What Do the Scriptures Mean which speak of “the flesh?”

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 01-08-15 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Slambat]

“Or woefully uninformed.”

How so? I just read the article. What is it you don’t
understand? Maybe I can help you out.

[Salvation]

That is ultimately what God can and will do for us. He will put the flesh to death in us and bring alive our spirit by the power of his Holy Spirit.
But step one is to appreciate what the flesh is and understand its moves.
Step two is to bring this understanding to God through repentance.
Step three is, by God’s grace, to stop feeding the flesh and start feeding the spirit on prayer, scripture, Church teaching and Holy Communion.
Step four is to repeat steps 1-3 for the rest of our lives. God by his grace will cause the flesh to die and the spirit to live by his grace at work in us through Jesus Christ.

[defconw]

Good summation!

[Arkansas Toothpick]

Though I am a non-Roman Catholic Christian, I always appreciate Msgr. Pope’s dissection of Scripture and how it applies to our lives as followers of Jesus. Good stuff, sir!

[verga]

Or that. I wonder if this is why Jesus wants us to consume His flesh and blood? His after all has the power to transform our flesh? I guess I never really though that much about flesh oddly enough.

I can't take credit for putting those together. I was doing my daily Bible study reading Galatians and one of the prots here posted the comment about John 6.

Nest thing you know I put 2 and 2 together and......

There are no coincidences, only Godincidences.

[Slambat]

“If as you now state this was as a child, then of course I get it.”

Hay guess what? I’m still having fun with it. Just like
Mark 2:27, when confronted by the righteous for working
on Sunday. I know my God and my God has a sense of humor.

[verga]

Protestants, particularly among the laity, see themselves as a Manichean duality, flesh vs. spirit, not realizing that Christianity asserts three natures within humans, the soma (flesh), the psyche (soul/mind), and the pneuma (spirit), and the distinction between the flesh and the soul, and between the soul and the spirit, is just as necessary to understanding human nature as the distinction between the flesh and the spirit.

But the difficulty arises over the matter (No pun intended) that all three are linked in one person (The self) with one nature (human).

We are (Or should be) trying to acquire a Godly nature and conform ourselves to His will.

[NorthMountain]

You may say I have exaggerated, that the flesh is not really this bad. Well I am not, just buy a newspaper and see what the flesh is up to.

No kidding.

[RnMomof7]

Reading scripture , like all reading you must take context into the meaning ...Knowing that it was a sin to the jews to eat blood... onw has to consider just what He meant . Jesus would never tell men to sin .

Lexicon :: Strong's G4561 - sarx

σάρξ

Transliteration sarx	Pronunciation sä'rks (Key)
Part of Speech feminine noun	Root Word (Etymology) Probably from the base of σαρόω (G4563)
Dictionary Aids Vine's Expository Dictionary: View Entry TDNT Reference: 7:98,1000
Outline of Biblical Usage flesh (the soft substance of the living body, which covers the bones and is permeated with blood) of both man and beasts the body the body of a man used of natural or physical origin, generation or relationship born of natural generation the sensuous nature of man, "the animal nature" without any suggestion of depravity the animal nature with cravings which incite to sin the physical nature of man as subject to suffering a living creature (because possessed of a body of flesh) whether man or beast the flesh, denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God
KJV Translation Count — Total: 151x The KJV translates Strongs G4561 in the following manner: flesh (147x), carnal (2x), carnally minded (with G5427) (1x), fleshly (1x).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon Help Unlike man Christ had a Divine nature, that man needs if he is ever to see the Father ... That is found only in Christ. Rom 8:7 Because the carnal G4561 mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Tools specific to Rom 8:8 Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

[defconw]

If God didn’t have a sense of humor he wouldn’t have made people.

[verga]

let me help you out.

There are a group of people here that like to refer to themselves as "Bible Christians" that neither follow the Bible or are even "christians" (intentional lower case "c")

They love to come on threads and tell Catholics that we are pagans. They mock Catholic beliefs and practices and just generally demonstrate extreme hatred of the Catholic Church and all things Catholic.

They are incredibly ignorant of History. They make claims that the Catholic Church either began at Pentecost and then went off the rails or was began in the mid 4th century by Constantine. It is not unusual for any one of them to hold both mutually exclusive views from time to time.

At the same time expressing the belief that their group was part of some invisible remnant that was somehow able to magically retain the faith these many years.

[verga]

You do know I am going to be making a Novena for you.

[Grateful2God]

#3 kept popping out at me. Jealousy, envy, resentment: those are my "frequent flyer" trips to the Confessional. I have such a hard time letting go of old hurts. For the sake of peace, I keep quiet, but sometimes it just eats me up inside if I don't constantly fight it. It seems like the persons involved just know what buttons to push, and I am so easily susceptible to it. Please keep me in prayer!

On another note, anybody notice the picture with the lady sitting looking in the mirror? It took me awhile- the skull popped out first...

God bless you!

[Salvation]

It’s one of those double pictures, huh?

[RnMomof7]

Do you know that the God of the bible does not hear that ??

[defconw]

I like that Godincidences. John Paul II always said there is not such thing as coincidences.

[Salvation]

**Jealousy, envy, resentment**

We had a visiting priest yesterday who asked us to re-read all the readings from 1 John, where he keeps telling us to love God and love our neighbor.

Then he said this is difficult sometimes because these people may have hurt us.

So he said “Pray for them.”
Do kind things for them.
Speak well of them.

And do not pray for yourself except to ask for the wisdom to do the above three things.

Powerful. I prayed for a lady off and on all day yesterday after that sermon.

[Grateful2God]

If God didn’t have a sense of humor he wouldn’t have made people.

Or this, either!

[Grateful2God]

And please pray for me...

God bless you!

[defconw]

Let me know what it is and I’ll do the Novena with you.