Glorying In The Flesh

Feature 1 – May 2014 — Grace & Truth Magazine

Glorying In The Flesh

What does the phrase “the flesh” mean? There are several meanings of the word “flesh” in Scripture, most of which have no ethical ramifications. For example, flesh may speak of the material substance of the body, whether of animals or men (1 Cor. 15:39), or it may relate to the human body (Phil. 1:22). However, Scripture also uses the term to speak of human behavior rather than human form. In this meaning, “the flesh” refers to man’s fallen nature, which is controlled by the power of sin. It is the evil quality which intruded into man, became a resident traitor within him and is now in league with the devil. In this sense, “the flesh” speaks of inherited carnal [worldly] appetites which are natural to us, but often go unchecked.

God created Adam’s body with a number of control systems which continue to define our human makeup and promote self-preservation. Thankfully, these mechanisms are still working within us. But since our first parents sinned these systems have been governed by a carnal nature which the world constantly entices into action. Therefore, it is important that a believer remember what God says about his old nature, the flesh. Everything God says about it is negative:

• “Nothing good dwells” in the flesh (Rom. 7:18 NKJV).
• “The flesh profits nothing” (Jn. 6:63).
• A Christian is to put “no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3).
• He is to “make no provision for the flesh” (Rom. 13:14).

A person who lives for the flesh is living a negative life.

Now that we understand what the flesh is – that it opposes the character of God and cannot please Him – we should ponder for a moment what it is that the flesh wants. What are the goals of its operations? To answer this question we will investigate some of the ambitions of the flesh; the outcome of each (if unchecked) will have the same result – the flesh will glory in itself. If the flesh motivates our behavior the outcome will not please God. Thus, it is prudent to understand our own depraved nature in order to better recognize our need for God’s help in overcoming its ungodly tendencies. Our flesh yearns for many things, but the majority of these can be characterized by the following four activities.

The Flesh Opposes God
This should be obvious yet many Christians are crippled in their spiritual walk because they rely on their own wisdom, strength and emotions to govern their daily lives. The flesh is completely incapable of guiding a believer into holy living. This is why the Lord Jesus said that “the flesh profits nothing” (Jn. 6:63). It is quite evident from Scripture that the deeds of the flesh are morally opposite from the fruit of the Spirit. What the flesh naturally controls and what the Spirit of God supernaturally does in a believer’s life are completely contradictory. The flesh enjoys the rush of sins such as “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like” (Gal. 5:19-21). On the other hand, those who are controlled by the Spirit of God, living with a new nature, will demonstrate “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). They are not self-serving but LORD give of themselves to others.

The flesh longs to be served by others and craves more than is needful or lawful to gratify its wanton nature. But the spiritual man is selfless – he or she behaves in the same way God does. The flesh nature not only opposes the things of God, but it is an affront to the character of God. Consequently, Paul warns that, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8) and that they live in spiritual separation from God – He cannot have fellowship with those who actively oppose Him (Rom. 8:13). May the believer be mindful of this reality the next time he or she is contemplating sin. The believer cannot do anything unless he or she abides with Christ (Jn. 15:4-5) – the Light of the World, who cannot abide with anyone in darkness.

The Flesh Exalts Itself
The flesh nature enjoys comparing its abilities, successes, physical features and the like with those who fall short of its own perceived superiorities. Whether it is the size of a fish caught, the points on a buck shot, the number of children born into one’s family or their accomplishments and school grades, a person’s fame, income or awards, the flesh loves to compare. Why? Because such comparisons stir up either pride or envy and the flesh enjoys stimulating both emotions. God hates pride. In fact, according to Proverbs 6:16-19 it tops the list of things which God hates. God also proclaims, “Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate” (Prov. 8:13). Solomon provides a somber warning concerning the sin of envy: “A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones” (Prov. 14:30). Comparisons among believers usually result in sinful thinking.

It is God who makes us to differ from one another and whatever features, assets or abilities we have were given to us by Him. We do not have anything that did not come from Him so there is no reason to compare ourselves with others or compare other people with each other. In humanity there are no superior beings, except Christ. If believers truly understood that they are merely stewards of all that they have there would be no glory in the flesh, but in God alone. The essence of sin is to reject God’s sovereignty and claim the right to rule one’s self. Yet, believers are instructed not to have any confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:3-4) and to glory only in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:31).

The Flesh Promotes Spiritual Showmanship
Throughout the Bible God’s people have been called out of two God-opposing ideologies. The first is the world’s pleasure – a system of secular thinking which values the passing moment over the eternal purposes of God. The second is the world’s religion – a system of humanized doings which devalue Christ’s death and exalt self-improvement and self-worth. Legalism is one of the means for touting greater spirituality.

Legalism is a man-made religious system of “doing” to improve one’s spirituality and spiritual position. In Paul’s day, for example, the believers in Galatia were being told by Judaizers that though they were saved by grace through Christ, they had to keep the Law in order to maintain their salvation. Such teaching clearly relies on works for salvation, not on God’s grace. Consequently, God’s grace and the assurance of eternal security that Scripture offers are supplanted by a fear-based and flesh-exalting religious system. Can legalism promote a believer’s spiritual growth? Paul answers this by posing a rhetorical question to the Galatian believers: “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3). The answer is absolutely not.

Legalism may have the show of spirituality, but it is an ideology empowered and stimulated by the flesh, and thus it glorifies the flesh: “These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh” (Col. 2:23). Legalizers may obtain a human following and receive the praise of men, but there is nothing that the flesh can conjure up that will earn the praise of God.

The Flesh Values The Visible
That which is visible is more apparent to us than that which is not seen; consequently, the flesh puts a premium on such things as natural abilities and physical features. This explains why commercial advertisements typically target the appetites of the flesh rather than the reasoning of the mind. The carnal man will be more motivated by lust than commonsense. Many products have been sold because a beautiful woman promoted it. In this case, men associated the advertised product with the woman advertising it and so they are motivated to buy it for a different reason than the product’s value.

We learn from Proverbs 7 that the sensual sin of the woman is to “lure” and the sensual sin of the man is to “follow.” It is for this reason that Scripture warns women against flirtatious appearance and actions (1 Tim. 2:9-10; 1 Pet. 3:3-4). Our western culture has been strongly influenced by the world’s valuation of beauty and the apparent need to augment one’s outward appearance to comply with its carnal standards. Consequently, fortunes are spent on things to improve one’s looks. We should take good care of our bodies because they are God’s temples, but most of what the world touts as necessary goes way beyond physical fitness or caring for one’s skin and hair.

This is to be expected as the world’s standard for beauty is quite different from the Lord’s. The flesh wants to deny aging and cling to the appearance of youthfulness as long as possible. Why? So others will appreciate or perhaps lust after their outward form a bit longer. This “pride of life” mentality will eventually lead to sin, either in action or in thought. Peter declares that God considers a meek and quiet spirit and the pursuit of godliness priceless (1 Pet. 3:3-4). It is character, not one’s physical features, which is profitable in the furtherance of the kingdom of God. God values the internal over the external: “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16).

A Concluding Charge
There is a better way to live. A Christian is not to live as he or she naturally did under the influence of the fallen nature, before knowing Christ. The believer is to live out Christ’s life (Eph. 2:1-4). Peter summarized the objective of every believer during his or her sojourn on earth: “That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God” (1 Pet. 4:2). As believers live according to this truth, the life of the Lord Jesus is made manifest in their mortal flesh – it is a sweet fragrance that will compel the lost to ponder the goodness of Christ and the validity of His message (2 Cor. 4:11). But this testimony of Christ is not possible until believers overcome the pull of the flesh to have its own way, to glory in itself and to follow the prince of this world.

By Warren Henderson

What Solomon is saying in Ecclesiastes when the term “fear” is used is that we are to have a deep reverence and respect for the Lord. We are to be awed and humbled by His presence. Holy fear gives God the place of glory, honor, reverence, thanksgiving, praise and preeminence He deserves – while respecting His holiness by hating what He hates and loving what He loves, with a wholesome dread of displeasing Him.

When we truly fear the Lord, we will recognize that He is the Creator and we are the creatures. He is the Master and we are the servants. He is the Father and we are the children. This attitude will manifest itself in our having a respect for God, His Word, and in our having a desire to do what He tells us to in the Bible. To put it simply, the fear of the Lord is a deep-seated reverence for God that causes men to want to please Him at all costs. —Timothy P. Hadley