Those Who Live According to The Flesh

In the book of Romans, chapter 7, Paul described for us the struggle with sin that we have in our flesh natures. The good we want to do, we do not do, and the evil we don’t want to do, we end up doing. And Paul came to the conclusion, “Oh, what a wretched man I am!” But then, he asked, “Who will rescue me from the body of death?” And, then he answered the question with, “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” We, who believe in Jesus Christ with God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, are rescued! We no longer have to be in bondage (slavery) to sin! (see Romans 6:1-23)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:1-8 ESV)

There are many people professing faith in Jesus Christ whose minds are still set on the flesh, who are still living according to the flesh, who are still being controlled by the flesh and by sin and not by the Spirit of God. Their minds are hostile to God and to the teachings of the Scriptures, for they do not submit to the Lord and to his commandments. And so they are not able in their flesh to be pleasing to God for they are still living to gratify the sinful cravings of their flesh. And the end result of this state of mind is death.

And for many of them, it isn’t that they don’t know what the Scriptures teach. It isn’t that they don’t know right from wrong. It isn’t that no one has ever encouraged them to have changed hearts and minds of the Spirit of God via being crucified with Christ in death to sin and being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer in slavery to sin. It isn’t as though they have not been encouraged to get rid of the sin in their lives and to now walk with God in holiness and in obedience to his commands.

But instead of having a pure and moral and upright relationship with God, via submission to him as Lord of their lives and self-denial and dying to sin daily and following the Lord in walks of obedience to his commands, they practice what is immoral, vile, corrupt, and dishonest, and they use trickery and scheming to try to mask their sin, hoping that no one will know. They may give an outward appearance of righteousness and of having their sins under control, but it is all a façade, a dishonest display to try to fool others.

For they are not lovers of God, but they are lovers of self. What is of upmost importance in their lives is their flesh and pleasing their flesh and doing what they want to do regardless of what God wants them to do or who they hurt in the process. They are the self-indulgent, not the self-controlled. For they are living in addiction to sin, and their lives are not committed to holiness and purity and honesty and faithfulness. Their marriage is not with God but with self, and their bond is very twisted and perverted and self-serving.

They are those who make promises but who do not keep them, who promise to be faithful, but remain faithless. They say they are doing one thing while they do another. They say they love God and that they are in fellowship with him but while they continue in their sinful patterns of behavior and while they continue to not walk in obedience to his commands, in practice. So they make false confessions of love when truly hate is what is motivating them to sin against God and other humans, deliberately and habitually.

And in Romans 6 we read that if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with Christ our Lord. And in Romans 8 we read that God, “by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (vv. 3-4). Do you see what this is saying?

We are not “in Christ” by a verbal profession of him as Lord and Savior of our lives. We are “in Christ” when we die with him to sin and we now walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, by his grace and in his power. We cannot live according to the flesh to please the flesh in disobedience to our Lord, in practice, and be in relationship with God and have salvation from sin. So if we want to be “in Christ” and not under condemnation then we must die with him to sin and now follow him in obedience to his commands.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263