What is "Walking After the Flesh"?

Romans 7:25-8:2 KJV  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.  (8:1)  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  (2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.


We usually consider the things of the flesh to be wicked things.

• When people read of walking after the flesh, they consider sinful activities and adulterous acts.
• But sometimes the bible refers to fleshly attempts to do good when it speaks of walking after the flesh.
• If we only think of wicked acts when we hear the phrase, we will miss some important truths we really need  to learn.
• When we miss these truths, we will fail somewhere along the way.
• We need all the Bible has to say about life for the Lord, or we will obviously fail somewhere.
• Misunderstanding part of what the bible teaches is going to affect us along the line.

Romans 7 teaches how Paul gave all His might to do what the law taught him to do.

• He came to the realization of the remedy for the problem, wrote about it and then summarized the situation.
• His summary was there is no condemnation to those who are in Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

He used these words, "There is therefore..."

• This informs us that the words he spoke about walking not after the flesh are ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT HE WROTE before this verse (before Romans 8:1).
• And the information he provided for us before this verse was his account of how he tried in his own will power to obey the Law in order to do good, and failed.
• This tells us something very powerful.
• When we try in our fleshly power to do good for the Lord, we are WALKING AFTER THE FLESH.

Trying in our own power to do good is what it is when we read of frustrating the grace of God.

• "Grace" is power from God.
• When we use fleshly abilities to do good, we are unintentionally disallowing God to work instead.

Jesus' death freed us from our limitation to live in fleshly power alone.

• All we could do before salvation was make ourselves as best as we could.
• But GRACE came along when He saved us.
• And grace is power from God to do good, as well as many other things.

But we need to understand that everytime the Bible speaks of not doing fleshly things, and not walking after the flesh, it is not always talking about flesh committing sins.
It is often telling us to stop trying to do good in our own fleshly power.

Rom 7:6 KJV  But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

To better understand what God is saying, please not that we are told that believers are delivered from the law.

• Why would the Bible ever make a statement like that?
• Why would God even want us to be delivered from Law?
• Law is a good thing!

Rom 7:7 KJV  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Paul reassured us Law was not a bad thing.
So, why would God want to deliver us from a good thing like the Law?

Recall that verse 6 says we were delivered from law SO THAT WE CAN SERVE GOD IN NEWNESS OF SPIRIT, AND NOT IN OLDNESS OF THE LETTER.

• This is very important.
• Paul ensured we know Law is good.
• Why, then, would God desire us to be delivered from law in order for us to n longer serve God in oldness of the letter?

Rom 7:8 KJV  But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

Sin deceived Paul.

• And law was involved in that deception.

Keep in mind that law is good, though.

Rom 7:12 KJV  Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

But law is not the guilty culprit in why God wanted to deliver us from law.

Rom 7:13-14 KJV  Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.  (14)  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

Here is the key!

• Law is spiritual and we are carnal.
• So our power is useless.
• It's so useless that even our best attempts are doomed to failure.
• Serving in oldness of the letter is therefore doomed to failure.
• It is taking a simple rule written on paper (the letter) and gathering up all your natural abilities to do good and obey it.
• And the answer is to instead SERVE IN NEWNESS OF SPIRIT.

Rom 7:6 KJV  But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

Paul proved his flesh is sold under sin by having referred to what happened when he tried doing good -- when he tried serving in oldness of the letter.

Too many believers never get far enough in their understanding to know the difference between serving in oldness of letter as opposed to serving in newness of Spirit.

• They simply know they must serve God, so they do not care if it is oldness of letter in which they do it.

Verses 15 and 16 is a connecting verse to another part fo the Bible.

Rom 7:15-16 KJV  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.  (16)  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

Compare with ...

Gal 5:17 KJV  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Gal 5:13 says we've been called to liberty.

Gal 5:13 KJV  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Romans 7:6 says we're delivered from the law to no longer serve in oldness of the letter. 

• Law was good, but working with law has to do with using flesh to do good.
• There is no other way to respond to a law.
• The nature of how we deal with law is what messes it up.

From what did Galatians 5:13 say we're set at liberty?

• Verse 1 said it is the Law.

Gal 5:1 KJV  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

The law is the yoke of bondage.

• Chapter 5 follows the information in Chapter 4 which compares Law, the old covenant, with Hagar the woman of bondage, and her children Ishmael, the people living under law.

If law is good, why be freed from it?

• Paul said the same thing in Romans when speaking of no longer serving in oldness of letter.
• All of this is condemned in the bible as "walking after the flesh".

I've talked to some who misunderstand Paul's words who teach others to keep Law in order to be Christians.

• When you speak to them about how we cannot successfully make ourselves do good, but instead need to rely upon God's grace and power to strengthen us to do good, they stand bewildered.
• They do not follow what you are talking about.
• The concept is alien to the them.'
• Their lack pf understanding is the reason they encourage folks to keep the law.
• They never learned that it is still wrong to use flesh to serve God by serving under law -- not because law is wrong, but because IT WILL NOT SUCCEED.
• They also do not know that when the bible speaks of "walking after the flesh" in a negative manner that it includes trying to do good in your fleshly power.

God actually speaks against doing good with fleshly power, and without prayer, because IT DOES NOT WORK.

Imagine Paul's reaction to learning this for the first time.

• What a paradigm shift!
• Paul tried so hard to please Jesus by oldness of letter.
• We know Paul wrote of his experiences only after his salvation, which some refuse to believe, because Galatians 5 refers to the same vain attempt.

Follow the context of Galatians 5.

• Verse 13 says we're at liberty, but we must not take that and think freedom from law means we can violate law and allow our flesh to lust away all that it wants.
• WE STILL SERVE GOD.
• We're not freed from serving God, just from serving in OLDNESS OF LETTER.
• And we SERVE ONE ANOTHER.

Gal 5:13 KJV  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Some might claim they keep law in order to serve each other in love.

• They might say they do good to people in order that they might serve each other in love.
• But they use LAW and serve in OLDNESS OF LETTER.
• And that will not work.
• We must serve God, but we do so apart from law-keeping.

The Law agrees with the results that this servitude in newness of Spirit accomplishes.

The following verse says so:

Gal 5:14 KJV  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

These next verses say that same thing that Romans 7:15-16 says.

Gal 5:16-17 KJV  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  (17)  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Rom 7:15-16 KJV  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.  (16)  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

Galatians informs us that the answer to this dilemma is "walk in the Spirit."

You will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh if you walk in the Spirit.

• But if you serve God in oldness of the letter, which is using flesh to do good, you will fulfill the lusts of the flesh .
• You WILL DO the "things that ye would not."
• That is KJV  for "The things you do not want to do."

You may have MEANT to do good, but could never do good as you wanted.

• So, if you mean to do good, you must realize you need to use a different method.
• That method is walking after the Spirit, or serving in newness of Spirit.
• This takes us back to Romans 8:1 where we read of two methods to do good, and only one succeeds, leaving us without condemnation.

The flesh you use in order to do good is revealed for what it really is as follows:

Gal 5:17 KJV  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Being led of the Spirit is something that is completely apart from law-keeping.

• Even though flesh is used in hopes to do good, we read of its works as follows:

Gal 5:19-21 KJV  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  (20)  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,  (21)  Envyings, 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.

But look what the Spirit produces.

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

We have crucified the flesh with it's lusts.

Gal 5:24 KJV  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

So if we've crucified the flesh with its lusts, WHY USE THAT FLESH TO SERVE GOD?

• We've become dead to the law by the body of Christ.
• Gal 5:24 is saying the same thing that Romans 7:24-25 said.

Rom 7:24-25 KJV  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  (25)  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Thank God we can SUCCEED to serve God.

• But we must know what that method is, and what "walking after the flesh" really involves in its unsuccessful methodology.