The physical requirements of human life demand that we nurture and sustain our flesh even though the apostle Paul wrote that flesh and blood are not able to inherit the kingdom of God. [1Cor. 15:50]

But nothing in the Bible suggests that the condition of human flesh is irrelevant to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Even so, many of His congregations today accept a false doctrine of dualism, embracing an ancient pagan Greek concept that the intangible part of a living being is immortal. The presumption then, is that this unseen part of a man is the only part of him that matters when it comes to things like salvation.

[Can salvation mean different things in the Bible? see: Playing to Win the Salvation Game]

While dualism is problematic with much of the Scriptures, this de-valuation of the human body also breeds a sense of apathy. It not only neutralizes the significance of Christ’s future raising of the dead, but it also ignores the power of the flesh, leaving no reason to do anything about it:

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness [and] self-control. Against such [things] there is no law. And those who are of Christ Jesus [have] crucified the flesh with the passions and the desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.” [Gal.5:22-25, the apostle Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia]

The fact is, I can’t be a disciple of Jesus Christ without my flesh, so I need to deal with it.

At His crucifixion, He cancelled the certificate of debt created by my flesh and “nailed” it to the cross. [Col. 2:13-14] But even though the debt has been paid, the problem hasn’t been eliminated.

The power of the flesh is substantial. It will indeed overcome me if I don’t nail it to the cross right next to His certificate of paid debt.

But if I’ve been convinced that my flesh doesn’t matter, then why would I care?