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338 articles found for “Spirit and Flesh; The Old Man and the New Man; Fruit of the Spirit”

• Flesh

  In the Bible, "flesh" refers to human flesh and the body, and more broadly to finite and frail human existence. In the Pauline epistles it can also denote the human inclination toward sin that stands opposed to the Holy Spirit.

• 2 Corinthians 7:1

  A verse in which Paul urges the Corinthian church, on the basis of God's promises, to cleanse themselves from the defilement of flesh and spirit and to perfect holiness. It is frequently cited in discussions of sanctification and holiness, and scholars debate the placement of the passage that precedes it.

• Joel

  Joel is the second book of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. Prompted by a locust plague, it calls the people to repentance and contains God's promise to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.

• Joel 2:28-29

  God's promise that afterward he will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, so that sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams, and young men will see visions, and that he will pour out his Spirit even upon servants and handmaids. Quoted by Peter in his Pentecost sermon, the passage is a central text in interdenominational debates over the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and women's ministry.

• Ezekiel 36:26

  Ezekiel 36:26 records God's promise to give a new spirit, to take away the stony heart, and to give a heart of flesh. It is a principal Old Testament text on regeneration and the inward transforming work of the Holy Spirit, and it is frequently cited in discussions among denominations about how God's work and the human response relate to each other in conversion.

• Spirit and Flesh

  Spirit and flesh are a pair of terms the Bible uses to describe human beings as they stand before God. They may refer to the constitution of the human person (spirit, soul, and body), and in the Pauline epistles they can also denote the opposition between a life that follows the Holy Spirit and a life inclined toward sin.

• Galatians 5:22–23

  This passage names love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance as "the fruit of the Spirit." It is a key text on Christian character and is often discussed alongside questions about the relationship between spiritual gifts and the fruit and about how sanctification takes place.

• Galatians 5:16–21

  A passage in which Paul tells the churches of Galatia that those who walk in the Spirit will not fulfill the lust of the flesh, describes the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit, and lists the "works of the flesh." It is frequently cited in discussions of the believer's sanctification and assurance of salvation.

• Acts 2:16–21

  In this passage, Peter quotes the Book of Joel on the Day of Pentecost and proclaims that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit "upon all flesh" fulfills prophecy. It is frequently cited in discussions of whether spiritual gifts continue today, of women in ministry, and of eschatology.

• Galatians 6:8–10

  A passage in which Paul, drawing on the principle that one reaps what one sows, urges the Galatian churches to live by the Spirit and to do good without growing weary. It is frequently quoted as a word of encouragement, and interpretations that connect it with offerings and material reward have been debated.

• Flesh (Pauline Usage)

  Flesh (Greek sarx) is a central term in the Pauline Epistles that refers to the human body, lineage, and weakness, and above all to sinful human nature set against God and the Holy Spirit.

• John 6:63

  A verse in which Jesus tells disciples who found his teaching on the bread of life hard to accept that "it is the spirit that quickeneth" and that his words "are spirit, and they are life." It is often cited in discussions of the power of the Word, and it was one of the key texts in the Eucharistic controversies of the Reformation.

• 1 Peter 3:19–20

  This passage states that Christ, by the Spirit, "preached unto the spirits in prison." Because it is unclear when Christ preached, to whom, and what he proclaimed, it is regarded as one of the most difficult texts in the New Testament to interpret, and it is closely tied to discussion of the Apostles' Creed's clause on the descent into hell.

• Ecclesiastes 2

  In Ecclesiastes 2 the Preacher tests, in turn, pleasure, great works and wealth, wisdom, and a lifetime of labor, and concludes that all of it is "vanity and vexation of spirit." At the end he says that the enjoyment found in eating, drinking, and taking pleasure in one's labor comes from the hand of God.

• Works of the Flesh

  The works of the flesh are a catalog of sins that the apostle Paul lists in Galatians 5:19–21 in contrast to the fruit of the Spirit. The list names fifteen items, including sexual immorality, idolatry, strife, and drunkenness, and closes with "and such like."

• Fruit of the Spirit

  The fruit of the Spirit refers to the nine virtues—love, joy, peace, and others—that Paul lists in Galatians 5:22–23 as the character displayed by those who live by the Spirit.

• Ezekiel 11:19–20

  In this passage God promises the exiled Israelites that He will give them one heart and a new spirit, replacing their stony heart with a heart of flesh. It is frequently cited as a text on the new covenant and regeneration, and interpreters differ over what God does and what human beings do in the transformation of the heart.

• Philippians 3:3

  In this verse Paul warns against those who insist on circumcision and declares that believers who worship by the Spirit, glory in Christ, and put no confidence in the flesh are the true circumcision. It is frequently cited in discussions of the law and justification and of the relationship between the church and Israel.

• 1 John 4:2–3

  This passage makes the confession that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh the criterion for distinguishing the Spirit of God from the spirit of antichrist. It is frequently cited in support of confessing the Incarnation and in discussions of discerning spirits.

• 1 Peter 4:6

  This verse states that the gospel was preached also to the dead so that, though judged in the flesh, they might live according to God in the spirit. Interpretations differ because the verse is bound up with questions about Christ's descent into hell and the possibility of salvation after death.