The old nature is dead, not merely defeated, if by “old nature” you mean the old man—the person you were in Adam before you were made new in Christ. Romans 6 says the old man was crucified with Christ. Scripture does not describe that old identity as wounded, restrained, or waiting to regain control.
What Does Romans 6 Actually Say Happened to the Old Man?
Paul uses stronger language than “defeated.”
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6)
The old man was crucified with Christ. Crucifixion doesn’t describe an improved version of the same person or an enemy that has merely been pushed back.
It describes death.
That legal change is rooted in what Christ accomplished at the Cross. The believer’s former identity is not something God is gradually trying to kill. Scripture says it has already been dealt with in Christ.
Paul continues:
For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Romans 6:7)
That doesn’t mean the Christian instantly becomes incapable of sin. It means the old relationship in which sin held dominion over who you were has been broken.
Why Is “Defeated” Not Strong Enough?
Something defeated can still be alive.
An army can lose a battle and return later. An opponent can be knocked down and get back up. If the old man were merely defeated, the Christian life would become an endless effort to keep the former self under control so it couldn’t take over again.
That isn’t the picture Romans 6 gives.
The old man wasn’t simply overpowered. He was crucified with Christ.
“Defeated” can describe the breaking of sin’s rule, but it is incomplete when describing the old identity itself.
The biblical word is stronger: dead.
Does That Mean the Christian Never Feels the Pull of Sin?
No.
The death of the old man does not mean temptation disappears or that a believer can no longer commit sin.
Those experiences do not prove that the old identity came back to life. They show that there is a difference between what God has made true of the believer in Christ and what the believer may still experience in daily life.
Paul tells Christians to count as true what God has already accomplished:
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:11)
Notice the order. Paul doesn’t tell believers to reckon themselves dead so that they can eventually become dead. He tells them to reckon themselves dead because their old man has already been crucified with Christ.
Faith agrees with the fact God has established.
Is the Old Nature Being Slowly Killed?
NO! Not if “old nature” refers to the old man of Romans 6:6.
The Bible doesn’t present the believer’s old identity as something that becomes a little more dead each day. The crucifixion of the old man is presented as an accomplished fact connected with Christ’s Cross.
Christian growth is real, but growth should not be confused with gradually killing the person God says was already crucified.
You aren’t trying to make your old man dead enough.
You are learning to live from what Christ has already made true.
So Is the Old Nature Dead or Defeated?
If “old nature” means the old man—the former identity you had before becoming a new creation—it is dead, not merely defeated.
Romans 6:6 says the old man was crucified with Christ. The believer may still face temptation and may still sin, but those struggles do not resurrect the old identity.
The Christian does not fight for the old man to die. He believes God’s verdict that the old man was crucified with Christ and reckons himself alive unto God through Jesus Christ.
