What does Tribe teach about flesh vs spirit?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At Tribe, the teaching on flesh versus spirit starts with a clear picture of how a human being is designed. Brian Hunter describes people as triune creatures made of body, soul, and spirit. Before a person is saved, the spirit is dormant, so the soul takes over and runs life on its own terms, driving the body toward whatever the flesh wants, whether that looks like obvious sin or tidy religious behavior. When a person is saved, the spirit comes alive in communion with God's Holy Spirit and is meant to be the rightful authority in a person's life. The problem is that the soul does not quietly step down, and the flesh will dress itself in anything, including ministry, church attendance, and good deeds, to stay in charge.
The teaching presses hard on a point that surprises a lot of people: God does not only reject bad deeds done from the flesh. Brian puts it this way, quoting Watchman Nee: "What God condemns is not only our bad deeds, but our best deeds done apart from Christ." Romans 8 is a recurring anchor here, that the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God and cannot submit to His law. This means that work which looks spiritual from the outside can still count for nothing if it has its source in a person's own strength rather than in the Spirit. In the language of 1 Corinthians 3, it burns. Brian and guest speaker Justin Waters both put this personally rather than theoretically. Justin described showing up, serving faithfully, saying the right things, and still not feeling the life and peace Romans talks about, because he was not actually submitted to God.
The response Tribe teaches is not passivity and it is not mere restraint. It is an active putting to death. Galatians 5 says those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires, and the teaching holds that past tense seriously: the victory is already secured in Christ, and what remains is cooperating with it honestly. Justin said plainly, "It's cost me way more to coddle and pamper my flesh than it has to crucify it." The practical posture Brian returns to is walking in the Spirit, which he describes as a learnable, exercisable discipline, the thing that makes it possible to stay at the same cadence when hard seasons arrive.
Taught from Romans 8:5 · Galatians 5:16-17 · 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 · Romans 8:12-13 · Galatians 5:24-25
“For a life giving relationship with God, something has to die.”
From Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves
The passage taught · Exodus 33:7-11
7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp, and he called it “The Tent of Meeting.” Everyone who sought Yahweh went out to the Tent of Meeting, which was outside the camp.
8 When Moses went out to the Tent, all the people rose up, and stood, everyone at their tent door, and watched Moses, until he had gone into the Tent.
9 When Moses entered into the Tent, the pillar of cloud descended, stood at the door of the Tent, and spoke with Moses.
10 All the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the Tent, and all the people rose up and worshiped, everyone at their tent door.
World English Bible
The messages that teach on it
- February 17, 2025 Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves Brian Hunter opens a new series in Leviticus and Galatians, exploring what it really costs to live in relationship with God and why something always has to die.
- May 20, 2024 Why It's Important to Walk in the Spirit Brian Hunter walks through why walking in the Spirit matters more than religious effort, using Scripture, honest conversation, and a mountain bike analogy to make the case.
- May 19, 2024 Why is it Important to Walk in the Spirit? Brian Hunter walks through why walking in the spirit matters more than religious effort, using Scripture, cycling analogies, and honest conversation with his congregation.
- May 13, 2024 The Master, the Manager, and the Mover What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? A Wyoming church explores how body, soul, and spirit work together and what it looks like to let God lead.
- May 12, 2024 The Master, The Manager, and The Mover Brian Hunter walks through Romans 8 and Galatians 5 to explain what walking in the Spirit actually means and why your flesh keeps fighting for control.
- April 15, 2024 Devoted to Destruction A guest speaker leads Tribe church through Deuteronomy, Galatians and Romans, calling believers to stop coddling sin and ruthlessly cut out whatever pulls them from God.
- April 14, 2024 Devoted to Destruction A guest speaker at a Wyoming church walks through Scripture on why followers of Jesus must fully destroy sinful patterns rather than make room for them.
Mentioned along the way
- September 1, 2025 Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones Brian Hunter walks through what Scripture calls "dead works," asking whether the things we build for God are powered by his Spirit or just our own effort.