THE WEAKNESS OF THE FLESH IS THAT IT’S NATURAL – Rom.8:1-4

I’ll start by clearing something up right at the git go. Any weakness of the flesh has nothing to do with the gnostic belief in a sin nature.

There are all kinds of messages about the weakness of the flesh. Most if not all reference the sin nature as being the reason for this weakness. Saying that all men are born sinners by inheritance from Adam. And that this is the weakness Paul refers to when saying the flesh is weak.

But, if this is weakness of the flesh then from their own mouths we find that the flesh is stronger than almost anything. They teach incessantly on the power the flesh has over their every day choices. Forcing men to be the bad people they are even after they have been saved. Saying that they must sin every day. And not even the power from God can stop them doing so.

Does this sound like they believe the flesh is weak? To the contrary, they give the flesh power by their gnostic dogma that God’s word says it never had. Even interpreting passages like 1John1:9 to mean that the flesh is so powerful that if you say it isn’t then you are a liar and the truth is not in you.

When Paul says “sin has no more dominion over you because you are not under law but under grace.” They say the flesh is all powerful to make you sin even when you don’t want to, and you are still under law even though you are under grace.

I sometimes refer to that in theological parlance as a soup sandwich. Paul refers to this kind of thinking as those who “oppose themselves.” People we who know the truth are to minister to in the hope “if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

So when Paul says “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.” He is not talking about a sin nature.

And when Paul says that the flesh is at enmity with the spirit he is not talking about a sin nature at enmity with a Godly nature. He is talking about the thoughts of a natural man not thinking as a spiritual man does. The natural man thinks only of food for his belly. While the spiritual man thinks man does not live on bread alone. But, by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

The infirmity of the flesh is a reference then to the same people who are dull of hearing that Jesus spoke to in Mt.13:14,15 saying, “14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

And who Paul is again speaking of in Heb.5:11-13 when he said “Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.”

These are people whose senses Paul says have not been exercised to discern between good and evil. And in fact many have accepted lies for truth to the point they no longer are able to hear God’s voice. Having their conscience seared Paul says as with a hot iron.

Specifically teaching things like “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” These things their mother the harlot Roman Catholic Church proudly proclaims.

In another place Paul uses what some believe is the same language, but as you’ll see this time it carries an entirely different meaning. In Rom.8 Paul says “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

This time the weakness is in the law as it relates to the flesh. And not in the flesh itself as it was with those who are dull of hearing. This weakness comes from the law’s inability to make the flesh spiritual.

And the problem with this is that the law is spiritual. Paul tells us this in Rom.7. Here we see the law being said to have certain qualities. Qualities that come from it being “holy, just, and good.” Adding that the law is “spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.”

Here carnal simply refers to man being natural and not spiritual. And sold under sin relates to those Israelites who were under the law. Because being under law makes men slaves to sin.

As I have shown in other messages here this slavery is not an indictment against a man breaking the law. It is simply stating that since they are under the law they are constantly being reminded of sins by the practices of the law. And that constant reminder is the slavery to sin they were sold under.

So the weakness of the law as it relates to the flesh is that rather than delivering men from sin, it makes them slaves to sin. And rather than giving men life it leaves them as natural and mortal as they were before there was any law.

This is why Paul wrote in Gal.3:21 asking “21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness”, which is life, “should have been by the law.”

So the weakness of the flesh is its inability to hear spiritual things. And the reason it can not is because it is not spiritual. It is natural. The natural that Paul says in 1Cor.2:14 can not perceive the things of the spirit.

Good and evil, naughty and nice, are not even given a consideration in this. But, only the flesh being natural and not spiritual. So we must not allow ourselves to think that good or bad works have any role in explaining what makes the flesh weak. Or what makes the law weak in relation to the flesh.

It is only our flesh being exactly the same as Adam’s was when he was made that makes it impossible for us to understand spiritual things. That is until we are born again.

Because when we are born again we become something new that never existed before. Paul said we become a new creature in Christ. A man with a spirit created in him by God that makes us His children and heirs to His kingdom.

And even after we have become spiritual beings we are not the same as Jesus in our spirituality. Jesus spiritually was not a created being. He was, is, and always will be almighty God. He is the Creator from eternity past.

While everything that we were when we were made. And everything that was created in us after we were made. Has been created by God. We are part of the creation. Jesus is our Creator.

So when the “name it claim it” “blab it grab it” crowd spouts off with their idolatrous thinking that all men who are born again are begotten sons of God. Remember that this is what it means. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God because He was, is, and always will be God. We had to be born of God because we are not now, nor will we ever be God.

There is no other reason that makes us God’s heirs. No works that we or anyone else has done can do this. Because it is only by grace through faith this is made possible. Why? So that if salvation is to be by grace, “then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.” Because “if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

And just as Paul says Abraham has found as pertaining to the flesh. “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

So the reason for the weakness of the flesh, or the law being weak through the flesh, has nothing to do with works the flesh is incapable of doing. And only has to do with the flesh being flesh that makes it impossible for it to be spirit.

This is its weakness and why we must be born again. Because as Jesus so plainly taught Nicodemus “what is born of the flesh is flesh. And what is born of the Spirit is spirit.” And only spirit can see, enter, or inherit the kingdom of God.

And the way to access this spiritual birth is to confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus. And believe in the heart that God has raised Him from the dead. When you do this you will be saved. Made a child of God and heir to His kingdom.

Do this and you will have eternal life. Do this and you will have immortality at the resurrection. Do this… and I will see you there or in the air!