Romans 8:12: Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
In other words, we are not to live according to the flesh. God created man body, mind, and spirit. When man sinned, his spirit died to God. Remember that God warned, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17). After Adam ate of the fruit, he lived several hundred years—physically; but spiritually he died immediately. Man was turned upside down. The body, the old nature, the flesh became dominant. Today man is dead spiritually. Regeneration means that you are turned right side up, that you are born again spiritually, and that you have a nature which wants to serve God. A movie star has said, “I live for sex, and I have to have my needs met.” We hear this today. Satisfying the old nature has plunged our nation into the grossest immorality! But God says that we as believers are not debtors to the flesh. My friend, the flesh—and we all have it—is a low–down, dirty rascal. And we don’t owe it anything. 1
Application
- To understand the work of the flesh – Read Galatians 5:16-21
- To understand the fruit of the Spirit – Read Galatians 5:22-26
Prayer
Lord, I can not live one fruitful day without Your Spirit. Please bless me today with a generous portion of Your Holy Spirit.
1. McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (Romans 1-8) (electronic ed., Vol. 42). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
