Romans 8:1-8 – Overcoming the Flesh

Topic: Overcoming the Flesh

Reading: Romans 8:1-8

Introduction and Overview

Every Christian seeks victory over the flesh. Overcoming the flesh is one of the main promises of Christianity and following Christ. It is both desirable for us, and necessary as we learn to walk in Christ.

The key to overcoming the flesh is found in these words. The flesh is controlled by the mind or the spirit of a person. If we can control the mind, then we can control the flesh. Thus overcoming the flesh is about gaining control over your thoughts.

But what does it mean to gain control over your thoughts and your thinking? And how do we achieve that state where we are able to overcome the flesh by controlling our thoughts? For most people, their thoughts simply run away from them as they jump from one topic to another. But in Christ we need to learn how to take control of what we think about so the randomness of our thinking is held in check.

We become and do what we think about. So if we think on things that tear us down and are destructive, we will be torn down. But by contrast, if we focus our minds on things that are good, positive and upbuilding, then we will have peace and be strengthened.

These verses today show us the keys to overcoming the flesh. It is the process by which we learn to walk in the Spirit. And when we learn to walk in the Spirit, there is no condemnation.

Key points from reading:

1. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ
2. What you set your mind on will determine your ability to overcome the passions of the flesh
3. Setting your mind on the flesh is death, but setting your mind on the Spirit is life and peace

Discussion:

1. Scripture: Romans 8:1-2
   • This is the first thing to understand. In Christ, there is no condemnation because we have been set free from the law that defines sin and death. If God removes the law, as He has done in the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, then what is there to condemn us? It was the law that condemned us as sinners, but where there is no law, there is no condemnation.
   • God does not condemn us as sinners when we come to Him in Christ Jesus. He has removed our sins and separated us from the law, so there is nothing left to condemn us. Unfortunately, for many Christians this is not the reality. They believe they are still sinners and still under the law. And they walk in self-condemnation when they mess up or when they can’t overcome the flesh.
   • We need to decide now whether to listen to Jesus and the words of God, or succumb to the destructive self-talk in our own minds that condemns us as sinners. It is not a hard decision, but it is not always easy to do or to maintain. But do always remember that there is no condemnation. God has removed all condemnation from you when you come to Him in Christ Jesus.
2. Scripture: Romans 8:3-4
   • We must also remember that we have done nothing to receive and achieve this state of no condemnation. It is the work of God to be received by faith.
   • By faith you must believe God has taken away all of your sins and set you free from the law, so as to live a new life in His presence. That’s all there is to it. This is the work of God that He has given to you and I by His wondrous grace. And His pardon is complete because there is no memory of your sin, at least in His mind. He forgets all of your sins, casting them far, far away. The challenge you and I have is to do likewise. As He has forgotten our sins, leaving them in the past, so too we must leave the past in the past and not continually dredge it up to condemn ourselves.
   • God took away our sins and set us free so that we could learn to live by the “just requirements” of the law. That is, so that we can live in the morality of what is right and wrong, good and true in the law. It was so that we could learn to walk in the Spirit, and through that, learn to live in God’s love.
   • Sadly, we humans cannot do this ourselves. Man is unable to keep the laws of God. So, God set up the way to be redeemed through Jesus Christ, who became the perfect sacrifice to release us from the law and from our sin. And now we are able to learn to walk in the Spirit rather than the flesh. We have the ability now to learn about overcoming the flesh through the power of the death of Jesus Christ, and the working of the power of the Holy Spirit.
3. Scripture: Romans 8:5-6
   • These two verses are the key to walking in the Spirit and overcoming the flesh. It’s all about what your mind is set on. Are you thinking about things that would tear you down? Are your thoughts being driven by your emotions? Are you focused on the issues and problems of this world?
   • These are thoughts that are set upon the flesh. And as verse 6 here says, to set the mind on the flesh is death.
   • But if you can change your thinking and focus your mind and your thoughts on the things of the Spirit, then you will find life. When you set your mind on the Spirit you are living and walking in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit and setting your mind on the Spirit leads to life and peace. It is through this that we are overcoming the flesh.
4. Scripture: Romans 8:7-8
   • The scripture takes this even further to define why we need to set our minds on the Spirit. As verse 7 says, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God.” Our minds are hostile to God because we are not worshipping Him in the Spirit. We need to remember the words of Jesus in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Since God is Spirit and He requires His people to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, then we must set our minds on the things of the Spirit.
   • Verse 8 continues on saying that if we have our minds set on the flesh, then our thinking is hostile to God. The mind that is set on the flesh cannot please God.
   • Why? Because all of the problems of humanity are in the flesh. All sin, jealousy, anger, envy, hatred, greed, and so on are part of the fleshly passions of man. God does not want us to live in the passions of the flesh. He wants us to worship Him in Spirit and truth. And doing that means we are overcoming the flesh.
   • But how do we do that? How do we set our minds on the things of the Spirit? We do this by taking our thoughts captive to obey Christ as we think them. (Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-6). Whenever an evil thought pops into our mind, we take control of it and reject it. We can replace it with the things of the Spirit through prayer, meditation on a favourite verse, bible study, singing gospel songs, listening to gospel music, reading the scriptures, and so on. When we fill our minds with the things of the Spirit, the thoughts of the flesh are crowded our and excluded. By doing this we are overcoming the flesh and replacing it with Spirit. And we will see more about how this works in the next few studies as we get deeper into Romans chapter 8.

Key Takeaways:

1. Overcoming the flesh is about learning how to walk in the Spirit rather than walking in the flesh. When we are in the Spirit we are at peace with God.
2. We cannot overcome the flesh while we are living in the flesh. We must focus our minds on the Spirit.
3. Living in the flesh is death. But living in the Spirit is life and peace.

Prayer Points

1. Ask the Lord God to teach you these principles and how to take control of your thoughts.
2. Every time your thoughts go to things of the flesh that are hostile to the ways of the Lord, pray and seek His help to overcome the flesh by controlling your thoughts.
3. Pray also for the Holy Spirit to come into your life completely so that you can work with the Spirit to learn how to walk in the Spirit.