The Flesh vs. The Spirit

“The flesh lusteth against the Spirit.”

(Galatians 5:17)

For millenniums, debates have raged over the struggle that takes place within the regenerated child of God and the origin of this conflict. There are basically three points of view. First, are those who believe that the struggle is a result of the Spirit slowly transforming the flesh into greater degrees of perfection. Next, are those who contend that the flesh is ever sinful and therefore cannot change but that what is created in the sinner is a whole new, sinless nature alongside that is just as holy as God. Finally, is what the Scriptures teach: that what is given to the elect child of God is the very Spirit of God Himself to indwell them as an earnest of their final redemption of the body and their glorification, when in the resurrection the body, soul and spirit are made sinless like Christ, Ephesians 1:14.

This is the language of Scripture, plain and simple. The flesh lusteth [literally to continually turn against] the Spirit. It is not the Spirit’s work to transform the flesh but rather to rule over it and direct it to submit to the righteousness of God in Christ. Scripture nowhere teaches that the flesh is in any way transformed or that it is progressively becoming holier, Romans 8:7. It will not and cannot change, being sinful and depraved from the beginning. Nor does the Scripture teach that some new sinless nature is created within the sinner. Rather, it is the Spirit of God Himself that indwells the elect child of God, according to Christ’s promise in John 14:17. The flesh wars against the Spirit but the Spirit also contends against the flesh, holding it in check and invincibly directing the heart and mind of the sinner to Christ. As someone once put it, ‘The Spirit brings the sinner irresistibly against his will, to bow to Christ.’

O! How Spirit-born sinners know the awful effects of sin. It is because of the Spirit of God in them that they cannot put any confidence in the flesh but rejoice in Christ Jesus alone and His blood and justifying righteousness for salvation, Philippians 3:3. The Spirit-drawn sinner knows that he has no other righteousness than that charged to Him in the death of the LORD Jesus. None will ever say that they have ever believed, loved, or walked in a perfect manner, even for a moment. If there were a sinless nature created in you, wouldn’t you expect that you would? The reality is that it is the Spirit of God in you that is holy, sinless and pure but as for our own mind, will and affection, they are wholly given over to sin, so that you cannot do the things that you would, Gal. 5:17.

The more we are taught of the Spirit, the more we feel the sinfulness of the flesh and the more we rest only in Christ’s blood and righteousness imputed in His death at Calvary. It is the Spirit’s work to make us know the wickedness of our flesh but also the absolute glory of Christ as the Substitute and Satisfaction for sin and to look to Him as our ONLY and PERFECT righteousness!