According to the Flesh

(Click here for an audio version.  The intro and conclusion are from ‘Beyond Belief’ by Petra)

"For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."  (Romans 8:5-8)

This past week I took a deeper dive into a passage I memorized last year, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.  I was struck by the phrase ‘according to the flesh’ in v.3, which reads (emphasis mine):

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,"  
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This has the following sense: 
‘For though we walk about (live our lives) in the frailty and imperfection of our temporary bodies, we do not ourselves wage war accordingly.’

When we understand that life is a battle, and that the true and lasting value of it is unseen and eternal, this is quite a relief!  Or as Martin Luther put it in the hymn ‘A Mighty Fortress’, ‘Did we in our own strength confide / Our striving would be losing’.  Indeed.

My meditation and study led me to examine several other occurrences of the phrase.  Here’s what I’ve discovered so far on my journey:

Judging
""Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.""  (John 7:24)

""You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. "But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me."  (John 8:15-16)

"Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."  (2 Corinthians 5:16-17, NASB)

When we assess merely at a horizontal level, and not at a vertical (God-centered, Christ-centered) level, we will not view people and circumstances truthfully.  As the Apostle Paul indicted the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 10:7, 'You are looking at things as they are outwardly.'


Walking
"so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."  (Romans 8:4, NASB)

"So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—"  (Romans 8:12, NASB)

I call this ‘functional atheism’, living life out only or primarily horizontally, relying on human perspective and strength.  Describing such people, Jesus called them ‘blind guides of the blind.’ (see Matthew 15:14)  I once heard a local church leader at a conference say, ‘We hear from God by hearing from each other.’  Yeah, but what if we are all lost?

Mindset
"For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,"  (Romans 8:5-6, NASB)

Wow.  What we think about most can either be life giving or life depleting.  If the thought –> action -> habit –> character –> destiny continuum is real, this is – pardon the pun – worth thinking more about (see also Galatians 6:7-8, James 1:14-15).  Which leads us to…

Destiny
"for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live."  (Romans 8:13, NASB)

A life lived in the flesh apart from Christ ends up decayed and destroyed apart from Christ, eternally.

Truthfulness
"Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time?"  (2 Corinthians 1:17, NASB)

Of one of our former presidents, while in office, one of his advisors actually said this about him: ‘The President has the ability to say both yes and no at the same time; he has seized the political center.’  Funny, I thought that was lying.  So it goes when we think according to the flesh.

Boasting
"Since many boast according to the flesh, I will boast also."  (2 Corinthians 11:18, NASB)

This is an obvious one.  Promoting oneself comes naturally, does it not?

God certainly has a better way for us, one that is joyously life giving to us and to others – but it is surely counter-intuitive.

Next time, let’s set our sights on what it means to walk ‘according to the Spirit’ (Romans 8:4) and take hold of all that God graciously intends for us.

Mark
 
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