Life in the Flesh or the Spirit?
Have you ever paused to ask yourself: What is actually shaping the way I think, respond, and live right now?
In Romans 8, the apostle Paul draws a stark contrast between two ways of living: life according to the flesh and life according to the Spirit. This is not merely a discussion about outward behavior or moral effort. Paul is describing two fundamentally different orientations of the heart—two ruling powers that shape how we interpret reality, respond to suffering, and relate to God.
Paul begins with a beautiful declaration of assurance:
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
This is the foundation. Before Paul tells us how to live, he grounds us in what is already true. If you are in Christ, you are no longer under condemnation. The verdict has already been decided NOT GUILTY! You are justified, forgiven, and united to Christ before the Father.
From that place of assurance, Paul explains what has changed:
“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)
Freedom here does not mean the absence of struggle. It means a change of dominion. Sin is no longer your master. The flesh no longer has the final word.
So what does Paul mean by “the flesh”?
In Romans 8, the flesh is not simply the physical body or obvious sinful actions. It is a way of living that is self-reliant, self-protective,and self-focused. Life in the flesh interprets the world apart from God. It asks, Am I safe? Am I in control? Am I enough? And then it tries to secure life on its own terms (instead of dependance on God).
Paul says plainly:
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh… For the mind that is set on the flesh is death… it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” (Romans 8:5–7)
This is why flesh-driven living eventually leads to exhaustion, anxiety, defensiveness, or despair. The flesh falsely promises control and it cannot produce life.
By contrast, Paul describes life in the Spirit:
“But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:5–6)
Life in the Spirit is not about trying harder to be a “good Christian.” It is about living from a new center. The Spirit reorients our desires, our thinking, and our loves toward God. Where the flesh resists dependence on the Lord, the Spirit invites trust in Him. Where the flesh reacts in fear or self-preservation, the Spirit leads us into truth and freedom.
Paul roots this reality in the indwelling presence of God Himself:
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9)
Christian life is not powered by willpower. It is sustained by presence. God does not merely give instructions on how to live, He gives us Himself.
This raises important heart-level questions worth sitting with honestly:
When I feel threatened, disappointed, or afraid, where do I instinctively turn?
What thoughts tend to dominate my mind under pressure?
Where am I relying on control, performance, or self-protection instead of trust?
What does my inner dialogue reveal about what I believe God is like?
In what areas of my life am I resisting dependence on the Spirit?
Paul does not deny the ongoing battle. We still feel the pull of old patterns. But we are no longer obligated to obey them. The Spirit now empowers a new way of responding:
“For if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13)
This is an active, dependent process of naming what is false, turning toward what is true, and learning to walk by the Spirit one step at a time.
This week, consider where God may be inviting you to release control, to name the ways the flesh has been quietly ruling, and to yield again to the Spirit who gives life.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38-29
