Topical Bible: War: The Flesh

◄ War: The Flesh ►

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In the Christian theological framework, the concept of "war" against the flesh is a significant theme that underscores the internal spiritual struggle faced by believers. This battle is not against physical entities but against the sinful nature inherent in humanity, often referred to as "the flesh." The flesh represents the fallen human nature that is inclined towards sin and rebellion against God.

Biblical Foundation

The Apostle Paul extensively addresses the conflict between the Spirit and the flesh in his epistles. In Galatians 5:17, Paul writes, "For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want." This verse highlights the ongoing struggle within believers, where the desires of the flesh are in direct opposition to the desires of the Holy Spirit.

In Romans 7:18-25, Paul provides a personal account of this internal war: "For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out... What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Here, Paul acknowledges the powerlessness of the flesh to achieve righteousness and the necessity of divine intervention through Jesus Christ.

Nature of the Flesh

The flesh is characterized by its propensity towards sin and its opposition to God's law. In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul lists the "acts of the flesh," which include "sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, carousing, and the like." These acts are manifestations of the sinful nature that believers are called to resist.

Victory Over the Flesh

The New Testament provides guidance on how believers can overcome the flesh. In Galatians 5:16, Paul exhorts, "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." Walking by the Spirit involves living in accordance with the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, which enables believers to resist the temptations of the flesh.

Furthermore, in Romans 8:13, Paul states, "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." This verse emphasizes the necessity of actively putting to death the sinful deeds of the flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Role of Christ

The victory over the flesh is ultimately rooted in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. In Galatians 2:20, Paul declares, "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Through union with Christ in His death and resurrection, believers are empowered to live a new life that is no longer dominated by the flesh.

Practical Implications

The war against the flesh has practical implications for the daily life of believers. It calls for a life of vigilance, prayer, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul describes the "armor of God," which includes truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer, as essential tools for standing firm against the schemes of the devil and the temptations of the flesh.

In summary, the war against the flesh is a central aspect of the Christian life, requiring believers to rely on the Holy Spirit and the redemptive power of Christ to overcome the sinful nature and live in accordance with God's will.

Nave's Topical Index

Romans 7:23
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
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1 Corinthians 9:25-27
And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
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2 Corinthians 12:7
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
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Galatians 5:17
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.
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1 Peter 2:11
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
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Library

The War of Truth
... I have marked, however, that some Christian men"and it is a feeling to which all
of us are prone"are very apt to make Christ's war a war of flesh and blood ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/the war of truth.htm

No Man Hates his Own Flesh, not Even those who Abuse It.
... habit changed for the better, so that its inordinate affections may not war against
the soul. And until this shall take place, "the flesh lusteth against the ...
/.../augustine/on christian doctrine in four books /chapter 24 no man hates his.htm

Psalm XCVIII.
... art treading the earth in the flesh, but in spirit thou art rising into heaven;
for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh....Brethren, do ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm xcviii.htm

2 Cor. x. 1, 2
... as wicked, as a boaster. [2.] Ver.3. "For though we walk in the flesh,
we do not war according to the flesh. Here he goes on to ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xxi 2 cor x.htm

The Heretics Called the Flesh "The Vessel of the Soul," in Order ...
... The sword also which has received honourable stains in war, and has been thus ... the
substance of the human owner or employer; whereas the flesh, being conceived ...
/.../on the resurrection of the flesh/chapter xvi the heretics called the.htm

The Blessedness of the Martyr.
... therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." [2765]
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; for the ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter vii the blessedness of the.htm

Rom. I. 26, 27
... of God. For it says, "the two shall be one flesh;" but he divided the one
flesh into two: here then is one war. Again, these same ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily iv rom i 26.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, John vi. 55,"For My Flesh is Meat ...
... There is a struggle, a war, a combat ... But those of you who have not yet wives, and
who yet already approach to the Lord's Table, and eat the Flesh of Christ, and ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon lxxxii on the words.htm

The Final Conflict.
... the flesh of all, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the wild beast,
and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered to make war with ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the final conflict.htm

Why Jesus Called them an Adulterous Generation. The Law as Husband ...
... spiritual law, and comes to the Word beyond it, who became flesh to those who live
in the flesh, but to those who no longer at all war after the flesh, He is ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of matthew/4 why jesus called them.htm