Don’t Confuse your Sarx & Your Soma

Don’t Confuse your Sarx with your Soma

There are two Greek words that get translated “flesh” or “body” in the New Testament. These words are sarx and soma. Earlier versions of the NIV Bible translated one of them (sarx) as "sinful nature," which has added to the confusion. Both of these words, "sarx" and "soma" mean body or flesh, but they have different applications.

The word "soma" refers to your physical body. Your actual flesh and bones. There's nothing wrong with your soma, your flesh-and-blood body. It's part of you, and Jesus died for you.

Sarx on the other hand, refers to the human way of interacting with and responding to the world. When the Bible talks about walking according to the flesh, sarx is the Greek word being used. Sarx is the fleshly mindset, the earthy way of dealing with life using our senses. It refers to the things we do to try to be just and right and good in an effort to gain the favor or acceptance of God. Sarx is not part of you, and Jesus didn't die for it.

So when you read passages that talk about the flesh being at war with the Spirit, or about walking according to the flesh, understand that these are talking about sarx-flesh, not soma-flesh.

To walk by the flesh (sarx), is to walk by what we see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. It is living by our senses rather than trusting the Spirit within us. It is basing our attitudes and actions on old earthy habits rather than basing them upon what God says is true.

Walking according to the flesh doesn't mean there's something wrong with you or that you have fallen out of fellowship with God. As believers we have a choice about how we live and sometimes we do not choose the way of faith. While we certainly want to do all we can to avoid fleshly practices and choose the obedience of faith, we do not need to become debilitated by guilt or shame. We can simply change our focus and remember who we are and into Whose family we were born. Then we can live that way.

That's the way of grace. All of you is accepted in the Beloved and you are never far from God.