“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12*)
“For the mind of the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. If the Spirit of God lives in you, you are not in the realm of the flesh but in the realm of the Spirit. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:7-9*)
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:16-18*)
We see that there is a battle within us. The two sides of this conflict are the flesh and the Spirit. In his letters, the Apostle Paul frequently encourages believers to stand firm in their spiritual freedom. For the Jewish believers of old, the main issue was circumcision – whether they should be circumcised according to Mosaic law after accepting Christ as Savior and Lord. Today, we may not live by the Old Testament rule of circumcision, but we might follow other personal rules and laws. These are determined by our national identity, history, family upbringing, even our own predispositions and experiences. Therefore, we hear some say: “I appreciate candid people,” while others say: “I admire persevering people,” and so on. Each of us has a moral law in our minds guiding us and by which we judge whether we and others are righteous and morally worthy.
But what justifies us? By what can we say someone is a person of God? In God’s word, we see that “all who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” (Romans 8:14*) That is why Apostle Paul often and in various ways emphasizes that if someone bases their faith and justification on anything other than the sacrifice and work of Christ, they are of the flesh. This means they rely on their own strength and deeds rather than on God’s saving sacrifice.
This is precisely the spiritual battle fought within us as children of God – the battle between the flesh, which seeks its own, and the Spirit, which leads us towards God. The flesh is independent of God, proud, relying on its own strength, intellect, morals, and perseverance. It was corrupted by the original sin in Eden and naturally desires what is base, deceitful, proud, rebellious, cruel, and destructive. Regardless of the official motives and how convincing its arguments may sound, the flesh always leads to death, as evidenced by its fruits: “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21*)
Perhaps as we read this, we think: “There’s nothing even seemingly good in this. How could we live according to the flesh if we are God’s?”
We enter the realm of the flesh and human righteousness when we attempt to justify ourselves or fulfill God’s law through our own efforts. Apostle Paul says: “knowing that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we also have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16*, bold text is ours)
If we forget who redeemed and made us righteous, we start trying to earn our justification with human and fleshly methods, which is impossible. We cannot fulfill the requirements of God’s law in the Old Testament and that is precisely why Jesus Christ came – to fulfill those requirements for us, to bear our guilt, and to become “our wisdom from God, our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30b*)
Okay, does that mean nothing is required of us? What is required of us is faith. A person who sincerely believes that someone else was punished, condemned, or killed due to their own mistakes and wrongdoings cannot remain the same. They change as a result of their faith. This faith begins to show results, becoming evident in the person’s actions, changes in the mind, heart, habits, and in what they love or disdain, in what they do or refrain from doing. The flesh seeks the external, fights for its image, for things to appear good to others, but does not care about the internal state of the heart. The flesh is deceitful, proud, and facade-focused. It masks wounds rather than heals them.
The Spirit deals with the internal state of the heart. It heals and transforms desires, senses, perceptions, and beliefs deep within the person. This change will inevitably manifest outwardly in actions. It may be immediate for some things, but for others, it might take time, as it is a process.
Challenge for the week: Is there something you see as right and know you should do but deep inside you do not want to? Do you have habits or thoughts in your heart that you know are wrong but cannot rid yourself of? Perhaps you have exerted effort, exercised willpower, but haven’t seen change or freedom. We encourage you to talk to God in prayer and to reveal your heart, your most intimate thoughts and desires to Him. If you don’t want to do something good and feel guilty about it, tell Him. If you are doing something bad that you wish to quit but can’t, share that too. God wants to change your heart, and actions will naturally follow. Trust in Him.
*The biblical quotes are according to the text of The Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
Photo: Nowshad Arefin/Unsplash.com