For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Galatians 5:17 KJV
Tug of War! That’s the first thing that came to mind when I read this text. I trust you know what a Tug of War is? It is a sport where two opposing sides are at each end of a rope, with a line drawn and they are struggling for dominance to pull the other team across the line to win the game. If you consider the text again, a picture of a tug of war is plainly painted. In every Christian, there is an intense ongoing battle between the desires of the indwelling Spirit of God in the believer and their sinful nature for dominance. It is a tug of war.
The phrase “lusteth against” simply means the flesh, our sinful nature, desires things that are against the Spirit’s desire. You will notice the text also speaks of the Spirit having desires that are against the desires of the flesh: “and the Spirit against the flesh.” Notice what the next phrase also says: “these are contrary one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Do you see that? These—the flesh and the Spirit are contrary to one another. In other words, the flesh opposes the desires of the Spirit, and the Spirit opposes the desires of the flesh.
The Desires of The Flesh
Though Christians are “washed…justified… sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV), we still live in a sinful world and a sinful body with residues of the sinful nature hanging around waiting to strike at the least opportunity. We live with an ongoing battle with the desire to sin. Often, unfortunately we actually do sin. If not regularly. So, there is a battle for dominance over the believer: “So that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
The desire of the flesh is to sin; indulge the old nature and please ourselves.. Regardless of how long you have been a Christian, you can testify to this sad reality.. You have the indwelling Spirit with new desires according to the new nature, but sin still lingers on with its desires according to the old nature. And both are opposing each other, so that you will go along with their desires.The desires of the Spirit of God in you won’t permit you to succumb to the desires of the flesh, and the desires of the flesh are opposing the desires of the Spirit. As long as we live in this fallen body, in a fallen world, we would have sinful desires –indwelling sin–to deal with. Consider the words of Charles Spurgeon:
“When we believe in Jesus Christ all our sins are pardoned; yet the power of sin, albeit that it is weakened and kept under by the dominion of the new-born nature which God doth infuse into our souls, doth not cease, but still tarrieth in us, and will do so to our dying day. It is a doctrine held by all the orthodox, that there dwelleth still in the regenerate, the lusts of the flesh, and that there doth still remain in the hearts of those who are converted by God’s mercy, the evil of carnal nature…”
Do you deny this? Can you honestly say this is not true of me? Look back your life just in the past hour? Consider the thoughts that may have run through your mind. And even, if possible, consider what you are thinking about while reading this article? Now the desires of the flesh are what lead to actual sins. The desires come, we don’t do anything about them, we follow them through, then boom, we sin.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death
James 1:14-15
Now, nobody can read what goes on in another person’s mind. But those desires manifest by the way we live our lives. Paul calls this “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-21). You may argue “I do not do these things”. What we must understand is that the list in Galatians 5:19-21 is not the list of all sins in the world but a fair representation of almost everything. The phrase “and such” is like our modern use of etcetera.
Winning The Tug of War
Dealing with the desires of the flesh means checking and bringing your sinful desires under the control of the Holy Spirit. It means not fulfilling or giving in to your sinful desires.
This I say then, walkin the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Galatians 5: 16
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Galatians 5: 24
In verse 16, Paul is saying “do not fulfil the desires of the flesh.” In verse 24, he says “crucify the flesh”. Kill it. Deal with it. Don’t let your sinful desires master you. This is theologically called mortification of sin, that is killing sin. The prominent English theologian, John Owen, stated it this way:
“Mortify: put to death; a metaphorical expression, taken from the putting of any living thing to death. To kill a man, or any other living thing, is to take away the principle of all his strength, vigour, and power, so that he cannot act or exert, or put forth any proper actings of his own; so it is in this case. Indwelling sin is compared to a person, a living person, called “the old man,” with his faculties, and properties, his wisdom, craft, subtlety, strength; this, says the apostle, must be killed, put to death, mortified,—that is, have its power, life, vigour, and strength, to produce its effects, taken away by the Spirit“
Hear what Scripture says on the matter.
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do MORTIFY the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Romans 8:13
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
1 John 3:9
A superficial reading of 1 John 3:9 may suggest a Christian cannot sin. But that will go against the teachings of Scripture. Already John has addressed the sin of believers in 1 John 1:8,10. So, “cannot sin” here simply means doesn’t make a practise or habit of sin.
How Do We Deal With The Desires of The Flesh?
It’s A Work of The Holy Spirit!
Dealing with the desires of the flesh is not mere character modification. It is not simply stopping to do the things you used to do. It is more than that. It is an inner work of the Holy Spirit. When we become Christians, a monumental change occurs. Our heart is transformed, and new desires are implanted in us. Desires to obey God; to live holy lives ;to be conformed to the image of Christ; to forsake sin and embrace holiness.
Salvation does something to our soul. It reaches down into our hearts and changes our dispositions. We who once didn’t love God, begin to love him. Our sins become repugnant and revolting to us. We yearn to live our lives to please God. These new yearnings are all a work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The Holy Spirit works in us to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Notice, there is a constant comparison in this text between desires of the flesh and desires of the Spirit. Paul speaks of the works of the flesh in vv.19-21, then contrasts it with the fruit of the Spirit in vv.22-23.
The Holy Spirit is constantly at work in us to produce these holy desires. This work of the Holy Spirit in us is theologically called sanctification. The Westminster divines articulated sanctification in this way:
“Sanctification is a work of God’s grace, whereby they whom God has, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life.”
Note, “That they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life.” This simply means we are growing in holiness. We are having a distaste for sin. Sin is not having dominion and victory over us any longer. Look at the definition of sanctification again: “through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God”
The first thing to note in this journey of dealing with the desires of the flesh is that, it is a work of sanctification God applies to our hearts through the operation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s desire is to sanctify us and conform us to the image of Christ so that we become holy (2 Corinthians 3:18).
A look at the texts (Galatians 5:16;18;25) shows that this is all the work of the Holy Spirit in us. As Christians, our desire is to be holy, please God, and be honest in our dealings. The desire to avoidsin is not something we produce by ourselves. These are desires according to the workings of the Spirit of God. “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13). God the Holy Spirit is at work in you dear believer: “not by might nor by power but by my Spirt.” (Zachariah 4:6)
The Cooperation of The Believer
If dealing with the desires of the flesh is the work of the Holy Spirit in us, does it then mean the believer is passive? There is nothing left for the believer to do? No! The believer actively engages with the Holy Spirit. The believer yields to the Holy Spirit.
The believer responds outwardly to God’s inward work of grace.
You will notice right from the beginning of Galatians 5, the believer’s active involvement is stated. Paul outlines certain responses the believer must have toward the work of Christ: “Stand fast, be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage… don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” in verse 1; and, “use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another,’ in verse 13.
J.I Packer, in his book concise theology, says “God calls his children to sanctity and graciously gives what he commands.” In the same verses where we see the work of the Holy Spirit at work in the believer’s life, we see the necessary cooperation of the believer with the Holy Spirit: “Walk in the Spirit” (v.16); “Led of the Spirit” (v.18); “Led” of shows that “we follow”; “Live in”, “walk in” (v.25).
All these are verbs calling us to do something. We are not passive in the work of sanctification. “Walk in…live in…” These verbs are a picture of an ongoing process. It means that you and I must not become stagnant in our Christian walk. We must grow. We must mature. And how are we going to do this? Brethren, there is nothing new here that I will propose. Avail yourself to the ordinary means of graces God has given us to grow. Pray often, repent daily, fellowship with the saints, study and read your Bible regularly.
If you are walking in the Spirit, then you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh (v16). That is, you will not give in to the desires of the flesh. This is an active process of choosing obedience over disobedience. Again, Look at verse 24. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passion and desires. This basically means we have tamed the flesh. We have put it under control. We have killed it. Victory comes through death.
The Consequences of Not Dealing with The Desires of The Flesh
If there is no evidence of you dealing with the desires of the flesh and nothing about your Christian life shows the fruit of the Spirit, there are two possible options.
Firstly, you might not be saved. If you are giving in to the desires of the flesh joyfully, it may be a sign that you are not saved. I am drawing this inference from verse 24. If you are not dealing with the desires of the flesh, then you may not belong to Christ since “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passion and desires.”
Secondly, you are not growing. You truly may be a believer, but not putting in the necessarily spiritual disciplines to deal with the desires of the flesh. The common means of grace are at your disposal.
Do you find yourself dear believer in a tug of war over your sanctification? Be encouraged. The Holy Spirit is on our side. Victory is ours in Christ alone. The flesh shall not have the final say. The flesh shall not win
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