The Flesh & Our Inner Being
The Flesh & Our Inner Being
Our Makeup
I believe (because I believe the Bible teaches it) that we are tripartite (three part) beings. We are a spirit, we have a soul (mind, will, emotions), we live in a body. These three parts constitute one person.
A few passages that convince me that the invisible part of us, our inner being (soul & spirit) is comprised of distinct parts are these.
Romans 8:16 (NASB 2020)
“The Spirit (Pneuma) Himself testifies with our spirit (pneuma) that we are children of God.”
1 Corinthians 6:17 (NASB 2020)
“But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit (pneuma) with Him.”
Hebrews 4:12 (NASB 2020)
“For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul (psuké) and spirit (pneuma), of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NASB 2020)
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit (pneuma) and soul (psuké) and body (soma) be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Our Inner Being
I also note that there are different words in English and in Greek for soul (psuké) and spirit (pneuma). If our inner being were not comprised of two parts, there would be no need for distinct words.
There is another word used to refer to our inner being. That word is heart (kardia). This word can refer to the physical organ that pumps blood throughout our bodies, but often it refers to an aspect of our inner being.
I understand the heart to be the seat of desire. For me, it is a conceptual abstraction that sits at the interface of spirit and soul. The spirit and soul constitute our inner being. The mind is the seat of self-awareness, thought, and reason. We tend to equate those with our physical brain, but for me at least they are only expressed and directed by that organ. By that I mean that our brain receives impulses from our mind that result in physical movement, speech, etc. and that it receives signals from our physicality that may result in thought taking place in our mind.
The Flesh
I do not define our soul as the flesh, though I would say that the desires of the flesh derive from our soul. Apart from Christ, all people attempt to gain value and rightness from themselves. They naturally do what seems right to them. They use their own reasoning to determine right and wrong. To do this, they rely on what feels right or what seems right in their mind.
“The flesh” (Greek: sarx) describes the natural human condition. It refers to the way of life, the manner of living, of natural people.
Watchman Nee in his book entitled “The Spiritual Man,” calls life in the way and manner of the flesh, “soulical.” This is juxtaposed to Life in the way and manner of the spirit being “spiritual.” I think that’s a good way to characterize it.
As holy ones of God, saints, when our attitudes and actions are driven by our spirit, we conduct ourselves in godly ways. We express godliness. We manifest Christ.
When our soul is allowed to drive, we conduct ourselves in natural/soulical ways. We express humanness. We manifest the god of this world.
Since, as saints, holy-ones, Christ-ones, our spirit is joined to God’s Spirit by rebirth, our spirit derives desire and is energized by Holy Spirit who has come to Live in us (see Philippians 2:13). That’s why when our spirit is driving, we conduct ourselves in godly ways.
Whenever we stray from the direction of our spirit in union with His Spirit, our soul begins to succumb to the gravitational pull of the earthy and natural ways of the temporal world. The Scriptures refer to this as the lust of the flesh. If we elect to conduct ourselves according to this artificial energy, our soul becomes the driver. This results in attitudes and actions derived from the ways of natural human beings.
Practical Matters
We have not ceased being children of our heavenly Father when we comport ourselves in this way. Rather, we have behaved as if we were children of disobedience (see Ephesians 2:1-2). “Soulical” fleshliness grieves the Spirit.
Father is grieved in His Spirit because He knows that the poor choices we have made have hobbled us, made us ineffective, and caused pain for us and others. He knows we are designed for far better things. That is the reason we find ourselves increasingly unsettled and uncomfortable in those times. When we are honest, we know in our deepest self (our spirit) that it’s true.
Spiritual maturity, growth in grace and the knowledge of the Lord, conforms us to Christlikeness in ever increasing fullness. Knowing this helps us understand and rely upon His promises. Here are two that bring great peace.
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6, NASB 2020)
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, NASB 2020)
Grace and peace to you.
Larry
