When you become a Christian, your old nature—the person you were apart from God—is legally and spiritually dead, but it is not yet physically destroyed. The Bible teaches that you are a “new creation” in Christ, yet you still live in a fallen body with old habits. While the power of sin is broken, the presence of sin remains, leading to an ongoing internal struggle between your new spiritual identity and your old sinful patterns.
The Reality of Your New Identity
The moment you trust Jesus for salvation, a radical transformation occurs at the core of your being. The Bible doesn’t say God simply “patches up” your old life; it says He gives you a brand-new one. This is what theologians call regeneration. You are no longer defined by your past mistakes or your family lineage, but by your relationship with Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
This “new life” is a spiritual reality. In God’s eyes, the “old you” was crucified with Jesus on the cross. Your debt is paid, and your legal status has changed from “guilty” to “righteous.” You have been given a new heart and the Holy Spirit to guide you. However, many Christians feel frustrated because they still experience the same temptations and flaws they had before they were saved.
The Battle Between the Flesh and the Spirit
If the old nature is “dead,” why is it so hard to do the right thing? The Bible explains this by distinguishing between our new nature and “the flesh.” While your spirit is made new, you still live in a physical body that has been conditioned by years of selfish desires. This creates an internal tug-of-war that every believer experiences.
Galatians 5:17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
Think of it like a habit. If you have spent twenty years biting your nails, your “old nature” is the person who bites them. When you decide to stop, the “new you” wants healthy hands, but your nervous system still reaches for your mouth. The “flesh” is essentially the muscle memory of sin. It is the residual effect of the old nature that remains in our physical members until we receive our glorified bodies in heaven.
Dead to Sin but Alive to God
The Apostle Paul uses a very specific word in the book of Romans to describe our relationship with the old nature: “reckon.” He tells us to “count ourselves dead” to the power of sin. This implies that while sin may still shout at us, we are no longer obligated to obey its voice. The old master has been fired, even if he still tries to walk onto the job site and give orders.
Romans 6:11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Winning this battle isn’t about trying harder to be “good.” It is about resting in what Jesus has already done. When you feel the pull of old habits, you can remind yourself, “That isn’t who I am anymore.” You aren’t a sinner trying to become a saint; you are a saint who occasionally struggles with sin. The more you feed your new nature through prayer, Scripture, and community, the weaker the influence of the flesh becomes.
The Process of Sanctification
The Christian life is a journey of “becoming who you already are.” In heaven, the old nature will be completely gone, and we will no longer face temptation. But here on earth, God uses the struggle to help us grow. This process is called sanctification. It is the daily practice of “putting off” the old habits and “putting on” the new character of Jesus.
Jesus didn’t just die to get you into heaven; He died to get heaven into you. He provides the grace necessary to overcome the old patterns of thinking. When you stumble, you don’t lose your new identity. You simply need to get back up, confess that slip to God, and walk in the Spirit again. The old nature may be a persistent ghost, but it no longer holds the keys to your life.
The Takeaway
Your old nature was spiritually defeated at the cross, but its lingering influence—the flesh—remains a reality until you reach heaven. Becoming a Christian means you have a new identity and the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome old habits. You are a new creation in Christ, called to live out that reality every day by choosing to follow the Spirit rather than the selfish desires of your past.
