A bit ago I made a YouTube video with the same title as this article. That being said, I feel there is more to expound on this subject. My goal with this article is to cover three distinct but related points. Number one, the idea of being perfected by the flesh and what that means. Number two, how I believe our churches are falling into this deception, perpetuated by modern culture, and third, what we as followers of Jesus Christ can be doing to help this to stop in its tracks. Let us begin.
What does it mean to be perfected by the flesh? To understand this in its entirety, we need to look at Galatians chapter 3:1-3.
“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
In this passage of scripture, observing the context, we see Paul rebuking the Galatians over their pursuit of righteousness outside of Jesus Christ. At this time, the church was listening to false doctrines that were contrary to the gospel which states that we receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ ALONE. So simply stated, perfected by the flesh means looking to something outside of Jesus Christ to achieve righteousness before God. We are complete in Jesus Christ alone, something the flesh can never do. The greek word for “perfected” (epitelō) literally translates as “complete.” How many of us today are looking to be complete, when we already are through Jesus Christ?
This second point is important even though it may rub some readers the wrong way. I believe that a large majority of Christian churches, specifically in America have started to subtly adopt ideas and doctrines that are nothing more than attempts to perfect through the flesh. How many churches do you know of that value a seminary education over a simple love for Jesus Christ? How many churches do you know of that push you to “do more” and “be more” if you’re a “real” follower of Jesus? How many churches that you know of try and blend law and grace together in some sort of dysfunctional marriage? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re not alone. If you answered no, or worse, that you don’t see anything wrong with the things I mentioned, I urge you to carefully consider NOT what I say, but what God’s word says on this topic. The scriptures do not need defending. They will speak truth to anyone who is willing to receive it. I trust they will do their job. Let’s open God’s word and look at some passages that highlight some areas I believe the church is lacking.
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Colossians 2:16-23
Highlighted in Corinthians is Paul’s intentionally to point the church towards Christ, by pointing out his own humanity. His message is very clear. He does not want people confusing his words as man made wisdom. He does not want them revering him as a teacher. He wants them to know that the source of his teaching is the Spirit dwelling within him, and his mission is that they know of Christ crucified, period. This is a remarkable truth.
Similarly in Colossians he is communicating that when one starts drawing up lists of “do’s and do not’s” they are looking at a shadow instead of the real thing. Laws can’t help us fight sin! In fact, laws entice sin. But Jesus, who is the perfect fulfillment of the law, dwells within us. Why would we substitute him for a book of laws? James describes this best.
25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
James 1:25
This “perfect law” that we are to look into is Jesus Christ. Note also that the “doing” that James talks about is BELIEF. Hearing the gospel and taking no action, versus receiving the gospel through action. When you make that choice to go from hearer to doer, you are reborn. The old is dead and gone, and the new is alive in Christ. So seeing that beautiful truth, once you have Christ, does it make sense to look outside of him to grow in maturity? Anything powering that process outside of Christ as the source is man made religion, and as Paul said, is useless at stopping the flesh. My biggest problem with a lot of preaching these days is that while the message of the gospel is communicated (salvation through faith alone) we all of a sudden end up stopping there. We’ve gotten in the habit of subconsciously saying, “Jesus for salvation, and now our efforts for growing in righteousness to PROVE I am actually saved.” And so you start hearing messages like this.
“You are fully forgiven, fully cleansed through the blood of Jesus Christ. Now because of that truth, you need to start working on letting him take over. You need to give up that sin you’re clinging onto. You need to strive after righteousness, and start saying no to sin more!”
Or how about this one,
“Christians today don’t look any different than the world. Here are three things every Christian should be doing in their personal lives so they can be radically transformed and be different in the way they live.”
I’ll admit, both of those made up scenarios sound good. They sound spiritual. They provide challenges. What could possibly be the issue? The biggest problem in both of these examples is that the focus is YOU. The focus is not Jesus Christ. In the first one you see the phrase, “you need” pop up multiple times, which places the emphasis on human effort again. The other overall tone is the idea that while saved, we are not really any different in desires and attitudes. If we’re saved but we still have the same old attitudes and actions, what was born again? In the second scenario, the implication is the same. You have Jesus, but now you need to do A, B, and C, to be “transformed.” Again, sounds great, but it presents a reality that just simply doesn’t exist for believers. We have no need for transformation, when we have already undergone spiritual death and resurrection. We have been made new. How are Christians going to be empowered to act differently from the world, when the teaching communicates that outside of being forgiven, they’re not. If we believe we are still sinners after receiving Christ, we are going to struggle to not act like sinners. But when we grasp the reality that we are saints who sometimes sin, that changes everything. All of a sudden we are hit with the reality that we have been reborn into a slave of righteousness that no longer desires sin. Let me rewrite those scenarios now, to illustrate the difference the source can make.
“You are fully forgiven, fully cleansed through the blood of Jesus Christ. Now because of that truth, Jesus Christ has taken over. You’ve been given the power over that sin that’s clinging onto you. Christ has given you the ability to strive after righteousness, and start saying no to sin more!”
Do you see the difference? The same thing is being said, but because the source (Christ) has been emphasized, instead of feeling the weight of condemnation, you feel the freedom the gospel affords you, and it allows you to battle sin with a new passion. Let’s look at the other one rewritten.
“Christians today don’t look any different than the world. Be aware that his Spirit within you affords you the ability to say no to sin, and yes to righteousness. Jesus Christ radically transformed you and because of that you are able to be different in the way you live.”
Instead of being told “You have to do this if you’re a Christian,” Jesus says, “You GET to do this because I dwell in you.” I’ll end this point with one of my favorite passages to further highlight the sufficiency of Christ. It comes from John 14:26.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Now as I get into the third and final point I want to clarify something here. I’m not condemning Christian resources that are created to help guide you in your walk, nor am I condemning teaching that calls out sin, and invokes conviction within you. I think these are all great things, and extremely helpful for the Christian life. We all need reminders and truth spoken to us, because the flesh is weak. What I am condemning however, is any resource, or any preaching for that matter, that points you to anything other than Christ as the source for your righteous living. I’ll be honest, most Christian books and studies (well intended,) do a terrible job communicating the transformation that has already taken place. Instead they are filled with lists of things to do, requirements for what a “godly life” looks like, and they all end up being extremely formulaic in approach, and nothing more than self defeating. I have watched people become victims of this self condemnation, not feeling like a good enough Christian, because the books and studies they are going through focus so much on self improvement, that they ignore that Jesus Christ already did the greatest work of self improvement. He killed us, and then resurrected us into a new creation. Jesus alone brings you to completion. It cannot be, and will never be works of the flesh.
So in closing, how can we as a Church fight against this real enemy that will have us believe we can be perfected by the flesh? Or more specifically, that there is something outside of Christ that we need to live a righteous life. I am certain that there are many incredible people of God reading this that don’t realize that they have fallen into this pattern of thinking. Like Paul said, “it has the appearance of wisdom.” It looks good! But it keeps us occupied and focused on ourselves as an ongoing project, which in turn makes us rather ineffective for the furthering of the gospel. How are any believers going to feel equipped to share the good news with others, when they feel like a sinner, because they don’t even know the good news themselves! How do we encourage one another to live in this new reality of Spirit led living? Like I said earlier, the Bible needs no defense, so I’m going to let it do the talking.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:16-25
This scripture answers the question beautifully. Specifically in verse 18. “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” This verse poses two options. You’re either under the law, or you’re led by the Spirit. It can’t be both. In fact Jesus came because he KNEW it couldn’t be both. So how can we help one another in the Christian life? Easy, point one another back to the source. When Christians understand the power of the Spirit within them, they are no longer burdened by the demands of the law, but are instead given the freedom to enjoy the fruit of a right relationship with God. When you grasp the righteousness that you’ve been given, when you accept that you have gone from sinner to saint, THAT is what gives you power over sin. That is what brings you to completion and maturity. Too many Christians think that they are on a journey, trying to reach the final destination. What they don’t realize is that they have already arrived. The journey is over. Their only job is to enjoy growing and maturing in the reality of what they already have, which is Jesus Christ.
14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:14
Jonah Saller
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