Unlimited: Impossible for the Flesh
Dec 26, 2022 635
The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so (Romans 8:7).
Having asked the question, “Who governs your mind?” the apostle now gives us one of the only two options. You can choose for your mind to be governed by the flesh or you can choose to submit to God.
In the seventh chapter of his epistle, Paul described the life of a person whose mind is governed by the Spirit. In verses 22–25 Paul has told us that in his mind (the “inner being”) he delights in the law of God, but the flesh (the “body”) wars against it. Because Jesus has delivered him from the flesh, he is voluntarily a slave to God’s law in his mind, but in his flesh (“sinful nature”) he remains a slave to sin.
Because it is impossible for the flesh to obey God’s law, you can be saved only through faith.
It is important to understand this. The flesh is hostile, and will always be hostile to God until glorification. It is impossible for the flesh to submit to God. That is why you must not allow yourself to be governed by the flesh.
Because it is impossible for the flesh to obey God’s law, you can be saved only through faith: a trust relationship with Jesus Christ. Once we have been saved, we can only live through the same principle. We do not live by focusing on our performance, but by focusing on our trust relationship with Jesus.
Spiritual Application
Review your last week? What words have you spoken through the flesh? What choices have you made through the flesh. What things have you done through the flesh? Face and acknowledge these things and surrender your flesh to God.
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