The Boasting of the Flesh — The Spiritual Man

The Boasting of the Flesh

Another Aspect of the Flesh

Are the works of the flesh only as described above? Is there nothing else the flesh does? Is the flesh truly rendered inactive under the power of the cross? What we’ve described above has mostly emphasized the sinful aspect of the flesh, focusing on the bodily desires. But we have not yet addressed another aspect of the flesh. Previously, we stated that the flesh includes both the workings of the soul and the desires of the body. We have already discussed the bodily aspect. However, we have not yet clearly addressed the soul.

Although all the defiling sins from the body are to be removed by the believer, the soul’s workings—though less visibly impure—are equally corrupt in God’s eyes and also must be rejected.

According to Scripture, the works of the flesh fall into two categories (though both are works of the flesh): unrighteousness and self-righteousness. The flesh not only produces sin but also morality; it is not only defiling but also lofty. It does not only contain lust but also good intentions. This is the aspect we will now examine.

The term “flesh” in Scripture refers to our corrupt human nature or life—our soul and body. When God created humans, He placed the soul between the spirit and the body—between the divine/spiritual and the sensory/worldly realms. The soul’s responsibility was to mediate the two, giving each its due, enabling mutual interaction, with the hope that this complete union would eventually result in a spiritualized body. However, the soul yielded to sensory temptation, broke away from the authority of the spirit, and came under the dominance of the body. The soul and body then fused into what Scripture calls “the flesh.”

This flesh is not merely without the spirit; it actively opposes the spirit. Scripture says, "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh" (Galatians 5:17).

The flesh’s opposition to the Spirit has two facets: in committing sin and in doing good. The bodily aspect of the flesh is naturally filled with sin and lust. When it expresses itself, it commits many sins and grieves the Holy Spirit. However, the soul aspect of the flesh is not as visibly defiled. The soul is the principle of human life—it is the self—and includes the will, mind, and emotions. Its works may not seem impure to humans. It is merely focused on its own ideas, thoughts, desires, and feelings. Its actions are not necessarily filthy sins but are self-centered. Independence and self-reliance are its distinguishing traits.

Therefore, even though the soul’s behavior may not be as vile as the body’s, it too is the enemy of the Holy Spirit. The flesh wants to be self-centered, putting its will above God’s. Even if it serves God, it does so in its own way, not according to God's methods. It does what seems good in its own eyes. The self is the root of all its actions. One may not commit outward sins and may even strive to keep God’s commandments, but the “self” remains the center of all activity. The cunning and strength of this self can be astonishing.

The flesh opposes the Spirit not only in sinning against God but even in serving God—when it relies on its own strength instead of being led by the Spirit or depending wholly on God’s grace. In doing so, it becomes an enemy of the Spirit and quenches Him.

Among those around us, we often find people who are naturally kind, patient, and loving. Believers detest sin; they think that if they can escape sin and avoid the fleshly deeds listed in Galatians 5:19–21, they would be free from the flesh. They admire righteousness, so they try hard to practice righteousness and desire to bear the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22–23.

But here lies the danger. Believers do not learn to hate their flesh—the entire flesh. They only seek to rid themselves of the sinful manifestations of the flesh. They know to reject the deeds of the flesh but do not understand that they must also destroy the self. The key point is this: the flesh does not only commit sin—it can also do good. If the flesh is doing good, then it is still alive. If a person is truly dead, both their ability to do evil and to do good should also be dead. If they can still do good, then obviously they are not yet dead.

We know that all humans are naturally of the flesh. According to Scripture, there is no one on earth who is not of the flesh, because all sinners are born of the flesh. However, we also know that many people, before being born again (or even without ever coming to faith), already perform many good deeds. They are loving, patient, and kind—as if they were born that way. According to Jesus (John 3:6), even such a good person remains fleshly. This proves that the flesh is capable of doing good.

We can also see the flesh doing good in Paul’s rebuke to the Galatians: “Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). The Galatian believers had fallen into the error of relying on the flesh to do good. Though they had begun by the Spirit, they were not continuing in the Spirit to reach maturity. Instead, they were trying to become perfect through their own efforts (the righteousness of the law). Thus, Paul challenged them. Clearly, the flesh can perform good deeds. If the Galatians’ flesh could only sin, Paul wouldn’t need to ask such a question. They would know that sin cannot complete what the Spirit began. But because they were trying to complete the Spirit’s work through the flesh’s righteous acts, it proves they were relying on the flesh’s goodness to achieve perfection.

They genuinely strove for righteousness. But Paul shows us that the righteous acts of the flesh are entirely different from the work of the Spirit. What is done by the flesh is done in one's own strength and cannot fulfill what the Spirit began.

Earlier in Galatians, Paul made a strong statement: “But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor” (2:18). He was speaking of people who, after being saved and receiving the Spirit, tried to live by the righteousness of the law (2:16–17, 21). What he had torn down was the idea that humans could be saved by their own actions. He had always opposed relying on human works for salvation. “If I rebuild” means that now, after having stopped trusting in one’s own deeds and having believed and been justified, one goes back to promoting righteous behavior. He says that if this happens, “I prove that I am a transgressor.” This shows that not only can no one be saved by righteous works, but also no one can be perfected by the flesh’s righteous acts after salvation. If someone believes otherwise, they are still a sinner. This proves how worthless the righteous deeds of the flesh are.

Romans 8 also teaches us that “those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (8:8). This shows that fleshly people attempt to please God—but fail. These efforts are the so-called righteous acts of the flesh. But they do not please God.

We must deeply understand that the flesh is capable of doing good—and even excels at it. We often equate “flesh” with lust and assume it is always dirty like lust. But the term “flesh” includes lust only on one side. The soul, with its will, mind, and emotions, may act in ways that are not visibly defiled. Moreover, even the word “desire” or “lust” in Scripture is not always negative. In Galatians 5:17, the word translated “desire” or “lust” is used for both the Spirit and the flesh. So, in Scripture, “desire” does not always imply impurity—it simply refers to a strong inclination.

Everything a person can do before being born again—or without ever being reborn—is a work of the flesh. Thus, the flesh not only does evil but also good. The believer’s error lies here: they only know to remove the evil from the flesh; they do not realize that the good must also be removed. They do not understand how both evil and good from the flesh are of the same nature. The flesh is the flesh—whether doing good or evil.

Therefore, the current danger for believers is that they are either unaware of or unwilling to remove everything of the flesh, focusing only on removing the evil. The lesson now is this: the goodness of the flesh is no less fleshly than its evil. Both belong to the flesh. If the goodness of the flesh is not removed, believers can never be free from its power. Moreover, if the flesh can do good and believers allow it to do so, soon the flesh will also do evil. If self-righteousness is not removed, unrighteousness will follow.