Life in the Flesh

In a blog post last week, Jason began to explore from Romans 8:9ff the Christian believer’s experience of the indwelling Holy Spirit. But before we dig further into that wonder, it may be helpful to revisit Romans 8:7-8 and what it has to say about the ugliness and futility of our terrible enemy called “the flesh”. The jewel of life in the Spirit shines brightest against the backdrop of human corruption that is our identity apart from the Spirit:

"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 8:7-8).

Paul plainly tells us about the person who is “in the flesh”:

1. He is hostile to God
2. He does not submit to God’s law
3. He is not even able to submit to God’s law
4. Thus, he is not able to please God

The essence of our sinful condition before our conversion is not simply that we break specific laws. The essence of our condition is that we are hostile to God (verse 7), and so we do not and cannot submit to God's will – His law. The essence of our sinful condition is the unwillingness to be told what to do; it is a passion for self-rule. We will decide for ourselves what we will or will not do. We will not admit any final, decisive power or authority above self. In short, the essence of sin is self-deification – the passion to be our own god. That is what it means to be "in the flesh."

These verses confront us with the biblical doctrine that has been referred to as, “Total Depravity.” The doctrine does not mean that every person does as much evil as he could do. But because the human being apart from God’s grace is hostile to God and does not submit to God’s will, everything that he does – even what appears virtuous from a human perspective – is evil in God’s sight. As Paul says later in Romans, "Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23).

Imagine a mutiny on a naval ship. The captain and officers are forced off of the ship by the rebels and left on a deserted island. They finally raise the alarm and a naval fleet is sent to recapture the mutinous ship. The ship is boarded, and they find that the mutineers have kept the ship in tip-top condition. In fact, it's in even better condition than it was before the mutiny. They've spent their own money and given their free time to care for the ship. None of that will make any difference to their ultimate fate, because all of them are rebels.

Similarly, the best moral acts of an unbeliever are nothing more than polishing a ship that you have taken over in rebellion against Lord and Captain of the universe, God Himself. That is why “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” When we do what is right in our own eyes in disregard of our Maker and Sustainer – even if what our eyes deem as right happens to conform to God's will and expectations – we are sinning against God. Paul states this truth another way in Romans 7 when he says, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh" (Romans 7:18). He could not be more clear that in our rebellion, nothing we think or feel is good. It is all part of our rebellion.

What then shall say about the “good deeds” of unbelievers? Clearly men and women “in the flesh” do good things like feed the poor, build hospitals, extend kindness and forgiveness to others, etc. When we call such actions “good”, we mean that they generally conform to the external pattern of behavior that God has commanded in Scripture.

But this outward conformity to God’s will is not – as Romans 8:7 puts it – true submission to God’s law. It is not done in faith, that is, in reliance on His grace. And it is not done in pursuit of God's glory. And that is His will in all that we do: "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). So even these “good” deeds are actually part of our hostility to God and thus not “good” in the only sense that really matters in the end: in relation to God.

All this should strengthen our wonder and joy when we hear Paul say in verse 9, "You however are NOT in the flesh, but in the Spirit...". Freedom from the tyranny of the flesh is surely one of God's most precious gifts of grace. Romans 8 is filled with many glorious truths and promises concerning those who are in Christ. And those glories shine all the brighter when we consider the dreadfulness of our condition apart from God’s grace: our rebellion against God is total, our inability to submit to Him or please Him is total, and thus we are totally deserving of eternal punishment (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).

Knowing the severity of our disease will help us marvel all the more at the goodness and power of our Physician. As we continue digging into the riches of Romans 8 and its wondrous description of “the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18) because of Jesus, let’s never forget the misery of our condition apart from the workings of God’s grace, purchased for us by His Son and applied to us by His Spirit.