9b-10). “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Christian is a “new creation” in Christ – not a “makeover.” As a believer with the indwelling Holy Spirit we are able to not sin!
Glorified Man ~ “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:1-3). Our final stage will be when we are transformed and no longer able to sin!
Comment ~ These four categorizations are from Augustine of Hippo in “The Bondage of the Will.”
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.
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