Overcoming the Flesh in Spiritual Maturity and Growth
The concept of "flesh" in biblical texts carries multiple meanings, ranging from the physical body to a broader sense of human weakness and sinfulness, which believers are called to overcome in their spiritual journey [2]. In the Old Testament, "flesh" (Hebrew: basar) can refer to a specific part of the body, the entire body, all living creatures, or humanity as a whole [2]. For instance, Job speaks of the "hair of my flesh" standing up, indicating a physical reaction [5], while Psalm 16:9 uses it to mean the whole body [2]. It also conveys ideas of mutability and weakness, as seen in 2 Chronicles 32:8, which contrasts human flesh with divine strength [2]. The phrase "heart of flesh" in Ezekiel 11:19 suggests softness or responsiveness, in contrast to a "heart of stone" [2].
In the New Testament, the term "flesh" (Greek: sarx) retains these physical meanings, as when Jesus tells his disciples to "touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have" [1]. However, it also takes on a significant theological dimension, often denoting the sinful nature or the fallen human condition [2]. This is particularly evident in the writings of Paul, where "flesh" frequently stands in opposition to the "Spirit."
The Apostle Paul uses "flesh" to describe the human inclination towards sin, distinct from the physical body itself. John Chrysostom, an early Church Father, clarifies this distinction, stating that in passages like Romans 8, "flesh" does not mean the body or its essence, but rather "that life which is fleshly and worldly, and uses self-indulgence and extravagance to the full, so making the entire man flesh" [7]. one tradition argues that just as those who are led by the Spirit make the body spiritual, those who are slaves to worldly desires become entirely "flesh" [7]. This interpretation highlights that "flesh" in this context refers to a way of living governed by human desires apart from God, rather than the physical body being inherently evil.
The struggle against the "flesh" is a central theme in Paul's letters, particularly in Galatians. Paul exhorts believers to "walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh" [3]. Here, "lust of the flesh" refers to the desires and impulses that stem from the fallen nature. John Gill, a Reformed Baptist commentator, explains that "flesh" in this context signifies "the corruption of nature, which still is in regenerate persons" [9]. This corruption, one tradition notes, is called "flesh" because it is propagated by natural generation, focuses on carnal things, and manifests through the body's members [9]. The contrast is stark: the Spirit and the flesh are in opposition, each desiring what the other opposes [3].
Spiritual maturity and growth, therefore, involve a continuous process of "overcoming the flesh." This does not imply the destruction of the physical body, but rather the subjugation of sinful desires and inclinations that arise from the fallen nature. Adam Clarke, a Methodist commentator, interprets Galatians 3:3, "Are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" as a question about whether spiritual religion and gifts can be perfected by "carnal rites" like circumcision [8]. This suggests that reliance on outward observances or human effort, rather than the work of the Holy Spirit, constitutes living "by the flesh" in a spiritual sense [8].
The New Testament further elaborates on the implications of living "in the flesh" versus living "by the Spirit." In 1 Peter 4:2, believers are encouraged to "live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for the will of God" [4]. This verse acknowledges that believers still inhabit physical bodies ("in the flesh") but calls for a transformation of their purpose and desires, aligning them with God's will rather than self-centered human impulses [4]. John Gill, commenting on 2 Corinthians 10:3, clarifies that while apostles "walk in the flesh" (meaning they are in the body, imperfect, and subject to infirmities), they do not "war after the flesh," indicating that their spiritual battle is not fought with carnal methods or motives [11].
The concept of being "born of the flesh" versus "born of the Spirit" further illustrates this distinction. Jesus tells Nicodemus, "That which is born of the flesh, is flesh" [10]. Gill interprets this to mean that a person born naturally is "a mere natural man; that is, he is carnal and corrupt, and cannot discern spiritual things" [10]. Such a person, one tradition argues, cannot "enter into, and inherit the kingdom of God" without being born again by the Spirit [10]. This emphasizes that the "flesh" in this sense represents the unregenerate human state, incapable of spiritual understanding or obedience without divine intervention.
The ultimate hope for believers involves a transformation of the body itself, moving from a "natural body" to a "spiritual body" at the resurrection [12, 13]. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown explain that a "natural body" (or "animal body") is one "moulded in its organism of 'flesh and blood' to suit the animal soul which predominates in it" [13]. In contrast, a "spiritual body" will be "wholly moulded by the Spirit," with the Spirit predominating over the animal soul [13]. This future transformation signifies a complete victory over the limitations and inclinations associated with the fallen "flesh," though the body will still consist of "flesh and bones" like Christ's resurrected body [12]. The reconciliation achieved through Christ's death in "the body of his flesh" is crucial, as it was in his human body that he atoned for fallen humanity [6]. This underscores the importance of Christ's true and entire humanity in the process of redemption, allowing him to overcome the limitations of the flesh through his death and resurrection [6].
Sources
- Luke “See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.” -- Luke 24:39”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Flesh — In the Old Testament denotes (1) a particular part of the body of man and animals (Gen. 2:21; 41:2; Ps. 102:5, marg.); (2) the whole body (Ps. 16:9); (3) all living things having flesh, and particularly humanity as a whole (Gen. 6:12, 13); (4) mutability and weakness (2 Chr. 32:8; comp. Isa. 31:3; Ps. 78:39). As suggesting the idea of softness it is used in the expression "heart of flesh" (Ezek. 11:19). The expression "my flesh and bone" (Judg. 9:2; Isa. 58:7) denotes relationship. In the New Testament, besides these it is also used to denote the sinful eleme”
- Galatians “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. -- Galatians 5:16”
- I Peter “I Peter 4:2 (LEB) — in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for the will of God.”
- Job “Then a spirit passed before my face. The hair of my flesh stood up. -- Job 4:15”
- Colossians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Colossians 1:22: In the body of his flesh--the element in which His reconciling sufferings had place. Compare Col 1:24, "afflictions of Christ in my flesh" (Pe1 2:24). Angels who have not a "body of flesh" are not in any way our reconciling mediators, as your false teachers assert, but He, the Lord of angels, who has taken our flesh, that in it He might atone for our fallen manhood. through death--rather as Greek, "through His death" (which could only take place in a body like ours, of flesh, Heb 2:14). This implies He took on Him our true and entire manhood. Fle”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: please God, and to make our escape from the flesh? and would you have us be homicides, and so lead us to virtue? You see what inconsistencies are gendered by taking the words literally. For by “the flesh” in this passage, he does not mean the body, or the essence of the body, 435 but that life which is fleshly and worldly, and uses self-indulgence and extravagance to the full, so making the entire man flesh. For as they that have the wings of the Spirit, make the body also spiritual, so do they who bound off from this, and are the slaves of the belly”
- Galatians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Galatians 3:3: Having begun in the Spirit - Having received a spiritual religion, which refined and purified your hearts; and having received the Holy Spirit of God, by which ye were endued with various miraculous influences; and the spirit of adoption, by which he were assured of the remission of sins, and incorporation with the family of God: Are ye now made perfect by the flesh? - Are ye seeking to complete that spiritual religion, and to perfect these spiritual gifts, by the carnal rite of circumcision? It appears that by the Spirit, here, not only the Holy Spirit, but his g”
- Galatians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Galatians 5:16: For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,.... By "flesh" is meant, not the carnal or literal sense of the Scripture, which is Origen's gloss, as militating against the spiritual sense of it; nor the sensual part of man rebelling against his rational powers; but the corruption of nature, which still is in regenerate persons: and is so called because it is propagated by carnal generation; has for its object carnal things; its lusts and works are fleshly; and though it has its seat in the heart, it shows itself in the flesh or members of the body, which are yielded as”
- John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on John 3:5: That which is born of the flesh, is flesh,.... Man by his natural birth, and as he is born according to the flesh of his natural parents, is a mere natural man; that is, he is carnal and corrupt, and cannot discern spiritual things; nor can he, as such, enter into, and inherit the kingdom of God; see Co1 2:14. And therefore there is a necessity of his being born again, or of the grace of the Spirit, and of his becoming a spiritual man; and if he was to be, or could be born again of the flesh, or ever so many times enter into his mothers womb, and be born, was it possible”
- 2 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Corinthians 10:3: For though we walk in the flesh,.... The apostle removes the calumny of walking after the flesh, by owning that they were in the flesh, in the body, in a state of imperfection, attended with many weaknesses and infirmities, and surrounded with a variety of afflictions and sorrows; in this sense they were, and lived and walked in the flesh; but then he denies the charge exhibited against them, we do not war after the flesh: every Christian's life is a warfare with Satan, and his principalities and powers, with the world, the men and lusts of it, and with the c”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 15:41: It is sown a natural body,.... Or an animal one, being generated as animals are, and supported with food as they be, and die at last as they do: see Ecc 3:19. It is raised a spiritual body; not as to substance, but as to its quality; it will not be changed into a spirit; our Lord's risen body, to which ours will be conformed, was not a spirit, but, as before, consisted of flesh and bones: but the body will then be subject to the spirit and soul of man; it will be employed in spiritual service, for which it will be abundantly fitted and assisted by the Spirit”
- 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 15:44: a natural body--literally, "an animal body," a body moulded in its organism of "flesh and blood" (Co1 15:50) to suit the animal soul which predominates in it. The Holy Spirit in the spirit of believers, indeed, is an earnest of a superior state (Rom 8:11), but meanwhile in the body the animal soul preponderates; hereafter the Spirit shall predominate, and the animal soul be duly subordinate. spiritual body--a body wholly moulded by the Spirit, and its organism not conformed to the lower and animal (Luk 20:35-36), but to the higher and spiritu”