Carnal or spiritual?
Faustino de Jesús Zamora Vargas
SUMMARY: The flesh is the part of us that seeks worldly desires and does not surrender to God. It is selfish and tries to be like God. Satan tempts us to live in the flesh, but King Solomon realized that it is all meaningless. As Christians, we should live in the Spirit and grow in the image of Christ. By submitting to God and obeying the Spirit, we can flee from temptations and live in peace with God and others.
The same day that Ana raised her hand and her heart to receive Christ, God wanted her to hear her first sermon in church and in this the Word of God constantly spoke of the flesh. At the end of the service, he addressed a group of brothers who were commenting on the sermon and with astonished eyes and a doubtful face, he asked: Brothers, what is the meat that the pastor spoke about ... what did he mean by being in the meat? Ana received a multitude of answers, but her face, in the end, reflected a total uncertainty. Obviously his doubts had grown on the subject and no one had hit the nail on the head with a convincing explanation.
The flesh is that part of us that does not surrender to the Lord and ingratiates itself with the world to seek what is not from God. It is the selfish desire to satisfy our needs, but without counting on God, it is wallowing in our cares and submitting to our own self. And the worst thing is trying to want to be God. The book of Ecclesiastes is a precious manual of teachings on the dangers of living in the flesh and not according to the will and under the control of our Lord. Being in the flesh is an attempt to get our creator out of the game. The Word warns us: Because everything in the world, the passion of the flesh, the passion of the eyes and the arrogance of life, does not come from the Father, but from the world. (1John 2:16).
Ah, the cares of the flesh! How many times do we fall into the same trap!
The one who first tried to be like God was Satan. He tempted Adam and Eve to also want to want to be like God. That's the tendency the Word calls meat. Since he has already lost his own battle on the cross in this endeavor, his preferred vocation is to try that the redeemed in Christ walk by tearing our garments as a sign of defeat because of the flesh. King Solomon understood the sin of the flesh, he granted himself all the pleasures and carnal desires but in the end he said "... and I saw that everything was absurd, a running after the wind, and that no profit is taken in this life" (Ecclesiastes 2 :eleven)
The desire of the flesh is against the Spirit. If we have known the Lord and have truly been born again, then we must no longer be carnal, but spiritual. It is not an option, but, by projecting ourselves as such, we are fulfilling the will of the Lord, who has given us a new nature, a redeeming and powerful Spirit who longs from us for growth to the stature of the fullness of Christ. If we have given Him control of our lives, if He reigns on the altar of our submission and obedience by the Spirit that is in each one of us, we will easily flee from temptations, and we will live conscious of the sacrifice of Christ; at peace with Him and with others.
God bless you!
The flesh is that part of us that does not surrender to the Lord and ingratiates itself with the world to seek what is not from God. It is the selfish desire to satisfy our needs, but without counting on God, it is wallowing in our cares and submitting to our own self. And the worst thing is trying to want to be God. The book of Ecclesiastes is a precious manual of teachings on the dangers of living in the flesh and not according to the will and under the control of our Lord. Being in the flesh is an attempt to get our creator out of the game. The Word warns us: Because everything in the world, the passion of the flesh, the passion of the eyes and the arrogance of life, does not come from the Father, but from the world. (1John 2:16).
Ah, the cares of the flesh! How many times do we fall into the same trap!
The one who first tried to be like God was Satan. He tempted Adam and Eve to also want to want to be like God. That's the tendency the Word calls meat. Since he has already lost his own battle on the cross in this endeavor, his preferred vocation is to try that the redeemed in Christ walk by tearing our garments as a sign of defeat because of the flesh. King Solomon understood the sin of the flesh, he granted himself all the pleasures and carnal desires but in the end he said "... and I saw that everything was absurd, a running after the wind, and that no profit is taken in this life" (Ecclesiastes 2 :eleven)
The desire of the flesh is against the Spirit. If we have known the Lord and have truly been born again, then we must no longer be carnal, but spiritual. It is not an option, but, by projecting ourselves as such, we are fulfilling the will of the Lord, who has given us a new nature, a redeeming and powerful Spirit who longs from us for growth to the stature of the fullness of Christ. If we have given Him control of our lives, if He reigns on the altar of our submission and obedience by the Spirit that is in each one of us, we will easily flee from temptations, and we will live conscious of the sacrifice of Christ; at peace with Him and with others.
God bless you!
