Never Going BackSample

Who We Were

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:2-3, Romans 5:12, John 3:3

In Ephesians 2:2-3 it reads, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others."

As mentioned in the above scripture, we all had a sinner past and a nature of wrath. At one point in our history, we were lovers of darkness, lost from the light, and practiced doing the deeds of the flesh. You might be thinking, "yeah, I was wicked and definitely did wicked things," and you feel you can directly relate to this. Or you might think, "Well, I wasn't wicked; I was a good person. I did good things and lived a good life." But remember, the scripture above says, "…we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and were by nature children of wrath." What we must understand is that, by nature, we were all sinners. This is due to the fall of man in the garden of Eden (Romans 5:12, Therefore, just as through one man's sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…).

Because our original nature was sin, we must all be born again to move forward from a sinful nature. When we are born again, we put on a new nature of righteousness in Christ through faith, which gives us access to the kingdom of God (John 3:3, Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”)

For some, living a "good life" and being a "good person" made them feel as if they were not in sin. This is not the case. Good and wicked people are both subject to a sinful nature. Faith in Christ is the only way to move away from this nature. While doing good deeds and being a good person are great attributes of a good life, a person that lives this way is still a sinner if they have not accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. Once again, their nature is still sinful. This is also true for those individuals that can directly relate to being wicked, like I was, not living a "good life," and outright fulfilling the sinful deeds of the flesh. The "good life" people and the "directly wicked" people need to be born again.

Before giving my life to the Lord, I practiced sin consistently. I was a drug dealer, thief, and womanizer. I spent my early years living for the money, which was my god. My heart and mind were committed to doing things that God disapproved of. After giving my life to the Lord and being born again, I put off the sinful deeds of my past life. The past life, which was my sinful nature, I had to let go. Although I remember that life and the things I did, I no longer practice the sinful deeds of that old sinful nature. I use my members (mind, body, spirit, time, talent, and treasures) as instruments of righteousness unto God.

The moral is that we were all lost and in darkness at one point in our past. Whether we lived the good life or were outright wicked, our disbelief and non-acceptance of Christ made us children of darkness. We must all be born again so that our sinful past can be washed away in the blood of Jesus Christ through our faith, acceptance, and belief in Him. A person that accepts and believes in Christ no longer practices sin. They are a new creation with a new mind and new desires to please God. They have full access to God's kingdom and live according to the spirit and no longer according to the sinful flesh.

"What we were doesn't determine what we become. But being who God called us to be, determines who we become." ~Tyrone Crawford~