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THE FLESH
by Jack Cole
What keeps us from fully experiencing the abundant life that Jesus promised? According to the Bible,
the hindrance is flesh. Flesh is a condition in which man operates out of his own resources, doing things
his own way. Flesh is the self-centered source upon which we depend to get our needs met. Some describe
it as a tool box with which each person attempts to deal with life or fix his problems. Others describe flesh
as habit patterns, the way in which man attempts to cope with life in his own strength. It is the
programming or pathways in our members left over from being in Adam. It seems very natural and often
feels very comfortable to us because we are so familiar with it.
Flesh, or self-life, is universally present in all men. Flesh is all that the non-Christian has with which
to cope with life. Our flesh remains with us (in our members, body and soul) even though at conversion
our human spirit is united with the Holy Spirit and we have a new identity in Christ. Flesh can even
develop further within the believer. From the outside, flesh can appear to be either good or bad and can
produce either good or evil. Therefore, you can't judge it by results. It can emanate from either positive or
negative influences, which produce positively or negatively programmed flesh.
Flesh in the Believer
Flesh operates continuously in a non-Christian, whereas in the Christian, it operates when the believer
is not abiding in Christ and, therefore, not walking by the Spirit but operating under the power of
"indwelling sin" (Romans 7:14-25). Flesh in a Christian attempts to develop a self-centered image and not
one centered in the believer's identity in Christ. Therefore, the flesh hurts us as well as hindering God's
highest purpose, to manifest Himself through us.
As the flesh strengthens in a believer, he is habituated to its false self-identity, and is "living according
to the flesh" (Romans 8:1-7, esp. vv. 4-5). This believer, though saved and going to heaven, is leading a
defeated life on earth and is not living the victorious Christian life available to him. Christians today are
increasingly leading defeated lives as polls often indicate little difference between believers and non-
believers in many areas of life.
Therefore, one objective of our ministry is to help the believer identify his own unique version of the
flesh and to recognize its deceptive workings in his life. This revelation is a principle for both the
humbling of self for salvation and the breaking of self for spiritual growth.
The Garden of Eden
The biblical origin of flesh goes back to the two trees in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve ate
of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, man came under the power of sin and was a sinner by
identity. One result was spiritual death or separation from God's life, forcing man to function in self-
sufficiency, or flesh. Therefore, flesh has the ability to do both good and evil. Man reasoned that if he
could do good, he would be good, but if he did evil, he would be evil. So the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil is representative of flesh with its self-sufficiency, self-reliance and exhaustible resources,
which leads to bondage and ultimate death.
But man's choices are not between just good and evil because both of these can come from the same
source, flesh. The real choice is between flesh and life, the other tree, which produces fruit of the Spirit
and another kind of good. The Tree of Life represents the Spirit with Christ's sufficiency, God-reliance,
inexhaustible resources, and dependence (on Christ) which lead to freedom, grace and life.
Flesh vs. Christ
Many things are good, but they are not life nor produced by life. We are told to "put no confidence in
the flesh" whether it be "good" or "bad" (Phil. 3:3). Good produced by non-Christians is a work of the
by Jack Cole
What keeps us from fully experiencing the abundant life that Jesus promised? According to the Bible,
the hindrance is flesh. Flesh is a condition in which man operates out of his own resources, doing things
his own way. Flesh is the self-centered source upon which we depend to get our needs met. Some describe
it as a tool box with which each person attempts to deal with life or fix his problems. Others describe flesh
as habit patterns, the way in which man attempts to cope with life in his own strength. It is the
programming or pathways in our members left over from being in Adam. It seems very natural and often
feels very comfortable to us because we are so familiar with it.
Flesh, or self-life, is universally present in all men. Flesh is all that the non-Christian has with which
to cope with life. Our flesh remains with us (in our members, body and soul) even though at conversion
our human spirit is united with the Holy Spirit and we have a new identity in Christ. Flesh can even
develop further within the believer. From the outside, flesh can appear to be either good or bad and can
produce either good or evil. Therefore, you can't judge it by results. It can emanate from either positive or
negative influences, which produce positively or negatively programmed flesh.
Flesh in the Believer
Flesh operates continuously in a non-Christian, whereas in the Christian, it operates when the believer
is not abiding in Christ and, therefore, not walking by the Spirit but operating under the power of
"indwelling sin" (Romans 7:14-25). Flesh in a Christian attempts to develop a self-centered image and not
one centered in the believer's identity in Christ. Therefore, the flesh hurts us as well as hindering God's
highest purpose, to manifest Himself through us.
As the flesh strengthens in a believer, he is habituated to its false self-identity, and is "living according
to the flesh" (Romans 8:1-7, esp. vv. 4-5). This believer, though saved and going to heaven, is leading a
defeated life on earth and is not living the victorious Christian life available to him. Christians today are
increasingly leading defeated lives as polls often indicate little difference between believers and non-
believers in many areas of life.
Therefore, one objective of our ministry is to help the believer identify his own unique version of the
flesh and to recognize its deceptive workings in his life. This revelation is a principle for both the
humbling of self for salvation and the breaking of self for spiritual growth.
The Garden of Eden
The biblical origin of flesh goes back to the two trees in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve ate
of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, man came under the power of sin and was a sinner by
identity. One result was spiritual death or separation from God's life, forcing man to function in self-
sufficiency, or flesh. Therefore, flesh has the ability to do both good and evil. Man reasoned that if he
could do good, he would be good, but if he did evil, he would be evil. So the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil is representative of flesh with its self-sufficiency, self-reliance and exhaustible resources,
which leads to bondage and ultimate death.
But man's choices are not between just good and evil because both of these can come from the same
source, flesh. The real choice is between flesh and life, the other tree, which produces fruit of the Spirit
and another kind of good. The Tree of Life represents the Spirit with Christ's sufficiency, God-reliance,
inexhaustible resources, and dependence (on Christ) which lead to freedom, grace and life.
Flesh vs. Christ
Many things are good, but they are not life nor produced by life. We are told to "put no confidence in
the flesh" whether it be "good" or "bad" (Phil. 3:3). Good produced by non-Christians is a work of the
