118 The Spiritual Man
control of the body. Soul and body accordingly were joined together
to be flesh. Not only is the flesh “devoid of the spirit”; it also is
directly opposed to the spirit. The Bible consequently asserts that the
“flesh lusts against the spirit” (Gal. 5.17 literal).
The opposition manifested by the flesh against the spirit and
against the Holy Spirit is two-fold: (1) by way of committing sin—
rebelling against God and breaking the law of God; and (2) by way
of performing good—obeying God and following the will of God.
The body element of the flesh, full of sin and lust, naturally cannot
but express itself in many sins, much to the grief of the Holy Spirit.
The soul part of the flesh, however, is not as defiled as the body.
Soul is the life principle of man; it is his very self, comprising the
faculties of will, mind and emotion. From the human viewpoint the
works of the soul may not be all defiled. They merely center upon
one’s thought, idea, feeling, and like or dislike. Though these all are
focused upon self, they are not necessarily defiling sins. The basic
characteristic of the works of the soul is independence or self-
dependence. Even though the soul side is therefore not as defiled as
the body side, it nonetheless is hostile to the Holy Spirit. The flesh
makes self the center and elevates self-will above God’s will. It may
serve God, but always according to its idea, not according to God’s.
It will do what is good in its own eyes. Self is the principle behind
every action. It may not commit what man considers sin: it may even
try to keep God’s commandments with all its power: yet “self” never
fails to be at the heart of every activity. Who can fathom the
deceitfulness and vitality of this self? The flesh opposes the spirit not
just in sinning against God, but now even in the matter of serving
Him and pleasing Him. It opposes and quenches the Holy Spirit by
leaning upon its own strength without wholly relying upon God’s
grace and simply being led by the Spirit.
We can find many believers around us who are by nature good
and patient and loving. Now what the believer hates is sin; therefore
if he can be delivered from it and from the works of the flesh as