amen
why does Paul say no good thing dwells in his flesh? and Peter refers to the desires of the flesh as 'corrupt' and 'polluting' ?
the Spirit i received is holy, and urges me to walk righteously - just like you say, in the first part of the post i'm quoting - but my flesh is contrary to it, and and has desires contrary to it.
what i understood the gnostic view to be (there are many 'gnosticisms' but the one primarily being discussed in this thread) was that the flesh counted for nothing at all, and that grace superabounds wherever sin abounds, so the heresy was not just that it 'didn't matter what the flesh did' but more than that, that they actively debased themselves in the flesh by following after its lusts, thinking that by doing so they had all the more grace, and brought God all the more glory.
what i described of course is false (correct me if i'm wrong about the particular gnosticism you're talking about) -- but there's a difference in believing sinning all the more is some kind of celebration of grace, and believing that grace is able to cover all sin, except for deliberate unbelief an blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.
that heretical view is addressed by Paul in Romans 6:1 -- God forbid!
i'm not really disagreeing with you; i just wanted to point out that the flesh (the outer man) is not of itself holy -- is it right to say, do you think, that it is because the inner man has been sanctified and made holy, that we ought to likewise keep the outward man from corruption, and walk holy? to fittingly and accurately reflect in the outward man the new, holy creation that God has made us inwardly?