the battle of two natures

At our LifeGroup this past Wednesday we discussed the nature of repentance and how hard it is to admit we're less than perfect (note: if you didn't know that before, you know it now!).

It's essentially a battle between two natures: our human nature that we were born with and our God-nature that is granted to those who are born again. Our human nature had free reign for a number of years before we submitted to God's call and gave our hearts to him. When we became Christians, we were clothed with Christ and God asks us to throw away our former wardrobe.

The trouble is ... we like some of our old clothes. I once held on to a plaid shirt that I wore while in high school. It didn't make its' way to Goodwill until I was around 25 years-old. Of course, plaid never goes out of style.

While clothing fashions may indeed be somewhat cyclical, our former spiritual wardrobe will never be in fashion for the believer. It's not just out of style, it's downright harmful.

That's the battle of repentance. The battle to change when the old clothes feel more comfortable or even enjoyable.