The Sins of the Flesh — The Spiritual Man

The Sins of the Flesh

What the apostle struggled against in Romans chapter 7 was the sin dwelling in the body. He said, “Sin, seizing an opportunity… deceived me… sin brought death to me… I am sold into slavery under sin… it is sin that dwells in me that does it.” (vv. 11, 13, 14, 17, 20). When believers are fleshly, they are often overcome by this indwelling sin, resulting in many inner battles and repeated transgressions.

Human bodily functions, broadly speaking, can be divided into three categories: nourishment, reproduction, and self-preservation. Before the fall, all three were legitimate and free of sin. But ever since man sinned and became corrupted by a sinful nature, these three have become channels for sin. Because of the need for nourishment, the world now uses food and drink to lure us. The first temptation mankind faced was over food. Just as the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil tempted Eve, so too do today’s pleasures of eating and drinking become expressions of fleshly sin. We must not take the matter of food lightly, for many fleshly believers have failed at this very point. The carnal Corinthian believers caused many others to stumble precisely over the issue of food (see 1 Corinthians 8). That is why church deacons and elders in those days had to be those who had overcome in matters of eating and drinking (1 Timothy 3:3, 8). Only spiritual people understand that those who are preoccupied with food gain nothing; therefore, whether they eat or drink, they do all to the glory of God.

The second function, reproduction, after the fall became corrupted into human lust. In Scripture, lust and the flesh are closely linked. Even in the Garden of Eden, the sin of gluttony quickly gave rise to lust and shame. In 1 Corinthians, Paul links these two (6:13, 15), and he also connects drunkenness with impurity (vv. 9–10).

The third aspect is human self-preservation. After sin took control, the strength of the body was turned toward self-survival. Anything that threatens our comfort or ease becomes the enemy. What people call "temper" and the resulting anger and strife all come from the flesh and are sins of the flesh. In the matter of self-defense, due to the active role of sin within, countless sins—both direct and indirect—are born. It is in the effort to protect our own interests, existence, reputation, opinions, and other personal matters that many of the world’s darkest sins arise.

If we analyze many of the sins in the world one by one, we will see that most are related to these three bodily aspects. A fleshly Christian is one who is governed by one or more of these three parts. The people of the world are ruled by the sins of the body, and that is not surprising, for they have not been born again and are still of the flesh. But if a regenerated Christian is still constantly falling into sin, unable to break free from its power, and remains fleshly for a long time, that is abnormal. Believers should allow the Holy Spirit to examine their hearts so that they may be enlightened by God's light and come to know what in their flesh is contrary to the law of the Spirit and to the law of nature, what hinders their self-control and discipline, and what enslaves them and keeps them from serving God freely in the spirit. Unless these sins are removed, there is no possibility of entering into the reality of the spiritual life.