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What is the “Flesh” in Galatians 5:19-23?
There is no such thing as a “sin nature.” The Bible never refers to the “sin nature.” It is a myth of modern theology. However, the Bible DOES teach a lot about the “flesh.” This study looks at Galatians 5:19-23 to learn what the flesh actually is, and what we are to live in the Spirit rather than in the flesh. Note that this study is an excerpt from my Gospel Dictionary online course. This course considers 52 key words of the Gospel and thousands of biblical texts. The course contains over 100 hours Bible teaching. You can take the course by joining my online discipleship group. So let us see what we can learn about the flesh from Galatians 5:19-23. The Fruit of the Flesh in Galatians 5:19-23; 6:8 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdn...
What is the “Flesh” in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58?
There is no such thing as a “sin nature.” The Bible never refers to the “sin nature.” It is a myth of modern theology. However, the Bible DOES teach a lot about the “flesh.” This study looks at 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 to learn what the flesh actually is, and what we are to live in the Spirit rather than in the flesh. Note that this study is an excerpt from my Gospel Dictionary online course. This course considers 52 key words of the Gospel and thousands of biblical texts. The course contains over 100 hours Bible teaching. You can take the course by joining my online discipleship group. So let us see what we can learn about the flesh from 1 Corinthians 15:35-58. The “Flesh” in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of anim...
What is the “Flesh” in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4?
There is no such thing as a “sin nature.” The Bible never refers to the “sin nature.” It is a myth of modern theology. However, the Bible DOES teach a lot about the “flesh.” This study looks at 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 to learn what the flesh actually is, and what we are to live in the Spirit rather than in the flesh. Note that this study is an excerpt from my Gospel Dictionary online course. This course considers 52 key words of the Gospel and thousands of biblical texts. The course contains over 100 hours Bible teaching. You can take the course by joining my online discipleship group. So let us see what we can learn about the flesh from 1 Corinthians 3:1-4. The Flesh in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. ...
What is the “Flesh” in Romans 6:19?
There is no such thing as a “sin nature.” The Bible never refers to the “sin nature.” It is a myth of modern theology. However, the Bible DOES teach a lot about the “flesh.” This study looks at Romans 6:19 (and other passages from Romans) to learn what the flesh actually is, and what we are to live in the Spirit rather than in the flesh. Note that this study is an excerpt from my Gospel Dictionary online course. This course considers 52 key words of the Gospel and thousands of biblical texts. The course contains over 100 hours Bible teaching. You can take the course by joining my online discipleship group. So let us see what we can learn about the flesh from Romans 6:19 and other texts. The Flesh in Romans 6:19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh … For when we were...
Give the Gift of Bible Study for Christmas!
I read and study Scripture every day, not only for personal and spiritual growth, but also because I like to teach others what I have learned from the Bible. As I study, I normally like to read and study using paper books, but in recent years, I have found that Bible study software is increasingly helpful. Bible study software reduces the time I spend reading and studying, and also helps me use the powerful search functions. In the past, I have used two different Bible study software resources: BibleWorks and Logos Bible Software. I used BibleWorks for Greek and Hebrew studies, and Logos Bible Software for everything else. But BibleWorks has gone the way of the Dodo. They shut down last year and will no longer be selling their software. Thankfully, Logos has me covered. They have an excell...
Speaking with God in Spiritual Warfare (Ephesians 6:18-20)
Although we have already learned about the six pieces of spiritual armor which Paul mentions in Ephesians 6, there is still one vitally important element left. It is not exactly a piece of the armor, but it is nevertheless, still essential for victory on the field of battle. It is the ability we have to call in “air support” from heaven. It is prayer. Prayer is the messaging system between God and ourselves. In Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul writes about prayer. He writes about the importance of communicating with God and allowing God to communicate with us. As we look at this final element of the spiritual warfare, we will consider it as we have the six pieces of armor. We will look at how messaging worked for the Roman military, how it works for us as soldiers of Jesus Christ, and then finally,...
Taking Up the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17b)
In the book of Nehemiah we read about how the Israelites returned from captivity to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They came with the blessing of King Artaxerxes, but not everyone was glad that Israel was returning to their land to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls. There were enemies in the land of Israel who sought to destroy and kill the Israelites, and keep them from returning to the land God had given to them. Nehemiah was aware of these enemies, and so as he assigned tasks and went about overseeing the rebuilding of the walls, he instructed the workers to strap a sword to their side so that if enemies appeared, they could defend themselves in battle (Neh 4:18). As we go about our own work as Christians, we too must keep a sword strapped to our side. Not a sword made from steel with wh...
Putting on the Helmet of Salvation (Ephesians 6:17a)
It has been said “You are what you eat.” A truer statement however is that “You are what you think.” Few people realize the significance of our thoughts. It is our thoughts that guide our lives, control our world, shape our future, and create our destinies. This does not happen in a magical way, or through the much-discussed and often-mocked “power of positive thinking” but rather through a single basic principle of human psychology. If you have ever been to a counselor, therapist, or psychologist, they will likely tell you at some point in your session that thoughts create emotions, and emotions lead to certain behaviors and actions. So our actions and behaviors are determined by how we think. Therefore, if we want to change our actions, we must begin by changing our thoughts. To change h...
Taking Up the Shield of Faith (Ephesians 6:16)
This study looks at the shield of faith in Ephesians 6:16, which is another part of the armor of God. As with all the other pieces of spiritual armor, we will first consider how the shield worked for the Roman soldier, then how the shield works for the Christian, and finally, how we can take up and use the shield of faith in our daily lives. The Shield for the Soldier The Greek word Paul uses for shield in Ephesians 6:16 is thureon, which is the generic word for shield, but there were two kinds of shields used by soldiers in Paul’s day. The first, called a parma shield, was smaller and round and could be used by moving the arm to defend a certain part of the body which was being threatened. It was about 3 feet in diameter, and was the lighter of the two shields. However, while this is gene...
Putting on the Sandals of the Gospel (Ephesians 6:15)
In Ephesians 6:15, Paul instructs Christians to “shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” This is another piece of the armor of God, even though Paul doesn’t specifically mention a piece of armor. Since he writes about having something on our feet, he is clearly referring to the sandals that Roman soldiers wore into battle. So Ephesians 6:15 is referring to the Sandals of the Gospel. And as we did with the belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness, we will consider the sandals in three ways. First, we will look at how the sandals were used by the Roman soldiers in battle. Second, we will consider how Christians are to use them in spiritual battle. Finally, we will learn how Christians can put on the sandals of the gospel as we fight alongside Jesus in spiritual war...
Putting on the Breastplate of Righteousness (Ephesians 6:14b)
As we continue to look at the spiritual armor God has given us for our spiritual battle, we look at the breastplate. Specifically in Ephesians 6:14, Paul calls it the breastplate of righteousness. And just as with the belt of truth, we will look at this second piece of the armor in three ways. First, how it was used on the soldier, second, how it is to be used for us as Christians in spiritual battle, and then finally, how we can put it on for battle. Let us begin with what the breastplate did for the soldier. The Breastplate for the Soldier As the name implies, the breastplate of the Roman soldier was worn on the chest or torso of the soldier. Although at times, they were made out of leather, the breastplates worn by soldiers in Paul’s day were typically made from iron. But the breastplat...
Good Questions About the Death of Jesus that Make no Sense
A reader sent an email today with these questions: If Jesus died in the place of others, why does everyone else also die? If the penalty for sin is hell forever, and if Jesus paid the penalty for all the sins of the world, why is Jesus not the only one in hell forever? Did God punish Jesus by making him die and go to hell, or did God reward Jesus by raising him up from death and lifting him up to heaven? If Jesus died on a Friday afternoon and rose from the dead by the next Sunday morning, was the penalty for all the sins of the world less than two days dead? If God punished Jesus for all the sins of others by making him die on a cross, why are Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilate, and Caiaphas not all heroes and saints for fulfilling the will of God? If people should rejoice at the suffering an...
