Galatians 5.16-18
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
Every Christian fights an inner battle. We have two natures within us, and those two natures are opposed to each other. They are at war. The combatants in the conflict are “the Spirit” and “the flesh.” By “the flesh” Paul means our fallen condition, our old nature, or what is often called our sin nature. By “the Spirit” he means the Holy Spirit who indwells us, and who renews, regenerates, and empowers us. These two — the flesh and the Spirit — are in sharp opposition to each other. They are locked in a titanic battle for control of your life.
Paul also wrote about the two natures in Ephesians 4: “Put off your old nature, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and being renewed in the spirit of your minds, put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
The conflict between the Spirit and the flesh is no minor skirmish. In Romans 7, Paul expresses the severity of the inner battle: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” (Romans 7:18-20,22-23)
In the very next verse Paul cries out in anguish: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). The answer, of course, is found in Jesus. Thus Paul closes the Romans passage with this conclusion: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:25)
This is our situation. We are redeemed and saved by God’s grace in Christ, and we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who renews and regenerates us. However, we retain our old, fallen nature. Redemption and regeneration do not remove our sinfulness. Therefore, we must contend every day with the passions and impulses of “the flesh.”
The two natures produce very different behaviors and attitudes in our life.
Peace vs Anxiety
Courage vs Fear
Love vs Indifference/Hate
Kindness vs Cruelty
Self-discipline vs Self-Indulgence
Diligence vs Laziness
Hope vs Despair
Obedience vs Rebellion
Service vs Selfishness
Humility vs Arrogance
No good thing comes from living according to the old nature. All good things derive from walking in the Spirit. This is the battle. This is the inner struggle.
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:5-6)
