Thoughts on “Sinful Nature”

Author Unknown (Labeled “Guest Editorial”) via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 2, June 30, 1990 Sinful natures exist. It would be foolish for any serious individual to deny it. How this comes about in a person’s life and just who has a sinful nature are other matters. Please consider a few thoughts on the subject, which…

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God Appeared in the Flesh

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/God-Appeared-in-the-Flesh.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 3:14-16   I.         Before the first century ended, several varieties of false teachings arose.             A.        One set has been referred to as the gnostics. The name derives from the Greek word for “knowledge.” – I Timothy 6:20-21             B.        These were a diverse group, but they were tied by a belief…

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The Human Life of God

by Steve Klein via Guardian of Truth XXXV: 14, pp. 419-420, July 18, 1991 One of the most ticklish of all religious controversies since the time of the apostles has been over the nature of the deity that Jesus possessed as a man. Historian Philip Schaff observed that in the years before 325 A.D., “the…

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God Was Manifest in the Flesh

by Tim Coffey via Guardian of Truth XL: 5 p. 8-9, March 7, 1996 Paul proclaimed, “Great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh” (I Timothy 3:16). For those who saw Jesus in the flesh, the difficulty was not in believing that he was man, but in believing he was God.…

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What does ‘the inner man’ refer to in scripture?

Question: II Corinthians 4:16 and some other scriptures refer to ‘the inner man’. What does ‘the inner man’ mean? Answer: Let us look at all the verses concerning the “inner man” to help shed some light on your question. “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner…

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The Flesh of Man

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FleshOfMan.mp3 Text: I Corinthians 15:35–44   I.         In attempting to train our puppy, we often found ourselves scolding the dog for chewing on everything in reach – clothing, ankles, fingers.             A.        Why does a dog behave as it does? Certainly mama dog did not teach him to chew on everything in sight.             B.        Animals do what comes natural…

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The Path I Choose

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/PathIChoose.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Galatians 5:19-23   I.         In the book of Galatians, Paul has severely chastised the brethren for attempting to bind the Old Law on Christians             A.        It was a different gospel, not what they were taught – Galatians 1:6-9             B.        Paul has stood opposed to such trends – Galatians 2:11-14             C.        To live under…

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Do Men Have a Sinful Nature?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/DoMenHaveASinfulNature.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 2:1-10   I.         Romans 3:23 – Why is it that everyone sins, barring Jesus our Lord?             A.        A dominant teaching among the denominations is the idea that people are born sinful.                         1.         The Westminster Confession gives a popular view: “Our first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and temptations of Satan,…

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The Works of the Flesh: Murder – Real and Imagined

by Kent Heaton The blood of Abel (Genesis 4) still cries through the ages of centuries as a sad reminder of man’s inhumanity to man. The early world was destroyed because “every intent of the thoughts of [man] was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5) as men filled with rage against their fellow man shed man’s…

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The Works of the Flesh

by Sunday Ayandare via Words Of Life, Vol. 16, No. 1, Jan-Mar. 2009. We live in perilous times. Morals have degenerated to an abysmally low level. One could be tempted to say that the situation has reached its nadir. Reminiscent of the days of old, men are today calling evil good and good evil (Isaiah…

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Can you explain what “flesh” is in Romans 4:1?

Question: Can you explain what “flesh” is in Romans 4:1? Answer: This verse is translated in two different ways: “What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?” (New King James Version) “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?” (New American Standard…

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