When the Bible talks about flesh does it mean my skin or my nature?
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| Rembrandt - Apostle Paul - WGA19120 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
In Paul’s writings, the contrast between the Holy Spirit and flesh (often as the sinful urge) looms larger than the distinction between the human spirit and the physical flesh it animates (in some Pauline passages, however, it is unclear whether God’s Spirit or the human spirit is intended). Paul associates the Spirit favorably with faith and the flesh unfavorably with the works of the law (Gal. 3:2–3). In Galatians, Isaac, freeborn according to the Spirit, represents God’s gracious promise; Ishmael, slaveborn according to the flesh, represents the law, which brings a curse (4:21–31).
The spiritual person lives in a way determined by God’s Spirit; the fleshly person behaves like unbelievers, who do not have the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:12–3:4). Vices (nonphysical as well as physical) are the works of the flesh; virtues are the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16–25). Fleshly behavior leads to death; behavior according to the Spirit leads to eternal life (Gal. 6:7–8; Rom. 8:1–17). The contrast between divine Spirit and human flesh is present in the Gospel of John as well; here the gift of the divine Spirit makes up for what is lacking in merely human (but not evil) flesh (3:3–8; 6:52–63).
In the NT, especially in the Pauline epistles, the term “flesh” takes on a specialized theological meaning. Paul consistently uses the term “flesh” in reference to the fallen human nature that is incapable of conforming to God’s holy expectations (Rom. 7:5, 18; 8:3–9; Gal. 3:3). In this sense, “flesh” is unaided human effort—mere human strength without the power of the Holy Spirit. It is this “flesh” that offers sin a foothold in a believer’s life (Rom. 8:3–4, 9; Gal. 3:3; 5:16–17). Paul explains that the flesh and the Spirit are in conflict with each other within believers necessitating the believer’s denial of sinful desires and cooperation with the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:13; Gal. 2:19–21; Col. 3:5).
Unfortunately, many have misunderstood Paul’s specialized use of the term “flesh” and have taken the passages mentioned above to mean that our bodies are inherently evil. Nothing, however, could have been further from Paul’s mind. Paul taught that Christ Himself came in the flesh and yet lived a sinless life (Rom. 1:3; 1 Tim. 3:16). Furthermore, the body is God’s creation and therefore is good when it is devoted to God in holy service (1 Tim 4:4). In fact, Paul referred to the believer’s body as the temple of the Holy Spirit indicating its sacred nature and purpose (1 Cor. 6:19–20). The notion that the physical body is inherently evil and therefore an obstacle to spirituality came not from Paul but from Plato.
