New Glasses
Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; . . 2 Corinthians 5:16
According To The Flesh – How do you look at life? How do you evaluate the actions of others? Forget that nonsense about “not judging.” We know judgment concerning the final outcome of every human being belongs to God. He is the Judge of all mankind and we have no place in that arena. But we are still asked to discern good from evil, right from wrong and righteousness from unrighteousness. How else would be we able to join together as one Body in spirit and in truth? So, Sha’ul’s exhortation to no longer view men “according to the flesh” is an essential element of spiritual maturity. The question is really pretty simple: what do you look for in another human being?
Rabbi Sha’ul doesn’t leave us guessing. He uses the phrase kata sarka in other letters to describe what he means. You will find it in Romans 1:3, 4:1, 8:4, 8:5, 8:13, 9:3 and 9:5; 1 Corinthians 1:26; 2 Corinthians 10:2 and 3, and 11:18; Galatians 4:23 and 29; Ephesians 6:5 and Colossians 3:22. There are no Greek occurrences in the LXX.
So, what do we find when we look? Sha’ul uses the phrase in two distinct ways. The first is an idiom for ordinary human connection. Yeshua came in bodily form as an ethnic Jew “according to the flesh.” Slaves are to serve their masters who have an ownership relationship over them “according to the flesh.” In instances like this, “flesh” describes some bodily relationship between human beings. It carries no moral or spiritual implication.
But in the second sense of the phrase, Sha’ul contrasts two different paradigms. “According to the flesh” is the paradigm that views the world in terms of human goals, achievements and processes. It stands in opposition to the way of the Spirit which views the world from God’s point of view. “According to the flesh” is the equivalent of “conformed to the systems of this world.” If I evaluate a man according to the flesh, I will measure him by the world’s standards. Is he noble? Is he powerful? Is he wealthy? Is he worthy? Is he charismatic? Is he beautiful? Is he inspiring? Is he acceptable? Sha’ul proclaims that we who follow the Way will no longer accept any of these measures of value. We refuse to use the systems of the world to determine what is good and what isn’t in any man.
What happens when we leave these measures behind? Suddenly, some things that seemed so vitally important no longer matter. Prestige, wealth, power, perfection, beauty, charm, success are all inadequate measures. What matters, what really matters, is seeking after God, being a delight to Him and a blessing to others. We recall the end of Ecclesiastes. We could apply a simple little guide: If you leave it behind at the grave, then it wasn’t really that important, was it?
What would happen to your relationships if you refused to measure others “according to the flesh?” Would your desperate love and hope for their relationship with God grow as the other false measures slipped away? Would you put your efforts into relationship building for eternity rather than systems accumulation now? Would you be excited about your new glasses and the new focus they bring?
Think of it this way: we all know Sha’ul’s exhortation about walking according to the Spirit. Now, can you convert all those qualities of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5) into tangible behaviors so you can see the hands and feet of Yeshua? That’s the way we should be measuring others – and ourselves.
Topical Index: according to the flesh, kata sarka, 2 Corinthians 5:16
Yeshua startled Nicodemus (superior) when He made the statement, “you must be born again”. Nicodemus (according the the flesh) was no small man. He was a ruler of the Jews. He was born into the right (earthly) family and educated in the finest rabbinical schools. I will cast no judgments or make no inferences concerning his “morality” or behavior- other than, we have a record, “he came to Jesus by night.” The main thing is, “he came to Jesus.” He wanted to investigate for “himself”, this phenomenon, this “teacher/healer/prophet”. And Jesus, never one for idle chit-chat, never one to waste any words, went directly to the core of the matter and told this man what he needed to hear (not necessarily what he wanted to hear)- “you must be born again”. This of course was a bit of a shock to Nicodemus, never having heard (or read in the Torah) such words as these. What was this “born again” stuff all about? Aren’t we grateful- Jesus explained and expounded His words to this man. Hmmmm. -I need a bit of explanation myself..
When the Ethiopian eunuch was returning to his people and his land, having come all the way to the religious center of the then known world, Jerusalem, G-d met him and met his need “according to the flesh”. He sent a man by the name of Philip. G-d’s “nudge” on Philip was “go help this man”. “Do you understand what you are reading?”- “How can I except someone help me”, the eunuch responded. Hmmm. I wonder if I asked G-d for help to understand His words, G-d would send someone to me? I wonder if I were to seek the LORD with “all” of my heart, He would act according to His words and reveal His name unto me.. (according to Jeremiah 29.13).
“Kill them all and let G-d sort them out”, is a rather brutal announcement we have heard in our wilderness wanderings on this planet. I don’t know about the killing part- well, actually I do… according to G-d’s words, “you shall not kill”.. this is not a good idea. However, the second half of this statement, “let G-d sort ’em out”, is probably a good idea, for again.. according to the Book.. G-d is the Judge and “we shall all stand before the judgment seat.” This “judgment seat” might be a good thing to know about one day in a future “TW”.
Yes, brother Skip.. we do need a new set of glasses. We need a pair with some “red-tinted” lenses in them. I think I’ll call these new glasses, “faith glasses” as we (now) walk “by faith” and not “by sight”. Again the words return.. “that which is flesh is flesh, and that which is spirit is spirit.. “marvel not” (Nicodemus was doing some marveling at this point!), I say unto you.. “you must be born again.”
Forgive me for a small “outburst” here.. but “Hallelujah for the cross!!” – thanx.. I feel much better now..
Small outburst ? …. Forgiveness for pouring out to His glory? … Never needed brother! 🙂 ….
And may our Hallelujah(s) turn into a blessing for someone else … today … because The Spirit of The Living G_D abides within us!
Regarding Skip’s commentary …. it is often quite difficult (personally) to view people in faith … especially loved ones! Yet things are now much simpler … prayer and personal interaction is designed to foster their personal relationship with Yeshua and virtually nothing else!
Skip … your description of a “desperate love and hope” really hits deep … it is never easy is it? We move from desperately fearing for ourselves to desperately fearing for others! … But someday all tears will be wiped from our eyes … Ahmein!
“This of course was a bit of a shock to Nicodemus, never having heard (or read in the Torah) such words as these. What was this “born again” stuff all about?”
Hi Carl,
With all due respect, Rabbi Gorelik says the phrase to be “born again” was a very common expression in Hebrew and that Nicodemus would have known what it meant.
Rabbi Gorelik says Yeshua is saying that we need to continually refresh ourselves internally with the Spirit, that being good and “going through the motions” is not enough.
Rabbi Gorelik has an mp3 file, called “Being Born Again,” that you can download, but his website does not seem to be working at this moment.
I would recommend listening to this teaching, it is one of my favorites.
Drew.. that was beautiful!! ahmein! and amen.. Brother Skip, I know as I write these words, you are touring the incredible land of Israel, and walking the same earth as Yeshua once did. We are praying for your refreshement and renewal in these very special days. I am writing this response as a request. I hope at some future time (as the Spirit leads), we could “pull over” for awhile and park on this theme..”the flesh”. There is and has been since Cain and Abel a spiritual warfare between that which is flesh, and that which is spirit. I am not out to “put down” this fearful and marvelous body which carries us around and does our bidding, but as one of our three listed enemies- “the world, the flesh, and the devil”, a “knowing” or further revealing of “the flesh” might be beneficial to the body of Christ. We are seeing in this once free land of ours, the erosion of liberties and the centralization of authority around the icon of “Self”. Narcissistic behavior is being displayed and glorified in high places. Me-ism is the “religion” of the day. Enjoy the day, dear brother and we all look forward to your safe return, as we know you will be “pumped and primed” to share with us what our dear Father has revealed unto you. “in Him”.. carl
Shalom Carl 🙂
In his notable 1784 essay “What Is Enlightenment?” Immanuel Kant defined it as: “Enlightenment is man leaving his self-caused immaturity. Immaturity is the incapacity to use one’s intelligence without the guidance of another. Such immaturity is self-caused if it is not caused by lack of intelligence, but by lack of determination and courage to use one’s intelligence without being guided by another. Sapere Aude! [Dare to know!] Have the courage to use your own intelligence, is therefore the motto of the Enlightenment.”
As we know, this intellectual movement, fueled by the dictatorial and often times oppressive nature of the Church of Messiah, undoubtedly led to the social, political, scientific and industrial revolutions looming just around the corner in both Europe and the New World. This movement in essence directly shaped the modern world we live in today. A world of: rationalism, nationalism, secularism, humanism and materialism. The Age of Enlightenment for what it is worth in effect created the age of individualism or the age of me-ism!
To best typify the enlightened individual I will quote Descartes: “I think, therefore I am.” It would seem that contained in this quote by Descartes is the most concise and elegant summation of self determinism and description of man’s original separation from ELOHIM!
Sadly we know that the truth, reflective of G_D’s plan for mankind, is more appropriately “G_D THINKS, THEREFORE I AM … G_D COMMANDS THEREFORE I OBEY … G_D LEADS THEREFORE I FOLLOW! Bless HIS Holy Name!
Carl … you are so right on … Me-ism = Satanism = The Religion of the day … and it matters naught what theological doctrine one purports to stand behind. People are either passionate (even fanatical by this world’s standards) for G_D or passionate for their own self interests! Is there any clearer line of separation?