Man's Problem

"SELF", and ... (A) "SIN" (nature)

Paul and others who wrote the epistles in the new testament frequently used the term "sin". This is a noun, and does not refer to specific acts of sin, but rather the principle of sin, or rather, the sin nature, the.... evil nature. This evil nature operates according to exaltation of ... "SELF" over the exaltation of GOD: SELF-ISH-ness, SELF-RIGHTEOUS-ness, SELF-CENTERED-ness, etc., etc. The sin nature began in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve when they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Gen. 2:15-17; 3:1-8), of which God told them plainly NOT to eat, or they would "die" (spiritually foremost, but also physically). What occurred thereafter was that the very nature of satan himself entered Adam and Eve. This nature is essentially a corruption (or perversion) of the "Divine" nature which is GOD"S, and which was originally given to Adam and Eve. The tree they ate from itself gives some clues as to the characteristics of the sin nature. Notice how that it was a tree both of the knowledge of good and evil. This is the truly deceptive aspect of the sin nature: A person can be doing good, all the "right things", and yet these things can still be considered as "evil" in the sight of God, when they are done with the wrong MOTIVE (example: an attempt to prove one's own righteousness). Another good example of this was demonstrated by one of Adam and Eve's sons (Cain), when he gave God an offering (see Gen. 4:3-8): The offering itself was good (There is nothing inherently evil about the "fruit of the ground", and most likely he worked very hard to till the ground, harvest the vegetables, fruit, etc.), but yet this offering was given in self-will, in disobedience to GOD'S PRESCRIBED OFFERING, which was a BLOOD SACRIFICE. You see.... God looks at the HEART (see 1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Chron. 28:9; Prov. 21:2; Jer. 17:10; Matt. 9:4; Rev. 2:23), and only that which is done with pure motives out of love and obedience to His Way will be accepted by Him!
Every natural person who is not "born again" (see John 3:3-8), by default position, has the sin nature from birth, because it has been passed down from generation to generation directly through Adam's impure blood-line down through the centuries. This type of person, "of the flesh", is essentially dominated by the sin nature; It is a very part of who he IS, a part of his very being. The sin nature manifests itself as "the worksof the flesh": "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like..." -(Gal. 5:19-21). It is the cause of all the wars, bloodshed, and basically all of the terrible problems facing mankind.
Most people misdiagnose the sin nature, thinking errant behavior to be the result of other things: psychological problems, bad upbringing from parents, etc., and therefore attempt to treat the errant behavior by methods that do not work. Neither can they work, for this is a supernatural spiritual problem which cannot be "fixed" through man's natural devices of the flesh!

Here are just a few examples from the Bible on the sin nature (there are many more!). For one to say "There is no sin nature" blatantly is ignorant or else disregards what the Bible plainly tells us! Also notice, for the following scripture from 1 John, that this is written to Christians (not the unsaved).

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" -(Rom. 5:12)

"God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" -(Rom. 6:2)

"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. -(Rom. 6:14)

"But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead." -(Rom. 7: 8)

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." -(1 Jhn. 1:8)