The Thought of the Flesh

[Romans 8:5-8]

Let us look at Romans 8:5-8: "Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. The mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

In this passage, the term "mind of the flesh" appears three times: "those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh" (v. 5), "the mind of the flesh is death" (v. 6), "the mind of the flesh is hostile to God" (v. 7). What does the term "mind of the flesh" mean?

First, what is "the flesh"?

The "flesh" refers to the fallen nature of humanity. In the book of Genesis, the first human beings, Adam and his wife Eve, disobeyed God's command and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, committing sin. As a result, they fell. Not only they, but all of humanity that came after them has been corrupted by sin and fallen.
Look at Romans 5:12: "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned."
This fallen humanity is also referred to as the "old man" (Rom. 6:6; Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9).
The "flesh" refers to a person before they believe in Jesus. In other words, the flesh refers to a person before they are born again, or before they are regenerated. Such a person is referred to as someone "belonging to the flesh" (1 Cor. 3:3; cf. Heb. 7:16) or someone who lives according to the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16; 11:18).
Ultimately, the "flesh" refers to Satan.
In Romans 8:5-8, the Apostle Paul contrasts "flesh" (which appears 4 times) and "Spirit" (which appears 3 times), and here the "Spirit" does not refer to the human spirit but to the Holy Spirit. Paul is contrasting "flesh" with the Holy Spirit, and if we simply interpret the "flesh" as our fallen human nature or the old man before believing in Jesus (or being born again), we fail to make a full contrast with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the "flesh" in contrast with the Holy Spirit ultimately refers to Satan.
That is, the Apostle Paul is contrasting "flesh" and "Spirit," or Satan and the Holy Spirit. Satan is one. Satan is a created being, an angel who fell from God. Therefore, when we say that Satan is in unbelievers (those who have not been born again), we do not mean that Satan is omnipresent like God. Instead, it is the wicked angels who are in league with Satan that dwell in them.
Therefore, "those who live according to the flesh" (Rom. 8:5) are those who follow Satan. In other words, those who live according to the flesh are under the control of Satan, under the control of evil angels, and follow those evil angels. That is, those who live according to the flesh ultimately follow Satan.
We can understand those who live according to the flesh in two ways:

(1) Those who live according to the flesh obey the devil and follow the evil ways of the world.

Look at Ephesians 2:2: "In which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience." [(Modern Translation) "Before, you walked in the evil ways of this world, obeying the devil who rules the realm below the heavens. This devil is now at work in the sons of disobedience."]
Those who live according to the flesh follow Satan and the evil angels.

(2) Those who follow the flesh "live according to the desires of the flesh, doing what the flesh and mind want."

Look at Ephesians 2:3: "Among them, we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." [(Modern Translation) "We too, before, lived like them, following the desires of our flesh, doing what the flesh and mind wanted, and were by nature, like the others, subject to God's wrath."]

In this way, those who do not believe in Jesus, have not been born again (are not regenerated), and follow the flesh are under the control of Satan and are following Satan and the evil angels.

In the church today, there are even those who have been baptized, and some who have become leaders and serve diligently, but they still do not believe in Jesus, have not been born again, and follow the flesh. There are also people in the church who do not know whether they have been born again or not. It’s like a newborn who does not know when they were born. So, in the church today, there are spiritually immature members who do not know whether they were born again yesterday.

It is important for us to clearly distinguish between "not knowing whether one has been born again" and "knowing one has not been born again," because these are two different things. It seems that those who have a faith inherited from their parents are often unaware of whether they have been born again.

Secondly, what is the "work of the flesh" (Romans 8:5)?

In other words, what is Satan’s work? What, again, are the works of those who do not believe in Jesus, have not been born again, and live as the "old man"?

(1) The work of the flesh is the work of death.
What Satan did in Genesis was cause Adam and Eve to disobey God's command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, ultimately bringing about their death (spiritually and eternally). As a result, Satan continued his work of bringing death to all people born after them.

Look at Romans 5:12: "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned."

If Satan's work is the work of death, the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of life. The work of the flesh is the work of breaking peace. In Genesis, Satan broke the peace between Adam and Eve, causing discord.

Look at Genesis 3:9-12: "Then the Lord God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?' And he said, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.' And He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?' The man said, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.'"

Before sin, Adam referred to his wife Eve as "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (Genesis 2:23). After sin, he blamed God, saying, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate" (Genesis 3:12).

Even today, Satan’s work is to break the peace in families and cause discord, leading to the collapse of homes (the same happens in churches and nations).

However, the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of reconciliation and bringing peace.

(2) The works of the flesh are the works that lead to all sins.

Satan not only led Adam and Eve to sin, but he continues to lead all people born after them to commit every sin. The apostle Paul spoke about the works of the flesh in this way: "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21).
However, born-again Christians who follow the Holy Spirit (verse 16) bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." (Galatians 5:22-23).

Third, what is "the mind of the flesh" (Romans 8:6, 7)?

(1) The mind of the flesh is "death."
Look at Romans 8:6: "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." The mind of the Spirit is life and peace, while the mind of the flesh, which is opposite to the mind of the Spirit, is death.
Look at Philippians 3:19: "Their end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things." [(Modern Translation) "Their end is destruction. They make their own desires their god, and they consider their shame as glory, focusing only on earthly matters."]
The mind of the flesh is destruction. It is eternal condemnation, eternal death, and eternal destruction.

(2) The mind of the flesh is "enmity with God."
Look at the first part of Romans 8:7: "Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God..."
The mind of the flesh is not at peace with God (this is the mind of the Spirit), but rather, by succumbing to Satan's temptations and sinning, it becomes enmity with God.
Look at Romans 5:10: "For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."

(3) The mind of the flesh does not "submit to the law of God."
Look at the second part of Romans 8:7: "... for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be."
The mind of the flesh does not obey, follow, or submit to God's law, and in fact, it cannot. A person who is in the flesh cannot obey God's law. How can those under Satan's control (those who are enemies of God) keep God's law (or obey it)?
Only those who have the mind given by the Holy Spirit, that is, the born-again, can keep and obey God's law.

(4) The mindset of the flesh cannot "please God."

Look at Romans 8:8: "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Those who are in the flesh, who think according to the flesh, are enemies of God, so they cannot please Him. Only the children of God, who think according to the Holy Spirit, can please God. Only through faith can we please God. Look at Hebrews 11:6: "But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." We must be people of faith, like Enoch. Look at Hebrews 11:5: "By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God." Enoch was someone who pleased God. Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:24). The modern translation of the Bible says that Enoch lived in deep communion with God. We too must live like Enoch, walking with the Holy Spirit (having deep communion with Him).

Look at Colossians 1:21: "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister." We were "once," that is, before believing in Jesus, before being born again, enemies of God. We followed Satan and did what pleased him. But "now," because we believe in Jesus and have been born again, we are no longer enemies of God. Through the death of Jesus Christ in the flesh, we have been reconciled to God and have become His children. As new creations, born again, we must stand firm in the faith and not waver from the hope of the gospel we have heard. We must stand firm in the hope of the gospel. We must be like Enoch, the patriarch of faith who walked with God. Like Enoch, we must walk with the Holy Spirit and please God.

We must live in harmony with the Holy Spirit, follow His thoughts, and do His work, thus enjoying life and peace. The work of the Holy Spirit is to bear the fruit of love (Galatians 5:22-23) and, according to Jesus’ twofold commandment, to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37, 39). This is to live the life of heaven, enjoying eternal life partially even on earth (New Hymnal 438, verse 3). The work of the flesh, on the other hand, is to bear the fruit of hatred, which results in strife and the breaking of peace, ultimately leading to death.

We must live full of the Holy Spirit, full of love, and follow His guidance, obeying the twofold commandment of Jesus, so that we can enjoy life (eternal life) and peace. By following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and living according to the twofold commandment of Jesus, we become people full of life in the Spirit, enjoying the peace that the Lord gives us in any circumstance. I pray that all of us will be like this (New Hymnal 413).