In our study of Mark last time we left off in Mark 7:23; where Jesus explained to his disciples that a person is defiled by what comes out of their thinking not from what they eat or weather the hands are washed before eating.
The principle He was teaching was that it is the old sin nature, not food or sanitation, that is the issue in life. Our relationship with God as believers is what we do about the old sin nature, that means confession of sins, rather than washing our hands. In other words, it is better to be clean inwardly than to have clean hands.
The Pharisees had very clean hands but dirty minds. Jesus is saying that it is better to have a clean mind and dirty hands than to have clean hands and a dirty mind.
This brings us to the doctrine of the old sin nature, the true source of defilement. Biblical documentation of the sin nature is found in Rom 5:12. "Therefore, just as through one man (Adam), sin (the sin nature) entered into the world, and (spiritual) death through (the) sin (nature), so (spiritual) death spread to the entire human race because all sinned (when Adam sinned)."
The characteristics of spiritual death include: The status quo of dichotomy in the human race, that means having a body and soul at birth, but no human spirit. Without a human spirit it is impossible to have a relationship with God, 1Cor 2:13.
This lack of relation ship with God is called total depravity that is manifested by moral or immoral degeneracy, depending upon the trend that is functioning in one's sin nature at the time.
If a believer's fragmentation that results from becoming arrogant and staying that way is perpetuated, the believer becomes morally or immorally degenerate.
The natural human being is totally separated from God and from God's point of view is completely helpless and therefore unable to perform any work, sacrifice, or any change of life that can enable a relationship with God.
The only way anyone can enter into a relationship with God is to accept God's work on our behalf that means we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else is sufficient. John 3:16; Rom 5:8;
The old sin nature has and area of weakness that produces personal sins that results in the production of evil in the form of moral or immoral degeneration, Heb 12:1b;
It has an area of strength that produces human good, that results in moral degeneracy, Isa 64:6b; Rom 8:8; and a. a lust pattern that motivates sin and evil, lasciviousness and asceticism, moral and immoral degeneration, Rom 7:7; Eph 2:3.
The old sin nature became Adam's trend after the fall. The moment that Adam sinned, He simultaneously had a new trend and he had spiritual death in human life.
His new trend was toward sin, producing personal sin in three categories: mental, verbal and overt. The trend was also toward good and evil that becomes the satanic policy for the implementation of the pseudo-millennium that he is trying to create.
The trend toward good and evil is still an issue. Because of the judicial imputation of all personal sins to Christ on the cross, sin is no longer an issue except to be named or cited for forgiveness.
When Adam chose the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he chose satan's policy, thereby submitting to satan and making him the ruler of the world.
The fall of man resulted in numerous changes. Satan became the ruler of this world. The old sin nature became the ruler of man's body. Mankind became spiritually dead, and therefore under the condemnation of the justice of God.
Because of these changes the justice of God instead of the love of God became the new point of reference for mankind.
In the fall, Adam took a perfect soul and used his negative volition to revolt against perfect divine authority thereby creating the old sin nature. Adam's volition was a perfect instrument. But since he was free, he could use it to reject perfect divine authority.
Every naturally born person is born in this same situation. Rom 5:12;
While the soul is not occupied by the old sin nature, the soul becomes the battlefield where the old sin nature attacks and is often tactically successful.
The influence of the old sin nature on the soul is seen in mental attitude sins and motivations of the thinking. The condition and status of the body often affect how you think. There is no question that the body affects the soul and the mentality, just as the soul affects the body This is interaction is called psychosomatics.
The phenomenon of the immaterial influencing the material and the material influencing the immaterial is noted in the "heart" passages of Jer 17:9; Matt 12:34-35; Matt 15:19; and our passage in Mark 7:21-23. In all cases the word translated "heart" refers to the thinking.
In the Bible the OSN is often referred to with the singular of the Greek word "hamartia" translated sin, as in Rom 5:12, Rom 7:14; 1Cor 15:56; and 1John 1:8;
The Greek word "hamartia" in the singular can also refer to Adam's original sin, the OSN usually with the generic use of the definite article and the principle of personal sin.
Rom 5:12; "Therefore, just as through one man (Adam), sin (the sin nature) entered into the world, and (spiritual) death through sin (the sin nature), so (spiritual) death spread to the entire human race because all sinned (when Adam sinned)."
Rom 7:14; "Certainly, we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of (belonging to the realm of) the flesh (sin nature), sold in bondage to sin (sin nature)."
The plural use of "hamartia" generally refers to personal sins. John 8:24;
Another word that is often used to refer to the OSN is "flesh" translated from the Greek word "sarxz" Mankind is sold into bondage at physical birth, when Adam's original sin is imputed to the genetically formed old sin nature.
The Greek word "sarxz" means "flesh," emphasizing that the old sin nature resides in the cell structure of the body. Because the sin nature is related to the biological life, it is called "the flesh".
Gal 5:16; "But I say, walk by means of the Spirit and you will not execute the lusts of the flesh (OSN)." Eph 2:3; 1John 2:16; Rom 6:6; and Rom 7:14; also correlate the flesh (sarxz), the body ( soma") or the lust of the flesh (sarxz) with the OSN.
"The old man "translated from "palaios anthropos" emphasizes the origin of the old sin nature as Adam's original sin that has been propagated through time in Adam's seed by the twenty-three male chromosomes that fertilize the female ovum to form biological life.
Eph 4:22; "With reference to your former lifestyle (self- fragmentation through post-salvation sinning), you yourselves lay aside (through judging yourself and acknowledgment of sins) the old man ( the old sin nature that is the source of the sins), you who are becoming corrupted on the basis of the lusts of deceit."
"You who are becoming corrupted" refers to being corrupted in polarized fragmentation from the trends of the sin nature. The "lusts of deceit" include power lust, monetary lust, approbation lust, sexual lust, chemical lust, and the emotional lusts of fear, worry, anxiety, jealousy, envy and anger.
Another word that is use for the OSN is the Greek word "sarkinos" that is translated "carnal" or "fleshly" means "fleshly," "of the flesh," or "belonging to the flesh." This refers to the believer under the control of the old sin nature and therefore out of fellowship with God through personal sins and the conduct of life in satan's cosmic system.
Rom 7:14; "Certainly, we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of (belonging to the realm of) the flesh (sin nature), sold in bondage to sin (the old sin nature)."
1Cor 3:1-3; "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual persons (believers functioning in God's' power system), but as to belonging to the sin nature (believers controlled by the OSN), as to babies in Christ (childish believers).
v2 I gave you milk, and not solid food (advanced doctrine), for you were not able to receive it;
v3 in fact, you are still not able because you are still belonging to the sin nature. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not belonging to the sin nature, and keep walking in conformity with men?"