What is the flesh?
The Basic Beast-Who we are naturally
The Bible also refers to it as the natural man I Corinthians 2
Though I don't believe this, some theistic evolutionists believe God started the universe and then left it alone until it was evolved to the point of being able to receive His Spirit or breath. This is how they interpret Genesis where it says God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
The naturalistic view of this is best illustrated by a scene from 2001 A Space Odyssey by A.C.Clark. In which a mysterious obelisk repeatedly appears. In one scene it appears to a bunch of apes and the implication is this is the beginning of human evolution. (Thus, the obsession with monkeys in sci-fi movies for the next 35 years.)
I believe the Christian life is analogous to this. In a sense we are just beasts like every other creature. The demands and deeds of the flesh control us. It is the restraining force of His Spirit that makes the difference. The Bible teaches that we are dead in our sins but alive in Christ.
