If we forget about the place Jesus has prepared for us in his Father’s house (a new age of the Spirit we may experience even now, not just after we die), it will be impossible to transcend the old age of the flesh under death's dominion. On the other hand, now that Jesus has inaugurated the reign of God, why would I keep hugging the hollow thrill of sin when I can have the ultimate thrill of being eternally embraced by God? Why should I cling to the fleeting treasures of earth if I have an unchangeable, immeasurable treasure in heaven? Why would I want to hang on to the paltry comfort of any earthly attachment when I can be filled with the Holy Spirit? (Gal. 5:16-25) Since the alluring artifacts of the old age still surround us, it is easy to lose sight of the mansion and barricade ourselves in the shack. That's why we repeat the gospel to each other: The Kingdom of God is at hand—let us no longer live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit!
For the Bible, “flesh” does not mean simply the body, but the mortal body, the creatureliness, finitude, and weakness that humans experience apart from God. “All flesh is like grass . . . that withers” (Isa. 40:7,8; cf. Ps. 78:39). Mortality is inevitable apart from God, because God created us as contingent beings, dependent on his goodness and power for our existence. In other words, immortality for humans is always conditional on our relationship with the Immortal One. Having been separated from God, the mortality we now experience is an unnatural power that controls us like slaves. The “desires of the flesh” (Eph. 2:3; 1 Jn 2:16) are the desires for food, water, air, security, sexual satisfaction, money, companionship, political power and whatever else enhances human existence. When I am living in the flesh, only my own destiny concerns me. I am the central thing in the world and all my energy is devoted to securing my crumbling future. But ironically, “to set the mind on the flesh is death” (Rom. 8:6).
On the other hand, living in the “Spirit” (the kingdom of God) means that I no longer have to grab for happiness because happiness has grabbed me. I live out of the abundant existence God continually provides, knowing that everything I need for a fulfilling life will be provided by divine grace. Liberation from the flesh means liberation from self-centeredness. God, not self, becomes the center of my hope. In the words of an old gospel chorus, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”
Jesus invites us to turn away from the realm of Death and boldly embrace the realm of Life. Although slaves of sin, Jesus sets us free (Jn. 8:32-36). Participating in this new creation is a divine gift, not a human achievement (Lk. 12:32; Matt. 7:11). We enter into this realm by faith, like a little child who is totally dependent on his parents for everything (Matt. 7:9,10; Lk. 18:17). Entering the kingdom means being born again--out of the old world of “flesh” where we were dominated by our mortality and into the new age of “Spirit” where we are set free by the gift of eternal life (Jn. 3:3-16). If we believe that the risen Jesus has received all authority in heaven and on earth, we are confident that a small seed of faith will move mountains and that nothing is impossible (Matt. 17:20).
A concise summary of what it is like to live in the kingdom of heaven (the age of the Spirit) is given in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus first makes the point that we can pass into this new mode of existence only because we are “blessed,” that is, kingdom life is a gift of God--“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). We cannot manufacture the kind of life Jesus promises in this sermon. As slaves of sin, it is literally impossible to not worry about the future, trust God alone for our security, love our enemies, speak with vulnerable truthfulness, give away our possessions, or avoid exploiting others for our own satisfaction. Selfishness will control us as long as Death reigns. But when we are “blessed” with entrance into the realm of Life, where Jesus has already defeated Satan and Death, impossibilities become possibilities. “You are the light of the world!” A change of dominions makes all the difference.
A number of years ago, Jan and I were invited to become part of an overseas mission team for a couple of years. The need was great and I was convinced that God was calling us. But there were daunting obstacles. We would have to sell our California home, an eighteen-year accumulation of furniture, and two cars. We would serve as unpaid volunteers, yet we had to raise basic monetary support for a family of five. As a middle-class pastor, I was addicted to the financial perks of working for an affluent American denomination. Jan and I struggled with the decision and finally decided we could trust God to take care of our material needs while overseas as well as when we returned. When our furnishings were being carted away in an estate sale it really felt like our lives were being reduced to nothing. In a small way, we had to give up our lives. God did provide for us. Our time of mission service was the most exhilarating ministry we had ever experienced. By God’s mercy, we died to the flesh and became alive to the Spirit of God.
Every single day I am acutely aware of being pulled back and forth between the realms of the flesh and the Spirit, between the old shack and the new mansion. And I don't always live in accordance with the realm of the risen Christ. But I pray that I (and you) will more continuously experience what Paul glowingly described long ago: “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. . . . So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh . . . . For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God (Rom. 8:12ff).
