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Romans 6:14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the Law, but under Grace.”

The Human Dilemma
One of the keys to understanding how Sanctification works in the life of the Believer is understanding the status of the sin nature. The sin nature is the nature of fallen man. It was passed on to all men as a result of Adam and Eve’s failure in the Garden. The sin nature is that characteristic of the heart of man that bends him towards sin. It is man’s nature to sin. He is bent towards selfishness, evil, and ungodliness. For example, you don’t have to teach a child to lie, you have to teach a child to tell the truth. there is no freedom from this powerful force, this bent towards sin that can come from man. Man is helplessly and hopelessly devoted to sin and as a result of the sin nature at work within us, we grow in sinfulness and selfishness the longer we live under the influence of this basic characteristic of man.

The Power of the Sin Nature is Broken at Conversion
While most Christians understand that Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, they don’t realize that Jesus broke the power of the sin nature at Calvary. When we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we are “baptized” or “united” with Him, God the Holy Spirit immerses us into the Person of Christ. Now, seen by God as “one,” our past, present , and futures are linked together. Thus, at Calvary, being “in Him,” I was Crucified with Christ. Jesus’ Death on Calvary paid my sin debt. My death, in Christ, was buried with Him and I was raised with Him to live in Him from strength of a new Power Source. This is the Power of the Born-Again experience. The natural bent in man towards sin is broken and a new nature, a Divine Nature, and on that is bent towards God, is installed within the confines of the human heart. I become a “new creation” in Christ Jesus.

The Sin Nature is not Eradicated
We should see, based upon the above facts, that the normal Christian experience and daily living as a Christian, is designed by God to be on that allows the Believer to live free from the impact and/or influence of the sin nature. However, the evidence of Scripture is that the sin nature will not be eliminated until the Believer receives their Glorified Body. At that point, corruption puts on incorruption. Meanwhile, the Believer is told that he is “dead” to the sin nature. Death in this sense merely indicates that there has been a change in one’s relationship to another. For instance, an old friend or flame that we no longer see or know, may still be alive, but since there is no ongoing relationship with that other person, like there was in the past, that relationship could be called “dead.” Note that both parties are still in existence. That past relationship could be “revived” under circumstances which allowed that.  As a Believer, I am“dead” to the effects and influence of the sin nature. That is my privilege and my liberty by which Christ set me free. There is no sinful bent, habit, or bondage that Christ’s Sacrifice upon Calvary did not break. I do not fight the sin nature! I am not at war with it, trying to overcome it. This would be insulting the “Finished Work” that Christ has already accomplished. Instead, by Faith, I recognize the freedom won for me at Calvary and I allow the Holy Spirit to continually correct and empower me in this Christian life.

The Revival of the Sin Nature
The sin nature’s influence was silenced, rendered inoperative and ineffective, when I placed my Faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  The benefits of Christ’s Finished Work were mine immediately.  Mine was the part of Faith. As long as I continue to trust in what God has supplied, the benefits of being free from the devastating impact of the sin nature are mine. But, if I cease to trust exclusively in what Christ has done and I place my faith in an action, routine, or anything other than the Biblically prescribed Faith in Who Christ is and what Christ has done, my relationship with the sin nature is activated again. The horrifying influences of a sin nature begin to invade my Born-Again status, wreaking havoc in God’s New Creation. The solution: trust solely, singularly, and exclusively in what Christ has done and live out you r Christian experience totally free from the sin nature.  Lusts of the flesh, worldly influences, and affections will still attack your senses, but you will not have a battle with the sin nature on your hands. So, “Stand fast therefore (by Faith in the Cross) in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free” (Gal 5:1).