“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, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.” Romans 8:5-8 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/rom.8.5-8.LSB

What does it look like to be flesh centered vs. Spirt centered in our thinking and living? Or asked the other way, what does it look like to be Spirit centered rather than flesh centered in our thinking and living? Two things seem to be identified in this passage differentiating the Spirit-led person vs. the fleshly-led person. The first is the understanding and even rejoicing in the work of Christ done on our behalf for our salvation. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our salvation is earned by Jesus and appropriated to us by faith in Him. We cannot get to heaven by our good works. The little good we do cannot pay for all the evil we have done in thought, word, and deed since our birth, having been born sinful creatures. Perfect obedience is required by God Who is perfect, a human impossibility but perfectly performed by Him Who knew no sin and lived a sinless life sacrificing Himself on our behalf for the sin we cannot keep ourselves from doing. Salvation is the gift of God through Jesus Christ the Lord. Second, the Spirit-led person is obedient to God and seeks to please God. While obedience does not earn our salvation for we have not obeyed from birth perfectly, it proves our salvation in Him Who lived a perfect life when we live to please Him Who saved us. Pleasing God is the goal of the Spirit-led person. We please God when we obey His commands. What has God commanded us? To love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to go and share His love with all people everywhere encouraging them to likewise obey Jesus. This is the life of the Spirit-led person who ignores the flesh that is self-absorbed, self-oriented, and headed for self-destruction.