How can I please God
with a "sin nature"?

Because of our sin nature, each of us is susceptible to its desires, which lead us away from God and His perfect plan for our life. This rebellion against God started with Adam & Eve in the garden, continued with their first child, Cain, and goes on even today. We have a choice to either (1) follow the sinful cravings of our heart or (2) live a holy life in fear and reverence for the Lord Jesus Christ. Will God accept the person who has unconfessed sin in his life? Will God accept the "good deeds" done by one who refuses the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ? How can God be pleased with me since I have a sinful nature?

Scripture Passage: Genesis 4:1-15
Summary: Adam and Eve give birth to their first son, Cain, and later to another son, Abel. Abel is a shepherd while Cain is a farmer. Though God modeled the use of an animal sacrifice as a covering for sin, Cain refused to acknowledge his position before God in this way. He brought grain as an offering -- approaching God his way rather than God's way. Abel, by faith, brought an animal sacrifice which God accepted. Cain, suffering from pride, jealousy, and anger toward his brother, led Abel to a field where he murdered him. As God confronted Cain with his crime, Cain denied it. God issued judgment on Cain which would condemn him to restless wandering the rest of his life. As an act of mercy, God placed a special mark on Cain to warn anyone who tried to kill him.

Main Thought: Because of your sin nature, no aspect of your life -- even religious worship -- can be acceptable to God until you exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As you walk by faith in Him, you and your life will be accepted by God!

1. God is pleased with our sacrifices when they are rooted in faith.
2. God is not pleased when we act independent of Him--contrary to faith.
3. God expects us to examine our walk with Him to see if we are living by the truth.
4. God has provided us the power to walk with Him by faith.

 

1. God is pleased with our sacrifices when they are rooted in faith.

3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,... (Gen. 4:3-4, NIV)

At this time, the only sacrifice designated by God was an animal sacrifice as modeled by God for Adam & Eve (Gen. 3:21). As a consequence of sin, God made clothing for them to wear to hide their shame. The clothing was made from animals who were sacrificed by God to cover the shame the humans felt because of their sin. Bringing an animal sacrifice was a temporary covering only -- it neither took away the sin committed nor did it offer any power to avoid sin in the future. It provided for a cleansing of their guilt and shame. Moreover, it was an act of faith in God's promised Savior (Gen. 3:15) who one day would crush the head of the serpent and put an end to the death penalty for human sin.

Abel brought an acceptable type of sacrifice as a covering for his sin and God was pleased by it. In spit e of Abel's sin nature, he pleased God because:
 

By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. (Heb. 11:4)

What a testimony to one's life -- will this be your testimony?

 

2. God is not pleased when we act independent of Him--contrary to faith.

But on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. (Gen 4:5 NIV)

Grain offerings were instituted later in the Law given to Israel (Lev. 2:2) but not as atonement for sin. An animal sacrifice was required (Exo. 29:36; Lev. 4:20). A two-fold problem exists for Cain: (1) the wrong offering to cover sin -- a grain offering for atonement rather than an animal sacrifice or (2) the condition of his heart in bringing the offering. Hebrews 11:4 makes the point that Abel brought his offering by faith indicating Cain did not.

Cain decided to bring just any old thing to God and did so as a religious requirement -- not by faith in the God who called him to approach His holiness with a specific covering for sin.
 

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Heb. 11:6)

Cain did not and was not rewarded by God. The Bible clearly teaches that "...the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb. 9:22).

 

3. God expects us to examine our walk with Him to see if we are living by the truth.

Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?" (Gen 4:6 NIV)

Is it not interesting that God asks Cain to examine his inner thoughts and attitudes? Because God is merciful, He acts redemptively -- rather than simply condemn Him and cast him aside, God seeks out Cain and asks why he has gotten this way. Anger is a secondary emotion -- it is the effect of some other direct cause such as fear, disappointment, embarrassment, or perceived loss. So God says that Cain needs to think about why he is angry to determine the root cause -- in his case pride and jealousy. That is what Cain needed to do before he could appropriately deal with his problem. (And we also...)

There was a truth about God's holiness and human sinfulness before Him that Cain was neither believed nor lived. He was not angry in his prideful, independent attitude toward his Creator. His anger was a result of God's judgment of his pride led to jealousy toward his righteous brother, Abel. Because each of us still has a sinful nature, the Bible commands us to examine ourselves to see if we are living by the truth or living a lie (2 Cor. 13:5). We, as Christians, simply cannot allow ourselves to do anything against the truth of God (2 Cor. 13:8).

 

4. God has provided us the power to walk with Him by faith.

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. (Gen 4:7 NIV)

Would God be a just and loving God if He commanded us to do right but left us without any capacity to do so? No... "If you do what is right...": This provides the hope that we can do right if we walk with God. But one who is prideful and thinks he can do as he wishes no matter what God thinks is totally deceived. Here is where Cain failed...he failed to approach God in humility:
 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psa. 51:17,NIV)

If Cain had exercised faith in God he would have brought the right sacrifice. If he had offered it with a humble and contrite heart (sincere remorse over his sin). then he would have done what was right and God would have accepted his sacrifice. It doesn't take much to please God but it does take faith in Him -- faith that He exists and that His word is not given to us to placate us, nor to be a killjoy, but given to us for our best and for His glory.

" ...sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you...": Sin is personified here as something that awaits in the dark to reach out and grab you. The idea is sudden, violent attack. The moment you entertain a thought in your head that is against God's express will for your life, sin (your sin nature) is ready and waiting to assist you in carrying out this process. It must be dealt with early and quickly (through confession and repentance) or nearly any sin will eventually own you -- be it overeating, overshopping, oversleeping, overworking, overcriticizing, overfasting.

Since the fall of Adam into sin, every human being is infected with sin -- mind (Rom. 8:6-7), emotions (Jer. 17:9), will (Gal. 5:17), soul/spirit (Rom. 6:23), and body (Rom. 5:12:). Every part of us, then, is completely corrupted by sin -- our mind, emotions, will, soul/spirit, and body. This is why salvation through Christ is such a tremendous act of grace and mercy on the part of God -- we have no way of coming to God apart from the work of His Spirit on our inner being. (John 6:44) Yet, there are times, even, when God must work on the outer body -- through sickness or a death in the family -- to turn one's attention to this most important of spiritual matters.

" ...but you must master it.": God says you MUST master sin in your life. If the sin nature runs through your entire being and it is working to own you, how can you master it? This is the key issue. You must repent of your sin and by faith receive to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins. He is THE lamb of God sacrificed for the sins of the whole world! (John 1:29)

Now, at the moment that individual believes the good news and receives Jesus Christ, he is indwelt with the Holy Spirit. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor. 5:17) The Holy Spirit makes you a new creation and makes your heart His home. With the Spirit of God indwelling you, you can walk with Him throughout this life in the power of the Spirit.

It all boils down to this for the believer: For the rest of your natural life in Christ, you now have a choice -- moment by moment you can either:

Choose what is convenient, fun, easy, non-confrontational, or pleasurable for you -- regardless of whether it is right or good (This is the way of the flesh -- this is not the way of faith); or

Choose dependence (not independence) on the leading, guiding, protecting, and empowering Holy Spirit. He always leads the believer to glorify Christ in all aspects of life. That is called sanctification -- a daily process of leading the believer to become more Christ-like. This is what gives the believer the power to resist temptations that lead to sin. "[Sin] desires to have you, but you must master it."

The old sin nature is still there in us. But there is a new seed, a new spirit which God creates in us which is permanently connected to Himself. With the indwelling Holy Spirit in our inner being, each of us in Christ now has the power to master sin.

Reflect on YOUR life: Because God is sovereign (in-charge), we cannot live according to the priorities and pleasures we seek and expect Him to be pleased with our life or our worship. He accepts the one who comes to Him with a humble, contrite heart -- trusting in His perfect provision for our lives -- the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul puts it: "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Rom. 8:12-14). Walk by faith in Him and you will do what is right and just and pleasing to Him.
 

Our Creator God loves you and wants you to know Him! If you would like to contact this ministry for further information or questions, please send your e-mail to:
Email: ministryrequest1@WordTruth.Com
Web Site: WordTruth.Com

Copyright 1999, Randy Lariscy.