So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 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.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh 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.
I like how in the beginning of this passage, it makes the statement that we who are brothers and sisters in Christ are called to be free. There are many different "callings" in a believer's life and one of them is to embrace the true freedom that is found only in Jesus. Paul addresses the legalists' fear that such freedom could lead to a license to sin. What I find interesting is his response to those with this newfound freedom - serve one another in love. He does not just stop with the "don'ts" [don't indulge the sinful nature] but he gives an answer to what exactly it is that you should do with this freedom in Christ. He just finished talking to the Galatians about the needlessness of circumcision and religion and ritual and law and all that entangles one back into a yoke of slavery. He stands firm against such legalism that sucks the life and spirit out of what it means to actually be a follower of Jesus. And like a good leader, he re-iterates the words of his great teacher and Lord, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Where religious people get caught up with rules and regulations over sin, Paul is not afraid to champion the hallmark of true Christianity - GRACE - and this, like faith, expresses itself through love. Love for your neighbor. His words are prophetic and all too relevant, "if you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." Why is it that once freed, we are still tempted to return to our own vomit? And even more troubling, why do we persist in our negligence of that for which we have been entrusted - LOVE. It is because we lose sight of our King and Savior, we quickly harden back up the heart that he has painstakingly softened. Oh, what a wretched state we find ourselves in without Him!
Could we just realize, as Brian pointed out in his sermon on 1 Corinth this morning, that it is God who has named us. He has given us an identity, one that we somehow remain blinded to. Paul is reminding us here that we are in fact FREE. God has already called us out and set us apart from the world. We are made holy and different and capable of love because it is Christ who lives in us. We have chosen another way than to tear each other down and to fruitlessly follow a checklist to righteousness. We have chosen Jesus, or rather, he has chosen us. I praise God for that.
I am fascinated by verse 16 - "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." I know this to be true, but how exactly do we live by the Spirit? I want to live in this reality more fully that's all I know. We as people seem to try as hard as we can to avoid conflict at all costs, as if it were the worst thing that could possibly happen to us. My community, my friends, myself included. But here I see a conflict worth facing. It is between the sinful nature (or flesh) and the Spirit of God in us. We need to come to a sincere understanding that we are bad people. Jesus meant what he said in Luke 18, that "No one is good - except God alone." Paul was also intentional and serious when he reminded the church in Romans 3 that "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." This is always sobering to read and remember. It would leave one depressed if it weren't for the presence and empowerment of the Spirit. We tend to neglect this person of the Trinity, mostly I suspect because we just don't understand him very well. I mean, I don't, do you? But I do know that he is our Advocate. And this quality of his character makes more sense to me when I read about how there is such a daunting and overwhelming struggle occurring inside ourselves. I need to learn how to let Him take the reigns from me in this war because my strength is laughable compared to his infinite power. Where the best we can do is sin management, the Spirit actually gets to the root of the problem by standing as a great warrior ready to do battle with our sin for us and put the desires of the flesh to death forever. We must acquiesce, though. We must surrender.
I'm a little disturbed by Paul's warning that "those who live like this [see verses 19-21] will not inherit the kingdom of God." How will anyone reach the kingdom?! But I see how it is not ultimately behavior that matters, as it would appear to be here. He does not say this to create categories to place people into. Otherwise, judgmentalism would be the result. And unfortunately that has been the stance taken by many a Christian believer. No, Paul says this in order to contrast it to the glorious fruit that shows forth in the life of a believer who has truly given their hearts over to Christ. The seed that Jesus has planted in these men and women has in fact taken root and expressed itself through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and the like. They know their true identity. They've been called by God and rest peacefully knowing that they belong to Him, from now into all eternity. This great battle does not drown them in anxiety because they know they have not been left alone. No longer orphans, but sons and daughters. Is this not the most wonderful gift to be given? Eternity with God that begins the moment he saves you and sends you the Holy Spirit to guide and protect you? I want nothing more than this sustained relationship and intimacy. I want to live my life so in love with Jesus that what marks and overflows from it is goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, patience... all the fruit that the Spirit gives. I feel so far from this sometimes, but I trust that the work he has started in me will be seen through to completion.
Jesus crucified our sinful nature. That alone is mind-blowing. I look at my life and wonder how this could possibly be. But again, it is imperative that we understand what this means. We see the effects and acts of the flesh present in our lives because it is an ongoing struggle, one that precisely involves the Spirit's convicting and sanctifying power. We still screw up, but the question is what posture do we take towards God in these moments of weakness and rebellion? If it is anything but complete prostration before his feet, then something is off. The Spirit replaces our old passions and desires with totally different ones, if you can believe that. He actually plants a seed in us that hates sin in all of its forms and manifestations. Not a fiber of our being remains okay with walking in sin or witnessing it in others. When we live by the Spirit and keep in step with Him, then guess what, our lives do change and look more like the Son's. It's just cause and effect. So, where are you weak? What part of the list above is your struggle? I know that there is too much on it for me to know what to deal with first. But He knows. Oh, don't you love that? He knows! I am so thankful for a Lord and God who knows me better than I know myself. A God who is all holy and good. This means that there is not only a standard, but a Savior who has met it (indeed HE is IT) and a Spirit that quickens to take us closer to He. And the closing of this chapter is not to be overlooked. We must realize our continual brokenness so that we constantly run to Jesus rather than become blinded to it. Let us beat our chests in humble desperation as we approach this God who is so completely OTHER than us. Would we not become conceited and self-righteous, saying to ourselves "God, I thank you that I am not like other men" but instead over and over and over again these words: "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."
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