What does it mean to be true to your nature? It means your way of life is very consistent with what you are—a sinner! Did you think you are a sinner because you sin? No! It’s the other way around; you sin because you are a sinner. You inherited a sinful nature from your first ancestors, Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve sinned against God by disobeying Him. In the middle of the garden, He placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He gave them instructions not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil but they were deceived into thinking they could become like God if they ate from it. The deceiver was Satan! What a tragedy! We all became sinners by inheriting Adam and Eve’s sinful nature (see Romans 3:23).
So, what is sin and why is it such a big deal? Sin is the transgressions (breaking) of God’s law. Any time we do things contrary to God’s law, we’ve sinned, making us slaves to sin (see John 8:34). The big deal is that God is holy and cannot co-exist with sin. Adam and Eve disobeying God and passing on that sin enable us to differentiate between good and evil. God could have stopped it but allows us to continue in knowing and choosing good from evil. However, we quite often choose to do evil because of our sinful nature, just like Adam and Eve.
The mystery is, as sinful as we are, God still loves us. He wants us to be His children forever, but that’s impossible as long as we continue to live in sin. The only way we can become part of His family is if we’re set free from the sin that has enslaved us.
Satan’s agenda is the exact opposite of God’s, so when we live contrary to what God wants, we are obeying Satan, which then makes him our father. Once, in a discourse with the Israelites about who their father really was, Jesus said to them, “If God Were Your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from him. … For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and a father of lies” (John 8:42-44).
Would you like to be free from your sinful nature and become a child of God? I hope you would because that’s the only way to stop being a child of the devil; the only way you can begin to happily obey God and enjoy a Father and child relationship with Him, and sibling relationship with the rest of the family of God. When you become a child of God, He moves you from the devil’s camp into His camp, from darkness into light. The change is amazing when you experience it! The joy and peace you’ll experience will be tremendous, and you’ll wonder why it took so long to know this truth. For instance, you will know that you are forgiven of your sins, no matter how big or small, and that they’ll never be held against you. And that’s just the beginning of great things to come.
So, are you ready? Would you like to call God your Father? If so, here’s what you need to do: admit to God that you are a sinner, repent of your sins (be sorry and denounce them), and ask for forgiveness in Jesus' name. He will forgive you and adopt you into His family, with no questions asked. That’s what He has been wanting to do for you all these years. The Scripture says, “There is joy in heaven in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Are you going to be the next penitent sinner heaven rejoices over? I hope so. Although it is your decision, I encourage you to do this today; tomorrow could be too late!
Did you do it? Congratulations and welcome to the family of God! You are going to love this new life in Jesus! For starters, you are now a new person: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Because Christ has taken away your sins and clothed you with His righteousness, God sees you as someone who has never sinned; you are clothed with Jesus’ righteousness! Your allegiance has moved away from Satan to God.
Jesus' encouragement to you is, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). The only way to know His teaching is to become a diligent student of His Word, the Bible, and stay in fellowship with other believers. This will help you grow in your relationship with God. You also need to be prayerful, communicating with Him for guidance, strength, courage, and whatever else you need from Him. He is faithful and never goes back on His Word. Also know that Jesus prays for God’s children and therefore, He will be praying for you, too. And at the right time, He will bring you to heaven, where you will live with Him forever. There will be no more pain, fear, tears, or death.
If you didn’t take that step, I wonder what you are waiting for. If it’s because you’re not yet convinced, here’s something that might help. When you purchase something that doesn’t meet your expectations, you are allowed to return it for a refund, right? Well, you can do the same thing with God; He invites you to put Him to a test: “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17). Also, the psalmist invites you to: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (Psalms 34:8).
If you are still uninterested in life with God, that means that you are content with your sinful life and that you would have no problem facing God’s wrath and judgment for it. I hope you understand that God’s judgment will keep you separated from God after death, which will mean you’ve elected to go to hell after you die. Once you die you have run out of time; you cannot change your mind about your eternal destination. Sadly, it will be a done deal! If you are sure that’s what you really want, then there’s not a whole lot more to say. God will not force His love on you. But if you change your mind, which I hope you do, you know what to do! Until you accept God’s way, you will continue to be true to your nature.
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