In Scripture, the flesh can mean the physical body, human weakness, or ordinary human life. Yet Paul often uses the word in a moral sense: fallen humanity turned away from God and governed by its own desires. Context must decide the meaning. The Bible does not teach that a created body is evil; it teaches that sin has corrupted the whole person.
READ THE KEY PASSAGES
Begin with what
Scripture says.
Galatians 5:17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other.
Romans 8:8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Galatians 5:24And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
01
The flesh is more than the body
John 1:14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
Jesus truly came in flesh. That fact alone prevents Christians from treating material life or the human body as evil. God created man bodily, and believers await the resurrection of the body.
When Paul contrasts flesh and Spirit, he is addressing a ruling orientation. The flesh resists God, desires its own way, and cannot be healed merely by better circumstances or stronger willpower.
The flesh is not simply the physical body, which God created. It is the fallen human tendency to live independently of God and to make sinful desire the master.
02
The works of the flesh expose its character
Romans 8:9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Galatians 5 names sexual sin, idolatry, hatred, wrath, envy, drunkenness, and other deeds. The list reaches far beyond bodily appetite. Pride, false worship, division, and destructive speech also belong to the flesh.
This keeps us from locating sin only in public scandal. The flesh can appear in religious self-righteousness, anger defended as zeal, or a heart that wants God’s gifts without submitting to God.
The conflict is real for believers, but it does not mean sin is their deepest identity. In Christ they have been given a new standing and are called to present themselves to God.
03
Christ and the Spirit bring a new rule
Galatians 5:16Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Romans 8 says believers are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if the Spirit of God dwells in them. That is a statement about identity and belonging to Christ, not a denial that Christians still face temptation.
The Spirit does not make sin harmless. He gives new life and leads believers to put the deeds of the body to death. Growth is real, often costly, and dependent on Christ rather than self-confidence.
Trying to defeat the flesh through rules, pride, or self-reliance only repeats the same problem. Victory grows from dependence on the Spirit and obedience to God’s Word.
04
Walking by the Spirit is daily obedience
Romans 13:14Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Paul calls believers to walk in the Spirit and to make no provision for the flesh. That includes turning from temptation, receiving the Word, praying, seeking faithful fellowship, and obeying what God has said.
The answer to the flesh is never despair or legalism. Christ has secured the believer’s standing, and the Spirit trains that believer to live in the freedom and holiness that belong to Christ.
This warfare requires honesty. A believer should identify the desires and patterns that pull the heart away from Christ, repent of them, and refuse to nourish what must be put to death.
05
The struggle calls for watchfulness
Romans 8:1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 7 and Galatians 5 make room for the believer’s real conflict without making that conflict normal or harmless. A Christian should neither claim that temptation proves he is lost nor make peace with a pattern God calls sin.
The Spirit’s work creates both comfort and seriousness: there is no condemnation for those in Christ, and there is no license to let the old desires direct the life.
The flesh will not be fully removed until glorification, but it need not rule. The Christian life is a continuing refusal to let old desires define the path of obedience.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Questions for further reading.
- 01
Why must the word ‘flesh’ be read in context?
- 02
How do Galatians 5 and Romans 8 keep us from defining sin too narrowly?
- 03
Where are you being called to stop making provision for the flesh?
Read patiently. Let God’s Word speak.
The flesh is fallen human life set against God, not the body as God created it. Christians belong to Christ and are called to walk by the Spirit, refusing the old rule of sin while trusting the Lord who gives new life.
