Controlling Flesh with the Spirit

There is a war raging inside each of us. Both sides want complete victory and the absolute surrender of the other.

The two forces fighting this battle are the flesh and the spirit. As the apostle Paul wrote:

“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.” — Galatians 5:17

The Source of the Struggle

Paul details this intense conflict in Romans 7.

Our physical bodies naturally desire to satisfy their own lusts (1 John 2:16). Even though these physical desires are strong, our spirit can bring them under control.

When our spirit is weak, however, the flesh wins. This leads to temptation and, ultimately, sin (James 1:13-15). The heart of the struggle is the flesh’s desire for self-gratification versus the spirit’s need to control those desires.

The Limitations of the Flesh

While our mind and spirit can choose to serve God, the physical flesh cannot process spiritual truth. It operates under the law of carnality (base, physical desires or worldly-mindedness).

The flesh has no conscience to guide it and no intellect to reason with. Therefore, a mind guided by the gospel must actively discipline and restrain the body from pursuing out-of-control desires (1 Corinthians 9:27).

Consider the difference between a master and an animal:

The Flesh (Animal Nature)	The Spirit (The Inward Man)
Guided only by instinct and biological drive.	Guided by a code, authority, and reason.
Desires: Eating, drinking, sleeping, reproducing, self-preservation, avoiding pain, seeking pleasure.	Desires: Serving God, loving and serving others.

A master must impose his will on a dog. The dog might want to eat leftovers from the trash can, but the owner trains it to walk away.

This self-control is unnatural for the animal, but its actions must submit to the master’s voice. If the dog disobeys, it faces correction.

Overcoming Temptation

Think about the sin of covetousness (an intense, sinful desire to possess what belongs to others).

When we see something we want, our flesh acts on impulse: it wants to take it. The flesh only hesitates if the pain of getting caught is greater than the pleasure of the object.

Our spirit, however, recognizes the temptation. Guided by God’s law, the spirit must choose to resist the desire. The spirit is the only part of you that can make the decision to obey God.

The physical flesh cannot obey God on its own (Romans 8:7-8). Those who let their base desires run their lives cannot please Him.

Therefore, we must surrender our spirit to Christ’s will, and then use that strength to bring our bodies into subjection. This battle will last until Christ finally frees us from these physical bodies (Romans 7:24-25; 8:20-23).

Until then, we must live by the Spirit of God. By His power, we can mortify (put to death or overpower) the harmful deeds of the body (Romans 8:10-13).