September
5th
16:
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the
lust of the flesh. 17: For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and
the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the
other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18: But if ye
be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19: Now the works of
the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20: Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21:
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the
which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, 23: Meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law. 24: And they that are Christ's have crucified the
flesh with the affections and lusts. 25: If we live in the Spirit,
let us also walk in the Spirit. 26: Let us not be desirous of vain
glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
And
so against a background of horrendous attack on the very foundations
of Christianity we find teaching that is perhaps the most precious
and practical in the whole of the NT. Paul says, walk in the Spirit
and you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Some might and many
do, object to Pauls teaching on the grounds that if NT believers are
not under the Mosaic law then they will have no check on their sinful
nature and that this teaching is a licence to the most degraded
sinful living. But this is not so. On the contrary the law never did
raise the moral standard of men. So what are the practical
implications of Pauls teaching? He says you believers are to live in
a state of continual, (moment by moment) dependence on the empowering
of the Holy Spirit. So turning from the Law which cannot change men
we begin a new life of dependence on the Holy Spirit, who is able to
give us the power to live a life well pleasing to God. And when we
live like this constantly, we will find that we will not see, worked
out in our lives, the lusts of the old human nature. Our old human
nature is completely at war against the Spirit of God. They are in
eternal opposition to one another. We as believers are completely
unable to live as we would like to live. However, if we are guided
and enabled by the Spirit then we will find we are not under the old
Mosaic Law. (The whole economy of the Law was based on the works of
the flesh. And there was no provision in the Law to enable men to
overcome the flesh.) So turning our backs on the Old Mosaic Law is
the only way that God has provided to live a holy life. Paul next
reminds the Galatians of what the works of the flesh are. He lists
them so that the believers might examine themselves – sexual
immorality, dirty living, lust, the worship of false gods, drug
taking, hatred, excommunications, jealousy, anger, party spirit,
divisions, parties, envy, and drunken nights out. He says l have told
you before that those who do these things will not inherit the
kingdom of God. Next Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit which is seen
in the lives of those who live in dependence of the Spirit. A noble
love, a deep abiding joy in the realisation of Gods blessing, a peace
with all men, a patience in all circumstances, a kindness to all, a
wholesomeness to all, a willingness to trust and be trustworthy,
mildness, and holding all the passions of the heart in check. There
is no charge that the law can level against anyone who does these
things. Those that belong to Christ have put to death the old nature
with its desires and passions. So says Paul, if we have the life of
the Spirit then let us walk orderly, as soldiers shoulder to
shoulder, in the enabling of the Spirit. Lastly he says, Let us not
seek an empty pride by which we constantly challenge each other over
little things and envy those who we think are doing better than us.
- What does it mean to walk in the Spirit?
- Does leaving the Law behind lead to sin?
- What does Paul mean by the fruit of the Spirit?
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