BACKGROUND:
The strategy for removing the divisiveness that marred the Galatian church was to live according to the new life given to them by the Holy Spirit. God sent the Holy Spirit to be with and within his followers after Christ had returned to heaven.
Walking in the Spirit means “living” in this context, and it emphasizes the moment-by-moment contact with and guidance by the Holy Spirit for daily decisions and activities. Living “according to the Spirit” should be a daily, continuous action by Christians. He is always present, but we must be in touch with him and stay open to His guidance and correction.
The result? You won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. When we become believers, our sinful nature still exists. But God asks us to place our sinful nature under the control of the Holy Spirit so that he can transform it. This is a supernatural process. Instead of trying to overcome sin by our own willpower, we must take advantage of the tremendous power of Christ. God provides for victory over our sinful nature—he sends the Holy Spirit to live in us and give us power. But our ability to restrain the desires of the sinful nature depends on how much we’re willing to “live according to” the Holy Spirit. For each believer, this daily process requires moment-by-moment decisions.
As we have said, freedom from the law does not imply freedom to do whatever we please. Neither do we live in the Spirit in some sort of “middle ground.” Instead, we live on another plane altogether—we have truth as opposed to falsehood; we have grace as opposed to works; we act out of love as opposed to being subject to the law; we are supervised by the Spirit as opposed to being supervised by the law.
Paul then contrasted the desires of the sinful nature and the works of the Spirit-filled life in 5:19-21 and 5:22-23. Paul’s list of sins falls into four categories. These particular sins were especially prevalent in the pagan world, and the Galatians would have readily understood them. With few exceptions, we recognize these sins as present in our own time as well.
In the first category three sexual sins are mentioned:
- Sexual immorality—Any form of illicit sexual relationship. The term serves to spotlight forbidden sexual behavior between people or indirect participation as an audience.
- Impure thoughts—Moral uncleanness. Perhaps no sexual act has taken place, but the person exhibits a crudeness or insensitivity in sexual matters that offends others. An example today would be the excessive use of sexual humor (or what is supposed to be humor) where people make statements with a sexual double meaning.
- Eagerness for lustful pleasure—Open and excessive indulgence in sexual sins. The person has no sense of shame or restraint. This is the outworking of sexual immorality and impurity.
The next two sins are religious sins particular to pagan culture:
- Idolatry. A person creates substitutes for God and then treats them as if they were God. This person is giving in to sinful human desires.
- Participation in demonic activities—Involvement with the powers of evil, at times using potions and poisons. With idolatry, a person acts in a submissive role in relation to evil; with demonic activity, the person is an active agent who serves the powers of evil.
The next eight sins pertain to conduct toward people (interpersonal relations) that has been motivated by sinful desires. It’s sad to note, but many of these social sins are often seen in our churches today:
- Hostility—A condition of fixed enmity between groups. This may be real, unresolved conflict whose cause has been forgotten but which has yielded a harvest of bitterness.
- Quarreling—Competition, rivalry, bitter conflict—the seeds and the natural fruit of hatred.
- Jealousy—A feeling of resentment that someone else has what another feels he or she deserves.
- Outbursts of anger—Selfish anger. The plural form conveys the meaning of continual and uncontrolled behavior.
- Selfish ambition—The approach to life and work that tries to get ahead at other people’s expense. Not only might this refer to what we call “workaholism,” it also implies a mercenary, aggressive attitude toward others in the pursuit of one’s goals.
- Divisions—Strong disagreements or quarrels. The situation that can quickly develop between people when a disagreeable attitude prevails. The feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group—Dissension created among people because of divisions. This describes the tendency to look for allies in conflict. The almost spontaneous generation of cliques demonstrates this characteristic of sinful human desires.
- Envy—A desire to possess something awarded to or achieved by another. Or even the twisted logic that cries “Unfair!” about another’s circumstances and expresses the wish, “If I can’t have that, they shouldn’t get it either!”
Finally Paul lists two sins, common to pagan cultures, that are often connected with the rituals of idol worship:
- Drunkenness—Excessive use of wine and strong drink. Wild parties—Drunken, carousing “parties,” often filled with sexual promiscuity, were associated with festivals of some pagan gods. The feasts in honor of Bacchus were particularly infamous for their immorality.
- And other kinds of sin—Paul added an “etc.” to show that the list was by no means complete.
Anyone living that sort of life refers to the lifestyle of people who habitually exhibit these characteristics. This does not mean that believers who lapse into any of these sins will lose their salvation and their inheritance. But people who habitually exhibit these characteristics reveal themselves to be enslaved to sinful human nature. They are not children of God; thus, they cannot have any part in the inheritance in the Kingdom of God. People who have accepted Christ and have the Holy Spirit within them will manifest that new life by making a clean break with such sins as listed above.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
How do you battle against the "Old Nature" which wages war against the "new nature" we get when we receive Christ into our hearts/lives? WALK/LIVE by the Spirit (5:16).
In John 6:63, Jesus tells us, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life."
My obligation and responsibility as a follower of Jesus Christ is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit moment by moment. It is this sentiment that is expressed by John the Baptist in John 3:30 -"He must become greater; I must become less."
Lord, walk with us. Empower us. Strengthen us to do You work, Your way and in Your power.
No comments:
Post a Comment