Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But, there are some of you who do not believe" (John 6:63,64, NKJV).
Jesus gives three spiritual principles here:
1. The only ultimate source of life is the Spirit of God - both spritual and physical.
2. Life comes through the Word because His Word is Spirit. God's Spirit gives life through the Word. In other words, the source is the Spirit and the channel is the Word. This is an eternal principle runs through the Bible.
3. The barrier to receiving life is unbelief. In other words, the only way to receive life is by faith in Christ.
The principle of life is confirmed by the Psalmist.
"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth" (Psalm 33:6, emphasis added).
Notice that "breath of His mouth" speaks of the Holy Spirit. This life creating power is recorded in Genesis:
"And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light" (Genesis 1:2,3).
The Spirit of God moved, then God spoke his Word and the result is the creation of life. The whole universe was spoken into being when God released His Spirit.
The Realm of the Spirit
An important spiritual law is:
Paul said, "While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18).
Behind the natural and the material is the spiritual. The spiritual controls the physical when God's Spirit is in operation. Therefore, when we operate in the spiritual successfully, success follows autometically in the natural. When God's covenant people get the victory in the spiritual realm, then the victory is their.
There is a clear example in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah annihilated the invating army without using a single natural weapon. All they used was praise and worsip. When they got the victory in the spiritual, the result inevitably followed in the natural.
The spiritual principle is, when we have a problem in the natural, we need to seek the solution in the spiritual. This principle is seen working out in the divine healing of sickness and diseases.
Works of the Flesh
In the Bible the word "flesh" usually does not mean the physical body. The flesh is the nature that we inherited with our physical body. There is a connection between the physical body and the flesh, but they are not identical. The flesh is the nature that all of us inherited from Adam because Adam had no descendents until after his fall. In every one of us (the natural man) dwells a rebel that causes us to rebel against God. The natural man is led by the carnal mind, which is directly connected to the things of the flesh.
The Bible reveals several ways of describing the flesh - the old man (Romans 6:6), body of sin (Romans 6:6), and sinful nature (Gal. 5:17, NIV).
John said, "... the flesh profits nothing ..." (John 6:6).
In other word, there is nothing good to be obtained out of the flesh.
Paul said the same thing in Romans, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells" (Rom. 7:18).
Paul went on to say in Romans 8:5 to 8 that, the carnal (or fleshly) mind cannot be subject to God and cannot please God. To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. These are strong statements!
Paul said further in Galatians that, "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish" (Gal. 5:16,17).
In other words, the flesh is directly contrary to the Spirit. Where the flesh prevails, the Spirit does not operate and when the Spirit prevails, the flesh does not. They do not operate at the same time - one excludes the other.
Paul listed the things (works) of the flesh in Galatians 5:19 to 21. There are actually four categories:
1. Sexual immorality - adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness.
2. Occult practices - idolatry, sorcery and any related practices the carnal mind wants to know things in the spirit world.
3. Self indulgence - drunkenness, revelries.
4. Division - hatred, contentions, jealousies, pride, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy and legalism.
I believe all divisions in the Body of Christ are due to the fleshly or carnal nature of believers - legalism, sectarianism and pride are the main problems.
Paul said, "... for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men" (1 Cor 3:3)?
Transition from the Flesh to the Spirit
The truth is all born again believer have been set free from the fleshly or carnal nature. The old man was crucified with Christ. The Scripture testifies this historical fact.
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me ..." (Gal. 2:20, emphasis added).
"For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ. ... since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man ...." (Col. 3:3,9,10, emphasis added).
Notice that the transition from the flesh to the Spirit is not automatic, even for born again believers. All provisions of God are given through Jesus Christ on the Cross but believers must receive the provisions and promises by faith.
This important truth can be proven by the Scripture.
Paul said, "Those are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:8, emphasis added).
The writer of Hebrews said, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him" (Hebrews 11:6, emphasis added).
Put these verses side by side we come to the logical conclusion (by an analytical way) that, to be in the flesh is to be without faith. Therefore, the only way to be released from the fleshly or carnal nature is by faith. I see no other ways suggested by the Scripture! We please God by receiving from Him this provision!
Finally, I wish to stress that the type of "faith" mentioned here is active faith. It is not theoretical or theological faith. It is faith working through love.
Paul said, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails any anything, but faith working through love" (Gal. 5:6, emphasis added).
Paul also said, "But he who doubts is condemned .... for whatever is not from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23, emphasis added).
In other words, legalism, doubt and unbelief are enemies of faith.
Jesus Himself said that our faith must never fail.
Jesus said to Peter, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren" (Luke 22:32, emphasis added).
In the context, Jesus was actually saying to Peter that he can deny him three times, he can run away from Him or do anything against Him. But, Peter will return to Him if his faith does not fail!
I think this is an important lesson for all christians. We can sin against God by our fleshly or carnal desires from time to time. God is faithful, He will forgive us if our faith fails not and return to Him with repentance!
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