Flesh vs. Spirit: Life Choices with Eternal Consequences

“For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love.”

Galatians 5:13

One reoccurring theme in the New Testament is that of living a spiritual life vs. “living in the flesh”.  Christian theology is very specific about what living a spiritual life means.  It also portrays the opposing way of life in which the spirit is of minimal importance and warns against such actions.  Understanding these concepts of flesh vs. spirit is crucial in living a purposeful life, finding peace and joy and securing one’s eternal future.  Unfortunately, although familiar in Christian circles, such ideas are foreign to much of the today’s secular population – with predictable and solemn consequences.

Spoiler Alert:  You are Going to Die

Whether in a few hours or 70 years from now, this is a certainty and a life event that no one can escape.  Every minute that passes is one less minute that we have until we must face it.  Bringing this into focus is not meant to be scary or daunting, but to redirect attention to our earthly life and to think about how to prepare for its end.  Death is the ultimate problem that humanity faces.  We try our best to stay healthy and ward off the effects of aging for as long as we can, but in the end, the slow and steady progression of time catches us all.  During good times we tend to go about our daily business without a thought about it.  To live in the moment is healthy and natural – but when someone close to us gets sick or dies, we are shaken in the reminder of our own frailty and mortality.

So how do we face death?  How can we prepare ourselves without being morbid or overly macabre?  Understanding the consequences of the death and resurrection of Jesus is the key to it all.  Death came into the world as a result of sin, and sin leads to death and decay, both individually and collectively.  The self-sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of God, was the ultimate victory in breaking the cycle of sin and death.  In accordance with the will of the Father, Jesus selflessly died and rose again in perfection.  Therefore, we can follow (if we choose) his example in every way, including our own death, and eventual resurrection.

Volumes of high-level theological analysis have been written about this, but this sets the stage for one aspect I’d like to discuss in this post.  This being the need to live in communion with Jesus such that our path follows His path.

Living In the Flesh

When most people hear this term, it brings to mind sexual activity and related sinful behavior.  But living in the flesh is much more than that.  To live in the flesh is to live in way that ignores and does not nourish the spiritual soul.  When we focus our life on our own bodily needs exclusively, the soul diminishes and becomes disconnected and lost.  To make matters worse, living as such is habitual, and creates a downward cycle.  For instance, it is easy to pursue one’s own vanity, comfort, interests or pleasures.  But these things come and go, and we are left with the constant drive to find such things to satisfy us.  In modern western culture, this cycle is promoted and portrayed as normal.  But it leads to a form of slavery to the pursuit, which becomes a slavery of sin as the spiritual aspects of life fade away.  Attributes such as selfishness, sloth, laziness and self-indulgence take over.  When we live exclusively this way, the following works of the flesh result (see Galatians 5:19-21 for more):

• Adultery
• Outbursts of Wrath
• Dissension
• Envy
• Drunkenness
• Idolatry
• Hatred
• Jealousy
• Murder

Such attributes are easily seen in the world today and seem to be getting worse.  And we wonder why anxiety and depression run rampant in society.  Ironically, this cycle is often portrayed as freedom and in opposition to the supposed restrictions that come from living the spiritual life.

Living in the Spirit

Of course, the restrictions that many feel come from religion are a fallacy and a misunderstanding of spiritual reality.  Accordingly, there is even less consensus for what “living in the spirit” means than that of “living in the flesh”.  The Christian teaching on this is based on accepting the Truth of the Holy Trinity, and that the death of Jesus was to atone for our sins, providing us the invitation to eternal life.  This acceptance is a life-altering event.  Various denominations describe this differently, through sacraments of Baptism & Confirmation, or by various declarations of being born again.  Although the practices may differ, the Christian soul is altered for eternity and cannot be reversed.  The person is then considered a child of God, with their soul configured to that of God’s Himself, such that an eternity of Godly learning and growth is set in motion.

This is all well and good, but what does this actually look like in practice?  The Christian life is one of Grace, with God’s Sprit divinely inside.  Humility is required to allow God to communicate, teach and lead the way.  The following concrete actions are also necessary to remain in God, and live a spiritual life in communion with the Trinity:

• Development and growth of a prayer life
• The joyful reading, learning and reflecting on the Bible and Christian history / traditions
• Service to others and putting the needs of God and others above our own

Note that many people consider themselves to be “spiritual but not religious”.  There are varying degrees of truths and beliefs, some of which agree with Christian doctrine – conceptually similar but with different packaging.  It is the hope that all spiritual journeys lead to the Truth of the Trinity, such that the journey may be brought to fulfillment, as described above.   For God will reveal Himself to all that seek him, and that all seeking Truth may eventually find it.

What Death Means to Those Living in the Spirit

So, one’s own death looks very different to the person living in the spirit vs. the one living in the flesh.  If someone chooses to only nurture their own physical existence, they are running a race against time that they cannot win.  The physical corruption of the body is constant and ongoing.  They have placed all their eggs into one rotting basket, and when it is gone, there is nothing left, for they do not recognize spiritual elements.

Contrast this to someone that proclaims Jesus as their personal savior and has established a relationship with the Father as well.  Such people are guided by the Holy Spirit and allow themselves to be brought back on course after straying off the path.  They have grown to find joy in pursuing the plans that their heavenly Father has set before them.  So, what is death to them?  Is there less fear and anxiety?

For those living in the spirit, death becomes yet another life event.  It is one that still creates uncertainty and loss due to separation from those left behind, but through the eyes of faith, can be approached with acceptance and even curiosity or excitement.  For those closest to God, there is little difference before or after physical death, because the spirit is unchanged – and such people are tethered to the soul, to God, as one.  Another way to look at it is that death allows us to finally lose the corrupted flesh, which becomes a thorn in our side in relation to spiritual growth.  Those that know God are finally free to live completely and perfectly in the spirit.  Through God’s plan, Jesus has turned the ugliness of death into an opportunity for abundant life.  How different this reality is from those that do not recognize God around them or within them, or even recognize their own spirituality.  How tragic, being that it is all that remains.

In reality, no one in this life is entirely one way or the other.  Those who live without God still have a soul and were created in His image.  And those who strive for perfection with God will ultimately come short due to sin and the human condition unto which they are still bound.  So, we have a dual nature, flesh vs. spirit, but it is up to us as to which we will pursue and allow to become manifest within us.