Flesh or Spirit?

Part II

Galatians 5:19-21

October 11, 1998

 

In a passage which closely parallels our text, the Apostle John explains that Jesus "appeared in order to take away sins." Of course, the implication is that He did this by offering Himself upon the cross to bear the judgment of God against us. His legal act before God was not only to remove the judgment and wrath pronounced against us, but also "to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous of good deeds" (I John 3:5; Titus 2:14). John goes on and describes the true believer as being one who has a totally different relationship to sin. "No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious; anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother" (I John 3:9-10).

 

This certainly flies in the face of the so-called "therapeutic Jesus" offered today by many who claim to believe and love the gospel. Christ has become a means to an improved condition of the psyche, rather than the Redeemer from sins and Lord of life. In so many circles, being delivered from the judgment of God and made a new creation in Christ becomes secondary at best to emotional happiness, weight loss, self-esteem, and feeling better about your life. The whole idea of dealing with sin and calling for personal holiness is considered a relic of the past which we must not endure in the present. To this our text reminds us that if the work of Christ has been effectual in your life, then your whole relationship to sin and personal holiness has changed. 

 

We are reaping the fruit of such distorted abuses of the gospel of Christ. Look at the lack of personal holiness and integrity by those who occupy the pulpit. We have been shamed in the past decade by one scandal after another of those who are supposed to be gospel preachers. Confronted one day with their gross violation of the pastoral office and the next week they are back in the pulpit. One high profile pastor in Texas was caught in an ongoing sexual scandal. As information was uncovered, this was only one among numerous affairs. He left his church only to begin another one within months, catering to those who did not want to be "judgmental" regarding sin. We add to this the lifestyles of those in the pews which so resemble the "world" that it is impossible to tell where the world stops and the church begins. We've sown the wind and reaped the whirlwind.

 

Can Christians fall into sin, even grievous sin? Yes we can. But the distinction comes between the Christian and non-Christian in our whole attitude toward sin and our desire for repentance. The true believer recognizes that he has sinned against the Lord and seeks to turn from his sin and pleads for restoration of fellowship. The false believer can parade in his sin with no true concern for repentance. He may even be insulted that someone would dare call his hand and reprove him for his sinful condition.  

 

It is with this in mind that I believe Paul unfolds this contrast between the deeds of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. An unbeliever can ultimately be recognized by the bent of his life toward the manifestations of the flesh. While the believer can ultimately be recognized by the bent of his life toward the manifestations of the Spirit. He writes to expose the deceived unbeliever. But he also writes to exhort the believer to turn away from sin and walk in those graces that are the bent of his life by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  

 

Those who are truly in Christ will manifest the fruit of the Spirit, while those who are not in Christ will manifest the deeds of the flesh. The saving work of Jesus Christ radically affects the believer's relationship to sin. If not, then our text pronounces that the supposed believer is really an unbeliever who will not inherit the kingdom of God. What is the bent of your life: the deeds of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit?

 

I.  A Summary of Sins  

 

As we noticed in our previous study, Paul does not seek to list every possible sin which can entrap a soul. Instead, he offers a summary of various sins, categorized as (1) sexual sins, (2) sins of idolatry, (3) sins of animosity, and (4) sins of intemperance. More could be added so Paul writes, "and things like these" to show that he was only sampling an array of sins. While our focus last week was on sexual sins, this morning we look at the other three categories which the Apostle addressed.  

 

Perhaps it will help us understand why he chose these particular sins by realizing that he was writing to a specific people in Galatia. These were the sins which characterized them before they came to faith in Christ. Paul may have even had particular people in mind when he listed the sins. They were sins which predominated in this pagan region of the Graeco-Roman world. In similar fashion to the church at Corinth, Paul wrote,

Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God (I Cor. 6:10-11, italics added).

This was the scene in Corinth when Paul first confronted them with the gospel of Christ. The believers did not come out of a moral society or well-bred Christian culture. They were steeped in the paganism of their day. And by the grace of God in Christ they were delivered from their sin and given a new life in Christ. It is this same message which Paul stresses at Galatia as well.  

 

He reminds the believers that they are not to revert to their old sins. They are to "crucify the flesh with is passions and desires." They are to "live by the Spirit" and not by the flesh. They are to turn from sin as those who have received "the adoption as sons." He is not asking them to do something which would be contrary to the new nature in Christ. For if they find obedience and holiness obnoxious or unappealing, then it is due to an unregenerate nature. These would have no inheritance in the kingdom of God. What are the sins which so manifest the unregenerate condition? "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."  

 

1. Sins of Idolatry  

 

In the realm of "spiritual sins" or "sins of idolatry," Paul identifies two by name: "idolatry, sorcery." The first is a common term for idolatry. We even get our English word for idolatry by a transliteration of the Greek word, eidolotria. It has been described as "the pagan opposite of Jewish worship" (latreia, Gk.). It is not unrelated to the first three sins mentioned, for in the ancient world, various acts of sensuality and immorality were associated with idolatry as part of the worship of false gods. Martin Luther further describes idolatry as even delving into the realm of Christianity but with a false worship of God. "All the highest religions, the most fervent devotions of those who reject Christ the Mediator, and worship God without His word and commandment, are nothing else but idolaters" [Commentary on Galatians, 345]. This would include those who claim to be Christians but worship God other than how He has revealed Himself in the Scriptures and who dare to approach God some other way than through the mediatorial work of Jesus Christ.  

 

Where do we see idolatry in our own day? Certainly it is found in the many expressions of the New Age Movement through the vain superstitions and practices of that mystical and false religion. Unfortunately, such idolatry is not limited to the cults or false religions. It sometimes enters into Christian churches when men seek to worship God in ways He has not directed or prescribed, when symbols, icons, or objects are utilized as a substitute for worshipping God in spirit and truth. The 1689 London Baptist Confession gives us good instruction on avoiding idolatry and exercising proper worship.  

The light of nature shows that there is a God who has dominion and sovereignty over all. He is just and good, and He does good to all. He is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, invoked, trusted, and served by men with all their heart and soul and strength. But the only acceptable way of worshipping the true God is appointed by Himself, in accordance with His own will. Consequently He may not be worshipped in ways of mere human contrivance, or proceeding from Satan's suggestions. Visible symbols of God, and all other forms of worship not prescribed in the Holy Scripture, are expressly forbidden.

 

Religious worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to Him alone. It is not to be given to angels, saints, or any other creatures. Since man's fall into sin, worship cannot be rendered to God without a mediator; and the only accepted mediation is that of Christ [chapter 22, paragraphs 1 & 2, italics added].

Is this a problem in evangelical churches and Baptists in particular? My own observation is that we are moving strikingly close to the idolatry of Roman Catholicism in many evangelical circles. This was brought home to me in a vivid way several years ago at the Southern Baptist Convention. The Convention was called to a time of repentance and prayer--a solemn assembly--which I thought was good to have. But the service did not complete that aim. There was a good sermon by a notable SBC preacher calling for repentance. He was biblical in what he said. Then a fanfare began which astounded me! First, as the orchestra played, a group began to march in with huge banners in procession, many of which had images representing a member of the Trinity on them. It was much like what you see at a Catholic processional. The more they came, the more emotions swelled in the crowd. People were crying while looking at the banners as the emotion-stirring music was played. Then another procession began from a different direction. This one began with a group of young ladies dancing (interpretive movement!) with streamers in their hands as if they were angelic beings. They preceded a person who carried a cross up one aisle. Next followed a cloud-like float (that's the only way I know to describe it) which had small doves attached to it similar to the bouncing dogs which were prominent in cars during the 60's. This was supposed to be an image representing the Holy Spirit. People were crying, raising their hands, and even shouting. My wife and I were amazed at how people were so moved by external forms and images but did not have the same response to the preaching of the Word. This was not worship. It was a parade that got people excited with plenty of external expressions, but not worship according to anything I can find in the Scriptures.  

 

Here is my concern. What difference is there between what was done that night in Atlanta and what happens in the Vatican City in a processional with the Pope? Both demonstrate idolatry. By no means am I castigating all who participated in this. There were genuine believers involved. But I do think that this subtle form of idolatry that has crept into our denomination unawares. We must wake up to it! We are to worship God in spirit and truth, not in showmanship and idolatry. God does not need substitutes nor images to reveal Himself. In the second commandment He expressly forbids them.  

 

The next sin noted is "sorcery." The Greek word is pharmakei, from which we derive our word pharmacy. The word originally implied the use of magic, particularly by means of drug induced euphoria. Timothy George points out that in this era, drugs were used to induce abortions, so that one ancient Christian document even joined magic, the practice of medicine (pharmakei), and abortion as divine prohibitions [NAC, 394]. At the very minimum, this text warns us of the illegal use of drugs and of the foolishness in thinking that an altered state of mind through drugs will enhance a person spiritually. The one who continues in this practice, Paul points out, shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  

 

2. Sins of Animosity  

 

The next series of eight nouns "refer to the breakdown of interpersonal relationships" [T. George, 395]. "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are:...enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying." All point to the serious way which relationships are viewed in the Scriptures. On our part, we are to seek to be at peace with all men (Rom. 12:18). As Christians, we are to live in harmony and love with each other in the body of Christ. We are to practice forgiveness toward one another and make sure there is never bitterness in our relationships (Eph. 4:31-32). We are to seek to "be devoted to one another in brotherly love" (Rom. 12:10). We are to bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2, 5). We are to give to one another as we have need and as God has prospered us (Rom. 12:13).  

 

Keeping these things in mind, consider how the sins which Paul listed are the complete antithesis of what the Christian community should look like. The very thing which looks like the world, unfortunately, creeps into the church in terms of strife, jealousy, dissensions, etc. Paul's warning is again two-fold. He wants Christians to make sure they do everything to avoid these sins and to repent of them if they are in their midst. And he wants those who profess to know Christ who are living in "the deeds of the flesh" to see their spiritual condition.  

 

The tragic reality is that if you take these sins and compare them to the actual condition of churches, in many you will find that they mirror the very sins which Paul declares are evidences of the unregenerate condition! He begins with enmities, which is the same term used to describe the warring breach between God and man (Rom. 8:7). It is a hostile attitude in life which may be played out in hateful words or actions. The word is the very opposite of love.  

 

The next is strife, which implies the idea of discord. Strife demonstrates action which seeks to act out a "contentious temper" among a congregation. It satisfies itself by driving a wedge among others, throwing a group into disarray in terms of attitudes and service.  

 

Jealousy refers to "someone who wants what other people have." It was this spirit which characterized Joseph's brothers so that they sold him into slavery. Timothy George expressed its meaning well when he wrote, "At the root of all sentiments of jealousy is the basic posture of ingratitude to God, a failure to accept one's life as a gift from God. To envy what someone else has is to fling one's own gifts before God in unthankful rebellion and spite" [395].  

 

The next term is quite demonstrative! Outbursts of anger or "fits of rage" speak of letting what is on the inside burst forth verbally. It is the release of one's temper as though swinging a verbal club to strike any who stand in the way. Some like to blame this on their ancestry or natural disposition. Paul says that it is sin which is evidence of the flesh and not the Spirit.  

 

Disputes translates a word that comes from the political culture of ancient Greece. It is better translated as "selfish ambition" and conveys the idea of "office seeking" which we might call "self-promotion and self-service" as opposed to serving selflessly unto the Lord [George, 395]. Here we see the use of Christianity and positions within the congregation for selfish means. It may be someone desiring to serve as a deacon or elder to put himself in a better position for business contacts in the community. Or it may be someone who wants to sing in front of the church in order to gain personal attention rather than to give glory to the Lord. It inevitably leads to division within the church, which is to be a harbor of selfless service unto the Lord and the Body.  

 

Following disputes naturally are dissensions. Paul uses this same term in Romans 16:17 when he wrote, "Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them." Again, this term has roots in political life but in this case involves the person who will seek to mount a party spirit within a congregations in order to bring in division. Like Corinth, it may be the Apollos faction, the Peter faction, or the Paul faction, each claiming superiority over the others, each wanting to dominate the others. The next term is the natural result of dissensions, factions. It can be characterized by the formation of cliques which selfishly stick together to the exclusion of others. We get our English word "heresy" from this particularly Greek word, which implies 'a deliberately chosen doctrine at variance with the rule of faith' [George, 396]. Here a group of people, perhaps led by one or two stubborn-minded individuals, deliberately chooses to go against the Christian spirit of service, selflessness and love. They are willing to sacrifice the unity of the church in order to carry out their selfish agenda. Paul warns that those who persist in this have no inheritance in the kingdom of God.  

 

Perhaps at the root of all is the whole matter of envy. The word means that a person has a desire to have what someone else has by depriving that person of his possession or position. Jealousy wishes that he had the same things someone else has. While envy desires that the other person have nothing and it becomes his instead. Great trouble has been promoted in churches due to envy. For it has a blind eye to justice and truth so that it is willing to damage someone else's reputation by malicious rumors. It is never satisfied with what God has provided but believes that it must have everything. I personally see this sin joining hands with idolatry and coveting in expressing the depths of selfishness and ill-will toward others.  

 

For the believer who has slipped into any of these relational sins, we are warned to turn away from them. For the person who enjoys these sins and finds himself comfortable in them, then his heart is exposed as being unregenerate. John Calvin's words regarding this still ring true after 400 years. "If men knew themselves they would not need this declaration that they are nothing but flesh. But such is our innate hypocrisy that we never perceive our foulness until the tree has been made known by its fruit....For how does it help to deny that the flesh reigns in us if the fruit betrays the tree?" [Calvin's New Testament Commentaries, 104]. If the fruit of your life has manifest a tree of the flesh, then turn from your sin and flee to the cross of Christ that you might be delivered from the wrath of God.  

 

3. Sins of Intemperance  

 

Alcohol abuse is no new thing. It was common in the urban life of the Roman Empire. Associated with drunkenness were the cultic mystery religions which celebrated devotion to their gods through excessive drinking. Dionysos, the god of wine, was worshipped through indulgence in alcohol. Perhaps some in the Galatian Christian community had been devotees of Dionysos and consequently participated often in drunkenness. Now he reminds them that such behavior is uncharacteristic of the believer. He must leave it off. 

 

I cannot help but think of what has been too characteristic among college aged young people in their social gatherings: drinking as though it was the evidence of adulthood and maturity. If anything, it is an evidence of immaturity! Too often young people get trapped in this vicious pattern of drunkenness while in early adulthood and are unable to walk away from it past college. What a clear warning we have in this text, that those who practice this kind of lifestyle are not part of the kingdom of God.  

 

Carousing falls into the same vein as drunkenness. It actually means to have a party spirit characterized by drinking and immoral behavior. It has been translated as "wild parties" (TLB),  "horsing around" (Cotton Patch Version), and "orgies" (NIV). You do not have to own a degree in marriage counseling to understand the connection between marital infidelity and drinking. They often go together, 

wrecking marriages and family life. There is a great practicality in our taking the time to look at these sins. For we are exposing what is characteristic of the world in which we live for which God has set us apart that we might be a light to reveal the transforming power of the gospel of Christ. See what the Scripture says about the sins we've noted and by the grace of God, turn from them. If these sins, or "things like these" characterize your life, then our text tells us that you are not part of the kingdom of God. Your only hope before the judgment of God under which you now are living, is to flee to Jesus Christ and the refuge of the cross. It is only in the cross of Christ that sinners are delivered from their sins.  

 

II. A Warning Set Forth  

 

We looked briefly last week at the warnings that emerge from our text. Let me reiterate them as we have added to our list of sins involving sexual issues, spiritual issues, relational issues, and issues of temperance.  

 

1. Distinguish true and false conversion  

 

Why did Paul go to such lengths with the Galatians to lay before them fifteen different sins? He wanted to show them the difference between true conversion and false conversion. One who is truly born of God will bear the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23). Such fruit, though not always obvious in all degrees, is the direction of his life. He grows in the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit. He may have "rough edges" and may still be working through some areas of sin in his life, but at the root of his life is the evidence of the Holy Spirit's transforming power.  

 

If on the other hand, a person claims to be a believer, yet the lifestyle which typifies him can be found among the deeds of the flesh or something similar, then he should recognize that he is not born of God. "Those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Paul's use of the present tense verb, "practice," indicates that these things are the pattern and habit of the unbeliever's life. He may be very religious and even very faithful in church, but if these sins characterize him, then his great need is for the redeeming work of Jesus Christ applied to his whole being by repentance and faith.  

 

2. See the end result of the flesh  

 

We cannot separate what Paul addresses in these verses from the greater context of showing the inadequacy of the works of the Law due to the weakness of the flesh. While the Law may restrain a person to some degree, if he does not have a new nature bent on obeying God, then a man  will ultimately manifest the deeds of his flesh. Jesus explained to His disciples that the sins of the flesh do not enter into a man, but proceed out of his heart. "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man" (Mark 7:20-23). In this passage's context, Jesus had been dealing with the Pharisees who were the most Law-minded people in Israel. Christ showed that they tried to conform to the Law outwardly but the shiny appearance externally could not change the corruption within. The flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:8).  

 

3. Cease presumption  

 

One of the major problems that exists among Baptists in particular is presumption concerning salvation. Many times I have heard people that live the kind of lifestyle characterized by our text declaring that they were saved 'because they had made a profession of faith' or they had 'asked Jesus into their hearts'. Hear the word of the Lord! "Those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Is this meant to be a warning? Indeed it is! It warns those who are presumptuous concerning a profession made at some point that God will not be mocked. If there is no perseverance then there has been no saving faith. Are you to despair completely? The very fact that there is a warning points to the greatness of God's mercy. He is ready to save all who will come to Him in repentance and faith, casting themselves wholly upon the merits of Christ alone.    

 

4. Repent for lapses into sin  

 

As long as we live in these human bodies we struggle with sin. The possibility of lapsing into any one of these sins for a period can happen to the believer. This is the additional reason Paul goes to such lengths to deal with the sins at this point in his epistle. He is teaching on sanctification. To press on in sanctification, a believer needs to be assured that he is truly a believer. Then he must deal with sin by the power of the Holy Spirit enabling him. He must not excuse sin in his life. Nor can he afford to ignore it. As one who has been redeemed by the blood of Christ and now indwelled by the Holy Spirit, he must turn from his sin by the all-sufficient power of the Holy Spirit. 

 

We repent when we enter into a saving relationship with Christ. But repentance is not a "one-time experience." It is ongoing. As we grow in the Lord and as we learn more of the reality concerning ourselves with our propensity for sin, we are to keep on repenting. That is sound evidence that we are in the faith.  

 

Conclusion  

 

Is there someone among us who has claimed to be a Christian, yet the Word of God exposes your heart as having never been born of God? Do not linger in your lostness! Flee to Jesus Christ! He is the only refuge for sinners. Trust in His atoning, God-satisfying death to purify you from your guilt and deliver you from your bondage to sin.  

 

Is there a believer among us who finds himself entangled in one of the sins we've addressed or something similar? My dear brother or sister, I plead with you, look to the Christ of the cross afresh this day. See that Jesus died "to take away sins." See that He conquered the very sins which have tried to claim your life. Know with certainty that through the power of the Holy Spirit and the continued application of Christ's work to your life, you can be set free from the sin which entangles you. Turn from your sin. Turn anew to our gracious Lord and find freedom for your soul.

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