- 1 Thess. 5:23; 1 John 1:8, 10; Rom. 7:18, 23; Phil. 3:12
- 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 1 Tim. 1:18; 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7
- Gal. 5:17; 1 Peter 2:11
Since man was “wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body” (Chapter 6:2) by the Fall, so also this sanctification is throughout the whole man (1 Thess. 5:23). It touches upon all parts and faculties of man, yet imperfect in this life (1 John 1:8). It will only be completed on the other side of eternity. Because sadly there abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part (Rom. 7:18). We are freed from the dominion of sin, but not its presence. And from this combination of sanctification and remnants of corruption, we have a continual and irreconcilable war between the Spirit and the flesh (Gal. 5:17). Their desires are totally contrary to each other and in some way, they’re found with us. Unredeemed man does not have this war because he is under the dominion of sin. Only redeemed man knows the irreconcilable war between the Spirit and the flesh.
Remnants of Corruption
I have already dealt with this in chapter 9 on Free Will in the State of Grace. The interested reader may check our discussion on Romans 7 and remaining corruptions here.
Irreconcilable War
Gal. 5:17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
As long as we live in this body of sin (Rom. 7:24) and in this sinful and fallen world, we will never have complete victory over sin, in such a way that we will no longer sin. But the war will rage throughout the Christian life. In the passage above, we have two sorts of desires and those are the only desires that exist. There is no middle road of fleshly-spirited desires. The desires and fruits of the flesh are listed for us in Galatians 5:19-21 and the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Paul sets these desires against each other. There can be no mixing and there can be no compromise between these two types and sources of desire. Whenever these two come together they will clash and one will prevail. This is the type of war that Christians throughout their Christian life on earth will have to deal with. There is no Christian, no matter how holy from the outside, if asked honestly will say that they do not struggle with sin and do not experience this “irreconcilable war.” Sometimes it is easier to choose the way of the Spirit and other times it is much easier to choose the way of the flesh. The way to avoid that the desires of the flesh overcome us says Paul is by “walking by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16, 25; 6:8; Rom. 8:4-5, 12-14). To walk in the Spirit means to have a close relationship with the Spirit and a lifestyle characterized by the work of the Spirit. When we, through the Spirit, behold the beauty of God, we no longer carve and lust after sin, but our joy and satisfaction will be found in God alone. But when we are weak and are our satisfaction is not in God, we will seek the “fleeting pleasures of sin” (Heb. 11:25). Therefore, as long as this irreconcilable war rages, we will still be in need of sanctification.
Scripture teaches us that no living man is sinless. In 1 John 1:8, we read that “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” I could not think of a s...