Jesus did not debate whether the nature of man is genetic or learned, but one thing is sure, He clearly defined what conduct is acceptable before God and that which is not. For example, the natural instinctive response to getting punched in the face is to punch back. Yet Jesus said, Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also Luke 6:29. Did you catch that? Jesus knew the natural way of responding was to strike back but called us to a higher spiritual standard. In spite of the way God made man, Jesus commanded us to rise above to the divine standard of conduct. Our instinct is to seek revenge when wronged, yet Paul, Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord Rom 12:19. Christians are expected to act in a way differently than how God made us. You have laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him Col 3:9. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed (Greek: metamorphosis) by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is Rom 12:2. This is the age old battle between the desires of the flesh vs. the spirit. (Rom 7:19) Changing our human nature to conform to Gods divine standard is something all Christians struggle with. Christians arent sinless, they try to be sinless. Like a student that was congratulated on his effort in achieving a 60% grade, God is less interested in our overall performance and more interested in the effort we put forth to imitate God. Christians arent perfect, they are forgiven.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 11:28:18 +0000
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