What It Means To "Walk In The Flesh"

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16

If you're anything like me, you may be reading this verse completely different than the way it was written. Most believers read this as a command to stop fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. But that's really the opposite of what Paul is saying here. It's true that this passage contains a command  - but that command is not to "stop walking in the flesh."

The command is to "walk in the spirit".
"You will not fulfill the lust of the flesh" isn't a command - it's a promise.
If you'll just walk in the spirit, you won't have to struggle to keep yourself from the sins of the flesh. The freedom from sinful cravings is a promise...one that will be fulfilled in the lives of those who walk in the spirit!

The problem is, we don't understand what it means to walk in the spirit. Sure, the idea sounds good, but how many people can say they're actually putting it into practice? Practically speaking, how does someone "walk in the Spirit"? If you really want to understand this, then you'll also need to learn what it means to walk in the flesh.

One of these walks we must avoid at all costs.
The other one must be practically applied to our lives.

What is "the flesh"?

Most Christians think "the flesh" is just another Biblical word for "sin". But that's not really the case. While living in the flesh will always result in sin, it is not the same thing as sin.  "The flesh" is a life that is lived naturally. It's the life that we live on our own.

The flesh is:

   YOUR strength

   YOUR desires

   YOUR willpower

   YOUR attempts

The flesh is simply the nature of mankind. And as long as you are operating in this nature, you cannot serve God! (We see this in Romans 1:9, where Paul says that he served God with his spirit.)

Attempted Obedience in the Flesh

This is the problem with most believers. They'll sit in church and hear the commands of God, and decide that they're going to obey what He's saying. Their commitment is one of forced obedience...and it sounds like this: "No matter how hard it is - I'll do my best to keep that command"

These believers mistake knowing what to do with knowing how to do it. Once they hear the command, they start trying to obey it. Using their own willpower and strength, they step into the flesh while intending to obey God. This cannot work.

The problem is, the flesh cannot obey God...even if it intends to!

"So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." - Romans 8:8

"Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified..." - Romans 3:20

"Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" - Galatians 3:3

It doesn't matter how good your intentions are...
It doesn't matter if you're trying to obey God or not...
...Living in the flesh will always produce sin. 

Trying To Do Right, Inevitably Doing What's Wrong

We can see this when we look at the ancient church of Galatia. These were people who were genuinely born again - saved by grace through faith. But after their conversion, teachers of the Jewish Law (people that Paul called "false brothers") came in and began to teach them the commands that they were required to obey.

"Thank God for your salvation by grace," they would say, "but now, here are the rules."

This church desperately wanted to please God. So when the commands were preached, they gritted their teeth and decided do whatever they could to live righteously. They began to put all their willpower and effort into following God's commands. 

As they tried to follow the commands of God they began to "walk in the flesh"....relying on their own strength to please God. And then something unexpected started happening:

"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like..." - Galatians 5:19-21

Good night! - What kind of people were these?

These weren't reprobates or rank sinners...these were Christians who were trying to obey God! But because they were attempting to obey God by their own effort, these things were the result. These works always come out of the flesh...even if that flesh is attempting obedience.

In response to the manifestation of these works of the flesh, the teachers of the law began to say, "See? Look at what's going on! You all need to try harder to obey!"

Of course, the people knew what they were supposed to do...and they also knew that they weren't doing it...so they agreed to try harder to obey. But the harder they tried, the more obvious the works of the flesh became.

This is the group of people that Paul called out in Galatians 3:3 - "Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect in the flesh?"

Your response to hearing God's command should never be like theirs. We as believer should never say, "OK, I'll try!" (as we mutter through gritted teeth). This is a religious form of walking in the flesh. Do this, and you'll see the works of the flesh in your life!

The Only Way to Break the Power of the Flesh

There is only one way to break the power of the flesh...and that is by faith.

Read the next two passages carefully - I promise you, you're going to see something that you've missed before!

"For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the the Father but is of the world." - 1 John 2:16

Would you call these things "sin"? Of course you would! Every sin that has ever been committed has fallen into one of these three categories. These are the sins of the world that so often entangle us, bringing us into bondage, and becoming almost impossible to overcome. But God gives us the answer to these things...and that answer is not you trying on your own to stop them!

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world (those three sins that we read about earlier). And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith." - 1 John 5:4

Faith will break the power of sin.

Faith will break the power of the flesh.

Faith is the only way to obey God!

Trying to obey God's commands is "walking in the flesh"...and it will never work.

But believing those commands accesses grace, and that works every time!