Scripture from Five Perspectives
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.1 Corinthians 2:14
Some conversations in life don’t make sense. Conversations with the criminally insane will often leave one scratching one’s head and wondering what the point of the conversation really was. The sinful flesh sees the Word of God as something to scratch its head over. The sinful flesh just cannot and will not understand the things of the Spirit of God. Informing and transforming the sinful flesh is a lost cause because in regard to God’s Holy Word the sinful flesh is criminally insane. The sinful flesh sees the reasonable expectation of God as totally and completely unreasonable. The sinful flesh can only stand there and scratch its proverbial head as the Word of God works to enlighten the new man.
Now if it were left up to the sinful flesh to take to heart both the stern message of God’s law and the sweet promise of His gospel, all of mankind would be a lost cause. Thankfully, God knows that the natural man is at enmity with Him and so He grants to all of His children a new man, who holds God’s word as sacred and gladly hears and learns it.
This new man given to all believers is going to have to interact with the old sinful flesh and it would do well to remember that in dealing with the sinful flesh, it is dealing with the criminally insane. It makes no sense to trade a clean conscience for a temporary sinful pleasure, but the sinful flesh scratches its head at the Word of God and wants to make that trade. The sinful flesh cannot and will not understand God’s plans and designs. In the Lutheran catechism, Martin Luther encourages all Christians to daily drown their sinful flesh with contrition and repentance, thereby letting the new man live each day as the rightful occupant of each Christian’s heart.
Lord, allow me to drown my sinful flesh and pattern my life according to your will. Amen.