OUR SPIRITUAL WEAPONS -- Tomorrow:
"Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Cor 10:1-6)
Devotion 22 of 44
" . . . which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. "
It is obvious that "the flesh" involves more than the physical human constitution, Now that life has been brought to light, it is associated with the intangible "motions of sin," "lusts." "affections," "desires," and "the mind." Paul went so far as to say, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not" (Rom 7:18).
Concerning "the flesh," Jesus said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). In matters relating to Christ and His salvation, "the flesh" brings no true benefit – only disadvantages. Now we are to look at "the flesh" as that part of us in which there is no intrinsic good, and which brings to us absolutely no genuine profit.
Jesus also said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). That is, nothing spiritual can come from the "flesh" – even when it is cultured to the optimum degree possible. What, then, is "the flesh?"
This is the part of man that can be traced back to Adam – the first human "flesh," from whom all other human "flesh" came. The only man who is an exception to this is the Lord Jesus. He was "begotten of God," not of man. He was a different kind of man, being separate from Adam. Therefore He is referred to as "the last Adam" and "the second Man" (1 Cor 15:45,47). All other men, strictly speaking, came from Adam. Thus it is written that God "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation" (Acts 17:26).
This part of a redeemed man – the flesh, which is traced back to Adam – is totally unacceptable to God. As a progenitor and valid head of the race of man, Adam has been written off. He plays no redemptive role in the Divine economy. In fact, for a person to either see or enter the Kingdom of God, a new birth is necessary – a birth that has nothing whatsoever to do with Adam (John 3:3,7; 1 Pet 1:23). The individual who is "born again" is referred to as a "new creation" (2 Cor 5:17). Those in Christ are declared to be "His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:10). Unlike Adam, or "the flesh," this new creation is "created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph 4:24). It is this creation, and this creation alone, that is accepted by God. Therefore it is said of the people of God, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13).
Now, "flesh" stands for every part of the individual that is NOT "born of God." Everything that is NOT "in Christ Jesus." Everything that is tainted by sin, is deteriorating, and that is consigned to mortality. When I hear the expression "the flesh," I am to make the proper spiritual associations.
In the place of "the flesh" (Rom 7:5; 8:8), other versions read, "the sinful nature" (NIV), "natural inclinations" (NJB), "our old nature" (NLT), "our human nature" (IE), "our earthly natures" (WEYMOUTH), "our lower nature" (WILLIAMS), "unspiritual" (MONTGOMERY), and "mere physical lives" (PHILLIPS).
These are not translations, but interpretations. Doctrinally, there is an element of truth in them. However, the comprehension of doctrine, as particularly expressed in First Corinthians 2:13, requires the employment of "sound words." It is the intelligent expression of the words themselves that is used by the Spirit to minister to the heart and bring understanding to the individual.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for delivering me in Christ from everything that is profitless.