We Are Not In The Flesh

CHAPTER THREE

I know this discussion is supposed to be based on the new man, but there are some conditions that must be pointed out before we are able to truly understand our relationship with the new man.

Therefore, before we go any further, let us look at some very familiar scriptures; specifically the 7th chapter of Romans.

Romans 7:5

5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

I am no novice at preaching the gospel. I already know when we go to the 7th chapter of Romans, many of my esteemed colleagues have contributed this chapter to the struggles of a born again

believer. But let me prove to you that this is not so. In the beginning of this chapter, beginning at the 5th verse, is where the monkey wrench is thrown into the cartwheel.

My dear friends, this is the position of the soul before salvation. We were in the flesh. But as we learned in the saving of the soul, there has been a positional change. The soul is no longer in the

flesh.

Romans 8:8-9

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.

This is the positional change: The soul is taken out of the flesh and placed in the Spirit. However, according to the script; 'For as the body without the spirit is dead' (James 2:26). When the soul is

separated from the body, the body dies. (Now you must know that all of this was done by God in less than a microsecond. Before you can blink your eye a man is saved and filled with the Holy

Ghost. But for the sake of this lesson we have broken the salvation experience down into spiritual slow motion so that we might all come out with an understanding of this great workmanship of the

Father.

I want us to look more closely at this positional change. First of all, we must remember it is the soul who cried out for salvation. There fore, he was taken out of the flesh and placed in the Spirit. In

Him (Christ) we live, move and have our being. I am just recapping the previous lesson, Oh Lord, Save My Soul. But as I always say, redundancy is good.

Now let me remind you again that the 5th verse of Romans 7 sets the stage for this whole chapter. It points out that when we were in the flesh, the motions of sin did work in our members. Here we

are going to take a more detailed look at the motions of sin that were working in the body before salvation.

Romans 7:14-23

14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

(Here again we must take note of the fact that sons of God are not sold under the power of sin. They are the righteousness of God.)

15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

**The sin that lived in us is the spirit of iniquity as Paul calls it in Ephesians 2:2. But Jesus simply called it the devil in his statement, “Ye are of your father, the devil and his lusts you will do.”

This explains why the writer said “It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” This sin, iniquity, or satan dwells in the flesh. He is living in the body, bringing forth lust, corruption and death.

Just a side note here, the unbeliever’s lust is created by the spirit of satan living in the flesh, but James says that if the believer is tempted, he is drawn away by his own lust. Therefore, after

salvation we are unable to blame the devil for our desire to sin.

19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

The spirit, soul, conscience and mind are all used interchangeably. The soul knows the law of God, but it was under the same power of satan as the flesh. But the knowledge of the law of God

was not powerful enough to destroy the works of the devil; the craving for sin in the flesh. The soul or conscience was also dead in sins and trespasses. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment,

wrought in me all manner of concupiscence (Romans 7:8).

Concupiscence is a strong craving for unlawful desires. The spirit that lived in the flesh was indeed a spirit of bondage. It held the entire being, (body soul and spirit) in captivity. There was no way for

us to ever please God in that state. Therefore those who live in the flesh will never be able to please God. Therefore, the only thing they have to look forward to is the fiery indignation of God.

Romans 7:24-25

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ is the way out of this body of sin and death. We have always known this in theory, but now the Lord wants us to see the marvelous wonder of this deliverance.

Romans 7:6

6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

Now I spent all that time dealing with the scriptures above just to convince you that we are not in the flesh anymore, but in the Spirit. At this point you might not realize how monumental that truth really

is. But trust me; it is the essenceof our walk in the Kingdom of God. So far, we have determined that the unregenerate man is a living soul.

This means the soul was created with an earthen element and lives in a body that is human or of the earth. Thus, the soul is a human being. However, Adam, the first living soul, sinned against God and

as a result the entire human race was sold unto sin and brought into the captivity of the spirit of satan. He became the father of the human race and every child after Adam was born in sin and shaped in

iniquity;(which means that the body (shape of man) was possessed by the spirit of iniquity (Eph.2:2), which created the motions of sin in the flesh. Therefore, the soul or inner man was held captive by

the power of sin and death.

Though the soul might have delighted in the law of God, there was another law working in its members (body) bringing it into the captivity of the law of sin and death. The soul’s response to this captivity

was, “Save me, oh God. I know I must die, but save me from the torments of hell.” The Lord’s answer is Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever

believes in him, will not perish but have everlasting life. When the soul cried out for salvation, it wanted to live. But the fact remains in order for it to live here on earth, it must have a body. This is where

the great mystery of God truly unfolds. This is that part of the gospel we have not readily preached.

Now we know the soul was taken out of the flesh and placed in the Spirit or Holy Ghost. This is the baptism into Christ. I think we have thoroughly explained it in previous chapters. The soul is saved,

preserved, and hidden in Christ. But the plan was for us to be witnesses of Christ here on the earth. Therefore, in order for this to manifest, the soul must be placed in a body. This also satisfies the

law of kinsmanship if we are to preach the gospel to mankind. Here is that part of the gospel that we for the most part have never preached.

THE CIRCUMCISION OF THE FLESH

Listen carefully saints. The soul was condemned to perish by the law of God. The sins of the soul were committed and manifested in the flesh. If the soul is to be saved it must be separated from the flesh.

This is the circumcision.

Colossians 2:10-11

10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

There was a putting off of the body. The soul put off the body of sins by the circumcision not made with hands, but by the workmanship of the Father. Just as Abraham was instructed to cut away the

foreskin, so God also cut away the flesh that covered us. The soul is no longer clothed in the flesh; it lives in the Spirit. If the soul is taken out of the flesh, then the body is dead. The soul gave up the

life it had in the flesh and accepted a new life in the Spirit. The old man is dead. He is crucified with Christ. This is the thing that God did. For more on the ‘circumcision of the flesh’ see my book,

“Be Ye Perfect,” at marybanksfaithlibrary.com.

Galatians 2:19-20

19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me,

and gave himself for me.

Through faith your body is dead to you; (I speak to those who are truly born again of the Spirit of God). You are instructed to reckon it is dead to sin. This means you are forbidden to use it to fulfill

worldly pleasures. But the point I want to carefully make here is that the body was crucified with Christ by the operation of God; and then resurrected again for His own purpose.

Romans 8:11

11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Now Christ is our example in all things. The same Spirit that raised Him from the dead has now raised our body from the dead. Again, for us it is dead regarding sin, but it is alive unto God and

righteousness. Why did the Father bring the body back alive at salvation? Well, I can think of two very good reasons.

1 Corinthians 15:35-38

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

Christ, the Word of God, is the seed that has been planted in the earth as well as in our own bodies. He is here to continue the ministry of reconciliation. But He is not alone. We are in Him. Yes, we

are in Him and He is in our bodies.

2 Corinthians 6:1

1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

The body belongs to God. It is the body of Christ. But He has made us stewards of His body. We are instructed not to defile it. God can demand that we keep His temple holy because He has

sanctified it through circumcision by the Spirit. Crucified are all of its affections and lusts. There are no motions of sin working in its members. It is circumcised by the removal of the spirit of iniquity

that was able to work in the children of disobedience. And the law of the Spirit of Life has made it free from the law of sin and death.

1 John 3:8-9

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remainethin him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

There was a time when the devil could create lust in the flesh. This was easy for him because his spirit lived in us. Therefore, when we would have done good, evil was present with us. Notice

that the 8thverse declares that Jesus was manifest in the flesh, our flesh, to destroy the works of the devil. Therefore, the body can no longer fall prey to evil concupiscence; that craving for sin.

The seed of God remains in the flesh, and it can no longer crave sin on its own.

If any of us experience lust after the new birth, it is because we create it. James said we are drawn away by our own lust (James 1:14). This is not the work of the devil. Jesus dealt with that by

sanctifying the flesh. Now if we walk in obedience, we can be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord. Let me clearly establish something here. If the body is circumcised, sanctified

and made the temple of God, then where is any truth in the doctrine of dual nature? The flesh is the dwelling place of Almighty God; are we to suggest that satan also lives in the same body?

In order for us to have a dual nature then this has to be the case. It is time to dispel the myth. We are partakers of the divine nature, simply by the mere fact that God lives in us. And because

the seed remains in the flesh, or body, there is no way it will sin on its own. We must carry it into sin.