THE WORKS OF THE FLESH
Pastor Abel Oyewale, Nigeria
"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof". Romans 6:12READ: Galatians 5:19-2119 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.MESSAGEThe flesh is Adamic nature that everyone is born with. This nature is subject to sin and is under its bondage. However, when a person becomes born again, he or she dies to this nature as it is nailed to the cross of Jesus and so sin no longer has dominion over such a person (Romans 6:6, Galatians 5:24). To live in this dominion, we must continually stand our ground in faith against the works of the flesh whenever suggestions to do them arise in our mind.
Allowing the works of the flesh to manifest in your life after becoming born again implies choosing to be dominated by the flesh again (Romans 6:16). The Holy Spirit lists some works of the flesh in today’s Bible reading, and He makes it clear that those who engage in them cannot inherit the kingdom of God. It’s true that after becoming born again, we are still susceptible to the works of the flesh because of the mortal body we live in (Romans 6:12).
However, when Jesus returns to transform us, this mortal body will be done away with and we will have a new body that is no longer susceptible to sin (1 Corinthians 15:35-54). For this reason, the Holy Spirit admonishes us to subdue the need and desires of our present body through self-denial and discipline so that the works of the flesh do not find expression through any of its parts. He says in Colossians 3:5:“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:”He also says in Romans 8:13:“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”Please take note of the terms the Holy Spirit uses in these verses. As Christians, we are to mortify our bodies and not the flesh because our flesh, which is the old Adamic nature, is crucified already. The mortification of our body must be done consciously and deliberately. Sharing his personal experience on this, Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:27:“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”Beloved, no matter the spiritual height you have attained, you have to keep subduing your body through self-denial and discipline so that it does not mess you up. This is the reason why I always say that one cannot be too careful when it comes to the issue of sin. May the Lord help us to finish well and strong in Jesus’ Name.May God bless you as you are reading this message in Jesus Christ Name.
Pastor Oyewale S Abel, NigeriaShalom
