Paul takes the contrast further. A flesh-governed mind is not neutral toward God, it is hostile. Left to ourselves, we are not merely indifferent to Him but opposed to Him. The flesh refuses to submit and cannot please God. This diagnosis is sobering.

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Why is the flesh hostile? Because it insists on being its own master. It resists God’s rule and rejects His ways. Even when it tries to be “religious,” the flesh is still self-centred, seeking its own glory rather than God’s. At its core, the flesh wants control.

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But here is the hope: in Christ, we are no longer trapped in that realm. The Spirit brings us out of hostility and into harmony, out of rebellion and into submission. Pleasing God is no longer impossible; it becomes our new desire. What the flesh could never achieve, the Spirit now makes possible.

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This should give us both humility and joy. Humility, because we could not change ourselves. Joy, because God has brought us from death to life, from hostility to fellowship. In Christ, we are no longer enemies of God but His beloved children.