The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum If God changes our hearts

so that we have faith in Christ, why doesn't He change our natures so that we'll stop sinning? We don't know the answer to that, do we?

He does better than that! By making the transformation a process rather than an event, we are able to watch the transformation take place, from glory to glory. It's especially delightful to watch it take place in the life of a loved one.

Also:

He uses the "foolishness" of the gospel to shame the wisdom of men; weakness to nullify the strong; and humility to break the back of pride (see 1st Corinthians 1:18-2:16). We remain in the world and subject to the planetary curse, groaning as we wait eagerly for the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23) from this weakness - yet all the while God is using that weakness and our longing for Him to bring many others to Himself, to multiply judgement against the wicked, and to demonstrate His mercy and power and justice to the whole creation.

Our suffering is temporary - barely a vapor - but what power it has upon others! Yes, God could snap His fingers and completely sanctify us in an instant. But using frail, weak mortal children to shame and to nullify the principalities and powers of darkness is so much more to His glory!

It's like the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. Sure, God could have prevented them from being betrayed, captured, bound, and tossed into a fiery furnace! But how much more incredibly awesome, how much more effective a demonstration of His power and love for His own, to accompany them through the ordeal so that they could emerge without even the smell of smoke in their clothing! Three children survived the worst that could be thrown at them. A tyrant was humbled by the obedience of three slave kids!

Sure beats just snapping His fingers. Our battle with sin and its damage is the same way.

He has, in one sense as he has already clothed us in the righteousness of Christ, and yet while we are in this body we must learn the obedience of faith.

We see that throughout the scriptures and most poignantly in Paul's declaration in Romans 7:21-25 "So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. and again in 2 Corinthians 5:2 "For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling"

Christ himself had to learn obedience so we should expect no less in our own lives. In fact God promises to sanctify his elect.

I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people;' And each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.'" Zechariah 13.9
and
Malachi 3:3 "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

Refined Like Silver

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy—when I see my image in it"

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Amen Robin,
Look at Psalm 51:12,13. That's exactly what David's prayer is all about. He is longing for God to restore the joy of his salvation so that he can teach transgressors. After giving in to sin we should be like David, having a broken and contrite heart, longing for the fellowship with our heavenly father to be restored.

I appreciate all the feedback!

Lynda,

In matters like this I go back to the Canons of Dordt. Exactly why God does not change our nature immediately so that we don't sin, the confession does not say. But it does address it in some way. Here are the first three articles of the Fifth Head of the Doctrine:


I don't know if you are familiar with the Canons of Dordt. You can find it here
on the Highway. It really is worth reading and studying.

Johan

Lynda,

This is a really good question, one which I am sure many a saint has asked or pondered in their hearts. As the others have rightly responded, there is no definitive answer to this question for it belongs to the "secret things" of God, (Deut 29:29).

However, here is something which perhaps you might also give some prayerful thought. Our God could have kept Adam from sinning and thus plunging the entire human race into depravity. Instead, He ordained the Fall and the entire creation now groans and is "waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." (Rom 8:23) All these things we do know have a certain purpose; to glorify God. In this fallen condition, men are thus exposed to God's love, mercy and grace as well as His inexorable holiness, wrath and justice, which perhaps without sin we would have never known, at least to the extent to which it is now revealed to us in the Lord Jesus Christ.

More so, we are made to learn obedience unto perfection as did our Lord, (Heb 5:8, 9). I have taken to heart what the Puritans used to teach, i.e., "In justification we are qualified for heaven. In sanctification we are made ready for heaven. This is aptly summarized in Paul's words:

Yes, we are now being conformed to be like our precious Savior, being partakers of His divine nature. (2Pet 1:4)

And lastly, Peter has these revealing words of truth and encouragement:

In His grace,

I was just wondering, if God changed our nature so as to stop sinning when we come to faith, what about the children born from Christian parents?

Johan

Johan,

God does not change our nature to stop sinning altogether - we still have the remnant of the old man within us until we die (or meet the Lord on His return). Rather, God changes our nature so that we are no longer at enmity with Him, but begin to trust & obey Him.

Children born of believing parents are conceived in sin no less than anyone else, correct? They are in need of regeneration as well. The Spirit can bring about regeneration at any time in the life of the elect - including in the womb, if that be God's will. But we cannot presume that every child born of believing parents is regenerate.

Kyle,

My question was more hypothetical than anything else. I sort of took Lynda's question one step further: If it was so that God changed our nature to stop sinning when we come to faith, what about the nature of children born from Christian parents? Will it mean that the children will be without sin? Indeed what you say is correct.

Johan

Johan,

Thanks for clarifying. Somehow I missed your earlier post quoting Dordt.

Johan,

This question involves the doctrine of "Original Sin" and its imputation, i.e., the imputation of Adam's sin. The biblical source for the answer to your question and this question of the imputation of Adam's sin is found most succinctly in Paul's statements found in Romans 5:12-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22.

I believe the answer to your question is: "ALL children, regardless of their heritage are born under the wrath of God and His just judgment due to the fact that they are guilty in Adam and constituted sinners due to their relationship to him." One of the most observable truths of these facts is that all men die. Death is the consequence of sin, thus all are born sinners as individuals and not because their parents were sinners, although the corruption of nature is inherited by natural generation from which they commit actual and personal sins. But the imputation of Adam's sin, as he was the Federal Head of the human race as constituted by God's government is a separate, although relational, issue. And from this imputation comes both the guilt and penalty of that sin upon all as individuals.

Theologically and historically, this is the view of the vast majority and is known as "Representative and Immediate" imputation.

You could do no better than to read John Murray's classic work, The Imputation of Adam's Sin. I do not know who currently publishes this little book. My copy is quite old (1959) and was published by Eerdmans Publishing in Grand Rapids, MI. If my memory serves me well, which it unfortunately doesn't at times, P&R Publishing (Presbyterian & Reformed) might have picked this up and reprinted it some time back.

Does that help?

Comments? (open to everyone of course )

Pilgrim,

Indeed it does. Thanks!!!

Johan

I would recommend "Chosen by God", written by R.C.Sproul.He dedicates an entire chapter to "original sin " and the fact that Adam was the perfect representative of us all.He works through the obvious question of "why didn't I get to choose my own representative?".