The flesh has no possibility

[瑤翰 김요한]

The flesh has no possibility (Romans 8:5-8)

Some say that God will bless you if you obey His Word.

That is the same as saying that if you keep all the laws, God will justify you.

The sermons and talks that appear on various broadcasts these days are mostly lies.

Ethics of purpose is correct, but since there is no ethics of method, these are lies that are like the truth.

The Bible tells us that human beings do not change when taught.

'A person will never change unless he or she, as a new creature in Christ, gains freedom from sin and freedom in the truth and walks according to the Holy Spirit.'

Q. Why do you say the flesh is not possible?

“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5)

A. Because without the Spirit of life, one cannot have spiritual thoughts.

The Spirit of life changes our thinking.

Therefore, always try to discern and compare whether you are following the flesh or the work of the spirit.

You should always be able to distinguish your status.

It is said that churches are declining due to the lack of gatherings after the coronavirus outbreak.

Even if it is not Corona, it is already happening as recorded in the Book of Revelation.

Therefore, in the end times, you must succeed in living a religious life alone in order to survive to the end.

Am I overcoming the law of sin and death by the law of the Spirit of life?

Do I have gratitude and praise for enjoying freedom and peace in Christ?

A person who does not stay in the closet of prayer can never benefit others.

How can a person who cannot stand on his own benefit others?

The thoughts of the flesh and the thoughts of the Spirit are clearly divided into two.

Carnal thoughts are always directed toward the periphery, and spiritual thoughts are directed toward the center.

Q. What are the results of thoughts?

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6)

A. The result of fleshly thoughts is death, but spiritual thoughts are life and peace.

This is a very important word.

The carnal mind is death.

That's because the very thoughts of the flesh are sin.

This sin refers to the thoughts inside rather than the actions.

It's a person's tendency.

Thoughts create actions.

A person with good self-control only curses others from within and does not show it externally.

However, for people with an impatient personality, the difference is just something that sticks out.

When a person's actions continue to occur, they become habits, and character is formed on this basis.

Character is not about whether a person is rough or soft.

It is a practical character that appears advantageous or disadvantageous to us, and real character is a person's tendency, content, and value standards. That's character.

The thoughts of the spirit are life and peace, and these are blessings that only the Spirit of life can give.

It is a blessing that represents Christianity that in Christ we can change our thoughts from darkness to light and from death to life.

In Buddhism, chanting the Buddha means that one's thoughts should be Buddha.

So, they say it's like putting sand in a pot and lighting a fire in the hope that it will cook rice, right?

However, we cannot understand how great a blessing it is to be able to change our fleshly thoughts to spiritual thoughts in an instant, as if flipping the palm of our hands, through the cross of Christ.

Q. Why is fleshly thinking a problem?

“Because the carnal mind  is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” (Romans 8:7)

A. The Israelites are a model of carnal believers who were not born again.

Some people say that the religious education of the Israelites is a model, and some people consider the Talmud and other books to be golden, and even say that it is a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

I say this emphatically: no flesh can be a model for God's people, and no land can be a holy place except in Jesus Christ.

The human flesh conflicts with God in everything.

And the church is also a place where spirit and flesh always collide.

In this way, the flesh continues to conflict with the Spirit and has no ability to follow God's law.

In other words, the flesh is completely unaffected by God's law.

This is called stubbornness and hardness.

This state of mind is a willful rejection of God's law.

In my heart, I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, and I know very well that what the Bible says is true, but they say things that don't work as they want.

Because our flesh is a slave to sin, we cannot do what we want.

They want to do it, but they can't. That is what those in the flesh are like.

The car's engine runs normally, but it's as if the wheels are on chains.

“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8)

There is no possibility at all in the flesh.

However, if the flesh is controlled by the spirit, the body is also very pretty.

However, when we think of the flesh, we should not think of it as our visible body.

What is important is how this body, including the soul, is used.

Is it used to chase after the Spirit? Is it used according to the personality, ideology, and will of the old self?

The tendency to unconsciously chase after the old self is called the flesh.

Therefore, we must practice a lot of godliness in the message of the cross of Christ.

So, the Proverb says, Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. and it shall be health to thy navel, and  marrow to thy bones. (Proverbs 3:7-8)

You must not be stubborn.

Even if you are a christian, there are many times when you live as an old self due to the temptation of the devil.

After going through a huge commotion due to impatience and impulse, my mind gradually darkens and feelings of self-reproach, regret, and guilt come flooding in.

That is death, the result of fleshly thoughts.

However, when you return to your original place and think spiritually according to the redemptive grace of Christ's cross, your brain becomes refreshed, your body becomes light, and your whole body is filled with the energy of life.

It is life and peace.

Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.

Translated by  Nancy Chung

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