Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Galatians 5:16-17
In the resurrection, you will have a spiritual body. That means your resurrected body will be fully responsive to the desires of your spirit. Think about how wonderful this will be. In this life, your spirit has two problems with your body.
1. Your body is often unresponsive to your spirit: You intend good things, but somehow you don’t get there. Your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak. We are often sluggish, sometimes drained. But in the resurrection, your body will be completely responsive to your spirit, and since your spirit will be made perfect, that union of desire and ability will be beautiful.
2. Your body often tempts your spirit: Paul says that we must put to death the misdeeds of the body (Rom. 8:13). The reason we need to do this is that, in this life, the body is the gateway by which temptation comes to us. We all live with this struggle. It’s in the fabric of the Christian life, and that is why Paul says, “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27).
We live the Christian life in this tension between the soul and the body. But when you receive the gift of the resurrection body, your war will be over. Your resurrected body will be as eager to do the will of God as your redeemed spirit. You will be at peace with yourself, in a way that was never fully possible before.
In what ways have you experienced this tension between your spirit and your body?
