Understanding human nature

“Now the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it,” (1 Cor. 2:14 NAB)

I heard about a young girl who had a pet pig. She had gotten it as a young piglet and it was very tiny and cute. She would give it baths. She added perfume. She put a ribbon around its neck and took it everywhere. As it grew it became much bigger and no longer cute. It had no manners. It ate everything very noisily with loud grunts. And when let outdoors, it wallowed in the dirt and mud. As hard as she tried she couldn’t stop it from acting like a pig. The problem was that It had a pig’s nature and just did what pigs naturally do. She was very unhappy that she couldn’t change him.

People are born with a sinful nature

Similar to the pet pig doing what’s natural to it, human beings do what’s natural to the sinful nature that they are born with. The verse at top calls this “the natural person” and everyone is born with this human condition and cannot understand spiritual things, which appear as  “foolishness” to them.

The apostle Paul says it this way

“I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.” (Rom. 7:19-20 NLT)

Jesus is the answer!

“Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom. 7:24-25 NLT)

“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” (Col. 3:10 NLT)

Therefore

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20 ESV)

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. (Rom. 8:1-2 NLT)