Natural Tendency – Man’s inherited natural tendency to and desire for doing wrong; a condition that is forever who we are without Divine intervention and transformation.
Cultivated Tendency – Man’s nurtured, cultivated tendency to wrongdoing, the sin committed that, with repetition, soon becomes habit and precious to us.
Tempted by our natural, sinful nature to sin and enticed to sin by the devil and influenced by the world around us, we must understand our natural, sinful nature because it has everything to do with our eternal destiny.
Paul wrote this interesting statement, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Anatomy of a Crucifixion
One of the most horrible forms of death ever invented by the devil was crucifixion; not actually death, it is a living death. A person can live, hanging on a cross, for days.
The apostle James was crucified, but while on the cross, he preached for two or three days before he died to the people who came to see him die. So, a cross did not mean death right away. Unable to do anything because the person is nailed to it, a crucifixion does not injure any of the vital organs of the body. The heart will still beat. The brain continues to function, as do the liver and kidneys. The nails are strategically placed so that when they are driven into the flesh, major arteries are missed, so there is minimal blood loss. And by pushing up against the cross, your lungs will still inhale and exhale air. Soon enough, however, the legs of the person being crucified are almost always broken so that he can no longer push up, and eventually he would die from a slow, agonizing asphyxiation. This was the fate of the two thieves who died with Christ.
Paul says, I am crucified with Christ so I am no longer alive, it is Christ who lives in me. The consequence of this relationship—my death and His life—is that my natural, sinful self must die, and, by faith in Jesus Christ, I am given the ability to live His life of righteousness in place of my life of selfishness and sinfulness.
Anatomy of Dying and yet Living
Paul’s main point in Galatians 2:20 is that he has died. He no longer lives the life he once lived, driven by his natural, sinful nature. That life was gone, and in its place, Paul accepted Christ as the Ruler of his heart. Paul knew that he could not continue to live as he had been living. His life had to be changed, and this Paul could not do alone.
While hanging on the cross, Jesus was mocked. The people jeered, “Come down and save Yourself. He says He can save us, but He can’t even save Himself.” Little did they know that what they meant as a taunt, Christ could have done. They didn’t believe in Him, that was obvious. They had rejected Him and the gift of salvation He offered by dying on the cross. He could have summoned the entire heavenly host, who waited for just such a moment, to take Him back to heaven, leaving mankind to fend for itself and eventually to destroy itself. This world, all of us living in it, are safe today with the opportunity of salvation still available because Jesus wouldn’t come down from the cross.
Jesus had to die to pay the penalty demanded by sin (Romans 6:23), but it is equally important to understand that He lived His life to show us the only true example of victory in living a righteous life.
Anatomy of Trouble
We, however, want to be in charge, and that, my friend, is when the trouble starts.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, John Harvey Kellogg was a leading Adventist physician. The world’s most famous people of the time came to the Battle Creek Sanitarium to be healed from their diseases by Dr. Kellogg; and what he did was marvelous. He became renowned throughout the world for His work. Sadly, however, it was this worldly fame that caused him to spiritually lose his way.
In 1887, Mrs. White wrote to him, “The Christian’s life is a strangely-mingled scene of sorrows and joys, disappointments and hopes, fears and confidence. There will be much dissatisfaction with self, as he views his own heart so deeply stirred, surged with passion that it seems to bear all before it and then follows remorse and sorrow and repentance followed by peace and deep hidden joys, because he knows as his faith grasps the promises that are revealed in God’s word that he has the forgiving love of a longsuffering Saviour. And that Saviour he seeks to bring into his life, weave into his character.
“It is these revealings, these discoveries of God’s goodness that makes the soul humble and leads it to cry out in gratitude, I live, yet not I, for Christ liveth in me, we have reason to be comforted. Severe outward trials may press around the soul where Jesus lives. Let us turn to Him, for the consolations He has promised for us in His word.
“The nether springs of hope and comfort may appear to fail us, but the upper springs which feed the river of God are full of supply and can never be dried up. God would have you [Kellogg] look away from the cause of your afflictions [mainly coming from leading ministers and leaders in the church] to Him who is the owner of soul, body, and spirit. He is the lover of the soul. He knows the value of the soul. He is the true vine, and we are the branches. We shall have no spiritual nourishment only as we draw it from Jesus who is the true life of the soul.” Battle Creek Letters, 8, 9
There were significant differences between Adventism and Dr. Kellogg’s personal theological beliefs, and these differences caused issues between him and the Adventist church. His book The Living Temple was sharply criticized by Mrs. White because of his pantheistic ideas as stated in the book. By 1907, conflicts between Dr. Kellogg, A. G. Daniells, and others in the church, led to Dr. Kellogg being disfellowshipped, and resulted in a schism in the church. Dr. Kellogg retained control of the Battle Creek Sanitarium and the American Medical Missionary College, while continuing to promote Adventist health ideas at those institutions. (wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harvey_Kellogg)
The Anatomy of Repetition
Passion comes. Desire is strong. So easily swayed by the desire within to sin and enticed from without by the excitement of the world to sin. But then, recrimination: Why did I do that? Why did I say that? Why did I think that? Why did that happen? I didn’t mean it. Lord, I’m so sorry, please forgive me. I won’t do it again. But even sorrow and repentance mean little if there is no transformation in the life—sin, confess, repent, repeat.
How do we reach the point where we stop this continual up and down experience? How do we submit to the transformation wrought by love?
Jesus said, “ ‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, “I will return to my house from which I came.” And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So, shall it also be with this wicked generation.” ’ ” Matthew 12:43–45
Jesus is talking in these texts about the man who listened to the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus. He is touched by what he heard and influenced to determinedly remove from his life the evil spirit that had long controlled him. He praised God for His love and grace, and sought to follow Him only, allowing the Holy Spirit to control his life.
As long as the man praises God and surrenders himself to the Holy Spirit, the evil spirit stays away. But one day, the evil spirit came back to check on the man. He finds that he no longer praises God. The Holy Spirit is gone. This man had not entered into a covenant relationship with God even though he has had a lot of religious influence in his life. Sadly, the evil spirit finds the house is empty, and so he comes back, but not alone. The text says that he came back with seven evil spirit friends. Together, they all move in with the man, making the man worse now that he was before.
“We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.” The Desire of Ages, 324
Who Can Help?
There are two supernatural powers seeking for control of the world and all who live in it. As we approach the end of time, this spiritual battle becomes fiercer and more bitter. Spiritual war, for the souls and bodies of men and women is taking place all over the world. This spiritual war is between Christ and Satan—the heavenly host and the host of darkness, the servants of Christ and the servants of Satan. Unless we are connected with divinity, the devil will be in control of us. Moment by moment we must be fully surrendered to Christ or we will be overcome, at the mercy of the enemy and doing his bidding in the end. We are not able to deal with our own fallen, sinful nature alone. We must have divine help.
“All have the same sinful nature. All are liable to make mistakes. No one is perfect. The Lord Jesus died for the erring, that they might be forgiven. It is not our work to condemn … but to save.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 18, 334, 335
“The work of repairing souls broken down through errors, through manifest sin, is the most difficult we can do. Some pet sin has been cultivated which has taken the lines of control, one bad habit has not been vigorously fought and conquered, and oh, how hard [it is] to efface the bruises that soul has sustained.” The Upward Look, 162
Here are represented those who are spiritually sick, having been overtaken by some type of sinful habit that has control of their mind.
“As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.’ ” Romans 3:10, 11
Everyone wants to help someone in need, but they interpret experiences with a filter made up of their own background, training, and life experiences. One of the biggest problems in helping the sick is that few understand the spiritual component of the problems we face. Jesus, the Spirit of Prophecy, the apostles all teach that if some pet sin has taken control of a person’s life, they can never be free unless they are set free by divine power.
A psychologist wants to shape the mind to understand why a man has a sinful habit and what exercises can be used to gain control over it.
A nutritionist wants to plan a diet that will make him healthier in order to fight the habit.
A physical therapist wants to use therapy to make him stronger in the fight against the habit.
A surgeon wants to operate and remove the sinful habit.
An internist wants to use medicine to destroy the habit.
But if we are truly to overcome our sinful nature and besetting sins, there is only One to whom we must turn.
“To the careless, the indifferent, the unconcerned, those standing on the precipice of ruin, Christ says: Open the door of your heart; give Me entrance, and I will make you a child of God. I will transform your weak, sinful nature into the divine image, giving it beauty and perfection.” That I May Know Him, 106
“Our lifework now should be to prepare for eternity. We know not how soon our lifework here may close, and how essential that our low, sinful nature should be overcome, and we conform to the image of Christ.” This Day With God, 117
Is There Any Way Out?
The law of God cannot help us, because we are unable to keep it in our sinful nature. So, is there any way out? Yes, there is. Our low, sinful nature must be overcome. Revelation 2, 3, and 21 repeatedly show us the necessity of overcoming.
Jesus says if we will let Him into our lives, He will change our hearts and minds, transform our sinful nature. “The sinful nature is to be kept under the control of the Spirit of God.” General Conference Daily Bulletin, February 6, 1893
I am stuck. I cannot control my sinful nature. I cannot control my own tongue or my own thoughts. I cannot control my affections, passions, or desires, and the Bible is very clear that it is impossible for me alone to control them. I cannot keep the law of God in my sinful nature except if I am under the control of the Holy Spirit.
“ ‘Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.’ ” John 15:4, 5
“When He [God] gave Jesus to our world, He included all heaven in that one gift. He did not leave us to retain our defects and deformities of character, or to serve Him as best we could in the corruption of our sinful nature. He has made provision that we may be complete in His Son, not having our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ.” The Review and Herald, March 18, 1902
“He takes away the destructive tendencies of the sinful nature and brings the human agency into His service.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 18, 208
Just Quit or Struggle
There are people in this world who have tremendous willpower when it comes to making changes in their life. A smoker might decide that this is his last cigarette and he will never smoke again. And he is successful. Or the person who decides they just weigh too much and want to lose weight and live a healthy life. They make a diet plan, follow it each day, sticking to it until the desired weight loss has been achieved.
However, another smoker may awaken every day for the rest of his life fighting against that deep desire for just one cigarette, or an obese individual will struggle each day to stay committed to the effort of losing weight and keeping it off. For these individuals, they fight against a besetting sin, the one they just cannot overcome alone.
“God has not left us to battle with evil in our own finite strength [because we cannot win]. Whatever may be our inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong, we can overcome through the power that He is ready to impart.” The Ministry of Healing, 176, 177
“The converting power of God can transform inherited and cultivated tendencies; for the religion of Jesus is uplifting.” The Review and Herald, April 13, 1897
The Deplorable Effects of the Original Apostasy
Because of the garment of light, Adam and Eve were enabled to read the message of God in every plant, flower, and leaf. They could understand the wisdom of God in everything in nature. But when they ate the forbidden fruit, that garment of light was removed and they were no longer able to interpret or understand God’s wisdom. Where they had loved and respected one another, they now began to reproach each other. The sacred unity that had existed between Adam and Eve was destroyed.
“The experience of Adam is a constant warning and reproof to us. We are not to turn aside from the word of God under any circumstances; but the Lord compels obedience from no one. He gives the human agent all the help that he requires to be an overcomer, but leaves him free to place himself, with his inherited and cultivated tendencies, under the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit, or to follow his own imaginations which are only evil, and that continually.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 4, 198
“One of the deplorable effects of the original apostasy was the loss of man’s power to govern his own heart.” Ibid., Vol. 8, 208. Our promises are like ropes of sand (Steps to Christ). A rope of sand doesn’t hold anything. Your promises are like ropes of sand and you find that you can’t control your thoughts, your passions, your affections; you can’t control anything. A person just feels helpless. Inspiration says that was one of the most awful things that happened at the original apostasy. We lost the ability to control our own heart.
God gives us the free will to choose to place our whole being under the guidance and control of the Holy Spirit or to follow our own imaginations. Without a connection with God, it is absolutely certain that we will sin.
“Many are inquiring, ‘How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?’ You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus, your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.
“Desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now choose to be Christians.
“Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, you ally yourself with the power that is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast, and thus through constant surrender to God you will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith.” Steps to Christ, 47, 48
Few Agree
Paul wrote about our inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil many times (Romans 6, 7, and 9; Galatians 6).
Theologians (Adventists and other churches alike) disagree, argue, debate, and write conflicting articles about mankind’s dilemma regarding his inherited, sinful nature and the sinful traits he cultivates throughout his life. The conclusion? We cannot control ourselves and keep the law of God. The answer? To be under the control of the Holy Spirit.
Still Waiting
Strife and contention throughout Adventism are signs that, as Paul writes, happen when we are still carnal, in the flesh, not walking in the Spirit. We must come to a place where we plead with the Spirit to show us the sins we must overcome, helping us to recognize that we cannot overcome them alone. Our prayer must be one of surrender, asking the Holy Spirit to intervene in our lives.
We talk about probation closing soon, about the time of trouble, about Sunday laws, about Jesus’ coming. We are waiting for the latter rain, but we cannot expect the latter rain to fall until we have received the early rain, and we will not receive the early rain until we are fully surrendered to God and the Holy Spirit holds control of our lives.
We cannot read the heart, but we can look at the fruit. We are in a desperate situation. The early rain has not fallen on those who are still at variance and in contention. We must crucify self and accept Christ living within us.
“The Holy Spirit is to do its work upon mind and character, exerting an influence upon thoughts and actions. If received, cultivated, and appreciated, it will always be reformatory, refining, elevating, and ennobling. He who always aims for entire conformity to God’s will, who does not follow his own natural inclinations, will allow the Holy Spirit to improve and mold and fashion his character upon a plan and model different from his own inherited and cultivated tendencies, changing him to another man.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 19, 23
We have inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil that we cannot change and we cannot with this nature keep the law of God. We cannot keep the law of God unless we are crucified with Christ, and the Holy Spirit comes into our minds and makes us into a different person, transforming our nature. That’s what the early rain of the Holy Spirit is about, the character change that happens in a person when they accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
Pastor John J. Grosboll is the Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be reached by email at historic@stepstolife.org or by telephone at 316-788-5559.