The Destruction of the Carnal Nature in Sanctification

We have seen the entrance of the sin nature into the world and have taken note of its devastating effect and influence in the lives of all. Realizing that the nature is born in the heart of all and it always leads us into sin and wrong and that it will continue to cause us difficulty even in our Christian life so long as it continues to live in our hearts, it must be evident unto all that man’s nature must be changed before he can do the will of God as God wanted him to. That is exactly what takes place in sanctification—the change of the inner nature. One who is sanctified is a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). The old nature of sin is destroyed in the process of sanctification and the divine nature or likeness of God is reinstated in the heart. We read, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man [carnal nature or sin principle]…. And… put on the new man [divine nature], which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”* (Ephesians 4:22-24) Again we read, “Ye have put off the old man with his deeds [actual transgressions or committed sins] and have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”* (Colossians 3:9-10) (This is the image of God in which man was created and is now restored to him through sanctification.) The words of David, “He restoreth my soul,”* (Psalm 23:3) well sums up the glorious work of complete sanctification in restoring the soul to the image and likeness of God which was lost to all men by the transgression of our foreparents in Eden. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image [the image of God] from glory [the first glory of justification in sins forgiven] to glory [the second glory of sanctification in the sin principle being destroyed and the divine nature implanted in the heart], even as by the spirit of the Lord.”* (2 Corinthians 3:18) Note that all these texts set forth a change of condition and nature in the individual.

“And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees.”* (Matthew 3:10) Just before this statement, John the Baptist had been telling some to bring forth “fruits meet for repentance,”* (Matthew 3:5-9) etc. He then said, “And now also [signifying something in addition to repentance and the things connected with it] the ax is laid unto the root of the tree.” Up to the coming of Christ there was provision made according to the law for men to make certain sacrifices and their sins would be forgiven, but there was no power in these to reach the soul and effect any change there, so a remembrance of sins was made again every year (Hebrews 10:3). They had just been pruning off the branches, but the root which brought forth the fruit, the real origin of the trouble (“root of bitterness”* (Hebrews 12:15)—sin principle) was not effected by this and continued to produce the fruits of sin and bitterness in their lives, and sacrifices had to be made again and again in order for them to be forgiven. Jesus came, striking right directly at the root (the principle of sin in the heart). “That he might sanctify [cleanse the heart from the sin nature] the people with his own blood, he suffered without the gate.”* (Hebrews 13:12) One can go out and cut sprouts all day, but if the roots are left they just produce another crop of sprouts and it must soon be done all over again. But if the roots are destroyed, it will not come with another crop of sprouts. So it is with the sin principle. If we must continually sin and repent, sin and repent, it is just the producing of more sprouts. But, thanks be unto God, there is a better and more victorious life than that for the children of God. Jesus came into the world for the express purpose of destroying the root or sin principle out of men’s hearts and giving them a new heart and a new spirit, and putting His spirit in them to cause them to walk in His statutes and keep His judgments and do them (Ezekiel 36:25-27) so that not only are our sins forgiven, but the actual power of sin is destroyed out of the heart and life by the taking away of the carnal nature. Then “sin shall not have dominion over you [the power is broken]: for you are not under the law, but under grace.”* (Romans 6:14) Paul says, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified (put to death) with him, that the body of sin [sin nature] might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”* (Romans 6:6)

Jesus “gave himself for us that he might redeem us.”* (Titus 2:14) Now what does it mean to redeem a thing? Casually and generally we give the answer, “to buy back”; but when a thing is redeemed it is just as free from debt as it was before any debt was placed on it. Were you to borrow $500.00 on your home and give a mortgage to cover the amount, you could not have that mortgage released when you had only paid $450.00 or even $475.00; but the full $500.00 must be paid and the property just as free from debt as before the mortgage was placed on it. That is what it means to redeem. Paul said, “I am carnal, sold under sin.”* (Romans 7:14) Why was he “sold under sin”? His own answer was because “I am carnal.” In other words, he possessed from infancy and by inheritance a carnal nature which gave the devil an advantage and a mortgage on his soul. For this same reason the devil has a mortgage on every soul. The sin nature gives him that advantage. Then to merely forgive one’s sins, which is the fruit if this root, would not be full redemption, for the carnality that sold us under sin and placed us under mortgage to the devil is still in the heart. The good news that I bring to you is that Christ paid the full debt and fully redeems the souls of His people and so completely destroys the sin nature and restores the nature of God to the soul by His sanctifying grace that man is just as free from sin, not only in practice, but also in nature as he was when God first made him in His own image. That is complete redemption.

But, some question, if the carnal nature is actually removed, how could it ever get back into one’s heart again? They reason that it is not destroyed but merely subdued. The carnal nature is not destroyed out of the world, but only out of those hearts that are yielded to God. That principle still accompanies sin in every form and in every place it is found, and if one yields to sin again after they have been delivered from it, they admit that principle right back into their heart.