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What does it mean to walk by the flesh?

Quick Answer: What does it mean to walk by the flesh? The flesh is the old sinful attitudes and mindsets to which we were enslaved before we believed in Jesus. When we believed, we were taken out of the flesh and placed into the Spirit (Romans 8:9). Still, we believers “walk by the flesh” when we choose to think and act in the old way rather than allowing God’s Spirit to inspire us.

Diving Deeper: The flesh is the old sinful habits and mindsets to which we were enslaved before we believed in Jesus. When we believe in Jesus, we are taken out of the flesh and placed in the Spirit (Romans 8:9). This is our new and permanent spiritual location. We are forever in the Spirit, and forever out of the flesh (Romans 8:9).

This means we’re set free from the power of fleshly attitudes, and we are enslaved to righteousness (Romans 6:18). At the core of our beings, we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Still, we can fall back on those old ways of coping with life and gaining identity at times. This is walking by (or after) the flesh.

Here’s some computer terminology as an analogy: We have new spiritual hardware, but we still need software updates. When we operate according to the old programming, that’s walking by the flesh. In those cases, we need a “software update”, replacing old sinful attitudes with new thinking that matches who we are (Romans 12:2).

So, if we live by the Spirit, let’s go ahead and walk by the Spirit too (Galatians 5:25)!

Let’s Make It a Conversation!
1. Read Romans 8:9. What’s the difference between being in the flesh and walking by the flesh?
2. React to this statement: The flesh is not you or your spiritual nature. It’s a way of thinking.
3. Did you understand the hardware/software analogy? Explain it in your own words.

Have more questions about the flesh? Check out:
101 Bible Questions - Book101 Bible Questions: And the Surprising Answers You May Not Hear in Church is now available on Amazon!

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