BLACK DOG / WHITE DOG - the DUAL NATURES DEBATE

The odds are very good that most Christians have sat through a sermon or two on this hot button topic, and perhaps have even been actively in debate with friends and family over it. Regardless of what your current opinion may be on the dual or 'warring' natures debate, (or the lack thereof), you are going to want to read on!

My hope is that this will awaken in you a greater hunger to discover more of God's amazing promises to us, His kids - and not only that - to then also experience greater revelation of His love for us and our true identity as new creation sons and daughters in Jesus Christ.

First, to help lay the foundation for today's message, here is a brief explanation of the dual natures concept- or theological principle.

The black dog represents humanity's sinful nature, or the 'old man' as described by the Apostle Paul. The white dog is analogous of the new nature that all believers receive when we are born again into Jesus Christ. Our nature is descriptive of who we really are deep down. It could be said it's the invisible and foundational essence of our being.

The dual nature teaching, in general, goes something like this:

We Christians have a black dog and a white dog in us, and whichever one we feed more will grow more and have dominance in us. The idea is that once we are born again, we still have sin in us (the black dog), but now we also have a like nature to Jesus in us through Holy Spirit (the white dog) to help us manage and control our sinful natures.

One of the main foundations or proofs for this way of thinking and the subsequent teachings that have sprung out of it, is found in Romans 7:14-24:

'We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?'

If you read these verses by themselves they do sound compelling, and seem to prove the dual nature theological principle.

It would appear that the Apostle Paul is describing his current Christian experience - one that, even though he has a spirit wanting to serve God, he still finds sin alive in himself causing him to do what he doesn't want to do: 'making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me'- Romans 7:23

When this scripture is taken alone and far out of context - removed from it's surroundings so to speak - it is held up as a sure proof that our sin nature can still be alive in us and our only full freedom from the power of sin will happen when we die and go to heaven.

It is my firm conviction that this is absolutely not proper interpretation of God's word - and therefore a perversion, (a wrong version). I am personally familiar with this theology as I was brought up in this very teaching in my early Christian walk, believing that I was still under a law of sin at work in my members, and that try as I might I was always going to be a 'sinner saved by grace'.

Beloved, I tell you from a heart of love and compassion that living under the sway and identity of sin does not have to be your reality ever again.

Jesus came to set free the captives AND prisoners - His atoning blood sacrifice was enough:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound"- Isaiah 61:1

"Where the Spirit is Lord, there is freedom" - 2 Corinthians 3:17

"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." - 1 John 1:7

To obtain the full measure of revelation and truth that God has purposed for us, we must stay faithful and focused on the word of God alone.

Scripture must interpret scripture.

One of my absolute favorite quotes on this subject comes from Dann Farrelly, one of the senior leaders of Bethel Church and one of the head instructors for BSSM, (the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry):

"As believers we are all Bible interpreters, the question is, will we be any good at it?!"

In order to bring light and clarity to this debate, I first will simply place the section of Romans 7:14-24 back in the middle of the full chapter and letter where it belongs, and view it in context of what God through Paul actually said. Romans has 16 total chapters, but Paul did not write Romans with these chapter breaks, they were added later. He wrote it as one continuous letter. [I encourage you to grab your Bible and have it ready to reference as we continue on together].

So first, let me show you what is in the beginning of Romans 7-

1. Paul starts by using marriage as an example of the dominion of the law. A woman is legally bound to her husband while he's alive, so if she marries another, it is considered adultery. But when her husband dies, she is set free from that law and can now be married to another man without it being sin. Paul follows this analogy with this verse in Romans 7:4- 'Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.'

2. Next, as you study Romans 7:7-13 you will notice that all the language Paul uses is in the past tense: 'I would not have known what sin was ... produced in me ... once I was alive apart from the law ...' Paul is speaking of his previous condition prior to being born-again.

Therefore, reading Romans 7:14-24 in light of verses 1-13 will help us see that Paul's description of slavery to sin is a pre-salvation condition.

But wait, there's so much more!

Now we'll back up a chapter and look at Romans 6, where we will find some of the most enlighening, invigorating and extraordinary verses in the entire Bible regarding our new creation and new nature experience in Jesus. These verses should not just be regarded as 'gospel truth' but as gospel 'PROMISES'. In other words, because God said it, and He is always faithful and true, that means it can and will happen. Period, end of story.

• 'What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?'- Romans 6:1-2

• '...knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin' - Romans 6:6-7

• 'Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.' - Romans 6:11

• 'Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.' - Romans 6:12

• 'For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.' - Romans 6:14

• 'And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness' - Romans 6:18

• 'But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.' - Romans 6:22

Nine times we are specifically told that we are free from sin - dead to sin and alive unto God. WOW, praise Jesus!

Since Romans 6 comes right before Romans 7, we can know with certainty that God wants us to read chapter 7 in light of the revelation discovered in chapter 6.

The revelation that when we are born-again, we are set free from sin completely. We are no longer bound and chained to serve the law of sin.

The beautiful truth of dying to sin and coming alive to God in Jesus Christ is brought to light elsewhere in scripture - and in it we can have witness that it's not a both/and co-existing reality of sin and new life together, but an all-powerful completely freeeing promise of new life once and for all.

Let's look together at some more revelatory verses starting with Colossians 3:3-7;

'For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,  in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.'

Note that it says put to death your members, (describing our former nature) - it doesn't say manage, it doesn't say mitigate or control.

You can see these same truths in Ephesians 2, where Paul is writing to a church of faithful believers and briefly describes their former condition as pre-Christians and then God's perfect and complete response to all who are lost;

'And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—  among whom we all once lived- in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved...'

Now with all of this in mind, let's go back to finish our interpreretation of the Romans passages. If you have your Bible handy, turn to the end of Romans 7 and the beginning of Romans 8.

In Romans 7:24 Paul asks this question; "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"

He then answers his own question in the next verse; "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Jesus is the answer, of course!

The last verse of the chapter then follows; "So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin."

This one statement could trip us up if, in error, we again pull it out of it's context and use it as a 'one-liner' proof of principle.

Romans 8:1-4 comes right after Romans 7:25. Remember, Paul didn't write the letter with the chapter breaks, so to pull out one chapter by itself is to risk missing a whole lot of significant meaning - and what's more, to pull meaning from the text that God didn't put there.

Look at Romans 7:25 with Romans 8:1-4 properly following it;

"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. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.  For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,  in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

The conclusion of Romans 7 is actually found in Romans 8! How do we know this? Whenever you see a therefore, you should ask yourself ' what is it there for?'.

The 'therefore' in Romans 8 means you are to connect it to the previous verse(s) and train of thought, and look at the one in reference to the other.

Brothers and Sisters, this is the moment you can take hold of a crucial reality that will bring complete freedom to you and Glory to Father God!

This really happened-

God sent Jesus Christ, His Son, to become the likeness of sin in the flesh for all of us - to live the perfect life we could never live and then atone for ALL sin past, present and future. God released JUSTICE through His Son Jesus, so that He could release MERCY to ALL of humanity. It is finished. The blood of Jesus was enough.

I tell you there's yet so much more I could share with you - however, I'm going to land the plane in the next few paragraphs, beginning with several key verses from the book of 1 John. I hope they mess you up in a really good way. In fact, I pray right now that the eyes of your hearts would be enlightened, that you would know the hope to which He has called you - and know the riches of His glorious inheritance for all believers, in the majesty of His complete redemptive work at the cross of Calvary. In Jesus name.

"Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.  And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.  Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him." - 1 John 3:4-6

Interestingly, right after these ultra profound statements, the author John writes this;

"Little children, let no one deceive you" - 1 John 3:7.

It's as though he wants to not only emphasize how important these truths are, but also to make the readers hyper aware of the fact that there will be deceptions coming against these particular truths.

Look at what John then says next in 1 John 3: 8-9;

"He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.  Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God."

John basically repeats what he just said in verses 4-6.

There is clearly an emphasis put on these statements.

We can summarize the verses like this:

• Sin is lawlessness and it's of the devil.

• Jesus, the Son of God, was manifested to destroy the works of the devil and to take away our sin.

• In Jesus there is no sin; and therefore anyone born of God, abiding in Jesus as a child of God, does not sin.

I understand that what is being revealed to us in these verses sounds impossible. However I would tell you that we cannot allow our human experience, our human emotions nor our human limitations to be the measure for the length, breadth, height and depth of the God-breathed promises in the scriptures.

Jesus really is that good - and He really does love us that much - and He is exactly who He says He is.

I leave you with this last bit of fresh bread from the letter of Paul to the church at Colossae;

"And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight"—Colossians 1:21-22

[Thank you for reading and please leave comments and share!]