The Sin Nature of Man According to the Bible
A note to the reader: Many theologians, theological institutions, seminaries, and colleges may disagree with the interpretation presented in this article. That is okay. This article intentionally presents the interpretation of Scripture associated with Randy Goodwin and the deliverance ministry perspective, particularly concerning inherited sin, the old nature, and spiritual entities. The purpose is not to claim that every Christian denomination or academic institution accepts this interpretation, but to explain the biblical reasoning behind it and allow readers to examine the Scriptures for themselves.
Understanding the Sin Nature of Man
According to Randy Goodwin’s interpretation of Scripture, the sin nature of man is not simply a weakness in human psychology, personality, or behavior. It is a spiritual condition inherited by every human being because of the fall of Adam.
Romans 5:12 establishes the foundation: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men.”
Adam’s sin did not remain an isolated event in the Garden of Eden. His transgression affected the entire human race. Every person born afterward entered a world already corrupted by sin and death.
David expressed this reality in Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
The Bible therefore presents humanity as being born into a fallen condition.
But according to Goodwin’s interpretation, inherited sin involves more than a tendency toward sinful behavior. The spiritual consequences of sin are also inherited. This is where the concept of entities becomes central to this deliverance understanding.
Born With the Consequences of Sin
The sin nature of man means that a person enters this world already affected by what happened through Sin. The individual did not personally choose Sin, yet the consequences of Sin are present in humanity.
Within Goodwin’s interpretation, those consequences include spiritual entities associated with Sin. These entities can be understood as spiritual influences connected with the inherited and accumulated sins of previous generations.
In this framework, a person does not necessarily have to commit a particular sin before an entity associated with that sin can be present. The person is born into the consequences of the fall.
This is why the struggle with sin can appear so early in human life. The problem is deeper than education, environment, personality, or human psychology. Humanity has inherited a fallen spiritual condition.
Ephesians 2:3 says that mankind was “by nature the children of wrath.”
The word nature becomes important in understanding this interpretation.
The issue is not merely what a person does.
The issue is what humanity has inherited.
Sin and Spiritual Entities
From the deliverance perspective, the sin nature of man is understood as the spiritual condition through which entities associated with sin can operate.
The human being and the entity are not the same thing.
A person is created in the image of God. An entity associated with sin is an opposing spiritual influence. The entity may seek to influence the person’s thoughts, emotions, desires, temptations, and behavior, but it does not define the person’s God-given identity.
This distinction is important because someone experiencing anger is not necessarily anger itself. Someone experiencing lust is not lust itself. Someone experiencing fear is not fear itself.
According to this interpretation, these experiences can sometimes involve spiritual entities seeking expression through the fallen nature.
The Bible also clearly establishes that spiritual warfare exists.
Ephesians 6:12 says:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.”
The Christian battle is therefore not merely a battle of human willpower.
There is a spiritual enemy.
There is spiritual opposition.
And there are spiritual powers that seek to work against God and His people.
The Old Nature Must Be Dealt With
The sin nature of man helps explain why Scripture repeatedly tells believers to put off the old man.
Paul writes in Ephesians 4:22:
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.”
The old man is corrupt.
The old nature produces sinful desires.
And within Goodwin’s deliverance interpretation, entities associated with inherited and personally acquired sin can seek to maintain influence through that old nature.
This means that deliverance is not simply about teaching someone better behavior. It is about recognizing the spiritual dimension of the battle and dealing with the entities believed to be associated with sin.
The goal is not to condemn the individual.
The goal is freedom.
The human being is God’s creation.
The old nature is the consequence of the fall.
The spiritual entities associated with sin are enemies that must be resisted.
The Fight of Faith
This is why Paul told Timothy:
“Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12).
The Christian is not instructed to surrender to the old nature. The believer is instructed to stand.
James 4:7 gives the order:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
First, submit to God. Then resist the enemy.
The sin nature of man does not have to remain in control of the believer’s life.
Jesus Christ came to provide deliverance.
Luke 4:18 says that Christ was sent “to preach deliverance to the captives.”
This is the heart of the deliverance message. The believer does not overcome spiritual bondage through human strength alone. The authority comes from Jesus Christ.
Second Corinthians 5:17 declares:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.”
The believer receives a new identity in Christ.
The old nature does not have the final word.
Inherited sin does not have to determine the believer’s future.
Entities associated with sin do not have to remain.
The believer can fight the fight of faith, stand upon the Word of God, resist the enemy, and seek freedom through Jesus Christ.
Christ Is Greater
Ultimately, the sin nature of man points to humanity’s need for a Savior.
The battle begins with the fallen condition inherited through Adam, but the answer is found in Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:13 says that God “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son Jesus Christ.”
The Christian therefore does not have to live in fear of the old nature or the spiritual forces associated with it.
The battle is real, but Christ is greater.
The believer’s identity is not the sin.
The believer’s identity is not the old nature.
The believer’s identity is not the entity.
The believer’s identity is found in Jesus Christ.
As 1 John 4:4 declares: “For greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
The old nature may be inherited. Spiritual entities may seek to operate through inherited sin according to this deliverance interpretation. But Jesus Christ has the final authority.
The calling of the believer is therefore simple:
Fight the good fight of faith. Stand firm. Resist the enemy. Put off the old man. And walk in the freedom that Jesus Christ provides.
