The Flesh as Opposed to God in Scripture

The notion that flesh is opposed to God is a profound and complex concept that permeates the biblical narrative. In Galatians 5:17, we read that "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." This antithesis between the flesh and the Spirit is rooted in the fundamental distinction between the realm of sin and the realm of righteousness, as Paul so eloquently articulates in Romans 8:7-8, where he writes that "the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot." The flesh, in this sense, refers not merely to our physical bodies, but to the entirety of our fallen human nature, which is inclined towards rebellion against God and His holy law, as we see in Romans 3:20, where it is written that "no one will be justified in his sight by works of the law."

As the apostle Paul so starkly puts it in Romans 7:18, "I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh." This is not to say that our physical bodies are inherently evil, for as 1 Corinthians 6:20 reminds us, we have been "bought with a price" and our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is the sinful tendencies and inclinations of our hearts that are opposed to God, as Jesus Himself taught in Mark 7:21-23, where He lists the various evils that proceed from the human heart. The good news of the gospel, however, is that through faith in Christ, we are no longer slaves to the flesh, but are instead empowered by the Spirit to live a life of obedience to God, as Paul so triumphantly declares in Romans 8:13, "if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." As we walk in the Spirit, we are enabled to mortify the flesh and its sinful desires, and to live a life that is pleasing to God, a life that is characterized by the fruit of the Spirit, as described in Galatians 5:22-23.