Are You a Zombie?

Zombie culture has been fairly popular for more than a decade. Everything from movies to ammunition in the event of a zombie apocalypse have been made (no joke). What are zombies? They are called the walking dead, people who are still moving yet their flesh is rotting (which is not physically possible but that’s beside the point.) Supposedly, zombies can infect the living so that they also become zombies. While zombies are not real, and we are not in danger of a zombie apocalypse, there is a spiritual truth and warning to be taken from this fad.

Spiritual Zombies

While there are no physical zombies, there are spiritual zombies; people who believe in Christ, yet are covered in rotting flesh. How is this possible?

1 Peter 3:18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

The Spirit of Christ gives us life. Before we believed in Christ we were all dead spiritually, we were in the flesh completely. When we believe in Christ and commit our lives to Him, He gives us His Spirit which brings us to life spiritually. Unfortunately, that does not get rid of the flesh. We must choose daily to put the flesh to death and instead live in the Spirit.

Galatians 6:7-9 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

The flesh is sin. If we are living in sin, giving way to what our flesh desires rather than trying to put it off and repent, then we are sowing corruption. Our flesh is rotting and we are covered in it. If, instead, we repent of our sin regularly, and try to live in obedience rather than giving in to sin, then we will put the flesh to death and live in the life of the Spirit. This does not mean that we will never sin, but that we are trying not to, and when we do we repent and turn away from that sin toward Christ.

Romans 8:5-6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

The trouble is that by living with our minds set on the flesh, being spiritual zombies, we can also infect those around us, encouraging them to also live in the flesh, to live for themselves and not care about obedience to Christ. Just because we are forgiven does not mean that we can live however we want. Christ freed us from sin not from obedience. He died so that we could live for Him not for ourselves. Doing what we want is living in sin because it is living in disregard of what Christ says. That is the heart of rebellion and it yields destruction, and zombies.

What are you living for? On what do you set your mind? Are you a spiritual zombie?