In The Flesh…Or In The Spirit?

By Neil Earle

Christians must guard against the tendency to be distracted from hearing the kinder and gentler voice of the Spirit.

I will never forget that moment in our Glendora Church when elder Emmett Rushing stood up for the sermon and asked us all, “Are you in the flesh…or in the Spirit?”

That really really set me thinking.

“Obviously I feel my fleshly temptations and all the shocks and worries that physical life is heir to but…that other phrase ‘in the Spirit’ seems like something I’ve heard before,” I remember debating with myself.

Then Mr. Rushing took us to Romans 8:9 as it reads in the English Standard Version, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the spirit if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.”

That, we all felt that morning, was quite a lot to say about sinners such as us, we struggling Christians who feel our shortcomings and stresses most acutely as we measure our lives by God’s holy word. Of course one answer to this is to measure our lives by Jesus Christ and his willingness to live and die for us, to already have taken us to heaven with him to reconcile us to the Father and then send the Spirit to enable our fleshly side to live a truly spirit-filled life (Ephesians 2:8; John 16:7).

But those acute points of theology aren’t always at the top of our minds when we hear a question such as we were posed that morning in church.

There are many ways for Christians to stay focused on Jesus – this film is one of them.

Who’s in Charge Here?

All right, what about it? What does Romans 8:9 mean and what difference does it make in the Christian life, if any?

That’s an even deeper question isn’t it?

The New International Version actually gives us a short-hand explanation of Romans 8:9 when it says, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you” (Romans 8:9).

It’s a matter of what controls us, what dominates in our lives and especially in our minds. The sixteenth century writer Matthew Henry put it this way:

“All the saints have flesh and spirit in them but to be in the flesh and in the Spirit are contrary…The Spirit being in us is the best evidence of our being in the Spirit, for the indwelling is mutual (1 John 4:15). How may we know whether we are after the flesh or after the Spirit? By examining what we mind, the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit. Carnal pleasure, worldly profit and honor, the things of sense and time are the things of the flesh…The favor of God, the welfare of the soul; the concerns of eternity are the things of the Spirit which those that are after the Spirit do mind…The mind is the forge of thoughts. As he thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).”

Very good.

It’s a matter of what is controlling our daily walk.

Three Areas

Spiritual help is always available in the battle with what St. Paul calls "the flesh."

We could boil it down to three principles revolving around the key attributes of how the Spirit prompts us in our daily lives.

Peace with God.

Peace with others.

Peace with ourselves.

Let’s take them in turn. Matthew Henry wrote: “Pleasing God is our highest end, of which those that are in the flesh cannot but fall short.”

What it means to be at peace with God is to walk the way Christ walked. Jesus Christ gave us the clearest picture, a real-life demonstration of what God is like. To imitate him is to be like God. And Jesus’ program, his manifesto for his people was stated in his first sermon in the synagogue at Nazareth.

“And on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read…’The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to reach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:16-18).

This short synopsis shows us that serving God means serving others. Christians can get so wrapped up in the minutiae of church life or trying to do some “mighty works” for God or trying to carry out the rigorous stipulations of the law that they can forget that God’s ways are very practical.

Culture in turmoil – the U.S. Presidential Campaign of 2016 is attracting much attention for extremist reactions on all sides.

“The Letter Kills”

St. Paul told the church in Corinth that the letter of the law obedience kills but the spirit of the law gives life. Even though prayers, fasting and alms-giving are indeed part of the Christian walk, these things should never become ends in themselves. They cannot substitute for the kind of sweet communion with God that comes like a healing balm when we cry out to him in distress. Or pour out our thanksgiving to him when he has delivered us from trouble. This attitude and practice reflects a two-way relationship with God. God takes the lead through the Spirit in our lives and we respond gladly and willingly knowing that his ways are always best. This leads to an attitude of obedience yet without the grief, guilt and constraints of the Law – “I delight to do your will, O God!” This leads to peace with God which will see us through this life and the life of the world beyond.

Similarly, in our peaceful walk with others. We have already seen that close relationship between the way we relate to God and the way we relate to others. Jesus focused it even sharper in Matthew 25 and his well-known Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. Matthew 25: 34-36 says, “Then the King will say to those on his right, Come you who are blessed by my Father: take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

There is no doubting the wisdom of St. John, Jesus’ closest friend,” For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1John 4:20).

One reconciliation specialist identified at least two dozen areas of conflict or broken relationships in our society ranging from political disputes to labor-management issues to teen-parent problems and all the way to clergy-congregational spats. The need for peacemakers is great, in fact it has never been more urgent as the 2016 Presidential election shows. But peace with God under the guidance of the uplifting, forgiving Holy Spirit leads almost inevitably to peace with others as all Christian history and experiences tends to show.

“Private Enemy Number One”

But how can there be peace in our homes, schools, families and communities while too many of us are walking around like miniature civil wars with conflicts, inferiorities resentments and grudges raging inside us.As the songs say, it all starts with the man or woman in the mirror. That is partly true even tough Christians are encouraged to keep before them the image and example of the one true peacemaker, Jesus Christ our Lord.

‘Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfected of our faith,” Hebrews 12:2 shows us. Jesus’ very life can come into our own lives and bring us peace and good will towards friends and neighbors. To walk in the Spirit means to have Jesus living actively inside us, prompting our best actions, listening to the better angels of our nature. This gets us on the right side of daily living, as Ephesians 4:30-32 pleads so eloquently, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed…Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

And that, in large measure, is what it means to be in the Spirit today and every day till we reach our journey’s end.