others, they too, in spite of electing grace, and wonderful laws, were in heart so like the

heathen that the apostle sees no distinction and says, "among whom", not separated and

distinct, but "among whom we all had our manner of life".  Of the Gentiles

dispensationally it was written that they were "Gentiles in the flesh" and "without God in

the world" (11 and 12), yet of all, whatever their dispensational privilege or disadvantage,

it can be said that they all lived "in the desires of the flesh".

Gal. 5: 16, "Walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the desire of the flesh", will

make clear that to be so characterized is an evidence that the spirit which thus leads and

energizes is not of God. The desire of the flesh is the easiest of all entries for the spirit

that energized the sons of disobedience. Look back over history, where will you stop?

Must we not go back to the dawn of creation, and there in Eden's garden see the tempter

making our first parents sons of disobedience by the "desire of the flesh" (Gen. 3: 6).

These desires are "deceitful"; the truth in Jesus teaches "that ye have put off concerning

the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful desires"

(Eph. 4: 22).  Peter warns believers (calling them by the name of "strangers and

pilgrims" to "abstain from fleshly desires which war against the soul" (I Pet. 2: 11), and

again in 4: 2 he says, "that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to

the desires of men, but to the will of God". Again, in II Pet. 1: 4 he speaks of having

"escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (or desire), and says of certain

evil-doers that they "walk after the flesh in polluting desires" (2: 10). The "scoffers"

who say, "Where is the promise of His coming?", have this characteristic that "they walk

after their own desires". The epistle to the Romans reveals the reason why the desire of

the flesh is so faithful an ally of Satan. Sin reigns in the mortal body of the unbeliever,

"let no sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lust (or

desires) thereof" (Rom. 6: 12). "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision

for the lusts (or desires) of the flesh" (Rom. 13: 14). "They that are Christ's have

crucified the flesh with the passions and desires" (Gal. 5: 24). We have used the word

"desires" rather than "lusts", because in present day usage, "lust" has become lowered in

meaning, and is usually associated with immoral and base passions; it is misleading to

think that such is the scriptural limitation. The desires of the flesh may be above all

suspicion of vice or immorality, they may include many of the legitimate things of life,

they may include high ambitions and great schemes, the point is they are the desires of

the FLESH, and the mind of the flesh is enmity against God. The great moving power of

all men is desire. The man without desire or ambition accomplishes little; the desires of

the flesh, however, soon lead to "doing the will of the flesh and of the mind". This is in

exact contrast with the statement concerning the servants of Christ "doing the will of God

from the heart" (Eph. 6: 6).

The whole difference between saved and unsaved may be expressed in this difference

between their relation to the will of God: in the one case the dominant power is the "will

of the flesh", while in the other it is "that good and perfect and acceptable will of God".

Just as there is a filthiness of spirit as well as of flesh (II Cor. 7: 1), so there is the will

of the mind, just as evil as that of the flesh; the mind (dianoia) of the unsaved is darkened

(Eph. 4: 18), and enmity and alienation by wicked works is associated with it in

Col. 1: 21. Speaking of other phases of God's purpose, the new covenant deals with this