What is flesh according to the Scriptures?
In the epistle of Paul to the Romans, we could replace the word “flesh” with “physical senses”, but we could go even further. The flesh, it is also feelings and a will not regenerated.

The natural, carnal and spiritual man
1 Corinthians 2: 14-15 « 14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. » KJV

1 Corinthiens 3 : 1 « 1And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. » KJV

The natural man (the animal man)

The natural man is unable to receive the things of the Spirit of God because he cannot understand them. All his knowledge is based on his five senses and his mind is exclusively governed by them. He has a knowledge through the senses.

Ephesians 2:1-3 describes the walk of natural man : « according to the train of this world, according to the prince of the power of air, » which is the devil; according to « the lusts of flesh, » of his physical senses. He is “by nature a child of anger”.

This is the man without Christ.

Ephesians 4:17-18 tells us that the pagans walk «according to the vanity of their thoughts», that they have «obscured intelligence» and are «strangers to the life of God».

They are filled with their own personal knowledge and ignorant of spiritual things. At the New Birth, believers acquire a knowledge superior to that of the flesh: a knowledge by revelation.

And it is by meditating on the Word of God that they will develop this knowledge which goes beyond the natural. Spiritual things cannot be understood with reason or logic, they must be accepted in the heart by faith.

The carnal man

Who is he? 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 answers.

It is a person who believes in God (not necessarily a newborn in faith), who attends a local church and even manifests spiritual gifts but who is still guided by his physical senses, in other words by his flesh.

Although born again, he reacts like a natural man. He has not made the law of love his own for when one walks in love, there is no place for envy, arguments, rivalries or divisions.

The spiritual man

He knows what belongs to him in Jesus Christ and is regularly nourished by the Word of God. The spiritual man practices the law of love given by the Lord.

The natural man lives by his senses and reason, for these are the only means that he has at his disposal. The spiritual man, on the other hand, lives by faith in the Word of God, guided and enlightened by the Holy Spirit.

The works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit

The works of the flesh

Galatians 5: 19-21 « 19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. » KJV

Works of the flesh can be classified into four categories:

The sins of lust (4): adultery; fornication; impurity and fornication;

The sins relating to the disrespect or reverence of the Person of God (2): idolatry and witchcraft;

The sins of the mood (9): hatred; disagreements; jealousy; anger; quarrels; divisions; heresies; envy and murder;

The sins of appetite, drinking and eating (2): drunkenness and food profusion.

The fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5: 22-23 « 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. » KJV

Holiness and sanctification

As the guardians of our bodies, we must give up the works of the flesh for that Satan does not enter into the property of God. Let us not give any access to the devil; let us honor and glorify God!

Holiness is declarative. God has declared us holy. Through His Son Jesus Christ, He sees us as pure and no longer remembers our sins. But often, holiness is still associated with austerity, poverty, sadness, deprivation or isolation. It would deprive us of all the joys of the earth, which God created first…for His children.

Sanctification, this choice we have made to separate ourselves from this sinful world, to set us apart, is not immediate but rather a process.

When we come to Jesus, we come with a repentant heart. The Lord forgives us and cleanses us but that does not mean we have become perfect. We are going to enter a process in which God will transform us in our thoughts, habits, characters, words and deeds so that we may be like His Son Jesus Christ, who also lived as man but sinned in nothing.

Irreproachability

Irreproachability is an important « marker » of Christian maturity for a public and a private witness to the glory of God. It makes us persons commendable both before God and men.

It is also a source of freedom, strength and fulfillment.

We must be unassailable, have nothing to hide from God and receive a favorable testimony from the Holy Spirit.

Irreproachability must be connected to our faith in Jesus Christ, not just a religious work. The Lord Jesus being the only one to be blameless in the eyes of God, we must clothe ourselves with Him.

We must set an example to everyone (family, friends, co-workers, neighbours, etc.) through our attitude, words but also personal discipline.

Excellence is not the destination, it is the path we must walk.

1 Timothy 4:12 « 12Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. » KJV