Does my heredity rule or am I influenced by my environment? What will happen to future generations? Can my life change or am I a victim of my DNA?

I found an interesting article in Time Magazine this week – Why Your DNA Isn’t Your Destiny

The subject of epigenitics appears to challenge of Darwinian thinking. In this“But the potential is staggering. For decades, we have stumbled around massive Darwinian roadblocks. DNA, we thought, was an ironclad code that we and our children and their children had to live by. Now we can imagine a world in which we can tinker with DNA, bend it to our will. It will take geneticists and ethicists many years to work out all the implications, but be assured: the age of epigenetics has arrived.”

My interest in the subject relates to man spiritual matters and this article is not an attempt to answer such questions, yet my question remains? If my nature is predetermined and I have no remedy for my state, then why not just let down my defenses and embrace my nature? I can simply respond that I am “born this way.”

For me, my nature tends toward a prideful attitude. I look for opportunities to make myself look good in the eyes of others. My nature is to feed my appetites and my ego. But I believe there is potential for change – for transformation. Romans 12 speaks of the metamorphosis possible for the person who surrenders to Christ.

The Time article includes this comment – “Geneticists are quietly acknowledging that we may have too easily dismissed an early naturalist who anticipated modern epigenetics — and whom Darwinists have long disparaged. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) argued that evolution could occur within a generation or two. He posited that animals acquired certain traits during their lifetimes because of their environment and choices.”

According to this article it is possible for me to change my DNA and my destiny. According to the Gospel spiritual change comes through the death and resurrection of Christ. I cannot earn this kind of change, but I can make a decision to look to Him.