St. Nikolai Velimirovich on Man’s Nature
“If some say that man has to live according to nature, we ask – which nature? According to the initial, sinless nature of paradise, the way that God created man? Or is it according to that other, sick, humiliated nature, polluted by demons, defaced by vice and deadened by passions? Because God did not create man the way He created the rest of nature, but in a particular manner. And above all, He gave him authority over all of nature. Thus, man is clearly exempt from all other physical nature – the nature of fish, birds, beasts, and has been elevated above all zoologies and monkey-business. Christ came to renew that initial nature of man. And only he who lives according to that renewed nature, lives according to human nature indeed. Zoology is below the footstool of Anthropology. A man renewed by Christ lives by the renewed nature, with a renewed mind, heart and will. All three of these planting beds in the soul of such a man are watered by the Holy Spirit so that each one can equally receive the Trinitarian love from heaven which surpasses all reason. This is why the Apostles speak of “the new man” in the likeness of Christ. Therefore, the same Apostle says, “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5: 17).”
– ‘Missionary Letters Vol 2’