Follow me on Facebook under AuntCynthia Whitaker 🥰 💥 "What are the works of the flesh?"
Answer: Galatians 5:19–21 speaks of the works of the flesh, saying they are "evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these." When the Bible speaks of the “flesh,” it is often referring to our natural sin tendencies. We are all born with a sin nature (Romans 5:12). Our natural predilection is to please ourselves any way we see fit. We can be trained to behave in more socially acceptable ways and even find enjoyment in being kind to others. However, without the power of God, we remain self-centered. We do what we do, even good things, because we receive some selfish payoff. Anything not done from faith or love for God—any deed not empowered by the Holy Spirit—is a “work of the flesh” (Romans 8:8; 14:23).
At salvation, the Holy Spirit moves into the repentant heart, making it possible for us to make choices that are of the Spirit, rather than the flesh (Galatians 5:16; Ezekiel 36:27; Romans 8:4; Colossians 3:5–8). We are to consider ourselves “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20) and our old sin nature dead (Romans 6:2, 11), but the flesh does not die easily. A battle still rages within even the most dedicated follower of Christ.
