The War Against the Flesh in Believers and Sanctification
The concept of "war against the flesh" in believers refers to the ongoing spiritual struggle against sinful desires and tendencies that persist even after conversion. This internal conflict is a significant aspect of the Christian life, closely intertwined with the process of sanctification. Sanctification, in a general sense, involves being set apart for God and living a holy life [1, 5].
The apostle Paul frequently addresses this struggle, describing it as a conflict between the Spirit and the flesh (e.g., Galatians 5:17). While believers are cleansed from sin by Christ's blood and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, they still experience the presence of sinful inclinations [1]. This is not to be confused with a lack of "internal sanctification," which is solely the work of the Spirit of God [2]. Rather, it is an ongoing battle against the remnants of sin within the believer.
This spiritual warfare is not merely a passive state but an active resistance. Believers are called to resist sin, Satan, and the world, including its temptations and false teachings [4]. The struggle can be intense, sometimes even to the point of suffering, though not necessarily to the shedding of blood as some Old Testament saints and Christ himself experienced [4]. The "flesh" in this context represents the sinful nature, which is opposed to the Spirit of God. The goal of this war is to live a life that reflects the holiness to which believers are called [1].
The process of sanctification is a progressive one, where believers are increasingly conformed to the image of Christ. This involves a continuous turning away from sin and a pursuit of righteousness. The ultimate outcome for those who reject the truth and embrace delusion is condemnation, while those who embrace the love of truth are saved [3]. The "war against the flesh" is therefore an essential part of the believer's journey towards complete sanctification and glorification.
Sources
- Revelation (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Revelation 13:7: And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,.... The remnant of the woman's seed, Rev 12:17, whom God has set apart for himself, Christ has cleansed from sin by his blood, and the Holy Spirit has sanctified by his grace; and who under the influence of it live holy lives and conversations; against such Satan always bore an enmity; and it is an aggravation of the wickedness of the Romish antichrist, that he makes war with such, which he is stirred up to by Satan, with a malicious intent, and is permitted by God for the trial of the faith and patience of hi”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 7:14: For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife,.... That is, "by the believing wife"; as the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions read, and so it is read in some copies; and likewise in the next clause the same is read, by the believing husband; this is a reason given by the apostle why they should live together. This cannot be understood of internal sanctification, which is never the case; an unbeliever cannot be sanctified by a believer in this sense, for such a sanctification is only by the Spirit of God; nor external sanctification, or an outward refo”
- 2 Thessalonians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Thessalonians 2:12: That they all might be damned,.... Or judged, discerned and distinguished from true Christians and real believers, or rather that they might be condemned and punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and have their portion in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; where the devil, the false prophet, and the beast, whose followers they are, will be cast; and it is but a righteous thing with God to give them up to such delusion, that they may be damned, since they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved; a”
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 12:4: Ye have not yet resisted unto blood,.... They had resisted sin, and Satan, and the world, the men of it, and the lusts of it, and its frowns and flatteries, and also false teachers, even every adversary of Christ, and their souls; but they had not, as yet, resisted unto blood, or to the shedding of their blood, as some of the Old Testament saints had done; as some in the times of the Maccabees, and as James the apostle of Christ, and as Christ himself: wherefore the apostle suggests, that they ought to consider, that they had been indulged; and what they had been eng”
- Leviticus (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Leviticus 3:1: And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering,.... The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan render it, the "sacrifice of holinesses", or "sanctifications"; so called, not because they were more holy than other sacrifices; for they were what the Jews (c) call the lighter holy things, in distinction from the most holy things, such as the meat offerings were, Lev 2:10 but as Ainsworth suggests, either because none but holy persons might eat of them, Lev 7:19 though this also was enjoined in other sacrifices, or because hereby the name of God was sanctified. These off”