[If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in] the flesh, I have more:
Summary: Following up on our last meditation, we take a more detailed look at the specifics of what the flesh is and how it relates to our spirit.
In our last meditation, we looked at the concept of the flesh metaphorically. In this one, let’s take a more objective look through the lens of Scripture.
“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)
In this passage, God explains how he created us. The body is formed from physical matter (“dust”), and our “life” comes from God directly. Since God is Spirit (John 4:24), it seems reasonable to associate our life with our spirit.
From an objective perspective, this makes sense. Physically, we have a body that obeys the laws of physics. If we jump off a cliff, we fall to the ground. In our minds, however, we can imagine jumping off the cliff and flying. Our physical being is bound by physics; the immaterial part of us is not.
So are the flesh and the spirit one thing or two?
Jesus actually answers this question in one of his discussions with the Sadducees.* The Sadducees want to know how Jesus would apply the Mosaic laws about marriage after the resurrection. They assumed that our bodies would be the same in paradise as it is here on earth.
In Matthew’s account, Jesus says flatly, “You are in error…”
Why? What didn’t they understand?
Jesus says our bodies will “be like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30).
Peter describes our physical body as a “tent” that will be put “aside” (2 Peter 1:13-14).
Paul writes, “The body … is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).
If this is true, then it sounds like our physical bodies are, in a sense, disposable. God gives us examples in the physical world. Jesus uses “seeds” for instance (John 12:24). He says the seed has to “die” before it becomes what God intended. Similarly, the caterpillar “dies” while in the chrysalis so that it can be transformed into its new body, the butterfly.
So what happens when the flesh dies? What is left?
When King Saul is looking to know the future, he calls up his mentor from the past, Samuel the Prophet. When Samuel comes up from the grave, called by a medium, she describes him as “a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth” and “an old man wearing a robe” (1 Samuel 28:13-14).
Samuel still has the appearance of a body, but it is not a physical body.
Think of it like a Lifesaver™ in a cellophane wrapper. The wrapper is the physical body, but the important thing is what is inside. Like the seed, the wrapper has to “die” before the Lifesaver™ can be enjoyed.
If all of this is true, we can answer the question about whether the body is good or evil.
For a Christian, the definition of “good “ is God himself (Psalm 119:68, Mark 10:18). Evil is defined by its distance from God’s will.
To say something is evil is to say that it chooses to reject God’s will.
A rock, for example, is neither good nor bad. It is just a rock. It doesn’t have a choice. When Cain killed his brother Abel, he might have struck him with a rock. If he did, that doesn’t make the rock “evil.”
In the same way, Cain used his physical body to kill his brother. Cain’s body did not suddenly lash out at Abel on its own.
So who is Cain?
Like Samuel, who was called up from the grave, Cain had a spirit given to him by God. It is this immaterial part of a human being where we find the heart, mind, and soul. We can’t “see” or touch these spiritual parts of our being, but they are there.
Looked at through this lens, the “flesh” is the physical body, but that does not make it bad. Where this becomes confusing is the corruption of God’s plan that occurred when Adam and Eve sinned. Their first sin was different from all other sins in one way. Not only did they reject God’s will for them — something we might call “common sin,” — but they ate from a tree that contained a poison that changed them and us in a horrible way. As the serpent explains:
“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)
Was this a physical change?
Personally, I don’t think so. Their “physical” eyes were already opened. The eyes that the serpent referred to were the inner eyes of the spirit God had placed in man. Before their sin, the inner eyes of the spirit only saw God’s will. After sinning, their minds were flooded with choices they hadn’t seen before. A flood of temptations rained down on their consciousnesses, and the door to clearly seeing God’s will closed.
Like Cain and all the rest of Adam and Eve’s children, we struggle with the choice between doing God’s will and exercising our own wills. Putting our will first is called “sin.” The flesh is not bad, but like the rock that killed Abel, it can be used for evil.
To answer the question from our last meditation, being “born again” is being spiritually restored to a right relationship with God (Titus 3:4-7). Suddenly, I see my flesh not as the source of life or something to be served, but as a temporary wrapper like the cellophane around the Lifesaver™. One day, the wrapper will come off, and my spirit will be set free. Because of Jesus, I’ll be free to be with God in heaven.
Application: Trust Jesus
Food for Thought: If the body is temporary, what eventually happens to all the accomplishments done in the flesh?
*Matthew 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27, Luke 20:27-40
If the body is temporary, what eventually happens to all the accomplishments done in the flesh?
Your physical works, things you built, art, and such remain in this world, you leave and inheritance to benefactors, memories of your character, your accomplishments could have helped others influencing them. Hopefully you’ve left an impact on others strengthening their faith, leading others to Christ, and things that will continually glorify God until the rapture maybe even during. ( that’s way I put a Bible with every emergency food stash ).
Tim,
What a lovely idea! The Bible is spiritual food. Having both kinds of food stashed away makes great sense! 🙂
⭐
I really like this perspective Tim.
As Tim pointed out, we can use our physical life now to invest in eternal things.
At the same time we can’t take anything with us. As someone once said, you don’t see a hearse towing a U-Haul.
Like 12: 13 – 21: Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?” 15And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
16Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. 17So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. 19Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
21This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Thank you, Rich!
It is interesting that you point to the parable of the rich fool.
My wife and I were recently in Victoria, B.C. and visited a place called Craigdarroch Castle. The building was built around 1890 by a man who had acquired more wealth than he knew what to do with. According to our tour guide, he built the house on the highest point of land he could find so that he could “look down on the little people.”
As things would have it, he became a living (or dying) example of the parable. He died before the house was completed and left a broken family behind him.
God is not mocked.
Great insights this morning!
If the body is temporary, what eventually happens to all the accomplishments done in the flesh?
The promise of salvation through Jesus Christ provides great solid hope to all believers. Our works do not determine our salvation but reflect our walk with God here on Earth.
The thief on the cross beside Jesus received eternal life through faith, while his works on earth had no eternal value.
Salvation is secured by our faith in Christ. Our works will be revealed at judgement and each will receive reward or consequences of these on earth.
1 Corinthians 3:11, For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:12-13, If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.
Paul will sit close to Jesus while I will sweep the stairs, yet we will both spend eternity joyfully serving our One Lord in whatever capacity He determines.
Nicely put, Ron!
You are pointing out that there are two ways this can go; the works of the flesh are gone, but the works for the kingdom are what we keep in heaven. (1 Corinthians 3:8)
If the body is temporary, what eventually happens to all the accomplishments done in the flesh?
It’s a good question and I have liked the responses thus far.
The more I walk with the Lord, the more my mind distinguishes people between those who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior and those who haven’t. And I don’t want to come across as judgmental, but I think it is an important distinction.
For those that continue to live in rebellion to God, all their “accomplishments” will be taken away and given to another.
Isaiah 28:1-4
1 Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong;
like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
he casts down to the earth with his hand.
3 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
will be trodden underfoot;
4 and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley,
will be like a first-ripe fig before the summer:
when someone sees it, he swallows it
as soon as it is in his hand.
For those that have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, all of our “works”, “deeds”, “accomplishments” will be tested by fire. We are a new creation in Christ, “under new management”, serve a different master (Christ, not flesh), and on the Day of Christ, our Master will show us the truth of our “accomplishments.”
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
As believers and followers of Christ, we are to “seek the things that are above.”
Colossians 3:1-4 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Thank you, Chris!
Great points! Being a believer in Christ IS important. We are extremely blessed to know our Lord and serve him in any way we can.