3. Finally, consider the responsibilities and reflections of the Christian upon the existence of his two natures: his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

1. Although the believer has two natures, he has one responsibility.

That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts (Ephesians 4:22).

The believer cannot blame his spiritual failure on the old nature.

Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? (Romans 6:16).

Distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality (Romans 12:13).

2. The believer maintains a responsibility to the flesh.

The Apostle Paul's conflict in Romans 7:14-21 arose from his effort to lift the flesh and force it to meet the demands of God's righteous law. Instead, he should have turned his back on the flesh. At this juncture, he apparently had not seen the depths of the flesh. In spite of the fact that he was a believer, he still had high hopes for the flesh. It wasn't until he recognized his hopelessness and his responsibility to it that he found victory.

1. The believer must never attempt to improve or glorify the flesh.

For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice (Romans 7:19).

The flesh "profits nothing." Don't pride yourself on your basic honesty, morality, or integrity. The believer must not endeavor to serve the Lord in the pride and confidence of the flesh. Rather than an effort to make the flesh meet God's law, the believer must turn his back on the flesh.

All the characteristics of the flesh nature - its seeming virtues as well as its vices - must be rejected. Isaiah said, "All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).

2. The believer must starve the flesh.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (Romans 13:14).

The believer must not deceive himself with the fallacy that if he can only refine and spiritualize some aspects of the flesh that it will honor God. You cannot kill the flesh, but you can starve it. The story was told of a tiger nearly starved to death. So long as he caught no smell or sight or taste of blood, he seemed very feeble and sufficiently docile. That fatal day came when he got in one flash of a moment the taste of blood from the hand of his master who was patting him. At that instant, all the jungle nature was aroused, inflamed. In that very moment, the tiger demonstrated his nature as a tiger; the old tiger nature came out, and he turned on his master.

Starve the flesh nature. Reduce it to a minimum of manifestation. The moment you attempt to feed it, to baby it, to give it the blood taste of the world, it will spring alive, and tiger-like, attack the spiritual life.

Don't delude yourself with the fallacy that because you are a Christian and linked up with the Living Lord you are immune to the attacks of Satan through your flesh nature. An unguarded moment can be devastating beyond belief. The only way to handle the old nature is to starve it. You can never refine it to the point that it is fit to live "in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," but you can live "in heavenly places" above it.

1. What is the believer's one responsibility? (See Ephesians 4:22)
2. Why cannot the believer blame his spiritual failure on the old nature?