In Romans 8:7 Paul highlights why the natural person, the descendant of Adam, is doomed to fail: For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot
(cf. the discussion in Romans 7:7–25). Paul conveys the same idea when he says that with his will he serves the law of God, but with his nature he serves the law of sin (Romans 7:25). We must avoid giving the impression that this conflict present in believers under the law has now just suddenly disappeared. Furthermore, in that specific battle between flesh
(nature) and will,
the flesh with its ungoverned passions actually emerges victorious. Even when the believer under the law loves God with his spirit, his flesh or nature is still at enmity with God.
As such those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Here flesh
clearly refers to human passions, since the difference between man’s will (which can be directed to God) and human passions which he or she cannot subject to the law of this God is fundamental to the apostle’s argument in this section of the letter.1
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.