Romans 8:14-16
Man has a human nature and a spiritual nature. There are two beings which propagate their nature from the realm of the spirit – God and Satan. God created Satan as an angel but he got corrupted and also corrupted man. Satan then established his nature in man while the nature of God in man died but God had made the provision for redemption possible through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. For us as human beings, getting God’s nature gives us the opportunity to escape Satan’s nature which is the driving force for sin in our lives. We were designed to live supernaturally. There is no neutral point for any human being; you either have God’s nature or Satan’s nature. A change of status occurs when you get God’s nature in you. (John 3:3-6; 1 John 5:4) We refer to this change as the new birth or being born again and it is man’s greatest avenue for transformation. When we accept forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ, the nature of sin is destroyed from us and God’s nature comes into us. That’s why Jesus says we are born again, born anew or born from above (2Corinthians 5:17). This is our foundation.We were designed to be influenced from the spiritual realm; either positively or negatively (Job 32:8). When we are born anew, we inherit the nature of God and are raised to God’s dimension. When a human being gives birth, the child is already classified as a human being and not an animal. Same thing applies when God births a child, that child is not in the same class as other human beings but rather in the class of God. In John 10:30 – 31, Jesus said, “I am My Father are one” which prompted the Jews to want to stone Him because He referred to God as His Father. He then referred them to Psalm 82:5 where it was recorded that God had called human beings His sons. When you are born by God, you are born into God’s class.
You need to build your life on this God-nature. You need to explore the potentials and the capabilities of this new nature. Therefore, grow the nature of God in you into maturity through desiring the Word (1Peter 2:2). The need for spiritual growth is further emphasized in Galatians 4: 1-2. You cannot enjoy the benefits of your new status without maturity. There are some things you are praying for which you cannot get yet until you become more mature. God’s announcement after Jesus’ baptism at the River Jordan was a public declaration of Jesus becoming a Son. It signified a definite passage from training to maturity. Adoption in the Bible and in the Jewish culture is a public ceremony (bar mitzvah) during which the father presents his son publicly after he has properly trained him to the point where the son can make sound decisions just like the father. Discipline and ability to delay gratification are some of the signs of maturity (1 Corinthians 13: 11). The world is waiting for God’s mature sons in government, business, families and in all spheres (Romans 8: 18-19).
