The Lusts and the Works of the Flesh
A Sermon by
The Rev. S. Randall Toms, Ph.D.
April 22, 2021
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 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. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:16-25).
In this passage of Scripture from St. Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, he describes those traits that he calls the fruit of the Spirit, what some have called “endowments” of the Spirit–graces, virtues produced by the Holy Spirit in all those who believe in Jesus Christ. One of the best ways of explaining a particular truth is to describe its opposite. In this passage, we can see the opposite of these Christian virtues. The opposite of the fruit of the Spirit is the works of the flesh. If we really want to understand the fruit of the Spirit, it would help us to understand what Paul means when he speaks of “the works of the flesh.” In this passage, the Apostle Paul not only refers to the “works of the flesh,” but he also refers to the “lusts of the flesh.” To understand what the apostle meant by the works and the lusts of the flesh, we need to understand how he uses the word “flesh.”
The word “flesh” is one of those words in the New Testament that has different meanings depending on the context. In some places, the word “flesh” simply refers to all of humanity. For example, in Luke 3:6 we read, “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” In that verse the word “flesh” simply refers to all human beings. Sometimes, the word “flesh,” refers to the body. We could look upon the human being as having two parts. He has a body, referred to as flesh, and he has a spirit, or a soul. In Luke 24:39, our Lord says, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” Here, flesh is just another word for the body.
But when we get to the apostle Paul, he sometimes uses the word “flesh” in a very different way. There are times when Paul uses this word “flesh” to refer to sinful human nature. The first time we find Paul using the word “flesh” in this way is in Romans 7:5: “For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.” Notice that Paul says that there was a time when these Romans could have been described as being “in the flesh.” But Paul will go on to say that though they were once “in the flesh,” they are now “in the Spirit.” Something radical has happened to these people, and they are no longer in the flesh. This transformation is described in detail in Romans 8 where Paul describes the difference between being “in the flesh,” and “in the Spirit.” Let me read the first 9 verses of that chapter to you so that you can see the contrast that the apostle makes between what these people once were and what they are now in respect to “the flesh.” The apostle writes,
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 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: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. (Romans 8:1-9)
Paul makes several statements about those who are “in the flesh.” First, those who are in the flesh “walk after the flesh.” Those who walk in the flesh are “fleshly minded.” Those that are in the flesh cannot please God. So, in verses like these and the passage that we are looking at in Galatians 5, we need to understand what Paul means by “flesh.” Perhaps the best definition of “the flesh” is given by Professor John Murray in his commentary on Romans. Murray says that when Paul uses the word flesh in this sense, the flesh is “human nature as controlled and directed by sin.” This definition is quite important because, as Murray, points out, flesh is not evil in and of itself. Human nature, as God created it, is not sinful. What makes us human is not sinful, for God created us in his image. But our human nature has been corrupted by sin. It is when human nature is controlled and dominated by sin that it becomes “the flesh,” as Paul uses it here. Before we come to know Christ, we are controlled and dominated by sin. But after we come to Christ, we are no longer controlled and dominated by sin, but rather, we are controlled and dominated by the Holy Spirit. Again, when Paul uses the word “flesh” he is not talking about your skin, your body, but your nature as controlled by sin. Those who walk after the flesh are those who live their lives according to their sinful desires. Those who are “in the flesh,” are “carnally minded.” The word “carnally” used here is the same word for “flesh.” Those who are carnally, fleshly minded, think constantly about sinful things. Their minds are controlled by their sinful passions. Not only are their minds controlled by the sinful passions, but their minds hate God. Therefore, Paul says, “The carnal (“fleshly’) mind is enmity against God;” that is, the mind that is set on the flesh, the mind that is controlled and directed by sin, is hostile toward God, as some translations have it. Therefore, those who are in the flesh, those who have not come to Christ, cannot please God. They have no desire to please God, because their nature is controlled and directed by sin.
One of the reasons that Paul is making this argument is to point out that the Law given by Moses was powerless to make people good and holy. God gave the people of Israel his law and commanded them to live in obedience, but they couldn’t do so. The Apostle is arguing that there was nothing wrong with the Law. The Law was holy, just, and good. But Paul says that the Law was “weak through the flesh” (Romans 8:3). The Law could not make us better because we have sinful natures that refuse to live in obedience to the Law. So Paul argues that the carnal (“fleshly”) mind is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be (Romans 8:7). There is no way that the mind, dominated by sin, will ever submit to the law of God—it is an utter impossibility. But what the law could not do, Jesus did. He came into the world so that through his death, burial, and resurrection, he could give us a mind and heart that can be subject to the law of God. He came so that we might have the Holy Spirit imparted to us. Because of what Christ has done on the cross, our minds are no longer hostile toward God. Rather, we have been reconciled to God. We are now his friends, rather than his enemies. We are now “in the Spirit”—controlled and directed by the Holy Spirit rather than our sinful nature. We no longer walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit, meaning that our lifestyles have completely changed. There was a time when we lived just like the rest of world, dominated by sinful passions, but now we live as those guided and directed by the Holy Spirit. We are no longer “fleshly minded.” Our minds are not dominated by sin. Rather, our minds are dominated by the Holy Spirit—he gives us the desire to walk in obedience to God. The Holy Spirit has given us the desire to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Because of what Christ has done, we can live in a manner that is pleasing to God.
With that explanation of “the flesh” in mind, we can return now to Galatians 5. Using the terms of the apostle Paul in Galatians, those who are “in the flesh,” are dominated by sins such as adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like.” On the other hand, since the Christian is no longer “in the flesh.” he is “in the Spirit.” When someone is controlled and directed by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will produce in him the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance—the very opposite of the works of the flesh.
Now in this series of sermons, I will be explaining these various works of the flesh that St. Paul mentions in verses 19-21. You may be wondering why I am paying any attention at all to the works of the flesh. After all, I have just told you that you are no longer in the flesh. I have told you that you will no longer be dominated by these sins. I have told you that you are now being directed and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Shouldn’t I be telling you that you are done with all those sins of the flesh, and they will never trouble you again? Why emphasize sins that will never dominate and control us? Well, the apostle Paul explains to us that though we are not dominated by these sins, the battle is not over.
Let us look for a moment at the words “lusts” and “works” that the apostle Paul uses in Galatians 5, for they are quite important in our study of this chapter. Paul says in Galatians 5:16: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” The word that is used for “lust” in this verse is simply the word for “desire.” Desire, in and of itself, is not sinful. God gave us many desires as human beings which are quite appropriate. Hunger is a natural desire. Sexual desire is not sinful in and of itself. But remember the way the Apostle Paul is using the word “flesh.” He is not saying that the desires of your body are sinful. He is using the word “flesh” to mean “human nature dominated by sin.” When human nature is dominated by sin, it desires certain things, and what this sinful nature desires is opposed to the way God wants you to live. So, Paul says that if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill these sinful desires. But since Paul is commanding us to walk in the Spirit so that we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, it means that even though we are no longer dominated and directed by the sinful desires of the flesh, those sinful desires that once dominated and controlled us are still present with us. The Apostle Paul does not say, “Walk in the Spirit, and you will no longer have any lusts of the flesh.” He says, “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.” As Alexander Maclaren put it,
The promise of our text is not that we shall not feel, but that we shall not fulfill, the desires of the flesh… So it must ever be insisted upon that the test of a true walking in the Spirit is that we are thereby fitted to fight against the desires of the flesh… The gift of the Spirit does not take us out of the ranks of the combatants, but teaches us to fight, and arms us with its own sword for the conflict. There will be abundant opportunities of courage in attacking the sin that doth so easily beset us, and in resisting temptations which come to us by reason of our own imperfect sanctification. But there is all the difference between fighting at our own hand and fighting with the help of God’s Spirit, and there is all the difference between fighting with the help of an unseen ally in heaven and fighting with the Spirit within us who helpeth our infirmities and Himself makes us able to contend, and sure, if we keep true to Him, to be more than conquerors through Him that loveth us.
The sinful desires, the sinful lusts, are still present, but they can no longer dominate and direct you. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can dominate these desires. You can refuse to fulfill these desires. There will always be the temptation to yield to these lusts, so there will always be this continual battle. As Paul puts it, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (Gal. 5:17). There may be times when you may give in to the desires of the flesh, but you will no longer be dominated and directed by these desires so that they become characteristic of your life. You can defeat these desires through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now, I would have expected, since St. Paul had used the phrase “lusts of the flesh” in verse 16, that he would have used it again in the list he gives us in verses 19-21. But instead of calling these sins “lusts of the flesh,” he calls them “works of the flesh.” It is important for us to understand the difference between “lusts” and “works.” The desires of the flesh are going to be present with us always until we are forever freed from them in Heaven. But we must prevent these “lusts,” these “desires,” from becoming “works.” When they become “works” it means that we have actually yielded to these lusts and have put them into practice.
Now, the Apostle gives us a list of fifteen sins that are works of the flesh, but this is not an exhaustive list. He makes that plain when he gets to the end of the list and says, “and such like.” He has listed 15 sins, but these are just representative of the many ways in which the lusts of the flesh find expression. Paul gives several such lists in his writings which included some of the sins mentioned here and adding others that are not mentioned in this place. There are an infinite number of ways that the lusts of the flesh can find expression in our lives. The list we find here is a good summary of the works of the flesh, and this particular list may have been given to these Galatians because these were the specific sins that they were battling in their own lives. All these lists of sins given by the apostle Paul are very important for us because they show us the many ways in which these desires of the flesh reveal themselves.
The apostle Paul wants us know whether we are “in the Spirit,” or, “in the flesh.” He indicates that it shouldn’t be that difficult to determine whether we are fulfilling the lusts of the flesh or walking in the Spirit. In the King James Version, we read, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these…” But in the Greek text the first word is “manifest.” “Manifest are the works of the flesh.” The word “manifest” means “evident,” “visible,” “clearly seen,” or “obvious.” In other words, you don’t need to be puzzled about whether you are in the Spirit or in the flesh. It is clear what the works of the flesh are. Just take a look around and you see the works of the flesh plainly revealed.
Now we see why the minister of the gospel must continue to preach against the works of the flesh. The minister must confront the world with the works of the flesh and remind the people of this world that they are engaged in these sinful activities because it is their nature to do so. The world must be confronted with the horrifying truth that all the problems and the evils that we see in the world are caused by our love for sin and hatred of God. We are controlled and dominated by the lusts and works of the flesh. Since human beings are dominated and controlled by sin, nothing will ever change in this world until people come to Christ and bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Ministers must continue to preach against the lusts and the works of the flesh because these sins continue to crop up even in the lives of Christians. Look at Paul’s epistles. None of Paul’s epistles were written to unbelievers. They were all written to Christians, to churches. And what do we find in those churches? We find these very same works of the flesh. The churches to whom Paul wrote had problems with divisions, anger, strife, sexual sin, bitterness, and drunkenness, just to name a few of the works of the flesh that were present in the churches. The minister must constantly remind the people that the works of the flesh can still destroy a life, or a family, and the works of the flesh can still destroy a church. Live in the Spirit! Walk in the Spirit! Crucify the affections and lusts that are still present! Put to death the works of the flesh through the work of Christ on the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit!
So, let me ask you if you are you in the flesh, or are you in the Spirit? Are you dominated and directed by your sinful human nature, or are you dominated and directed by the Holy Spirit? Does your life show the fruit of the Spirit, or the works of the flesh? Have you joined the ranks of those who do daily battle with the desires of the flesh, or have you given in to these desires? As we look at the world around us, what do we see? We see people who are so obviously dominated by these sins, and our world, our nation is in the condition it is, because it is dominated by the works of the flesh.
But the good news of the Gospel is that we can live in such a way that we are not dominated by our sinful natures. But but there is only one way to escape this slavery, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ.
People say that they would like to see an end to things like anger, hatred, divisions, and the constant strife between people. But we must realize that these sins spring from our sinful human nature. We are born with these corruptions present in our hearts. Human beings cannot overcome these sins in their own strength. Deep down inside, we don’t even want to overcome these sins. We have a natural love for the things that are destroying us, because our minds and hearts are dominated and controlled by sin. Some people get tired of the mess that they are making of their lives, and they decide that they are going to try to lead a better life, turn over a new life. They take a list like that of the apostle Paul’s works of the flesh and say, “Today, I’m going work on not losing my temper. I will eliminate impure thoughts, or envy and jealousy from my mind.” They may even convince themselves that they are making some progress, but then, all these sins come back with a vengeance. No, you can never overcome these sins in your own efforts. The only way is through Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ knows that you cannot in your own strength live a good life, live in obedience to the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, or any system of morality. When we are in the flesh we have no power or desire to live in obedience to Christ, because it is against our nature. But Christ died on the cross not only to deliver us from the guilt of sin, but also from the power of sin. He has poured out the gift of his Holy Spirit to take possession of us so that we will no longer be controlled by our sinful desires. All human attempts to overcome these desires are doomed to failure. The victory over our sins can only be won through the blood of the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you have looked at your life and you have seen that your life is controlled by your sinful nature. Look to Christ now. He will free you from your slavery to sin, and you will walk in the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit. Come to Christ now and experience the glorious liberty of being free to serve God in holiness and righteousness all the days of your life. Amen.
