Flesh became flesh because sin was in it. Flesh is not flesh by itself. We use this confusing description purposely to address the perception we have of the utter corruption of flesh from everlasting. By that I mean all evil that is attributed to the concept of flesh. Flesh was not created evil, it only became one when Adam sinned. “Because of this, just as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death passed to all men, because all sinned.” Romans 5:12 This is the same as saying, “Just as sin entered the natural world through the sinners of Adam, we also were made to sin because we also were natural.”
Paul in Romans uses the analogy of being grafted to a tree, to describe our transformation. “Now if the firstfruit is holy, also the lump; and if the root is holy, also the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and have become a fellow-partaker of the fatness of the root of the olive tree.” Romans 11:16-17
Though the purpose of his discourse was to make a different point, the principle presented is the same. The fruit is as the lump, the branch as the root. He says we were severed from a wild tree and are grafted to a cultivated olive tree. The significance being we are severed from the old, we have no link to sin, our life is now totally dependent on the fatness of the root we are grafted to. So sin has no dominion on us, NONE. It has as much dominion on us as it has on Christ. But do we need pruning? “Yes we do.” When we came to Christ we brought with us, our old branches, our old leaves, even fruits. These need to be cut back but once cut they will never come back because we are rooted to a tree that can NEVER produce that. However, because we shy away from the pruning knife, on account it is painful so most of the time our old character seems to linger.
“And you, being dead in your trespasses and sins— in which once you walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also once lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the things willed of the flesh and of its thoughts.” Ephesians 2:1-3
The body and the mind have this in common: they were moulded by sin. Our mind was conformed to the age of the world, that is the things we come in contact with had an impact on the way we think. The Lord said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Matthew 6:22-23 That is the world outside and the world inside are always being brought into alignment. So when we are saved our mind needs to be renewed. So Paul exhorts us saying, “And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, for you to prove what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 The word of God is the will of God. The point being a contrary mindset to the world is found in the word through which we are to renew our mind. We won’t find it anywhere else.
However we cannot do anything to our body! We have as much ability to change our body as we did to instil sin in it. So any meaningful and lasting change to the body is only brought by faith through the Spirit. “True freedom is the absence of the desire to sin. Not the conscious restraining of oneself. ” [R.B] Paul writes, “You should not handle! You should not taste! You should not touch!”?— which are all unto decay with the use, according to the precepts and teachings of men, which having indeed an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed worship and humility and harsh treatment of the body, are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.” Colossians 2:21-23 What he is saying is through the flesh effort you will only create an appearance of conformity but by the Spirit you can obtain an effortless permanent change. Then the success of your change can be measured by the effort you have put to bring about that change.
Paul in Romans writes, “And if the Spirit of the One having raised up Jesus out from the dead dwells in you, the One having raised up Christ Jesus out from the dead also will give life to your mortal bodies, on account of His Spirit dwelling in you.” Romans 8:11 THIS IS ON THE SAME LEVEL AS, “But if Christ is in you…. the Spirit is life on account of righteousness.” [vs. 10] So the point is the effort you put to bring your spirit to life, is also the same effort you apply to bring your mortal body to life. That is NONE, only faith! “For if you live according to flesh, you are about to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13 It is by the Spirit, therefore only through faith. And what the Spirit puts to death in us will not resurrect because He does a perfect and complete job. So the old flesh does not flare up, nor sin lurk within us.
However if we by our own self-effort we have subdued the desires of the flesh then it has grounds to come back. Because we have not dealt with the root, “ the indulgence of the flesh.” Therefore our mortal body needs to be brought to conformity by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is He by His Spirit that dwells in us will give life to our mortal body, just as sin once dwelling in our flesh was working to produce death in our body.
“Now those of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, we should also walk by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:24-25
Righteousness by faith & Sanctification by faith.
Bread Bait. 
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