The will of the flesh is the practical principle of all sin. Will is not obedience to God, and hence it is sin in its very principle, but being the will of the flesh shows itself in the lusts of the flesh. It does not turn towards God, but, on the contrary, turns towards what the flesh desires. The will of the flesh is the acting of the nature at enmity with God’s will. Suffering in the flesh is the opposite of this will or acting of the nature. This is applied both to Christ and to us, but in the case of Christ it is applied to His death. (See 1 Peter 3:18.) Rather than be disobedient in anything, and perfect in obedience, from the divine surrender of all will in Psalm 40 to take the place of obedience, He goes on to death and was obedient while suffering Satan’s power and God’s wrath, rather than not obey. He was perfect in obedience, not sparing the flesh in anything, and died to sin once; that is, He went on to death in its fullest forms, rather than withdraw from doing God’s will or have one of His own. He would die rather than have a will or aught but God’s will. Thus sin found no inlet or place in Him. A piece of fruit served to lead Adam into sin; nothing could lead Christ into it. Not only had He never any sin, but He went through everything that could induce will, and all failed to lead Him into it. He suffered in the flesh. Sin was baffled forever and totally — the whole proof gone through, and nothing served to introduce it. He has thus rested from all further question of sin. He has a divine and eternal sabbath as to it. How blessed! On the earth He had not. He had always victory over it — never let anything but obedience govern His heart, and proved He had a nature contrary to it, on purpose to obey, and nothing else. This was perfection. Between Him and His Father, in the exercise of love in obeying, He had joy, but till He died, had not rest from it.
This has, as a great principle, its application to us. “He that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin” is an abstract principle. When the will of my flesh works, I have not ceased from sin, but when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I act entirely and feel entirely in the new nature and the flesh has no will allowed nor a thought belonging to it has entrance, because I am full of what the Spirit gives me and obey in the delight of obedience, though suffering as regards man, in that I have ceased from sin. As sin is in the flesh, it may be in us a question of degree. It is partial, temporary, perhaps, in its realization, but the principle remains ever true, and suffering (that is as far as suffering) in the flesh, sin has no place in me, my thoughts, mind, and moral being. The flesh is not changed, but if I only suffer in it, the flesh in me then has no operation as to will.
Selected from J. N. Darby