The concept of flesh, derived from the Greek word sarx, encompasses more than just the physical body; it includes all human thoughts, feelings, desires, and activities, often apart from God's influence. In most instances, as described by Paul, the flesh represents human nature in its raw state, uninfluenced by God, acting on its own desires. This nature manifests in the works of the flesh, evident behaviors such as adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, and revelries. These works are habitual practices or acts of rebellion that can exclude one from the Kingdom of God if not repented. Human nature, rooted in the flesh, cries out for satisfaction from the moment of birth, driven by appetites that demand fulfillment. Without a counterforce, individuals naturally follow this path, shaped by the flesh, the influence of satan the devil, and the world created under his sway. Before being called by God, people are dead in trespasses and sins, walking according to the lusts of the flesh and fulfilling its desires. Even after being called, the flesh remains a constant pull, a thin line separating Christian works from fleshly ones, as temptations to gratify desires are ever-present in a culture that promotes self-indulgence. However, God works through the flesh in certain instances, as seen in the lineage of David, where Christ, according to the flesh, was raised to sit on the throne, fulfilling God's purpose. This shows that the flesh can be guided by God for good, though typically, it aligns with human nature apart from His Spirit. Once a person becomes a begotten child of God, the flesh opposes God's Spirit, creating a daily battle between following human nature or yielding to the Spirit's guidance. Paul urges believers to walk in the Spirit to avoid fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, emphasizing that the flesh and Spirit are contrary, with opposing goals. Those who are Christ's must crucify the flesh with its passions and desires, a painful and intense process akin to Christ's sacrifice, requiring immense willpower to overcome deeply ingrained tendencies. If led by the Spirit, one is not under the law's condemnation, as living by the Spirit produces good fruit, rendering the law powerless over them due to the absence of sin. Ultimately, the choice remains daily for believers: to sow to the flesh and reap corruption or to sow to the Spirit and reap everlasting life. The works of the flesh are obvious and easy to spot, often manifesting as open, ugly behaviors, while good works are inner or hidden. The challenge lies in consistently choosing to conduct life under the influence of God's Spirit, fully engaging in His ways to leave no room for the flesh's desires.

Many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, marking them as deceivers and antichrists. This false teaching, though not a great controversy now, persists in the periphery and must be understood as wrong through the Scriptures. We live in a fleshly, physical, carnal, material world, and we ourselves are fleshly and full of sin. Sin can only be paid for through death, and for humanity, so black with sin, it requires a terribly costly death to cover all transgressions. The Creator, being spirit and eternal, had to voluntarily give up His glory and many prerogatives to be fashioned as a human, a fleshly material man, while maintaining His personality, character, and wisdom as God. Only then could He die, and His shed blood pay for the sins of the whole world. Scripture confirms this necessity. Hebrews 2:9 states that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, to taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:14 notes that as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He likewise shared in the same, to destroy through death the one who had the power of death, the devil. Hebrews 2:17 emphasizes that in all things He had to be made like His brethren to be a merciful and faithful High Priest, making propitiation for the sins of the people. Hebrews 5:7-9 recounts that in the days of His flesh, He offered prayers and supplications with vehement cries and tears, learning obedience through suffering, and being perfected, became the author of eternal salvation. Hebrews 10:5-7 and 10:10 reveal that a body was prepared for Him, and by that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of His body once for all. Hebrews 10:19-20 further describes a new and living way consecrated through the veil, that is, His flesh. Philippians 2:5-8 explains that Christ Jesus, being in the form of God, made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men, humbling Himself to the point of death on the cross. John 1:14 declares that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, with His glory beheld as the only begotten of the Father. I John 1:1-3 affirms that what was from the beginning was heard, seen, looked upon, and handled by hands, concerning the Word of life manifested in the flesh. I John 4:2-3 states that every spirit confessing Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, while those denying it are not of God, embodying the spirit of the antichrist. Peter in I Peter 1:19-21 highlights that we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish, manifest in these last times, raised from the dead by God. Matthew 1:18-21 and Luke 1:26-35 detail His human birth through Mary by the Holy Spirit, conceived in her womb as a real human being. Galatians 4:4-5 confirms that God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law. Genesis 3:14-15 prophesies the woman's Seed bruising the serpent's head, indicating the Savior as a man born of a woman. Matthew 1:23, quoting Isaiah 7:14, calls Him Immanuel, meaning God with us, showing His human and divine nature. I Timothy 3:16 declares the mystery of godliness as God manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, and received up in glory. Romans 5:6-11 underscores that Christ died for the ungodly, demonstrating God's love while we were sinners, justifying us by His blood and reconciling us through His death. Thus, Jesus Christ was born into this world as a human being like us in every way, yet as God, the Lord of the Old Testament, our Creator, providing both forgiveness of sin and eternal life through His fleshly sacrifice.

The concept of flesh, as described in Romans 8:7, reveals a deep-seated enmity against God, for it is not subject to His law and indeed cannot be. The Greek word underlying carnal is sarx, which literally refers to the meaty part of an animal or man, but often carries figurative meanings in Scripture, equating to the material or describing human nature dominated by lower, unregenerate impulses. Flesh, in this context, signifies the way humans think and act without the influence of God's Holy Spirit, focusing on pleasing the self through life's circumstances. In Romans 8, flesh denotes a spiritual weakness, marking those who live according to their sinful nature, setting their minds on self-centered desires, constantly engaging in and glorifying things that pertain to the self. Such a fleshly outlook leaves individuals vulnerable to sin's power, exciting them to temptations, self-gratification, pride, pursuit of praise, envy, selfishness, impatience, and an unwillingness to sacrifice for spiritual well-being. As the apostle teaches, while the spirit may be willing, the flesh remains weak, not inclined to believe God, and it is this flesh, stirred by satan, that drives the ways of this world. Living by the flesh renders a person unable to be justified before God or to please Him, as the flesh does not appreciate His priorities. If one persists in siding with the flesh, which embodies worldliness, then the doom of the world awaits. The choice between flesh and Spirit sets the direction of life, highlighting an irreconcilable conflict where one cannot be on both sides at once.