We continue our series on the Fruits of the Spirit today. Read part 1 here. Part 2 here. Our main text for Fruitful Fridays will be Galatians 5:13-26. Today we will get to a small section only, 5:19-21. And God willing, this Friday we will study love, the first characteristic in Paul's list of spiritual fruit.
I've learned to say God-willing, because sometimes the Spirit leads me to focus only on my family, and sometimes on neighborhood needs, and sometimes on writing. Maybe that has something to do with why my Monday post showed up on a Saturday, and my Friday post showed up on Monday?
Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The Galatian churches, as we learned, were a mess. Warring factions (primarily the Law teachers) were trying to convince believers to follow the Law. As church members attempted to follow the Law, they ended up participating in sinful acts of the flesh. Primarily but not exclusively, Paul's concern related to their spiritual sins: hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy.
It wouldn't do for Paul to impress upon the Galatian churches the need to live by the Spirit, and then proceed to give them a list of sinful acts based on the Law. So he gives us a general list of sinful acts recognized as immoral by all people, including the pagan philosophers of the day.
The first set of sinful acts refer to sexual sins, including immoral sexual relations (sexual immorality) and sexual perversions (impurity, debauchery). In this time period the Roman Empire reveled in sexual perversion and immorality. If one could argue that the fall of the empire partially related to their allowing immorality to progress as it did, what does that say about our society? Sadly, our own culture resembles this period.
Some in the Galatian churches were participating in these sexual sins, but that wasn't Paul's primary concern in this letter. He listed it first because it's the first sin people think of when acts of the flesh are discussed.
The second set of acts include 20 idolatry and witchcraft;. Idolatry includes worshiping the image of other Gods, participating in pagan temple feasts (1 Corinthians 10: 7, 14), and hungering for possessions. Witchcraft (related to the English word pharmacy) referred to making potions used in sorcery and witchcraft, to poison people.
When we analyze the hunger for possessions, we have to consider that this drive is not only about wanting abundant comforts. It's about looking to the world to define us, instead of to God. The world tells us we are what we drive, where we live, what perks we can afford. How many of us want to drive around in a run-down, 25-year-old car without a paint job? What does it say about us if we do? If you listen to the world, it says we're a failure. If you listen to the Word, it says that the last shall be first and that God is especially close to the poor.
Right Christian living is an upside-down phenomena. Rarely do the world and the Word agree on anything, and perhaps that's never been truer than today, where evil is disguised as good, and good as evil. If you're moral, you are intolerant and that is "bad". If almost anything is acceptable to you, you're tolerant and that is "good".
We must ask ourselves as we seek both comforts and needs: Am I choosing this car because it's safe, economical, practical, thereby making me a good steward of what God has given? Or am I choosing it because it has status written all over it, despite it being insanely impractical?
Am I choosing these shoes, boots, coat, jeans, fake nails, because of practicality--will hide spots, will last a long time, will fit my unusual feet, will match many things, will allow me to move comfortably, etc.--or because they'll look hot with my curves or with that one outfit? As women especially, we can think of hair and clothes and accessories as defining us, instead of relying on God and his Word to define us. The world wants us skinny and wearing designer clothes and shoes, complete with designer nails and toes and hair. God wants our beauty to come from within, from a gentle and quiet spirit. On the outside he merely wants us to be clean and healthy and pleasing to our husbands.
I'm torn between hiding my white hairs--at least for the sake of my children, who are young enough to be my grandchildren--and growing old gracefully. I'm still looking at the directions on those store-bought color kits to decide if I can possibly manage to do it without completely embarrassing myself.
And I must confess, I hate driving around in my husband's car, which is as run down as cars come. The van, which is my usual vehicle, is old and very unimpressive with its missing door handles and hubcaps, but it's a step up from my husband's car. Being in my husband's car, I'm reminded of my vanity. I'm also thankful that a few minutes into my drive, the Holy Spirit always speaks to me, telling me that I'm precious to him, no matter my vehicle.
The next set of sinful acts has to do with relating to others. hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; These are spiritual sins, not immediately evident because they're inward at first, beginning in the heart.
What drives all of them? Loving the self. Obsession with self. Wanting to be the first, the perceived best, the brightest. Wanting power and position and the admiration of man.
The law is fulfilled by the Spirit within us, and the Spirit drives us to love one another. We can't love if we're driven by a perverted self-focus. We can't love the poor well if we're unwilling to part with possessions and perks. We can't love our husband well if we're too focused on our needs and feelings. We can't love our children well if we're unwilling to up time and personal pursuit. We can't love our women friends well if we're too busy envying them.
The Spirit will speak to us about each of these things and if we listen, we will love well.
Paul says: I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
This sounds as though he's saying we're saved by our works, not by grace, but everything else Paul wrote counters this erroneous view. He defends justification by faith in Christ, not by works of the law (Galatians 2:16). He taught that the evidence of true faith in Christ will be the work of the indwelling Spirit.
If you have the Spirit, if you are truly born again, you will be convicted of all sin, though not in one full swoop. He strategically works with us, starting where we're at. Where we're the weakest. It may not be a good idea to tell a brand-new Christian to throw away all her skirts that fall above the knee, for example. God may have other things he cares more about in that person's heart at present. You may heap a burden on her she simply doesn't understand. Pray first.
As the Holy Spirit leads you away from sin and self-focus, Satan will pull you toward sin, toward yourself, at the same time. We don't choose God in the sense that we're incapable before our spiritual renewal, of choosing righteousness. God awakens our spirit, gives it life, and then our choice comes into play. We can choose to walk with the Spirit, to fight the daily battle with Satan, or we can choose to give up and continue in our sin.
We can choose to read our Bibles, pray, worship God, or we can choose to open our Bible only on Sunday and be a "pretend" Christian. We can choose to bow in prayer only when we're desperate. Our walk with Christ begins not when we say a salvation prayer, but when we first hear the Spirit and begin walking with Him. He won't make you godly in a day, but on the first day, you can bet you'll start hearing Him.
His voice alone, without Bible reading and study, without prayer, without fellowship with other believers, without worship, will yield a slow renewal of your heart. The word "walk" implies action on our part. The Christian walk with the Spirit requires some effort.
If you don't feel a strong pull from the Spirit, ask God to come into your heart and change you. Ask him to forgive you. His pull on your heart, the change in your life, is your evidence of salvation. If there is no evidence, start your true walk with God today and exchange your slavery to sin, for a slavery to love. Exchange turmoil and strife, with a holy peace and joy. Exchange a self-focus with an others-focus.
Friends, we'll leave it there today, but God willing, we'll come together again and study love this Friday.
2 comments:
We live in an area were the acts of the flesh are so evident. People come here to let it all lose and break all the rules. It is sad to seethe young people making really bad choice sitting right next to the people whose life has been so ravaged by sin. If only they could see. I so agree with needing the spirit with baby Christians, to many rules and they turn off. Great post Christine.
Yes, it is such a tragedy to be blind and not know it. And so glorious to finally see!
I had a long dress on with a leg slit when I was a new Christian and someone told me the slit was too provocative. Looking back, it was borderline. But boy, it hurt my feelings. So I'm coming from the perspective of having been hurt early on.
Post a Comment