You are not in the flesh: what does this mean? • Deshen Daily

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him (Romans 8:9, ESV)

What does it means that “you…are not in the flesh but in the Spirit”? This is one of the most astonishing descriptions of the believer in Christ. Therefore it goes without saying that understanding what this scripture means is critical for a solid understanding of who we are in Christ.

I began discussing the concepts of spirit, soul and body in our Glory & Grace Live Bible studies a few months back and took a break to address a few other issues. I have noticed the profound impact those teachings have had on many of our listeners. By the grace of God, I will get back to teaching on spirit, soul and body, beginning from the idea of the flesh mentioned above.

What does it mean that we are not in the flesh? A classic charismatic interpretation will tell us that this means you are not in the body or that the real you is a spirit that is merely living in the body and therefore you are really not in the body, …etc. The biggest error we are making as Pentecostals with the word “flesh” is equating it to the body. Yes, flesh is used sometimes to refer to the body but not always. When John 1:14 says the Word became flesh, it is not saying the Word simply took up a human body. No! It rather means the Word became a human being as fully as any other human being, meaning spirit, soul and body just like you except without sin. The flesh is therefore used to refer to that which is human. This is the sense that is used in Rom. 8:9 above.

Paul himself further describes for us what he means by “not in the flesh”. He says “if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you”. So the Holy Spirit in a man takes that man out of the flesh into the Spirit. It means that a person ceases to be merely human, as every other human. He becomes a partaker of the divine nature, by partaking in the Holy Spirit. Oh how I yearn for you to see the implications of this mystery here and now! It means you now have the capacity to think, feel, decide or behave like God(soulish) or your mortal body can now be quickened by the life of God! The Lord open your understanding to grasp this truths fully. I can only write this much in a short devotional. I will be teaching further on this week on our Live Bible Study.

MEDITATE

Do unbelievers also have a human spirit? Are they in the Spirit?

APPLY THE WORD

I have said this before and will say it again here. An understanding of spirit, soul and body will have a great impact on your walk with God. Set out time to PERSONALLY study this subject for yourself.