Today’s Passage: “Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” John 3:5-6
Today will begin a study of what kind of life pleases God: living according to the flesh or living by the Spirit. We will first consider what it means to walk by the Spirit as opposed to walking by the flesh. We will explore Bible Scriptures teaching us how to live our lives by the Spirit as well as those warning us of the consequences of living by the flesh. Lord willing, we will in future lessons read passages regarding the lusts of the flesh so that we can renounce them. After considering these things, we will then look at each fruit of the Spirit in detail and learn the things that God has revealed to us in order to develop these characteristics.
It is true that all human beings are made in the flesh. Though we are made in the image of God, we were created in a temporary, fleshly body formed from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). When we die, our bodies return to dust (Genesis 3:19). In this sense, we are all living in the flesh while we are alive on the earth. Yet there is a difference between living in the flesh and living by the flesh, just as we can be living in the world but not of the world (James 4:4, I John 2:15-17). Jesus warned his apostles of the conflict between the two by stating that “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).
Prior to salvation, we not only live in the flesh, but we also live by the flesh. God’s Word reveals to us that every one of us has sinned. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8). Not only do we deceive ourselves, but by claiming to have no sin, we are calling God a liar (I John 1:10). None of us who are mentally capable of recognizing sin is immune to sin and therefore we need Jesus Christ as a Savior.
Let us consider the difference between living by the flesh and living by the Spirit. We begin by reading Paul’s letter to the church in Rome:
“ 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 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, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:1-14)
Note in this passage the following teachings:
1. If we are in Christ, we will walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh (Romans 8:1)
2. Christians are made free from the old law of sin and death (Romans 8:2)
3. Jesus paid the price that we may be saved from our sins and He condemned sin (Romans 8:3)
4. We can only fulfill the law (by the grace of God) if we live according to the Spirit (Romans 8:4)
5. Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on worldly things, carnal things (Romans 8:5)
6. Those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5)
7. Living by the flesh leads to death; living by the Spirit leads to life and peace (Romans 8:6)
8. A worldly mind is hatred against God because it refuses to (and cannot) obey Him in this state (Romans 8:7)
9. It is impossible to please God if we are living in the flesh (Romans 8:8)
10. If the Spirit of God lives in us, then we live in the Spirit; if we are not Christ’s, then we are not in the Spirit (Romans 8:9)
11. If Christ is in us, our body is dead but our Spirit will live on because of righteousness (Romans 8:10)
12. If the Spirit of God is in us, He will give our mortal bodies life (Romans 8:11)
13. We are debtors (we owe Him) but not to the flesh. We must not live by the flesh or we will die. (Romans 8:12)
14. If by the Spirit we put to death the deeds of the body (in other words, stop doing the things that are contrary to God’s law), we will live (Romans 8:13)
15. Those living by the Spirit are sons of God, adopted by the Lord. Abba, Father! (Romans 8:14-15)
It is important to understand that in order to live by the Spirit, we must “put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13). “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Romans 6:1). Paul addressed those who believed that they could continue in willful sin and be covered by grace by emphatically answering “No!” or as translated in the NKJV, “Certainly not!”
Let us consider a few passages to further discern what it means to put off the old man of sin and put on this new man who is born of the Spirit and lives a new life. Romans 6:4 teaches us that “we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” See also Ephesians 2:15, Ephesians 4:17-24 and Colossians 3:10.
Christ was hung on the cross, He was buried in a tomb and He arose again to return to glory. In like manner, we crucify the old person of sin, are buried with Christ in baptism and are raised a new creation – one who lives by the Spirit. This does not mean that we will live the rest of our lives sinless even after we are saved; however, we must strive to follow Christ’s example (I John 1:7), obey God’s commandments (I John 3:24, I John 2:4), continually examine ourselves to ensure that we are walking by faith (2 Corinthians 13:5), feel godly sorrow when we sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), renounce our sins by ceasing them (2 Corinthians 4:2, Matthew 3:8), confess our sins to God (I John 1:9) and confess our sins to other Christians if they are of a public nature or we need prayers for help (James 5:16). We must also strive to live a faithful life based on God’s commandments (Ezekiel 18:9, Revelation 2:10), following His directions for worship and godly living. We should develop the spirit of love that seeks to right our wrongs (like the examples of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:8 and members who are at odds with one another in Matthew 5:24). True repentance – a change of mind leading to a change in action – is often uncomfortable but it is one of the first steps in learning to walk by the Spirit.
If we live according to the lusts of the flesh, we will surely die in our sins; yet if we have been transformed into a new creature (Romans 12:2), we will seek the things of God and put to death those things that are contrary to God (Romans 8:13). The difference between someone who lives by the flesh and someone who lives by the Spirit is in their words, attitude and actions (i.e., the fruit they bear) (Matthew 3:10, Matthew 7:16-17, John 15:5, Romans 6:20-22, Romans 7:5).
There is a difference between sinning and living a life of sin. If we walk in darkness (live in unrepentant sin), then we are not in fellowship with God. If we walk in the light (seek to live according to Christ’s commandments and example), we will still stumble, but we will feel godly sorrow for what we have done, repent of it, stop committing that sin and seek forgiveness of God (I John 1:7).
Below are some questions that may help us determine whether we are living by the flesh (darkness) or living by the Spirit (light).
1) Have I determined to lay aside the works of darkness and strive instead to bear fruit of the Spirit?
2) Have I been saved according to God’s plan, washed in the blood of the Lamb?
3) Do I search my heart and ensure that I am pure and living a godly life?
4) If I sin, do I feel remorse, determine to stop sinning and work to replace the sin with something good, pure and holy? Or do I keep sinning in the same ways day after day to the point that I am no longer remorseful and do not want to quit doing what I am doing?
5) Am I studying the Scriptures to learn what God expects of me, asking for wisdom to be imparted upon me as I read the Word, and applying what I read to my life?
6) What do I spend most of my time doing - good works or works of the flesh?
7) Do others know that I am a Christian by my fruit before I tell them I am a child of God?
8) Am I watching and praying so as not to enter into temptation (Matthew 26:41)?
9) Am I abstaining from (avoiding) every form of evil and instead holding on to what is good (I Thessalonians 5:21-22)?
These are questions that I intend to consider more throughout the coming days as I examine my own life and seek to draw closer to the Lord. As I have often stated before, these lessons are written primarily for my own growth but if by so writing them, they also help you grow closer to God, I am truly joyful unto the Lord!
If the Lord wills, in the next lesson we will look at the sins of the flesh as presented in Scripture before we move on to the fruit of the Spirit.
God bless you all and have a wonderful day full of peace, joy and love. Thank you for reading these devotionals.
