What do these words have in common? Carne. Incarnation. Carnival. Carnivorous. Carnal. Yes, you see the similarity. They all have the syllable, “carn” in them. In the Latin, this means “flesh” or “meat.” We may go to the carnival (a festival, a time to feast on meat) to have fun and to eat chili con carne. A carnivorous species eats meat or “flesh.” Scripture uses the word “flesh” in several ways, often negative, but not always.
When Jesus Christ became flesh, he became the one perfect human being (John 1: 14; Phil. 2: 5-8). Christ is the beautiful picture of “flesh” as “flesh” was meant to be in human perfection. We call this teaching “the doctrine of the incarnation.” Then there is the negative use where “flesh” represents the sin nature or the old nature of humans (Rom. 7:18). This is the carnal nature – of the flesh, motivated by sin and self and for self. In contrast is the new nature – of the spirit, motivated by God and for God, good, and His glory (Romans chapter 8). Continue reading
Journey North Character 