Page 18 - Biblical Counseling II-Textbook

Nature: "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of
God" (Romans 3)
Nurture: "be imitators of me as I am of Christ" (1
Corinthians 11)

Nature: "there is no one who is righteous, no not one"
(Romans 3)
Nurture: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of
God."(2 Corinthians 5)

Nature: "the natural person does not accept the things of
the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not
able to understand them because they are spiritually
discerned" (1 Corinthians 2)
Nurture: "have this mindset among yourselves which is
yours in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2)

Nature: "the heart is deceitfully wicked above all things" (Jeremiah 17)
Nurture: "and I will give you a new heart" (Ezra 36)

(Blythe, 2015)

We could talk about many more verses that show nature and nurture. In Biblical Counseling I, you
learned why a change is needed in believers and unbelievers:
1. The human heart is desperately wicked. Is this nature or nurture?
2. We are all conformed to the world in one way or another. Is this nature or nurture?
3. Even regenerate believers, our flesh is still embattled with the Spirit. Nature or nurture?
4. We will continue to practice idolatry. Nature or nurture? (BCI, p. 15).

If “our purpose is found in understanding what it means to be created in the image of God,” do we find
that out through nature or nurture? Being created in the image of God is nature. Change is part of
nurture. Is this concept easy or difficult to understand? These are questions we will continue to think
through as we progress through this course. Let’s look at some other questions that psychologists
discuss. This will give you even more to think about!

3.4 Let’s Practice

Today’s psychologists explore the issue of nature-nurture by asking the following
questions. There are no a wrong answers, so reflect on what you think about each
question and write your thoughts below (Myers, p. 6, 2009).

1. How are we (individual humans) alike and different? (Think about people close to you as well as
people from different cultures and places in the world).

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