Galatians 5:16(NKJV)
16I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Yesterday we began a discussion of a topic that, to me, is one of the most foundational in the bible. The whole bible is important. How can we say that anything God said is lesser in importance? However, some things just seem to open doors that lead to the fulfillment of so much in our Christian walk. This topic is one of those.
Israel’s journey from Egypt to Canaan parallels our Christian journey from salvation to the fulfillment of our earthly destiny. We are set free from slavery to sin by the new birth. We are delivered from the power of the devil by the resurrection of Jesus. However just as Israel allowed their fear and fleshly weakness to draw them back towards Egyptian bondage, we allow our weakness of the flesh to draw us back to bondage in sin and rebellion.
The solution for Israel was the death of a generation of people. Those who caused this weakness to dominate the nation were eliminated and a new generation took Israel into the Promised Land. For the Christian a death is also necessary. However, it is not a physical death. Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ, never the less I live.” What must die is the weakness of our flesh that draws us back to a place we do not want to go.
In the Old Covenant, the solution was the Law of Moses. The standards of the Law are eternal. We are never excused from the 10 commandments. However, the law as a tool to keep man right with God was a dismal failure. Not that it was a failure for God. The law did exactly what God intended it to do. It gave some restraint to the sin brought into the world by the fall of Adam. It also showed man the standard God requires and the impossibility of keeping by the flesh.
As we closed yesterday, we were left with the dilemma that we are required by our Christian faith to walk according to the principles and standards set for by God in the Word. However, we will never do that by simply keeping the law. We should keep the law. We should set ourselves against known sin and do our best to resist it on every level. It is never “OK” to practice what the bible calls sin. Grace does not give us some “free pass.” That said, we will never defeat sin by keeping the law.
How will we defeat it? We started this year talking about winning wars not just battles. How can we win this most important war? The wages of sin is death. Everywhere I allow sin I allow death into my life. How can I get rid of it if keeping the law is not the solution? Jeremiah 31:33-34 tells us God had a solution all along. He was going to provide Israel with a covenant that would write those laws on the hearts and minds of those who believe. That covenant is a reality today. We call it the New Covenant in Jesus Christ.
Galatians 5 is a powerful chapter. In the verse we quoted, we see the solution to living Christianity successfully. If we could walk in the spirit, we would not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. I know this seems almost too simple to be true, but it is. The statement in the Word is very clear. “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” It is a natural progression. The one leads to the other.
As Galatians 5 continues, Paul expands on this idea. He points out two lists; the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit. If we walk in the flesh, we will do the works of the flesh. The list is not pretty. Everything from adultery to murder is included. If we walk in the flesh, this list will be the result. We may do them at a low level. We may not be worthy of jail or punishment, but we will do things like this. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount makes the standard even more difficult than the law.
Matthew 5:21-22(NKJV) 21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
As you can see, there is nothing about what the New Testament teaches that excuses us from sin. However, what we must understand is that the New Testament teaches us how to overcome sin not just cover it with a temporary sacrifice.
Paul goes on in Galatians 5 to give us a second list. It includes love peace and self-control. Paul says there is no law against these things. They are outside of law. He calls them fruit. Fruit is not “done” it is grown. If we walk in the spirit, the natural result will be this list of fruit from Galatians 5. With this fruit in control of our actions, or walk, we will no longer need the law. We will keep it naturally. It will be written on our hearts and minds.
What we must do is learn how to walk in the spirit. What is the spirit we must walk in? How do we access it? How do we give it control of our actions? These are the essential questions. These are the questions we will answer as we continue this study.
As we close today, let me quickly define what it means to walk in the spirit. The word “spirit” is capitalized in most bible translations. You will notice I have not done so. When it is capitalized, this word implies the Holy Spirit or the third person of the trinity. Although the fruit spoken of is certainly a product of the Holy Spirit and He is the power behind what we are talking about, I do not believe Paul was referring to the Holy Spirit. I believe it is the spirit of man.
Man is a threefold being. We will look more at this tomorrow, but for today let me say that the key is to get the part of man created in the image of God, the spirit, in control. We usually allow the mind to control us. Sometimes we allow the body to control us. If we are to successfully defeat sin and walk in the power of God that will lead us into our destiny, the spirit must be in control.
More tomorrow.
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