Does a Christian Have Two Natures?

The following is from Ted Hegre's Live a Victorius Life in the Shadow of the Cross:

"Many have the idea that belief in two natures is synonymous with orthodoxy. But a careful search of the Scriptures will give no support to the idea of man's nature as a separate entity. Man is a unitary being. If not, he is a schizophrenic! Neither of the two main passages that deal with inner conflicts (Rom. 7 and Gal. 5:16- 26) mentions the word nature. The reason for this is that Paul is not describing a person with two natures (one good and one bad) which must coexist until the grave. He is speaking of a person who must make a definite choice to walk either 'in the Spirit' or else 'after the flesh.'

"The prince of Bible commentators, G. Campbell Morgan, says, 'I most certainly do not believe that man ever has two natures at once. I believe he has one nature always, and that conversion is its cleansing and renewal.'

". . . the Bible makes unmistakably clear the fact that everyone becomes morally depraved -- that is, everyone chooses sin. In fact, a child is committed to selfishness long before reason is developed. Then when reason is developed, he continues in the same direction and makes the same choice as Adam. He makes the wrong choice right at the beginning and very early in life, for he lives in an anti-Christ and pro-self world.

"Not having a perfect body, a perfect mind, or perfect emotions -- surrounded by an almost universal example of selfishness, and tempted by the devil -- man falls prey to sin on his own. Thus, as a voluntary transgressor and as a morally depraved creature, he is subject to punishment -- eternal banishment from the presence of God. His only hope is to repent, to be forgiven, and then believe in the provision that God has made for his salvation and deliverance -- namely, the atonement of Jesus Christ on Calvary.

"We see, therefore, that both the Scriptures and Christian experience teach that the natural man is sinful. He is not only partly wrong but all wrong. This is because of two things: his relationship to fallen Adam and his choice. Not only is his human nature (his whole being) polluted, but he is a voluntary transgressor. Some are more skillful in concealing this sinfulness, but under favorable circumstances (or shall we say unfavorable) definite acts of sin reveal the truth.

"Originally, man was created in the image of God with a blessed prospect of continuing in that image and of being indwelt by his Creator. As long as he continued in this state, his nature was pure and his acts were above reproach. But there came a time (described in Genesis 3) when man's relationship to his God came to an end and when he became related to another, even the devil. While in proper relationship to God, his nature was pure; but now, related to the devil, his nature is defiled.

"One of the best descriptions of the change of relationship that took place at the Fall is in connection with the Gerasene demoniac who had an unclean spirit and was possessed with demons (Mark 5). At that time no man could bind him. He was crying out continually and cutting himself with stones. But after being delivered from his wrong relationship to the devil and having entered into a right relationship to Christ, he that had been possessed with demons was now 'clothed and in his right mind' and filled with one desire -- to be with his Lord.

"So this is not a matter of a nature to be removed or extracted but rather a matter of relationships. To whom are we related? Related to the devil we are polluted; but related properly to Christ we are made pure. Though we need forgiveness for what we have done (as sinners), yet for what we are, we need cleansing. Our nature is not to be discarded but cleansed -- cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Christ can change the foulest sinner and make him pure and spotless.

"To Christians the promise is not only that we are delivered from the devil's kingdom and placed into Christ's kingdom (according to Colossians 1:13), but that through the deliverance, by accepting death to [sin] through the Cross, we can be thoroughly and completely changed. Christ delivers us out of the power of darkness and translates us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

"This truth is also made plain in Christ's parable of the vine and the branches (John 15). The very fact that Jesus calls himself the true Vine implies that there is a false vine, which of course is Satan. All men are drawing their life either from the true or the false vine -- either from Jesus Christ or from Satan.

". . . Let us then see exactly what happened to man at the Fall. First, he turned away from God; second, he turned to another, even Satan. But, likewise, on Calvary Jesus Christ did two things: first, He destroyed the power of the false vine (Satan) and made it possible for anyone 'in Satan' to renounce his allegiance and relationship to Satan; second, in His suffering and death He opened up His own heart and made it possible for anyone who would renounce the devil and his claims to be grafted into Him, the True Vine.

"Man is so constituted that he cannot exist alone but must be related to either Satan or Christ. Though originally his human nature was indwelt by God, by his Fall he forfeited this divine indwelling. In its place he received the life of the enemy of our souls, Satan; for by nature, says God, we were the children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). 'Ye are of your father the devil,' said Jesus, 'and the lusts of your father it is your will to do' (John 8:44).

"Because we all partake of the nature of one of these two vines, we all bring forth fruit according to that nature, for 'do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit . . . By their fruits shall ye know them' (Matt. 7:16-20).

"But it is not possible for a branch to remove itself from the devil's vine and be placed into the True Vine, Christ. Every natural branch taken from one tree and grafted into another must have the help of the gardener's hand. Even so, all spiritual grafting must be done by another's hand. Salvation, then, is a work of God, a free gift through the redemption of Jesus Christ our Savior. To be saved really means that a man is willing to forsake the false vine (with Satan as his father) and be grafted into the True Vine (with God as his Father)."