The Boastings of the Flesh 125
of the flesh. Absent is that complete reliance upon the Spirit’s
leading for accomplishment. Absent also is a necessary waiting upon
the Lord. Attempting to follow Him without denying the self is the
root of all failures.
The Sins Which FollowShould a believer be so self-confident that he dares to complete
the task of the Holy Spirit in the energy of the flesh, he will not come
into full spiritual maturity. He will instead drift until the sins he
previously had overcome return to him again in power. Do not be
surprised by what is said here. It is a spiritual truism that wherever or
whenever the flesh is serving God, there and then the power of sin is
strengthened. Why did the proud Pharisees become slaves to sin?
Was it not because they were too self-righteous and served God too
zealously? Why did the Apostle chide the Galatians? Why did they
manifest the deeds of the flesh? Was it not because they sought to
establish their own righteousness by works and to perfect by the flesh
the work which the Holy Spirit had begun? The hazard for young
believers is to stop short of the putting to death of the power of the
flesh in doing good by only knowing what the cross does for the
sinful side of the flesh. In so doing they retreat again into the sins of
the flesh. The greatest blunder Christians commit upon experiencing
victory over sin lies in not using the way of victory to sustain it;
instead they try to perpetuate the victory by their works and
determination. It may perhaps succeed for a while. Before long
though they shall find themselves sliding back into their former sins,
which may differ in form but not in essence. They then either slump
into despair by concluding that constant and persistent triumph is
impossible to achieve or they try to camouflage their sins without
honestly confessing that they have sinned. Now what is it that causes
such failure? Just as the flesh gives you strength to do righteously so
it also gives you the power to sin. Whether good acts or evil, all are
but the expressions of the same flesh. If the flesh is not furnished