Flesh vs Spirit Part 2

There is so much to be gleaned on studying what God says on the flesh versus the Spirit. This has been a continual teaching moment for me as the subject has repeated itself for the past couple of weeks. In this study I'll be looking at many scriptures, but focusing on the epistle to the Galatians and also the Greek word summorphos.

Many people have heard of the concept that you must be born again to achieve the life that Jesus Christ wants to give, and this is true. Jesus talks to Nicodemus about this in John 3:1-3. Nicodemus could not see the spiritual implication and was stuck on the physical, or the flesh. This was the main problem from Israel in that they were zealous for the law but would not see the spiritual side of it. In fact, most of the book of John shows this struggle of Israel trying to understand Jesus' teaching in physical terms while Jesus keeps trying to teach them in spiritual terms. It is no wonder we see the words of our Lord in John 3:12 "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?"

This struggle still remains today. I pointed out in part 1 of this series that the problem has been ongoing since the fall in the Garden of Eden. I want to take a deeper look at that event in order to help us understand this struggle on a deeper level.

Most believers are very familiar with the sin in the Garden of Eden and the curses that ensued, but have you ever thought about the change that took place that day? We don't have a lot of text to go on, but God has given us the complete Word to study and His Holy Spirit to tell us the truth that is in it. First take a look at what is said after Adam and Eve ate the fruit.

Genesis 3:7
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

In this text we see that Adam and Eve saw things had changed. First, they realized they were no longer covered, but this begs the question, were they covered with something before? It was so distressing that they tried to make their own coverings from leaves. Now, most think that this was their attempt to hide the transgression, which it may partly be, but let's consider the possibility that they were covered with something. One may say, "Genesis 2:25 says that they were naked and not ashamed." That is absolutely true, but to be naked is to have something uncovered or laid bare. Could it be that even though Adam and Eve wore no clothes, as in shirts, or pants or dresses, that something else surrounded them?

Think about this: Adam and Ever were part of the "very good" creation (Genesis 1:31). They were perfect and sinless in body, soul, and spirit. They were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27). What does that image look like? We know that Jesus Christ was and is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15), but He was not shown in all His glory while here on the earth every time there is an encounter recorded with Him. However, we have one time where the veil was pulled back, and that was at the transfiguration. Take a look at what it says there to describe Jesus Christ at that time:

Matthew 17:1-8
1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

Note carefully the description in verse 2. Jesus had a face that shone as bright as the sun. His clothing was white and exceedingly radiant. Jesus didn't show this when Mary discovered Him at the time of the ressurection. No one recognized Him on the road to Emmaus. He veiled Himself, and He had His reason for doing so, but later it was not exactly the case. How about the description of Saul's encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus? There was a "great light" that shone about him when he heard Jesus talking in Acts 9 and 22. In Acts 26 when Paul recounts the event, he uses the words "above the brightness of the sun" to describe the radiance surrounding Jesus. This is Jesus Christ in His body of glory. Want to know something exciting? This kind of body of glory is what awaits the believer in the heavenly gospel of God's grace that was given to Paul!

Philippians 3:20-21
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Romans 8:29
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

The words "fashioned like" in Philippians 3:21 and "conformed" in  Romans 8:29 is the Greek word summorphos which means having the same form as another. These beautiful verses say that at the time of what we call the rapture, all who are in the church, the body of Christ, will have a radiant body just like Jesus has.

Going back to the fall in Genesis, Adam and Eve realized that they were naked after sinning. Before this, they enjoyed fellowship with God Himself and were perfect and sinless. Scripture doesn't outright say, but I would guess that Adam and Eve were pretty radiant as well. God's presence has that effect on things. Think of the angel encounters in scripture or when Moses returned from Sinai and his face was glowing, which needed to be veiled for the sake of Israel. When the fall in Eden happened, Adam and Eve saw that something was missing and tried to hide it by covering their body. For more support, we have these words in scripture: Adam was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27, 5:1-2), but look at this:

Genesis 5:1-3

1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 

3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth

Seth was created in the image of Adam. There was a different kind of image in Seth when he was born. Seth didn't have the image his parents had while in the Garden. I believe we have here the two kinds of bodies being described in scripture: the heavenly and the earthly, the spiritual and the fleshly. And so we can also see a bit clearer that all are sinners, because all are born in the image of Adam (Romans 3:23). It is evident that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God on its own accord, as Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden. But, we get this awesome truth from the apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 15:50-57
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through the grace of God, we can obtain this heavenly body and a heavenly home simply by trusting that God did all the work through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Believers, rejoice! This should also help us to further understand this:

Romans 8:18
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Anything we go through in this life with this body won't even be comparable to the amazing future in store for us!

Now, I have been in a study of the book of Galatians for some time. Galatians is an epistle to those who have believed in the gospel of God's grace through Jesus Christ, but are now willingly putting themselves back under the Law of Moses. Paul must have explained to them that they are set free from that by the grace of God's, yet they were still trying to find a compromise of the two gospels, bringing a strong reprimand by the Holy Spirit in Galatians 1:6-9. For the purposes of this study, I want to look at these words in chapter 4:

21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 

27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 

30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 

31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Abraham was given a promise that he would have a child in his old age by a promise and this promise is reiterated here

Galatians 3:14

14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Now in those verses in chapter 4, Paul uses the events around Hagar, Ishmael, Sarah, and Isaac to prove a point between the fleshly and the spiritual. The flesh is under bondage and cannot help but sin. Ishmael was described as a wild man and got along just fine in the house of Abraham until the son of promise was born. Sarah and Hagar did not get along from the beginning, but I'll get to that in a moment. Look at Genesis 21:8,9

8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

We see that there was quite the celebration that Isaac was of the age to be weaned. but take a look at the very next verse.

 

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

Ishmael was at once at odds with Isaac. The son born of the flesh was at odds with the son born of promise. We read in the next two verses that God tells Abraham to cast out Hagar and Ishmael, which was "very grievous", but it was nonetheless necessary. Even so it is to this day when this is taken in allegory that we must put off the old man and put on the new. We are commanded to put off the desires of the flesh and be renewed in the Spirit. It's not hard to see that putting away practices of the flesh can be difficult or grievous, but God says it is necessary for our conformation to the image of His Son.

So we see in the sons the battle of the flesh versus the spirit. We also see in the mothers a contrast. Hagar represents the Law while Sarah represents grace. Hagar represents Jerusalem under the law, under bondage, but Sarah represents the heavenly Jerusalem to come which is free from the law. Paul continues the allegory and ends with this blessed truth: So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Jesus Christ blotted out the law that was against us (Colossians 2:14) so we could obtain this freedom. And so, we are exhorted then by God with these words:

Galatians 5:1
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:13
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Galatians 5:16
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:25
25 If (Should be "Since" - Greek Ei) we live in the Spirit, let us also walk (literally we should walk) in the Spirit.

So then, to end on the more literal translation: Since we live in the Spirit, we should walk in the Spirit.

Flesh vs Spirit

Flesh vs Spirit

I love it when several scriptures keep coming up in day to day conversation. Any time that happens, it can be assured that God is going to use those scriptures either to build you up, or for you to share with another to build them up in the body of Christ. I was studying the Corinthian epistles more or less on a whim and then Galatians 5 came up, all with the focus on walking in the flesh versus walking in the Spirit. So those are what I'm going to touch on today, but first let me preface a bit more on how this came about after considering these scriptures.

I was in the car on the way back to work from my lunch break and I heard a preacher on the radio speaking. He was discussing a sincere desire to get the message that people are saved by God's grace alone and that they cannot earn their own salvation through some work, which I thought was terrific since that's what the bible says. My countenance fell when he then talked about prophecy and how it is being fulfilled today. He spoke of Matthew 24 and how ethnos (the Greek word translated nation in English) will rise against ethnos and how that meant the different people groups or races of today. He also began speaking about how history seemed to be close to the battle mentioned in Ezekiel, which would be the Gog-Magog battle. I shook my head and prayed that he would earnestly seek the truth of what God's word says on those matters and that God would show it to him. I'll leave it up to the reader to search the scriptures on these things, but I will say there is NO prophecy being fulfilled today. Matthew 24 alludes to the tribulation period, and the Gog-Magog battle clearly happens after the Millennial reign as stated in Revelation 20:7-10.

So I began praying and asking God, "Why do preachers continue to preach the Word of God in this way?" We're supposed to come to the full knowledge of the truth like it says in 1 Timothy 2:4, right? I grew up in a church that would not preach anything past Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In fact, they made preaching God's word such a light affair and wouldn't put much emphasis on it as truth nor even tell anyone to study it. The next church I attended preached more from the bible, but still could not answer questions regarding law and grace or any differences between the two. After much earnest prayer, my family and I were led to a church that diligently sought the truth in the scriptures and let the Word of God say what the Word of God says. To this day I pray for all saints to come to that mindset, and ultimately the full knowledge of the truth. God says we should be united in this (Eph 4:1-6).

I then saw some comments on Facebook, which were then talked about in that evening's bible study. The comments were sarcastic, stating that we were under grace and not law, and that we need not worry about taking the Lord's name in vain among the other parts of the Law as given to Moses. Where do believers get the idea that it's okay to have a brash attitude toward God and yet rejoice that we are saved in His amazing grace? I also saw on Facebook that a former pastor of mine, who would use expletives at me when I tried to explain the truth of scripture to him, had un-friended me and posted several things with the words "blessed", "holy", "sacred", etc., and really none of the posts made sense. Why use those words so grossly out of context? What was he trying to show? All of these questions that I was asking in prayer were continually answered by what God showed me in 1 Corinthians and Galatians, and that is the struggle of the flesh versus the Spirit.

We have these truths in Romans:

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

Why have all sinned? Because Adam sinned and we are all born of Adam to begin with:

Romans 5:12 - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned

For the believer in the gospel of God's grace, they receive life in the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ:

Romans 5:19 - For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

It is by faith alone in Jesus Christ's finished work on the cross that are we born of the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures

1 Corinthians 12:13

13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

After being born of the Spirit, we have the Holy Spirit of God living inside of us:

Ephesians 1:13-14 

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

So then we see that there are two entities living in us as believers. That which is born of the flesh (in Adam), and that which is born of the Spirit (in Christ). Everyone starts spiritually dead in Adam. That was the result of the disobedience in the garden of Eden when God said that in the day Adam ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, that he will surely die. Everyone starts off dead to the Spirit and simply cannot do any work in the Spirit, which shouldn't be hard to see. Dead things don't work by definition. Another way to say it is the unbeliever cannot help but sin. And so we have that conclusion in Romans 3:23 that we are all sinners, which is pretty bad news since the sin earns us death (Rom 6:23a). That death is a separation from God in a place which is described as a lake of fire that is unquenchable, the worm does not die, and there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. But how excellent the good news is that we are made spiritually alive again in Christ (Rom 6:23b), who makes us alive in His Spirit, who then takes up residence inside our mortal body simply by faith. Observe this truth:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Please note that the English in verse 20 may not be entirely accurate. The idea of the price there is the full value, like the proper weight in the balance when that was how value was determined back in that day. Anyway, the believer in the gospel of the grace of God has both the flesh and the Spirit living inside. For a more detailed explanation of this struggle, please see Romans chapter 7, but I'll focus on verses 21-25

21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Praise the Lord we have an outlet! We no longer have to obey the flesh which works a work unto sin and death. However, nowhere in the Word of God is it said that the flesh is annihilated. We even see there in verse 25 that there are the two entities, one to sever the law of God and one to serve the law of sin. Both the flesh and Spirit are present, and we have the free will every day to choose which one we allow to present itself. We are exhorted to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Galatians shows the implications of this contrast beautifully in chapter 5:13-26, noting especially verses 16-17.

13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

I need to say something on verse 21 where it says that those who practice the works of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God. Students of the bible would note well who God is addressing in this letter to the Galatians. This is a letter to believers in the gospel of God's grace, but have fallen back to living under the law as given to Moses. Verse 21 is a reminder to those believers that the works of the flesh are done by the unbelievers and they have been made holy, or saints, by the gospel of God's grace. Saints should have no part in that because those works earn sin and death. This verse certainly does NOT say that the believer can lose salvation by practicing the works of the flesh. We have the amazing truth in Romans 8:38-39 that we can never lose salvation once we believe the gospel of God's grace.

Note in Galatians 5:25 the concept that we ought to walk in the Spirit. The Greek there should really say something like "SINCE we live by the Spirit, we SHOULD also walk in the Spirit." It doesn't say that a believer in God's grace will ALWAYS walk in the Spirit. There is no guarantee that we do so, because again, it is a choice of the will. God is saying here that when we know who we are in Christ by studying the scriptures, and ever since we know it, we should become living sacrifices unto God and only allow the Spirit to work within us (Rom 12:1).

Take a moment and examine yourself. Do you truly desire to walk in the Spirit in all things? Are there only fruits of the Spirit in your life or is there a little bit of bad fruit mixed in there? I would venture to say we all have a bit of the fruit of the flesh, but God's will is our sanctification (1 Thess 4:3-7) so if we allow Him to continue His work, God will take care of those things.

Now I say all of this to prove this point in 1 Corinthians 2. Those of us that have the Word of God at our fingertips ought to understand that the only way to come to the full knowledge of the truth is to first be born of the Spirit by faith in the gospel of God's grace, and then be willing to allow the Spirit to teach the truths in the Word of God. If there is any quenching of the Spirit, if there is desire to have head knowledge of the scriptures only for the purpose to glorify the self, if there is only a show of godliness but denying the power thereof, the understanding of the scriptures who do so becomes foolishness. There are two main factors that determine whether or not one can rightly divide the Word of Truth. The first is whether or not the believer is studying it, but the second is just as important, and that is letting God's Spirit tell you what He's talking about. Observe this, noting the italicized word "them", which is not in the original Greek, is referring to the things of God, or the wisdom of God in verse 9:

1 Corinthians 2:10-16

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Did you see that in verse 16? We have the mind of Christ! We can come to the full knowledge of the truth if we let the mind of Christ tell us what He's talking about in His word. It's when people don't allow the Spirit to work the good work in them that we get heresies, false teachings, and messages that are for the itching ears which sound good but have no depth at all as indicated in verses 13-14. We have the same thing going on today with whitewashed sepulchres who appear to be godly on the outside yet are dead on the inside (Matthew 23:27-28).

As sad as this is, it should come as no surprise because we are told of God that this would happen in 2 Timothy 3:1-7

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

These are words given to us to describe the state of the church, the body of Christ in the last days. It is not some general concept that these things would be going on in the world, for it is a given that it would be like that with those outside of Christ who are under the bondage of sin. No, these words are concerning the church of believers in God's grace. Friends, please don't let yourself be lumped into that category of verses 6-7 and not come to the knowledge of the truth. Don't loosely pick and choose what you like in the bible and leave the rest for the theologians. God didn't say that His will was for the theologians to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, but that ALL be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. I exhort you, let God show you the knowledge of the truth by His Spirit and be set free from that bondage of ignorance!