THE END OF THE FLESH

The N.T. word for flesh is the Greek word “sarx” which, according to context, can broadly mean the substance of the body (Gal.2:20) or human nature (Rom.8:4, Gal.5:19).

Our present subject is the human nature meaning of flesh, the understanding of which governs how we respond to God in the divine system of Christianity.

The flesh is personified as “the old man” in Col.3:9 and contrasted with “the new man” in verse 10, which is the new, divine nature in the believer.  Just as “the new man” is clearly not a ‘reformed Adam’, so “the old man” is not a literal man.

In Rom.6:6 “our old man” was once-for-all put to death (aorist tense) by our identification with the death of Christ.  This divine, spiritual act ended human nature in divine purpose and in christian experience.

However, this should not be confused (as it often is) with the daily, secular life of the believer in which the flesh with its varied gifts, human reasoning and frailties continues to operate subject to moral/social teaching in the epistles.

The end of the flesh was also prefigured in the Jewish rite of circumcision as indicated by Paul in his letter to the Colossian church; “In Him ye were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ” (Col.2:11).  It was intended the Jews, ideally, should recognise that the excising of flesh was actually of spiritual interpretation as Paul intimated to the Romans; “but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter ………”  (Rom.2:29).

Paul revealed that being a Jew was not something that could be seen naturally by fleshly observation, nor was circumcision solely a literal but essentially a spiritual cutting-off.

A man who was truly circumcised knew that God had finished with human nature as to the purpose for which He had called and chosen the Jew.

Likewise, It is important to understand that the divine, judicial act of putting to death human nature/“our old man” is a spiritual reality for the christian.  To God and to faith, the believer died to his sinful nature when he became ‘in Christ’; at this point he is no longer ‘in Adam’ in divine and/or christian estimation.  A believer who thinks he is still ‘in Adam’, alive in human nature in divine purpose (in Christianity), is ‘walking’ by sight and not by faith; this is an act of disbelief and denial of the death of Christ.

We ‘walk’ by sight, “in the flesh”, in the world (2 Cor.10:3) which is why we have to reckon (Rom.6:11) that what God has done is effective for us in spiritual life.  Contrary to modern theology, we must distinguish between what we are ‘in Adam’ in secular life and what we are ‘in Christ’ in spiritual, christian life.  Failure to do so results in a worldly form of Christianity, the error of Christendom.

From the divine standpoint, human life in nature has now become the ‘old order of humanity’.  An altogether ‘new order of humanity’, a spiritual order has appeared as a direct result of the completed service of Christ.  ‘In Adam’ we lived in the world but were ‘dead’ in divine purpose.  This spiritually dead form of life was crucified by God with Christ.  Men crucified Christ in flesh, acting in spiritual failure in the power of the old nature.  Christ became obedient unto death, even the death of a cross and, as a result, God has crucified ” our old man” in present christian experience.  He has so acted that we might live and act in the knowledge that He has done to us spiritually what men did to Christ literally.

Before we can render meaningful service to divine purpose, we must understand what God has introduced us into spiritually.  In our life of service to God, we ‘walk’ principally in new life in a corporate, Kingdom of God spiritual realm.  We do not act in divine service in the powerof natural life, which is the realm of nature.

So while our flesh, human nature, remains very much alive and active in daily, secular life – its legitimate sphere of operation – it is counted/reckoned dead in spiritual/christian experience.  The believer who understands this is walking by faith, realising divine intention and distinguishing things that differ.

This then is the true christian position from the divine standpoint and God presents it to us that we may know it and act accordingly in our service for Him.