Tag: Galatians 5
Healthy spiritual fruit!
Scripture reading for August 21: Galatians 5
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:18-24
According to Paul, there is a spiritual battle between our human flesh and the Spirit-led life. Human flesh wants to do works and earn or achieve what we want, no matter what our conscience or God’s Word has said. The works of the flesh are evident to all, especially those who are under God’s law and conscience. We know that God has decreed no adultery or immorality to include all kinds of sexual perversions. Violence, murder, fits of anger and all factions and divisions are also warned against. Pride, envy and jealousy are specifically called out as works of the flesh. The law of God warns us that those who do things like these will die and not inherit God’s kingdom.
But God has provided a remedy to those caught in bondage to the flesh and its works of death. He has provided His Holy Spirit to lead us as His children in the fruits of His Spirit. God is love! Love heads the list of character traits growing as we are led by God’s Spirit. Love leads to joy and peace with God and man, overcoming the works of the flesh. We become patient and kind and gentle even to those who violently oppose us. We know that it is God’s goodness that leads us to repentance and so we are good, reflecting our Father. (Romans 2:4) We develop habits of faithfulness and self control and reflect God. Through the Spirit, we crucify the works of the flesh and its passions and selfish desires.
Can you describe a time in your life where you experienced the conflict between the desires of your flesh and the Holy Spirit seeking to produce fruit in your life? How is the cross of Jesus Christ a place of victory in this battle against the flesh? What fruits of the Holy Spirit is God wanting to develop in your life today?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the indwelling Holy Spirit Who is leading me daily. Fill me with the Spirit today and help me to put to death the works of my human flesh. Let my life be filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Develop the slow-growing fruit of patience and self-control that I often lack. Amen.
Living with fruit of the Spirit!
Scripture reading for August 22nd: Galatians 5
Key scriptures for over-comers: Galatians 5:22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”
The New Testament Spirit-filled believer should be marked by fruit of the Holy Spirit. This grows from living and walking in fellowship with Jesus through the Spirit and study of the word of God. Through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice and taking His word as truth, we crucify the flesh and its passions. This is a process called sanctification that is progressive throughout our life on earth. But there are temptations and spiritual warfare in the form of thoughts and imaginations that must be dealt with each day by keeping in step with the Holy Spirit. Conceit, envy, and provoking are common enemies!
Observations for over-comers: Praying in the Holy Spirit and daily study of God’s word will help us over-come the attacks of the sinful nature and Satan. “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. . .” (Isaiah 61:1-2)
Called to be free!
Scripture reading for August 21st: Galatians 5
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.. . . .You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” (Galatians 5:1, 4)
Paul continued to exhort the church to stand in the total freedom of Christ! The keeping of the Old Testament law was a yoke of slavery that Christ had freed them from. If they went back to that slavery, they would be alienated from the saving grace of their Lord Jesus! It is possible to fall away from His freedom and grace!
Only a relationship with Jesus Christ brings true freedom! Christ called us to be free from human effort to save ourselves or to pay for our own sins. But our freedom is not a freedom to continue in sin either! “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” (Galatians 5:13-15) Gossip and back-biting are sins of the flesh. We are free, but must not indulge our sinful tendencies!
“So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” . . .”But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:16,18) Paul’s advice to this church is helpful to us as well! The Holy Spirit leads believers into a life of freedom and deliverance from the sinful nature. Through the Spirit we can live a life of loving our neighbor as God intends!