Where did your divine nature come from?
Believers, throughout Scripture, are described as having two distinct natures: one rooted in the legacy of human fallenness (“the old self” or “the flesh”) and the other flowing from a transformative, Spirit-empowered renewal (“the new self” or “the Spirit”).
The first problem that comes up with this question is one of semantics. For example, many prefer "sin nature," others prefer "sinful nature," and still others prefer the ambiguous "flesh."
Whatever the specific names used for the warring parties, what is relevant is that an ongoing battle rages within the Christian.
These two natures form a central aspect of Christian teaching on sanctification, directly informing how one relates to God, the world, and oneself. This topic appears most clearly in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul, though it is foreshadowed in the Hebrew Scriptures as well.
The concept of the "Divine Nature" is central to Christian theology and is rooted in the understanding of God's inherent characteristics and essence.
The term is often used to describe the attributes and qualities that are intrinsic to God, distinguishing Him from His creation.
This theme explores the internal struggle between the sinful nature, often referred to as the "flesh," and the new nature given to believers through the Holy Spirit. This conflict is a central aspect of Christian sanctification and spiritual growth.
Biblical Foundations
The tension between the old nature and the new nature is evident in multiple passages:
• Romans 7:15-17: “I do not understand what I do. For I do not practice what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate… So it is no longer I who do it, but sin living in me.”
• Ephesians 4:22-24: “You were taught…to put off your former way of life, your old self…to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
• Galatians 5:16-17: “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.”
In each passage, Scripture carefully distinguishes between the believer’s old nature, governed by sin, and the new nature, which is animated and guided by the Holy Spirit.
The Old Nature.
The believer, on the other hand, has the capacity for godliness because the Spirit of God lives within him or her. He still has the capacity for sin as well, but he now has the ability to resist sin and, more importantly, the desire to resist and to live godly. When Christ was crucified, the old man was crucified with Him, resulting in the Christian’s no longer being a slave to sin (Romans 6:6).
We “have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:18).
At the moment of conversion, the Christian receives a new nature. It is instantaneous. Sanctification, on the other hand, is the process by which God develops our new nature, enabling us to grow into more holiness through time.
This is a continuous process with many victories and defeats as the new nature battles with the “tent” in which it resides—the old man, old nature, flesh.
The lesson that follows is a biblical guide on how to have victory over sin in your life).
Origins in the Fall
The old nature stems from humanity’s break with God in Genesis.
In Romans 7, Paul explains the battle that rages continually in even the most spiritually mature people. He laments that he does what he doesn’t want to do and, in fact, does the evil he detests.
He says that is the result of “sin living in me” (Romans 7:20). He delights in God’s law according to his “inner being,” but he sees another law at work in “the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members” (v. 23).
Here is the classic example of the two entities, whatever terms they may carry. The point is that the battle is real, and it is one Christians will wage throughout their lives.
According to Genesis 3, humanity fell under the power of sin through Adam and Eve’s disobedience.
Romans 5:12 underscores how sin and death entered the world through one man’s trespass, thus affecting all subsequent generations.
This is why believers are encouraged to put to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13), to put to death that which makes a Christian sin (Colossians 3:5), and to put aside other sins such as anger, wrath, malice, etc.
(Colossians 3:8). All this to say that the Christian has two natures—the old and the new—but the new nature needs continual renewing (Colossians 3:10).
This renewing, of course, is a lifetime process for the Christian. Even though the battle against sin is constant, we are no longer under the control of sin (Romans 6:6).
The believer is truly a “new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and it is Christ who will ultimately “rescue [us] from this body of death. Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24–25).
Characteristics of the Old Nature
This nature is marked by self-centeredness, pride, and the inclination to violate God’s commands. Galatians 5:19-21 lists representative “works of the flesh,” including impurity, strife, and envy.
It is a spiritually “dead” nature, incapable of genuine righteousness before God ( Ephesians 2:1).
Perpetual Inclination Toward Sin
The old nature remains present even after one believes, seeking to pull the believer toward sinful habits.
Paul’s personal struggle in Romans 7 testifies that this battle continues as long as we inhabit mortal bodies.
It is not eradicated but subjected to the redeeming work of Christ and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture speaks of a radical spiritual transformation that happens at the moment of salvation. Under the old covenant, a new heart was promised (Ezekiel 36:26).
This promise finds its fulfillment in the new covenant, wherein a believer is “born again” (John 3:3) and becomes “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The Dead Sea Scrolls verify the Messianic hope of transformation and redemption, echoing what the New Testament describes in fuller detail.
Powered by the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit indwells the believer, enabling moral and spiritual growth. He convicts (John 16:8), guides into truth (John 16:13), and imparts spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12).
This new nature is inherently oriented toward God, seeking to please Him through holiness, prayer, service, and love.
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