When God created man in his own image, he first created his fleshly body and then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
So every man has a two fold nature, a God created, temporal body of flesh and a God breathed life or eternal spirit. Jesus also had a two fold nature, a physical, flesh and blood body, born of a physical, flesh and blood mother and a spirit, the Spirit of Christ which was God's presence in that human body. Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man with those two natures. His body hungered, thirsted, tired and was tempted in all the ways we are, yet he sinned not. His physical body felt all the human infirmities we feel but his Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ in him, resisted them, and he never sinned. "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Heb. 4:15. His body felt all the human infirmities we feel but, his Holy Spirit resisted all those fleshly temptations.
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Phil.2:5-8. As God, he could not have died without a human body.
Jesus explained the two fold nature of man to Nicodemus in their discussion about being born again. There is a fleshly "water" birth (formed in the mother's amniotic sack of water and then born when the mother's water breaks. The baby's body is, at that time, 78 to 84% water). A person must, of course, be physically born before they can be spiritually born.
"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." John 3:5-6.
"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." John 3:5-6.
Jesus Christ condemned and conquered sin for us, which we could never conquer on our own because of the weakness of our sinful flesh. We inherited our flesh from our parents, back to Adam and Eve, our original parents, whose sin was disobedience to God. Since then, all flesh is weak and sinful, except that of Jesus. The Spirit of Christ was God living in the flesh of Mary's baby, Jesus.
"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." Rom.8:3.
"Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom.5:12.
"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." Ecc. 7:20
Jesus put it this way... "....there is none good but one, that is, God...." Matt.19:17
Therefore, one must understand the two fold nature of man in order to understand the words of Jesus in 1 John 3:9
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." 1 John 3:9.
So what part of you, the "born again Christian", is it which is born of God? Is it your outer, mortal flesh, which is tempted, carnal, gets sick, stinks and dies, then rots in the grave until it is resurrected and glorified, that is born of God? Or is it your inner, God breathed, eternal spirit, as opposed to the outer dying fleshly man, who is born again? Jesus said that part of you which is born of God "doth not commit sin". DOES NOT COMMIT SIN". He didn't say that which is born of God "should not sin" or "must not sin", he says it "CANNOT SIN" because it is born of God. "for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin because he is born of God."
It is not our messy flesh which is born of God but your eternal spirit.
This is exactly what Christ's Apostle, Paul, was confessing and teaching in Romans 7:14-25. So reread these verses in light of the two fold nature of man.
If you do not understand the two fold nature of man, you will never understand verses like Heb.6:4-6. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." "If" is used here in the same probing sense as Paul used it in 1 Cor. 15:13-32..."...If the dead rise not...." It is a conjunction of condition such as, "If God is real, judgment is certain."
Therefore, one must understand the two fold nature of man in order to understand the words of Jesus in 1 John 3:9
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." 1 John 3:9.
So what part of you, the "born again Christian", is it which is born of God? Is it your outer, mortal flesh, which is tempted, carnal, gets sick, stinks and dies, then rots in the grave until it is resurrected and glorified, that is born of God? Or is it your inner, God breathed, eternal spirit, as opposed to the outer dying fleshly man, who is born again? Jesus said that part of you which is born of God "doth not commit sin". DOES NOT COMMIT SIN". He didn't say that which is born of God "should not sin" or "must not sin", he says it "CANNOT SIN" because it is born of God. "for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin because he is born of God."
It is not our messy flesh which is born of God but your eternal spirit.
This is exactly what Christ's Apostle, Paul, was confessing and teaching in Romans 7:14-25. So reread these verses in light of the two fold nature of man.
If you do not understand the two fold nature of man, you will never understand verses like Heb.6:4-6. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." "If" is used here in the same probing sense as Paul used it in 1 Cor. 15:13-32..."...If the dead rise not...." It is a conjunction of condition such as, "If God is real, judgment is certain."
"If" it were possible that you could be saved and lose it, you could never again be saved because Jesus would have to die again for you.
Romans 7:14-15
14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
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