GALATIANS 5:1-18

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT

As we move into Chapter Five, we must continue to remind ourselves that God saved us because He planned it this way [Ephesians 1:4-10]. As we grow “in Christ”, we begin to appreciate that God is Sovereign in every sense of the term, to recognize we are so vulnerable to the influences of this world, and to realize He elected us to be free “in Christ.” We do not have to understand why God does the things as He does, nor particularly appreciate that He separated the world into the slaves and the freeborn, but He has given us this letter to help us gain some insight into His ways. This Chapter Five focuses on how The Spirit is working with those who have been freeborn “in Christ.” It is interesting to note that this letter is addressing all those who are far from being perfect, those who are confused, those who are influenced of the modern-day Judaizers, and those who are unaware of all that The Spirit is doing --- this includes all of us. This God given grace has come to us through something called faith [John 6:29], thereby we become new creatures [2 Corinthians 5:17, 18], we are managed by The Spirit [John 16:13], and this new life is then called freedom in Christ.

Freedom in Christ

¹It 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.

Faith is a gift derived out of God’s grace [Ephesians 2:4-9]. This faith becomes the controlling force in the life of those who have been born again. This new life, born out of grace, is the source of this new freedom. The Spirit manages and guides God’s child throughout the subsequent new growing experience that is ushered in after the new birth. In addition, The Spirit uses this world’s environment as a training ground in developing God’s child, towards the model of Christ [John 16:13, Romans 8:29]. This training includes example lessons found in the Scriptures and practical application lessons using pain and peace as motivation, such as witnessing and contrasting evil with the good found in God’s promises.

The environment surrounding the believer contributes to an awareness of the new freedom when contrasted with the wisdom of this world. Scriptural principles and the false messages, coming from the so-called “Judaizers,” create confusion among believers who are struggling to understand the Gospel message.

This battle between the contrasting influences actually contributes to the growth of this new freedom. Imbedded in the world’s wisdom are the “Judaizers” emphasizing popularity, or “consensus”; they are advertising and promoting a need for a deeper “experience;” and they love to exploit their misconception of “responsibility.” The “Judaizers” in their quest to define their own gospel attempt to manipulate and accommodate the desires of the inherent sinful nature and thereby influence many in thought and action. The ensuing wandering of the susceptible believers creates unnecessary pain, worry, and suffering. The Spirit is patient and persistent until the believer grows in faith, in obedience, and in appreciation for what God is doing.

God has made the believer alive with Christ who has the fullness over every power and authority [Colossians 2:9, 13]. Since, this life, in Christ, is under no obligation to any power and authority, this life qualifies as being one, which is absolutely free “in Christ”. This is the purpose of Salvation and the subsequent Sanctification. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are “in Christ” [Rom. 8:1], and there is nothing that can separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord [Rom. 8:39].

This freedom is dependent upon and always associated with the phrase “in Christ.” This phrase and the principle that God is Sovereign, together, form a very profound truth about Salvation. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” [John 14:6]. Jesus, in this verse, is giving us the source of freedom and He is telling us freedom’s boundary is grace.

Grace is His nature, and this nature provides the Way and His call redeems us from the slave market. This payment provides the perfect position, free from all sin, in God’s sight [Romans 8:1]. The indwelling Spirit provides access to all the truth [John 16:13], and this guidance to all knowledge helps the believer in the ignorance of God’s Ways. “In Him was life, and that life was the light of the world” [John 1:4]. This kind of life is the opposite of everything that is associated with death and evil. This opposite kind of life from the world’s wisdom brings us freedom from all fears, including the fear of death. Therefore, His Freedom is complete freedom; the kind of freedom that only resides “in Christ” [John 8:36]. This is freedom from sin, freedom from ignorance, and the freedom from fear. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” [John 8:36]

5:1--- 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.

Therefore, His Freedom is complete freedom; the kind of freedom that only resides “in Christ.” This is freedom from sin, freedom from ignorance, and the freedom from fear.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” [John 8:36]

It does matter whether we believe this message on freedom or not. The Spirit is working in the lives of all who are “in Christ.” With or without our belief He is working all things for the good of the freeborn [Romans 8:28, Ephesians 2:10]. In time, all of the freeborn have a destiny to develop to a point where freedom indeed is realized. This growth in realization is the objective and purpose of all creation [Romans 8:29, 30].

Because …

FAITH IS GOD’S WORK [JOHN 6:29, GAL. 1:3-5]

God’s primary business, ergon (er’gon), is to work, produce, act, or to put into affect so that you may have belief, pisteuo (pist-yoo’-o), faith, trust, to think to be true, impelled to trust, or to believe Him who was appointed, apostello (ap-os-tel’-lo) to allow you a state of liberty.

Ergonomics – science of equipment design, for the workplace, human engineering, to maximize productivity

GOD ACTS AND WE REACT [GAL. 4:1-3]

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. [Ephesians 2:10]

Therefore …

5:2. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3. Again, I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Technically, this passage is about self-determined separation from the unclean or a willful removal of sins, a self-cleansing, peritemno, a smorgasbord gospel. This is a cutting around the Gospel according to some personal agenda. In order to receive a fuller message from this passage we must look past the specifics of the ritual of “circumcision” and the “justified by law” terms and interpret these phrases in the context of this letter.

We have, over time, due to secular influences, rendered these phrases into something spiritually irrelevant. Our modern-day “Judaizers” try to confuse the issue by telling us that these phrases are addressed to those born into Judaism and are unrelated to today’s Christians, as specifically in dispensational theology. These interpreters seem to ignore the context of this passage [Galatians 2:20, 3:8, 16, 18, 22, 26-29, 4:6, 8, 17, and 29]. This context is about being “in Christ”; about being a part of Abraham’s seed; about how the promise extends to everyone who is “in Christ.” About God’s gift of grace, about the giving of faith in the promises. About how being “in Christ” means being sons of God. About how The Spirit controls our relationship with God; about how without The Spirit’s given knowledge of God we are slaves; about how there are those who try to lead us away from the truth; and how those who are “in Christ” are born by the power of The Spirit.

This context builds the case that the problem is not about these phrases, but about the problem of trying to wander outside of the boundaries of God’s grace and then substituting alternative gospels. The Galatians were confused about circumcision and we are, likewise, confused about grace.

It should be clear that no one could contribute anything to God’s grace, and nothing we can do to nullify God’s grace or to cleanse ourselves. God’s grace is under God’s Sovereign control [Romans 8:37-39, John 16:13].

Ritualistic circumcision identification pre-dates Moses and the Law. It began as a sign to mark the occasion of God’s covenant with Abraham [Genesis 17:11-14]. This ritual was to continue through all subsequent generations. Any member of the family who were not circumcised would be separated from the family and its inheritance. Grace, on the other hand, is God’s initiated gift, given in His time, and in His way. This ritual wrongly came to be regarded as having saving power and necessary for all Jews, the chosen people. This tradition thereby came into controversy, an antithesis of freedom, in the New Testament.

The “Judaizers” attached an unwarranted significance to this ritual, much as today’s “Judaizers” attach to various kinds of works, beliefs, and doctrines. The promotions of these alternative gospels are pursued with similar zeal these “Judaizers” in Galatians churches exhibited.

Paul is drawing “a line in the sand” between the “Judaizers’” alternative gospel and the Gospel of Grace. His strong words make the point that there is no middle ground or room for compromise. Either The Spirit leads you, or you are led by the cry of the sinful nature, desiring something besides free grace. It is either the gift of grace or nothing; this is the rule. Apparently you are inactivated, katargeo (kat-arg-eh’-o), he suggests, you cannot hear the call.

When the phrase “fallen away from grace” is heard, it is often confused as meaning the lost of salvation. This is not a hypothetical statement relating to some momentary wandering. This is a statement about the condition of their current nature. The Greek uses the word ekipipto (ek-pip’-to), for this phrase, which means, “to have no effect.” In other words, if you maintain the law justifies you, you are not justified by faith, and since the law cannot justify anyone, you are lost without the grace. You are in a “condition” without the gift of grace.

You cannot lose grace you never had. Those who have been given grace cannot lose it or “fall” from it because nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord [Romans 8:35-39].

Today’s “Judaizers” are ubiquitous and offer presentations that are compelling to our vulnerable natures. Most of the “Judaizers” are sincere people who believe they have a special corner on the truth. Some are believers and some are not; we cannot judge this with any certainty. They are all around us and The Spirit uses these false beliefs to help us to appreciate how susceptible we can be. We need to become aware of the profiles of these schemes and learn God’s word so we can rebuke them [2 Timothy 3:14-16, 2 Peter 1:20, 21, Titus 3:9, 10]. The popular “Judaizers” today seem to have some interesting similarities.

Seven similarities --- [Between then, in Paul’s time, and the popular Judaizers of today]

· They are recent inventions, started in the past 150 years or so. [Mormonism 1830 by Joseph Smith], Jehovah Witness 1872 by Charles Russell)], Dispensationalism 1865 by John Nelson Darby]

· They are popular [Hundreds of millions of people are affected]

· God changed to plan B [advocating some divine change of mind and initiated a new gospel]

· Grace is limited to the Church Age [lets ignore Hebrews 11 and limit God’s work and plan]

· Divides the Scriptures [“cuts around” the uncomfortable passages; uses literalisms]

· Distorts the work of The Spirit [adopted existentialism and self-determination]

· Dogmatic about prophesy [charts, datelines, and theories galore]

If these are some of the identifying characteristics of our modern day “Judaizers” then it is fair to ask for the identifying principles of the freeborn. Here is a suggested list of ten principles that should be found in the belief structure of those who are “in Christ.”

TEN FUNDAMENTAL PRICIPLES

· GOD’S WORD IS OUR FOUNDATION [2 TIMOTHY 3:16]

· NEW BIRTH COMES FROM GOD [JOHN 3:6, 2 PETER 1:3]

· GRACE IS FREE [GAL. 5:1, EPH. 2:8, 9, ROMANS 8:2]

· FAITH IS GOD’S WORK [JOHN 6:29, EPH. 2:10, ROMANS 2:29]

· NO CONDEMNATION [ROM. 8:1-4]

· EDUCATION IS THROUGH THE SPIRIT [JOHN 16:13, 17:17-19]

· THE SPIRIT IS IN CONTROL [GAL. 3:14, ROMANS 8:9-11]

· THE SPIRIT AND PRAYER IS LIFE [ROM. 8:22-27, PHILIPPIANS 4:6]

· SEPARATION FROM EVIL IS ESSENTIAL [ROM. 8:28-30, 1 PETER 1:3-5]

· JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE [JOHN 14:6, 6:68, 17:2, 1 JOHN 5:11, JUDE 1:21]

Notice that these principles are as old as time, honors God’s word above all the world’s wisdom, not very popular, have never changed, applicable for all who are “in Christ,” relies on The Spirit for everything, and never worries about the future because God knows best. Think about these principles and come next Sunday with comments, corrections, and questions.

⁴You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

This is serious business and we need to heed these words very carefully. Our world is very efficiently giving us messages that are just not true, as defined by God’s word. We need to review the fundamentals continuously and compare them with what we are being told by all of the smooth salespersons all around us.

The only source we can trust is God’s word, as interpreted by His Spirit. Do not believe any other message, or source, no matter how young, old, known, unknown, loud, soft, creditable, or incredible they may be.

Paul is drawing “a line in the sand” between the “Judaizers’” alternative gospel and the Gospel of Grace. His strong words make the point that there is no middle ground or room for compromise. Either The Spirit leads you, or you are led by the cry of the sinful nature, desiring something besides free grace. It is either the gift of grace or nothing; this is the rule. Apparently you are inactivated, katargeo (kat-arg-eh’-o), he suggests, you cannot hear the call.

On one side of this line is the Gospel’s truth and on the other side is the alternative gospel, which is created in our imagination based upon our own rules and laws. These created ground rules have been selected according to our desires and fantasies. The true Gospel is based solely upon God’s grace provided through faith [Ephesians 2:8, 9], which is God’s work [John 6:29]. The giving of this grace and the subsequent affects can be summarized in the following flow chart.

GOD’S GRACE => GOD’S WORK OF FAITH [EPH. 2:8, 9] => POSITION [ROM. 8:1] => CONDITION [ROM. 8:28] => PURPOSE [ROM. 8:29] => FREEDOM [GAL. 5:1]

This Gospel is turned around and mixed up by the desires of the sinful nature, which is our adversary bent upon our destruction [Romans 8:5-11]. The “Judaizers” and all those who have created an alternative gospel typically follow a different flow chart.

OUR LAWS AND RULES => A SELFISH OUTLOOK => A FUTILE SEARCH FOR A PURPOSE => AN IMAGINARY POSITION => DOUBT AND SLAVERY

This human invented gospel is below the line and is anti-grace even though it is popular and held high in the halls of human wisdom.

The popular version of this gospel invades our minds, hearts, and steals our hope. Each so-called loss of faith and hope is traceable to this alternative gospel. All of the fallen shepherds have preached this gospel [2 Peter 2:10-22].

⁵But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

Faith is God’s work through which we await, in His freedom, the time when our “condition” equals our “position.” The Spirit, pneuma (phyoo’-ma), the life giving force and power, which fills and governs the soul, is managing this transition. We are not maneuvering or controlling this attribute in any way, as some modern day “Judaizers” claim. It is through The Spirit who applies diligence and patience, apekdechomal (ap-ek-dekh’-om-ahee), in this waiting. As the point was previously made, either we have been given this faith or we do not have it. It is our faith, which defines our “position.” God’s given faith is the avenue that brings God’s grace and then The Spirit makes us ready to enjoy His harvest in our “conditioning” process. It is through faith that grace flows --- it is the gift of God [Ephesians 2:8]. Hope is awakened by the power of this faith, our anticipation for the coming of the day of the Lord. Those who wait on the Lord are living by faith [Galatians 3:11].

The New King James and RSV version renders this verse closer to the Greek translation, which avoids giving the impression that we are waiting under any of our own power.

“For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”

Faith is always under the control of The Spirit and not subject to our capricious nature. The sinful mind is by nature “hostile to God” [Romans 8:7]. Discounting The Spirit’s power and leadership in any way is the same thing as following after some alternative gospels --- beware! We need to be careful about the way we read God’s word. Learn the basic principles and when these principles are contradicted by any translation, we need to look to other translations and particularly to the Greek if possible, in prayer asking The Spirit’s help. Always remember the simple rule, context, context, and context.

⁶For “in Christ Jesus” (1) neither “circumcision” (2) nor “uncircumcision” (3) has any value. The only thing that counts is “faith” (1) expressing itself through”love” (2).

These three separate states and two attributes, without us differentiating between “position” and “condition,” makes this verse difficult to understand.

Faith is a “position” initiator and love is a “condition” indicator. A believer’s “position” “in Christ” causes any ritual, of any kind, to be irrelevant. The first part of this verse is emphasizing verse [5:3].

The Spirit must establish our “position” in Christ before any “conditioning” can begin [Romans 2:29]. Faith is the conduit through which grace is given [Ephesians 2:8, 9] and then faith is grown in the “conditioning” phase of the development.

Love is developed during this “conditioning” process; therefore, love is an expression, an indication, of this growing faith. Love is not some other attribute, or gift, that is independent from faith or that it is somehow applied through the exercise of volition. It is a reflection of God’s given grace. Love is a part of the harvest, karpos (kar-pos’), or work, or composition initiated by The Spirit [Galatians 5:22]. Faith and love grow up together, yet separate, during the same “conditioning” process. On the day of the Lord, love will be fully developed then faith will become unnecessary because all that is hoped for has come to pass [1 Corinthians 13:12, 13]. Love is eternal and faith is temporal. Now, in the conditioning phase, the righteous will live by faith [3:11], which develops love.

Allowing the eternal to be confused with the temporal is our source of much of the perplexity generated in the claims that humans can intervene into God’s plans. By separating the eternal position from the temporal conditioning process, we can gain insight into many of these apparently mysterious verses.

It is not in the verse where we have our problem it is in our understanding of the fundamental principles relating to the verse. A background study of the basic principles can help us in a verse such as this. These basics passages reflect the uncompromising work of The Spirit in the life of the freeborn.

· NEW BIRTH COMES FROM GOD [JOHN 3:6, 2PETER 1:3,4]

· GRACE IS FREE [EPH. 2:8, 9]

· FAITH IS GOD’S WORK [JOHN 6:29]

· JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE [JOHN 14:6, 6:68, 17:2, 1 JOHN 5:11, JUDE 1:21]

· NO CONDEMNATION [ROM. 8:1-4]

· GOD’S WORD IS OUR FOUNDATION [2 TIMOTHY 3:16]

· EDUCATION THROUGH THE SPIRIT [JOHN 16:13]

· THE CONTROL OF THE SPIRIT [GAL. 3:14, JOHN 16:7-15]

· THE SPIRIT AND PRAYER [ROM. 8:26, 27, EPH. 6:18]

· SEPARATION FROM EVIL [ROM. 8:28-30, 1 PETER 1:5]

These ten principles (1^ST five on position and 2^ND five on condition) are fundamentally important in the understanding of God’s ways. The Spirit leads in the development of our understanding of these principles in a progressive process that starts with the new birth and continues until the day of the Lord [Philippians 1:6]. At any time in this process, God’s children are at various stages of development.

The staggering degree of understanding among God’s children, caused by the various stages of development, some greater than others, is a primary generator of controversies and often animosities. These controversies are used by The Spirit to train and to grow all involved, directly and indirectly. These types of conflicts are important to the training environments, much like, a “hot walker” is used in the training of horses. They teach us bridle control and perseverance. Our training is like a classroom, not a cabaret.

Galatians 5:7-12

God’s given grace through the gift of faith [Ephesians 2:8, 9] provides to us our perfect position [Romans 8:1] and initiates The Spirit’s guided conditioning process [John 16:13]. Our condition grows progressively from our inherent corrupt state towards God’s planned objective, a state of becoming a reflection of Christ [Romans 8:29]. During this conditioning, we grow according to our individual rate as prescribed in God’s plan [Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 1:6]. Each individual is different and even unique, which results in a staggered growth condition among believers at any given time. The staggering degree of understanding among God’s children, caused by the various stages of development, is a primary generator of our modern day controversies.

7. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8. That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.

Paul uses this athletic analogy with ease [1 Corinthians 9:24, 26, Galatians 2:2, and Philippians 2:16] to make his point. Maybe in his youth he competed in track competitions. The analogy is a good one because any serious runner knows discipline, technique, and perseverance are necessary to grow into a good runner.

The Spirit applies, among many things, good coaching techniques in His approach in the development process. Influences from the outside can inhibit development, causing the runner to trip and fall during training. An example of this is in the preaching of peace and prosperity, it may sound good, but it is not Scriptural. If we are not studying God’s word as we should then we become vulnerable to the pleasant and inspirational preaching of these smooth talking salespeople because we do not hear the difference between what they are saying and what God’s word is telling us [2 Peter 2:17, 19]. The Spirit very often allows us to stumble in our running and “skin” our knees so that our next step is painful enough to get our attention.

If we can hear preaching that is consistent with God’s word then we should feel at peace with what we are hearing. If we hear conflicts with God’s word, we should question the message and feel anguish. We should be developing a concern about whom or what is influencing us outside of The Spirit’s training, such as our own sinful nature, the most frequent influencer. When The Spirit is managing the training there is no going back or stopping the flow of truth. There is no u-turn in The Spirit’s training program. However, we do need to examine ourselves frequently [2 Corinthians 13:5, 6, James 1:2, 3].

In a very real sense, we have two conditions, the first is our condition resulting from The Spirit’s training, and the other is a battling condition with our sinful nature. The second condition looks very much like our old nature. This second nature is seen by others as one filled with anger, fear, and self-interest. Jesus’ story about the two sons vividly portrays an example of these two natures [Luke 15:11-32]. The younger son, after the death of his desires, learns how much his father loves him. The older son is caught in the grip of self-doubt about his father’s love. Therefore, we must undergo a grinding and filtering process to separate us from our old nature before we can come into the condition of real freedom and appreciation of God’s love.

The Spirit may and does allow tripping and momentary falling during our conditioning process, but such errors in performance demands extra-laps and push-ups. Always there should be discipline of some kind. When there is no discipline then such a condition very likely means, there is no faith and therefore no “position” [Hebrews 12:7-11]. The more the experience in discipline indicates some intense training is underway, and hopefully a faster growth rate. The emotions that are most often accompanying intense training are anger, fear, grief, and frustration; then more lessons are necessary [Philippians 4:6, 7].

When any of these emotions are felt, we need to seek The Spirit’s leading coupled with a spirit of prayer that is yielding to God’s will and with the intentions of forsaking our pre-determined self-absorbed dispositions.

“Test me, O LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;” [Psalm 26:2]

9. "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” 10. I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.

The runner who is lacking in good discipline, and who is influenced by the world’s representatives, promotes apathy (no sail), truth distortions (no keel), and escapisms (lots of whining). These promoted diseases are detrimental to the believer’s development. False teaching, sloppy theology, and hidden agendas can contribute to the spread of these diseases and a production of an immature condition. This is the reason for the admonition to “be holy in all that you do” [1Peter 1:15]. The real downside to these diseases is how The Spirit cures these maladies. The Spirit’s action can be very painful. When and how The Spirit will act is unpredictable, but His action is assured, “The Lord disciplines those He loves” [Hebrews 12:4-13].

When someone introduces alternative gospels into a group of believers, the judgment on them can be termed as horrendous [2 Peter 2:12], a reminder about the punishment of cheaters.

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” [Hebrews 12:11]

The old adage has a lot of truth in it, “No pain no gain!” We are disciplined because God loves us and is preparing us for that day when all His promises will be fulfilled. The conforming process [Romans 8:29] requires chipping, hammering, and lots of sandpaper. Discipline is a part of the way this world and our lives are designed, learning through discipline. We are inherently equipped with the abilities to compare and measure [Genesis 2:15, 19, 20], a divine attribute. This attribute causes us to identify, remember the cause, compare, and measure our experiences. When we associate an experience with unpleasantness or joy, we learn something about this life. We learn that certain activities cause us pain and other activities results in joy and peace. Soon, we begin to see that only God’s ways give us peace.

The principle The Spirit teaches us, during these experiences, is that our only hope in minimizing unpleasantness is to live according to God’s will in everything we do, and then we begin to look forward to that time when all our actions are according to God’s will, as the Apostle John did when he wrote on the island of Patmos --- “Amen! Come Lord Jesus!” [Revelation 22:20]

11. Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case, the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

Persecution (an extreme lack of popularity) is a positive indicator that we are in God’s will. The world and the sinful nature hate everything about God’s will. If the majority accepts us then maybe we are compromising our beliefs (about the “cross”) in order to be compatible with the majority or we are too silent about our beliefs. A reliable indicator, concerning any popular point-of-view, is to compare it with God’s word; if there is a mismatch then this view is just another rehash of the world’s wisdom and fantasies, such as “Harry Potter.” The consensus always agrees with the consensus, by definition.

Paul, regarding your feelings about “Judaizers” --- don’t hold back! Tell us what you really think. This strong statement [5:12] gives us an indication of the seriousness of all the heresies and of any alternative gospel [Jude 12, 13].

These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

The implication is we need to develop hatred towards all false teachings, as Paul did.

The Spirit tells us in Peter’s letter that those who belong to Christ have the guiding assurance that in God’s patience the training schedule is according to His plan.

Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. [2 Peter 3:13, 18]

Freedom’s Limitations

Galatians 5:13

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.

This next step in Paul’s letter is to expand our thoughts about the Christians “condition” by redefining the developed part of our condition, Biblically called The New Nature, the harbor of our soul. This condition under the management of The Spirit has grown our souls to a point where we begin to see more clearly the characteristics of the old nature, which is vulnerable to the influences in this world. Therefore, the world’s influences are attacking our minds and hearts less and less through the swaying of our sinful nature.

NEW NATURE AND OUR CURRENT CONDITION [JOHN 16:7-15]

MIND ß WORLD

HEART ß SINFUL NATURE

We may find ourselves simultaneously at the frontal edge of a battle between our sinful nature and the guidance of The Spirit, who is gaining more ground, albeit slowly and painfully. Under the leadership of The Spirit, we are free although in some ways trapped at times by our sinful nature. Our minds and our hearts are gradually becoming more in tune with what The Spirit is telling us.

Learning about the sinful nature is one area that this letter is teaching. In addition, the reality of Freedom is a complementary part of this lesson. Our current condition is a dichotomy of freedom and slavery. Freedom is for all the irrevocably called brethren [Romans 11:29]. This freedom is controlled by The Spirit, who manages some important limits and boundaries. (1) Our sinful nature tends to complain bitterly about these limits through guilt [John 16:11]. (2) The development of love, in other words the truth, measures the growth process and judges our condition. Sincere love only comes from the Spirit. Love indicates the presence of the Spirit [John 16:13]. After all, God (and His Spirit) is Love [1 John 4:16]. (3) Service to others is one of the products of The Spirit’s management, and this is looked upon by our selfish nature as restrictions to our freedom [John 16:14].

We need to watch and to appreciate what the Spirit is doing. We need to be careful not to take credit for the Spirit’s work. We need to thank God for this new person who is so much better than that old dying sinful nature. We need to be even contemptuous of this old inherent state. We need to be able to identify the tricks and traps of the sinful nature. God’s word helps us in all of this by giving us so many examples and stories in the Scriptures we can use in our effort to identify the disguises found in our sinful nature.

Rationalizing our acts in the sinful nature as influences of Satan is wrong and counterproductive. Being constantly mindful, that in all of our occupations in this life, God is working all things towards our healthy development [Romans. 8:28, 29].

One of the most telling characteristics of a born again person is a relaxed attitude towards other people [Philippians 4:4-7]. There is a calmness emanating from the new nature instead of the typical uptightness so commonly found in the world’s citizens. There is no implied trading of affection attempting to gain some sort of advantage or favor. There is no economic system at work, buying and selling of affection. There seems to be a natural ease in giving others the credit instead of grabbing the selfish spotlight. The Spirit teaches the believer that everything has a purpose in its own time, and all allowed time really belongs to the Lord. Wasting time and opportunities are really influences of the inherent sinful nature. Putting tasks off because of personal inconvenience or hardship is a very common example of this. Even motivational speakers attack procrastination as bad behavior, but then they try to instill self-directed control, which is merely substituting one problem for another. The Spirit replaces all of our maladies with the fruit of the Spirit, such as --- love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness.

It is good to do everything as if it were acting with an urgent and a specific request coming directly from the Lord [Romans 14:8]. We are to set a good example for others by trying to be efficient and organized, like the Lord, and never give the appearance of being lazy or sloppy. Developing an image of Christ-like qualities in attitude and love for others is a full-time occupation under the Spirit’s management.

The downside in the life of those born free is the tendency, driven by the sinful nature, to wander to the edge of the battle, to flirt with the desires of this human nature. There are typically four wandering signs. (1) Following self-directed positive thinking, as found in the psychobabble self-help books and teachings. (2) Embracing non-scriptural doctrines. (3) Harboring consensus myths as truth. (4) Avoiding God’s word and thereby ignoring the truth. These wanderings produce unhealthy desires, anxiety, pride, and doubt; these are our four sins.

God’s word does have the answers. We need to take seriously the fact that God is working everything in the life of the free born for good [Romans 8:28]. Believing this promise requires a growing faith, separated from the world’s messages. We need to remind ourselves that this God given faith is worth more than gold [1 Peter 1:6-12].

We need to learn and appreciates the fact that God uses His word as a tool during the time The Spirit is guiding us in all things [John 16:13, 14, 27]. Above all, the truth, Jesus, is what counts [John 14:6], not the myths we are fed continuously by the world.

"The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic." -- John F. Kennedy

Galatians 5:14, 15

MERCY, DENOMINATIONS, AND TRUTH

5:14. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

These are, of course, Jesus’ words quoted often in the New Testament, from His “Sermon on the Mount” to various other letters [Matthew 5:43, 22:39, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, and James 2:8]. This is a precept based upon the Old Testament law [Leviticus 19:18]. In both the Old and the New Testament, the noun “neighbor” is somewhat different from our modern day rendering. This noun, in the original languages, refers to someone you already love, and not a stranger. Jesus in His parable about The Good Samaritan [Luke 10:30-37] enlarges the meaning of the word “neighbor” to include those to whom mercy is given. Since mercy is an attribute of the Spirit, the leading of The Spirit is necessary to give or receive true mercy. The leading of The Spirit always directs us along this mercy path. Jesus is our model in all our dealing with others mercifully.

The context of this verse tells us that our service towards others is indicative of our execution of the entire law. If we show mercy then we are telling others The Spirit has touched our life, and through The Spirit we are fulfilling the law, we are righteous, and we are living by faith [Galatians 3:11]. This is such a simple summary of the law. By treating others as a Biblical neighbor, we are unaffected by selfish desires, being anxious about contingencies, listening to hidden agendas, the promotion of greed, and always giving God the glory He calls us to give.

Mercy and grace are terms we often hear used in a way that gives us the impression these terms are interchangeable. It is important to keep these terms separated in our minds as two separate concepts. Both are very Biblical. “Mercy” is used over 260 times in the Testaments, the Old (82% of this number), and New (18%). “Grace,” on the other hand, as a term is used over 150 times, in the O.T. there is about 25% usages and in the N.T. 75% usage of this term. The distribution difference indicates some insight into the way God works over time.

God focused on His mercy (4 to 1) before He emphasized His grace (4 to 1).

Our English dictionary tells us that “Mercy” is an act of compassion in lieu of punishment. “Grace” is defined as a virtue coming from God for regeneration. These definitions are consistent with the Scriptures. The Old Testament expressions of mercy are mostly all about God restraining His wrath with the expressed purpose of performing His plan. While in the New, since the “Word” has been made known [John 1:1-5], the use of grace increases in frequency.

The Hebrew and the Greek also make a significant distinction between these two terms. Mercy is treated in both of these languages as an act of kindness or compassion. Grace, as a term, is used with great care. Hesed is the term used in Hebrew to convey that a central part of God’s nature is demonstrated in this act. Charis is the Greek word for grace, which means the favorable disposition of God towards sinners because of Christ.

After parsing these words, we must conclude the differences are significant and important in understanding something about God’s ways. Mercy is temporary, a postponement of wrath, and an expression of pity or compassion.

Grace in contrast is founded upon God’s eternal plan and independent from anything we have done or will do. Grace is eternal and limited to God’s eternal plan.

Jesus and The Spirit are selective and limited about the maintenance of mercy, and, thereby, we are taught something about the meaning of being a good neighbor [Romans 9:15]. Jesus demonstrated this selectivity as recorded in Mathew 23:1-39, John 8:39-47, and John 10:25-30, as examples. The implied message in this premier commandment, “loving our neighbor,” is that not everyone is our neighbor! This selective mercy is inconsistent with the popular modern day teachings, but it is consistent with the context of this letter [Galatians 4:1-31]. Being one of Sarah’s descendants, the free woman, is certainly being selected, and this is contrasted from being a descendent of the slave woman, Hagar. As we develop our appreciation in God’s ways, we begin to see why being circumcised in the flesh is so irrelevant in the spiritual domain.

The leading of The Spirit, through faith, is the developing theme of this letter. This leading is always directed towards despising that which is evil, loving that which is good, following God’s commands, and thanking God for all He is doing.

This letter is not about how we can obey the law, or how to become a better person, or even about the marvels of grace. This letter is about gaining a better understanding of our inherent sinful nature, and how God’s Spirit is developing our soul to be more like Christ.

It is hypothetically possible to experience mercy outside of grace (the Egyptian Pharaoh [Romans 9:17]), and to have grace and to have mercy lifted (Ananias and Sapphira [Acts 5:1-11]). God’s plan and purpose operates outside of our control. God acts and we react to His control of mercy and grace [Ephesians 2:1-9].

5:15. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

There are countless denominations found throughout the world, at any time in history. Starting with two fundamental reference points --- (1) The Spirit is guiding God’s children towards the truth [John 16:13] and (2) The Spirit is working all things out for the good of God’s children [Romans 8:28], causes us to conclude that God is behind the formation of all of these denominations. God must be teaching us something through the generation of all of these denominations. God’s word tells us He is creating a family of individuals, all unique unto themselves, and that we are designed with the capability to compare and measure.

From such a perspective, it is possible to see that denominations must contribute to this developing process. Our environments are different and our learning rates are different, all yielding unique states, which are continuously changing.

No two people will ever see anything exactly the same way. Therefore, denominations and controversies becomes a normal and natural state.

We accommodate our differences between one and another in a variety of ways. We try to negotiate to find an acceptable position through compromising our original positions. We advocate being tolerant of other people, when neither party is willing to compromise. We tend to gather into herds of similar convictions and separate ourselves from people of some contrary persuasion that we find intolerant. We create social norms that honor peacemaking efforts. We tend to deny that truth is absolute and relegate the definition of truth to a philosophical and relative concept. In the course of embracing any, or some, of these adjustments, we placate the truth, which we really do not want to face anyway. Often this escape from the truth leads us into conflict with others because of a strongly held difference in the definition of the truth.

Any heated engagements in emotions are generally unproductive, but sometimes helpful in bringing about recognition of the existence of a problem.

If God’s word is the source of absolute truth then the interpretation of this truth becomes the issue and The Spirit’s challenge. Most controversies relate to interpretations, this is where most of the fighting and quarrelling comes into play. These controversies are led by a wandering away from God’s word through an intentional or unintentional discounting the contextual presentation of these Scriptures. People generally interpret the Scriptures in a way that soothes their personal dispositions.

There are literal interpretations, traditional interpretations, and contextual interpretations. Since the Scriptures are rarely written in literal phrases that are linked together with dictionary-defined words, the literal interpretations should be explored skeptically and cautiously. Most traditions are composites of someone else’s interpretations and thereby require intensive examination of the original Scriptures for verification. The contextual interpretation is the most useful because the original languages rest upon the context to define the words and phrases.

In the final analysis, all controversies are good because they force us to examine our own beliefs, compel a contrast with the Scriptures, and, in such examinations, we are brought under the guidance of The Spirit.

The Truth is independent from our convictions. This is the reason we need to examine ourselves [2 Corinthians 13:5]. Being “right” and maintaining continuity with our “consensus” training is often defensively disguised as a search for the truth. The search for “proof” overshadows the search for “truth.” In addition, our sinful nature attempts to confuse our thinking by faking deafness and blindness. “Don’t confuse me with facts my mind is made up!” When there is more than one person with such a mindset, there are arguments that often lead to ill feelings. These disagreements are sometimes pacified through mutual compromise or negotiation. The Spirit never negotiates. The Spirit’s guidance is, therefore, necessary to achieve a true learning experience. Disinformation and heresy often emerges from an individual’s compromise and negotiation. Always at the center of these so-called peacemaking endeavors is a vying for control, one sinful nature pitted against another. It is common in such negotiations to omit any meaningful reference to God’s word. “I think” is a phrase that is often used.

Although some use God’s word to make a disputed point through misquoting, truncating a passage, and taking verses out of context.

With a self-directed desire for control, it is impossible to believe God is in control [Matthew 6:24]. In order to believe that God is in control the indwelling Spirit’s teachings are needed. The belief that God is working all things, even the bad things, towards His planned objective is an important thought and a powerful promise [Romans 8:28], but too few Christians really believe this. This verse contextually means that the Spirit is in control of all the details, all and every experience, and all of these things are being used by God to teach and guide His children in His Ways. When this promise is really believed then there is an appreciation of God’s control, and this control is something we can add to our list of thanksgivings. God’s children have one purpose:

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [Romans 8:29]

The implication of a controlling God is the exact opposite of the world’s assumptions and principles. Seeking happiness, they will say, makes more sense than seeking holiness [1 Peter 1:15, 16].

Our evil nature is the real enemy that is trying to destroy us, and it inherently lives inside of us; we were once controlled by this evil before God started the painful process of replacing this evil propensity with His Spirit’s control. Now, we do not have to fear any evil on the outside of us because Jesus has overcome the world [John 16:15, 33].

When we are tempted to judge someone else’s condition or interpretation of the truth, we need to remind ourselves of what Jesus told Peter concerning John’s future, after that breakfast meeting subsequent to the resurrection. “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” [John 21:22] It is none of our business what God is doing in someone else’s life. We need to stay tuned in to what The Spirit is telling us; that is all we can handle anyway. The Scriptures show us explicitly how to keep in touch with God’s Spirit and will [Colossians 3:5-17].

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him

[Colossians 3:15-17]

Galatians 5:16

Life by the Spirit is righteousness

5:16. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

WORDS MATTER

If we paraphrase the Greek used in this verse then it could be rendered as, “What I am saying is that now you should be walking according to The Spirit and not according to your selfish desires.” The verb “live” is written in the “present active imperative.” This tense, voice, and mood tells us that this is a statement of confidence about the present action as it occurs, the action is being carried out by the causative agent, The Spirit, and the authority is coming by command, for this action, from the Spirit. Most English to Greek Study Bibles supply various forms of grammatical notations regarding verbs to help us to get a flavor of the contextual message. Such notations should routinely be checked against other interpretations and most importantly against the context of the passage. When reading this verse in the NIV, there appears to be an inconsistence in the grammatical notations and the words presented. There is always a potential for confusion in reading any interpretation.

Here are some things we can do, to minimize this confusion. (1) Parse the words grammatically, look carefully at the subject and verbs. (2) Read other interpretations frequently. (3) Always, examine the context carefully. (4) Remember who is in control. These four rules, with the help of The Spirit, can be very useful in clearing up confusion. Notice, there is no mention of listening to some preacher, teacher, or philosopher. God’s word, with the help of The Spirit, is all we need to understand the things He wants us to understand when we are ready to understand.

The Living Translation interprets this verse as, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves” (copied from http://bibleresources.bible.com/bible_niv.php) Notice the difference, the NIV have chosen to use the phrase “live by,” which can be misleading in the colloquial sense, and this Living Translation uses the word “guide,” which is closer to the Greek manuscript. The word “live” implies there is a personal contingency involved somehow. The context and the Greek verb used here, peripateo (per-ee-pat-eh’-o), defines a progressive walk towards some destination. This is very different from, zao (dxah’o), the Greek for “to live,” which is enjoying real life.

The theme and context of this passage is about being lead, or guided [John 16:13, Galatians 5:18, 25], by The Spirit, which is listening to The Spirit’s instructions.

It is not about gaining some advantage in this life through self-determination. “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” [Colossians 1:17].

Some interpreters go so far as to imply because of the literal implication of the verb “live” that there is a contingency command in this verse. Our existentialist friends, for example, tell us that this life is a matter of selecting the right path though a mind force using our will, and thereby we become a better person. The root of our problems is self-doubt, they claim. Paul is not saying or implying this interpretation at all. The context is about following and not leading. The verse is a statement of a fact about The Sprit’s work and action, and it is not about something we are capable of doing by ourselves.

ACTIONS MATTER

It is profound to consider that being lead by the Spirit prevents the “gratification of the desires of the sinful nature.” This statement is a specific contrast between those who have been born of God and those who do not have God’s given faith [1 John 3:9, 5:12].

This absolute contrast and prohibition against sin can be stated in another way,

“But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. [James 2:18-24]

Yes, there are only two possible action paths in this life, as stated in both the letters of Galatians and James. These two letters are never in conflict and are always complimentary. The germane question is whether God has created in us “the new nature?” [2 Corinthians 5:17-21] These two spiritually determined paths are made abundantly clear in the following Romans passage:

NATURE MATTERS

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” [Romans 8:5-11]

Examination of this passage provides us with another example of the application of the “Position” and “Condition” status in our lives. The selection of the words used in the NIV interpretation makes this example a little harder to read.

The committee who negotiated the wording in this interpretation cloaked some important messages that are found in the Greek manuscripts.

The phrase “live according,” in verse 5, tends to give the impression that there is here some level of contingency. The Greek simply uses a single word, “kata,” which means “according to” or “complying with.” The verse should read “Those who are complying with the sinful nature.” This is obviously a “Condition” or statement of fact and not a life opportunity. In verse 7, the phrase “hostile to God” is used. The Greek is much more vigorous in the use of echthra (ek’thah), which means hatred. The softening of the word implies there was some negotiating in the interpretation committee. Also in verse 7, the use of the word “submit” implies some more self-determination is evolved. The Greek, in contrast, specifies the word “hupotasso” (hoop-ot-as’-o), which means a forced subordinated obedience. This tells us we are inherently slaves our sinful natures, in a condition of disobedience. This condition is only overcome through the power of The Spirit, which creates a new “Condition.” The use of the word “controlled,” used in verses 7 and 8, tends to overcome the weakness caused by the use of the word “submit,” but this falls short of the Greek word used in both of these verses, “oideo” (oy-kah’-o), which means to dwell. It is more meaningful to say God’s Spirit is dwelling in us than to say The Spirit controls us. Control implies an outside-in action, while dwelling connotes an inside-out action.

This dwelling definition is further emphasized in the context and specifically in verses 9 through 11. The indwelling is the source of the power and the control. The thrust of the engine causes a plane to fly, and it does not fly because some untrained, yet well meaning, individual is sitting at the controls.

These verses do not claim that we are free from the influence of the sinful nature; it states the difference between two natures, the inherent nature, and the other nature, the indwelling presence of The Spirit. This is a place where keeping “Position” and “Condition” in clear perspective is useful. It is in our “Condition” that we struggle with these opposing forces, and it is where The Spirit eventually wins.

Our born again lives are both influenced by our sinful nature and simultaneously controlled by The Spirit. There is no middle ground. There is no inherent power to choose between good and evil or to choose our nature. Our inherent sinful nature chooses evil every time [Romans 3:10-18]. The indwelling Spirit of God chooses “good” every time [John 16:13]. Consequently, there is a constant battle in progress between our sinful nature and our indwelling Spirit. The believer and The Spirit are always the ultimate winners [Romans 8:28].

The “Judaizers” and those advocating an alternative gospel contribute to this battle. Some of them say that we intuitively know the difference between good and evil. This is ludicrous. If such a thought were true then we would never make a mistake or “error.” There is no scripture to support such an assertion that we have inherent moral knowledge. We cannot believe Romans 3 and this self-serving assertion at the same time.

Another common myth is that Satan himself tempts us in doing the wrong thing. “The devil made me do it.” This is a common belief in all of the world’s religions. However, it is not supported by the Scriptures. There is only one example where the created being called Satan personally tempted anyone, that was Jesus in the wilderness [Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13]. Any other references to this created being should be kept in the context and verified according to the Greek or Hebrew definitions. Such an exercise will reveal it is evil, as a nature, and not a created person that is referenced. Satan is not omnipresent, omniscient, nor omnipotent. Certainly, he is not a god, and he should never be treated like one. The fact he was never given a scriptural name should raise some questions about his importance. He only goes by nicknames, like Satan, which is a description of him being cast down.

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole. [1 Peter 1:3-5 (The Message)]

5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

There are at least seven questions that come to mind after reading this verse, which can be categorized with the following seven adverbs: WHAT, WHY, WHO, HOW, WHERE, WHEN, AND NOW.

Everyone “in Christ” lives on a thin red line separating our “Position” and “Condition.” This line is being moved by God’s Spirit slowly and methodically towards the place we are destined to go. This verse, in a way, represents Paul’s summation of this letter about how we are mystified by how this line is changing. We are being changed because this is the way God works. All have been set free because Christ has set us free [Galatians 5:1] according to God’s plan and purpose.

Appreciating this freedom is a step towards understanding the elements of the battle we witness all around us.

This Galatians verse is avoided in most studies or passed on to the category of being too disputable by those who are trying to escape the truth.

All the escapist’s approaches to this verse only confuse or frustrate the benefits found here. Spending some time with this verse can potentially help us to understand our world and us. An examination of this verse can give us some insight into our conditioning, and into all of the troubles, we experience and observer. This verse must be viewed in the context of the entire letter for its meaning to have the proper impact. The contextual view is more meaningful than the conventional and traditional approach. It seems it is more popular to pass over this verse than to address its obvious components. The sinful nature is too often relegated to a place where it is assigned as some one else’s problem or given the ideological description of being a past problem, which can or is being cured by determination and self-control. Neither of these approaches is consistent with God’s word. This represents an apt illustration of the theme found throughout this letter. This verse could be called the climax of the message, which has been building slowly throughout this letter.

WHAT: Two forces are engaged in a battle. The sinful nature is fighting The Spirit and The Spirit is methodically killing the sinful nature. This is an active engagement; neither side is taking a passive role in this event. In such a battle, tactics are important and the strategy is predetermined. The forward edge of the battle (FEBA) environment, the thin red line, is within the believer’s mind, emotions, and soul. The tactics used by both sides are very individualized and are constantly changing. The mere complexity of this battle causes us to wonder about the planning behind this battle, the battle’s purpose, and the origin of these adversaries. This battle is being fought by two forces far superior to either our human determination or our self-control. One force is from God and the other is an inherent nature, a part of our design, within all of us. The latter fact, it seems to be something too horrendous to face, and, therefore, because of popular demand we should avoid this discussion. Nevertheless, we are in the mist of this battle, waging between these two forces, outside of our wishes and control.

WHY: We are told something in God’s word about the battle plan, strategy, and its purpose, and then from observations, we can see evidences that there really is a plan and it is affecting lives.

God’s word tells us in many ways that this battle is part of God’s plan in the creation of a family that will honor The Father forever [Romans 8:29]. We can see in others and in ourselves how this life and its struggle change us into people who are very different from the rest of the world’s population. We are also different from the way we use to be. These changes are consistent with the stories we read in God’s word. The engagement of this battle has been waged since the beginning. The reason for this battle is it creates the foundation from which our faith grows and changes; just as all “the ancients were commended for” [Hebrews 11:2].

It is our faith God is growing in this battle. The more we realize that we are helpless the more our faith grows. We develop physical strength by using our muscles. Our whole body is affected when we exercise. Our minds, emotions, and our soul grow in a similar manner. Being in the presence of this battle, we are affected by the struggles between these two forces, as if we were lifting weights, which is much like the struggle between gravity and our weakness.

We are in the middle of these conflicting forces, one is God’s natural power, and the other is a reflection of our nature. God is using His power to teach us that we are weak and we are dependent upon His mercy.

As we learn to see the contrast between these forces, we grow in our trust and begin to believe in His way and His word. In our recognized weakness, we can then pray, “Jesus help me” with sincerity and thanksgiving.

Galatians 5:17 (continued)

Why is this battle necessary? We ask this question so often. We can read the Scriptures and we can have empathy for those whose lives are portrayed, but when we are suffering these stories seem so distant. Our agony is real and admonishments about God’s plan and about our development have little impact in the relief of our pain. Surely, there must be a better way. When we look at how we develop physically, emotionally, and mentally we can see that effort and pain are involved, but this doesn’t seem to help very much. These thoughts do not answer why there is so much injustice and inexplicable suffering going on in this world, far and near to us. To imply that all these things are related, directly or indirectly, to the message in this verse seems to be an unreal hyperbole. Yet, we are told that all of creation is groaning in pain waiting for the coming of the Lord [Romans 8:18-23]. This ubiquitous torment is an integral part of God’s creative continuing process. All of this pain that we witness and feel is contributing to the creation of God’s family.

The hope God offers in His redemption is the reason why we must suffer. Our hope or expectations found in God’s promises and His teachings help us to be patient and to wait for His coming [Romans 8:24, 25].

We have the promise that God’s Spirit is with us to help us in our weakness by encouraging us to pray for God’s help, which The Spirit translates into inexpressible words [Romans 8:26].

God’s Spirit fully understands our needs and our pains and pleads our case to The Father with the understanding of God’s plan for our life [Romans 8:27]. This understanding and compassion in the mist of our plight assures us that everything, even this current pain, is being worked for our eternal good [Romans 8:28]. In this assurance, we can have hope and peace that God is working even our current pain in the development of our soul into the very image of Jesus, who then becomes our brother in God’s family [Romans 8:29]. This was the plan all along, put into place even before the beginning of time. This is the reason “why” we were called to be His property, which He created and develops according to His will, for His purpose [Romans 8:30].

With such a promise as this, our “why” question losses significance? With God working it all out, from the beginning to the end, our pain becomes incomparable to the anguish God suffered in the process of creating a family in His image [Romans 8:31, 32].

When we put our pain into this perspective, it becomes hard to blame God, or anything else, for our suffering because it is all for our ultimate good [Romans 8:33, 34]. In the final analysis, God’s love is working in ways we cannot understand and it is always working for our new creation. There is nothing in the spiritual or the temporal domains that can separate us from this love [Romans 8:35-39].

We need to thank Him for His marvelous plan and listen to His Spirit when He tells us how much God loves us and is helping us to endure patiently all of the conforming process, so that our condition can become equal to our position [Romans 8:1].

WHO: We can easily reconcile in our minds the existence of God’s Spirit working because the Bible speaks about The Spirit so often. The sinful nature battling with The Spirit is, however, vague and imprecise in our minds, although ubiquitous in God’s word. The identification of this foe is clouded in myth and disinformation, avoiding the Biblical truth about our sinful nature, which is our real foe. The questions and misunderstandings surrounding this foe is one of the reasons this letter spends so much time preparing us for this lesson about our sinful nature, why it gives us so much detail.

We usually have questions like when, where, and why does this foe exist and act. Actually, the Scriptures, as a whole, spends significant amount of writing space on this subject, but because of two apparent factors, our foe is not discussed very much because, (1) various cultural agendas hide this foe from most teachings of the Scriptures, and (2) the name of this foe varies from interpretation to interpretation. This causes confusion, which we gladly and naturally accommodate because the sinful nature loves confusion.

For whatever reason, our real enemy and adversary, our sinful nature, is hidden from our conscious awareness through the consensus conspiracy of all of our sinful natures. This nature does not enjoy being called out as the cause of all our evil because this would contradict with the preferred image of being the source of our power. If we look closely, we can find nearly four hundred direct references, plus the many more indirect influences of this sinful nature adversary, which we would prefer not to discuss.

When we ask ourselves, “who” tempted David that spring evening as he looked down from his palace roof [2 Samuel 11:1-5]. “Who” tempted Moses to strike the rock twice when God told him to strike it once [Numbers 20:11, 12]? “Who” tempted Peter to deny that he was one of Jesus’ disciples [Matthew 26:69-75]? “Who” tempted Eve to bite into the forbidden fruit [Genesis 3:6]? Our knee jerk reaction to these questions is to answer the “who” was “Satan”; he tempted them all, but this answer in not Scriptural. This answer misses the lessons being taught about the humanity of these people and their respective nature.

This Satan was working in this answer emerges from something we have been wrongly taught, and does not help us to reconcile “but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed” [James 1:14]. Similarly, how do we explain away this Galatians verse; or who resolves the references in other places [Romans 6:16-21, 7:21-24, 8:5-7, or Matthew 25:41, or 1 Corinthians 10:13]. Temptation starts inside of our very nature and not from some force on the outside [Romans 8:5-8]. This is difficult to merge into our legacy training because such thoughts are contrary to our natural desire to believe we have inherent goodness and inherent power to decide anything all by ourselves.

Some call it “flesh,” some call it human nature, some call it sinful self-interest, and some call it the sinful nature. Whatever this foe is called it is universally found in all humans. The NIV calls it the sinful nature, which is an adequate name.

Any study concerning this subject must be approached with a detachment from prior dispositions and strongly held beliefs. Such a study must be confined to that which God has told us in His Holy word under the guidance of His Spirit. Our past training tends to ignore sin as having anything related with our basic nature. Sin is popularly held as a defect in ones character or will power. Such a disposition is not consistent with the Holy Scriptures. “We have met the enemy and the enemy is us,” according to Pogo, Walt Kelly’s cartoon character.

Galatians 5:17 (Part III)

The insights given in this verse, and all the associated verses, can help us to understand our world, those around us, and ourselves. All the questions we ask about the injustice, the pain we suffer, and our concerns about the future are answerable in this verse, its context, and it’s supporting verses. If we can gain such help in these studies then the time and effort spent is worthwhile.

Before we finish our examination of this verse we should explore briefly the how, where, when, and now questions.

HOW: The sinful nature is powerful. The sinful nature is the reason that even when we have learned about a right and good action, we do not do it [Romans 7:21-24]. The sinful nature has its own agenda, which is to kill us. This agenda is the exact opposite from The Spirit, who is tasked with the objective to give us life [John 10:10, 16:13, 14]. The discontentment that we feel about anything is our evidence that this sinful nature exists in us. Our compulsive seeking of selfish satisfaction, most likely, is a product of this sinful nature.

How can this happen? Did not God make us like this? Some conclude that God created a “perfect” man in Adam, who was different in design and characteristics from all subsequent humans, and changed in nature somehow because of his sin. The accounts we are given in the Scriptures do not confirm this conclusion [Genesis 1:26, 27, 3:6, 1 Corinthians 15:22]. The first Adam and all humans are not perfect, as it has been proven throughout history [Romans 3:10-18]. Only in Christ, can anyone become perfect in God’s sight [Romans 8:1]. Therefore, the creation process continues to this very day [2 Corinthians 5:17-21].

The sinful nature is a tool God uses to teach all of us, as He did with Adam, how merciful and full of grace His love is. If any of us were perfect in our nature how could we learn about our imperfections and about God’s perfection. Learning by this contrasting process is the reason for our design and our new and continuing creation. Besides, the imperfections of the first humans are clearly seen, yet ignored by most, in Eve’s recorded thoughts prior to her sin [Genesis 3:6].

Our only recourse in the answering of the question about why God would wire us with a sinful nature --- is to hold God responsible by believing this is how He decided to create His family [Romans 8:29]. We could blame Satan for it, but such an answer implies God is not all-powerful or He made a mistake in His design; in either case, we are saying He is not sovereign. If we blame Satan for this nature, in any way, we are essentially saying that God did not plan properly, His design was flawed, or He is playing the whole scenario by ear. The only reasonable conclusion, if we believe God is Sovereign, is to conclude that the sinful nature is incorporated into the human design for a purpose. Such a conclusion is consistent with all of the Scriptures.

This does not mean that God created evil. He did, however, create the propensity from which evil emerges. This assumption is in harmony with the description we have about the unnamed created being who fell from heaven [Isaiah 14:12-15] and was part of God’s plan to “bring low the pride of all glory and to humble all who are renowned on the earth” [Isaiah 23:9]. Evil emerged from this created being because of the self-perception of glory that produced pride, the beginning of the nature of evil. God’s design specifications are very explicit about how glory is to be distributed. God makes this determination, and it is all for His glory [Colossians 1:17].

In the course of not learning or appreciation God’s reality, we have all fallen victim to the power of the sinful nature, except for one. Jesus never sinned because He was conceived by the overshadowing of The Spirit [Luke 1:35]. Jesus had the power of The Spirit from the beginning. He also had the design characteristic of the human sinful nature because He was born of a woman. Therefore, Jesus was fully God and He was fully man. Due to His human propensity to sin He was temped in all ways [Matthew 4:1-11], yet He was without sin [2 Corinthians 5:21]. His temptation was more intense than any human has had ever to endure.

Jesus was tempted by Satan, the powerful created being, personally, and not just by the propensity in His human nature alone. Satan used all of the designed mechanisms contained in the sinful nature, but to no avail. Jesus because of His victory over sin defeated this powerful created being and the power of the sinful nature.

In Christ, God has provided an escape mechanism to overcome the power of the sinful nature [1 Corinthians 10:13]. This is all part of God’s plan to develop the human spirit in His given faith from a place of weakness into a place of power, satisfaction, and peace. God uses the sinful nature as a catalyst in His ministry of reconciliation and the development of the new creation in Christ [2 Corinthians 5:17-19].

WHERE: This Galatians 5:17 verse uses the term “in conflict” implying that both forces are present and clashing at the same time. Two forces, not three or more, are in conflict with each other, and are at that thin red line between these forces, where we live. The nature of these two forces should be the focus of our examination in order that we may understand a little better God’s ways. The origin of God is eternal, which is a thought that is outside of our comprehension.

The origin of the sinful nature, in contrast, seems to have a specific beginning, with the created being, and we are told it will end; therefore, the sinful nature is temporal, although it did have a spiritual beginning, but this is true of all creation. It is at the thin red line where all of our thoughts, dreams, hope, and faith reside, during the period of time we call – “now.” This is where we live our lives, not in the blurriness of the past or the blindness of the future, but in our current experiences. We are very familiar with this battle, and we would like to escape it, if we could. It is part of God’s plan; so, we need to recognize it for what it is. It is in us, it is a part of us, and we suffer because of it. Our position remains in a freedom only Christ can give [Galatians 5:1], our lives are influenced by this battle being raged on that thin red line [Galatians 5:17], and our condition is described as some residual sinful nature [Galatians 5:19].

We try to ignore our sinful nature or we try to rationalize our actions. These efforts cause us to experience confusion, regret, and guilt. The substitutes we employ all come from the outside and never even touch our real problem and enemy. We buy into various illusions and get-well programs of wishful thinking, and in the end, we feel dissatisfied in some way.

We hide from what the Bible tells us about our problems and embrace the theories that are based upon the world’s “sciences” and “wisdom” found in psychology, philosophy, and theology.

WHEN: The sinful nature has been in existence since the beginning [Genesis 3:6]. This Genesis verse describes Eve’s attitude, or private thoughts, before any first bite. This attitude and her thoughts indicate the existence of the sinful nature, even then. This attitude reflects and emulates the origin of evil that occurred in the pride of the anonymous created being that gave birth to evil [Isaiah 14:12-15, 23:9; Ezekiel 28:14-19; Luke 10:18]. An emulation of this evil nature exists in every person born into this temporal domain [Romans 3:10, 11, Psalm 58:3]. We are taught, however, to ignore or deny any connection to, or consideration of, the indwelling of our sinful nature, by many of our teachers, particularly in the “possibility thinking” cults.

We find ourselves in a similar circumstance as Eve, as described in The Garden, given so much, yet like her, we want more. The sinful nature has not changed, only the way we view it has changed. Eve was ignorant about her nature, but we have no such excuse. We see all around us evidence of its existence and we have so much information about it in the Scriptures.

Still we listen to those who are driven by their own selfish interests, promoting non-scriptural theories and ignore the sinful nature as our enemy. The sinful nature promotes everyone’s selfish interests even though these interests have fatal results. Death is always the end game and the objective of this evil nature.

NOW: The cause of all of our sin is the sinful nature, which is integrated into the human design for a purpose. Its purpose is to serve as a starting point, which is totally corrupt, and a contrast that highlights God’s power in the creation of a “new creature,” which can give Him all the glory and the family He desires [2 Corinthians 5:17]. The cumulative affect of all of these sinful natures in this world, over six and half billion strong, represents the cause of all the evil we see. Evil grows proportionally to this population growth.

In our current “now” environment, the work, and the power of The Spirit are underrated by the promoters of all the alternative gospels as indicated by their desire to preserve the myth of the invented and popularized self-control battling against to the forces of darkness. True self-control is a product of The Spirit’s harvest [Galatians 5:23]. The counterfeit self-control is a product of the sinful nature’s prideful desire to be god-like [Genesis 3:5].

This inherent nature cannot be controlled by positive thinking. As The Spirit develops God’s child, the believer eventually begins to see God’s plan and purpose for this life in an atmosphere of true freedom, freedom indeed, created through God’s power and grace [John 8:36].

From the perspective, God is Sovereign and is in control of our situation a number of our troubling mysteries that continuously plague us are answerable in this 5:17 verse and context. Why are these answers hidden and so difficult to see if they are so important? God is using our confusion to grow our faith. As The Spirit grows our faith, we can see better in the mist of confusion, we begin to see how God is working, to fog begins to clear. Our sinful nature encourages confusion, which is beaten back by faith.

Our confusion in our struggle in our battle emanates from fabrications in uncertainty and hurdles like,

(1) This answer about what God is doing refutes the thinking and theories of the consensus.

(2) We do not like to believe we inherently harbor this powerful sinful nature.

(3) We naturally blame someone else or something, outside of ourselves for our troubles.

(4) We do not believe easily that God made us like this, starting from such corruption.

(5) We rarely hear such a proposition as God is responsible.

(6) We like the stories we are told by the presenters of the alternative gospels. It all can be fixed, they say, by just changing our attitude.

(7) We are taught there are some parts of the Scriptures that should be ignored.

These factors and ambiguities do actually represent our current “Condition,” which is being changed by The Spirit, not by self-control, in this battle with the sinful nature. We are witnesses and victims in this battle; we are not fighters in this battle! Remember, we are sheep in His fold. As the battle changes us, we begin to see what God is doing, “what counts is the new creation” [Galatians 6:15].

The ultimate and dominating force in this conflict is God’s Spirit. Within the miracle of the “new birth” is the presence of God’s Spirit, who initiates the “new birth” and who is tasked with the job of changing this “new child” into an image of God’s Son, The Christ [John 3:6, 6:29, Romans 8:29].

The “position” of this child, firmly and eternally, is established [Romans 8:1], and is set on the road towards life’s purpose, designed for this child [Ephesians 2:10, Romans 8:28-30].

The Spirit’s power is all that is needed to defeat any interference the sinful nature might propose [2 Peter 1:3]. This God given force provides the believer with the promise that nothing can separate the believer from God’s love during this conflict with the sinful nature [Romans 8:37-39].

Galatians 5:18

5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

What a statement! What does this do to the beliefs of the legalist or the existentialist? This verse directly contradicts the essential doctrinal position of the legalists and the existentialists. The legalists are expecting a reward for obeying their chosen rules and the existentialists are expecting a good feeling or experience for obeying the consensus “feeling” concerning the right action and thought.

This verse is telling us The Spirit is controlling our life if we are being led by Him. Our expectations when The Spirit is leading should be that God’s will be done and not our will.

This is not a change in the theme! It does change the emphasis from war to peace in our hearts and minds coming from the awareness that God is in control and He loves us. In this battle to overcome with our sinful nature, The Spirit is the winner and our sinful nature is the loser. The Spirit has set us free from the power of this inherent nature [1 Corinthians 10:13] and in God’s sight we are completely free [Romans 8:1, Galatians 5:1].

We can hear our sinful nature screaming at us that this is not true, but The Spirit in us is telling us this is true [Romans 7:14-25]. In addition, this verse is telling us that the law has no power over us when we are being lead by The Spirit. We are then in a state of peace if we are following The Spirit’s guidance because, Christ’s Spirit is the source of all peace. The Bible tells us that The Spirit will guide us into the truth [John 16:13] and will give us His peace.

²⁶But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. [John 14:27]

Our spirit’s battle has been won and Christ is the victor and He is our peace. As we are told ---

¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace [Ephesians 2:14, 15].

Christ has abolished the law and all of its rules in order to create a new free access to God the Father, who is the source of all peace.

This peace given through Christ’s Spirit is beyond our understanding and control, but it has the power to dominate our minds and our hearts ---

⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:7].

Although the battle continues in this life, we have the hope we will be conformed to the image of God’s Son so that we can enjoy this peace and our inheritance.

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. [Romans 8:28-30]

In a letter after he wrote this letter to the Galatians, Paul revisits this same subject and spends some thirteen verses in a more extensive elaboration [Romans 8:4-17].

A passage pulled from The Message gives a summary of this essential theme found in our three Galatians verses and the Romans verses, as:

^16-18My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way. [The Message Romans 8:16-18]

Living freely means being lead by The Spirit, which, in turn, means He guides us ---

When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come [John 16:13].

He teaches us ---

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. [2 Timothy 3:16].

He demonstrates His control over us ---

¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. [Hebrews 12:10, 11].

The dependence upon The Spirit cannot be under emphasized. Both the Old and the New Testament gives us lots of clues about His leading, His guiding, His teaching, and His control.

5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. (Part II)

Galatians 5:1 tells us “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” This means all those who are in Christ are free from the both legalistic (rules) and existential (my will) considerations and free from condemnation in God’s sight [Romans 8:1]. The concepts of freedom and control [Hebrews 12:10, 12] seems to be at odds with each other, at first glance. The Spirit is freeing us from our self-imposed responsibility by taking upon Himself the responsibility to train and discipline us according to His plan. His training creates in us a freedom where we are under only His control.

Therefore, both freedom and control are working together. The world around us is telling us, in every way it can, that we must follow its law or its rules, which is its control without freedom. The Greek defines this word “law,” nomon, as a tradition based term relating to some objective regulation or as a figurative term depicting some subjective value. We can conclude that all of the alternative gospels are generated from either or a combination of objective or subjective rules. Is this not what the “Judaizers” were doing in the Galatians? It is easy to find such imposed rules in Christian churches. However, The Spirit is teaching us what we must do, if we are in Christ. We do not have to “decide” according to objective laws or our subjective feelings because The Spirit is managing our life and He is teaching us about God’s ways. We do need to examine ourselves [2 Corinthians 13:5], trust in God [John 14:1], and believe the Bible is God’s word, which is speaking to us [2 Timothy 3:16], in order to speed up this teaching process that leads to true freedom [John 8:31-36].

In a later letter, Paul revisits this same subject and spends some thirteen verses in a more extensive elaboration [Romans 8:4-17]. A passage pulled from The Message gives a summary of this essential theme found in our three Galatians verses and the Romans verses, as:

Living freely means being lead by The Spirit, which, in turn, means He guides us [John 6:13], He teaches us [2 Timothy 3:16], and He demonstrates to us his control [Hebrews 12:10, 11]. The dependence upon The Spirit cannot be under emphasized. Both the Old and the New Testament gives us lots of clues about His leading.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” [Psalms 23:3]

We are not becoming self-deterministic because The Spirit is making us to do those things that are good for us. In Christ, we are becoming less dependent upon all outside influences, those objective, and subjective rules.

He leads us to a peaceful place where our minds and our emotions can be secure. He repairs the damage done in our past life. He guides us on a path towards a new life where we only care about His will, devoid of all our cares. The Spirit is doing all of this just because we are owned by Him and He is responsible for our future [Romans 8:28].

This guide and Shepherd is the same yesterday, today, and forever. [Hebrews 13:8]. There is no evidence in the Scriptures that these principles can be annulled or revised. Those who claim that we are independent free agents, or doubt His control, must not be reading these Scriptures very carefully.

This is what the LORD says-- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. [Isaiah 42:16]

God is in control of the believer’s life, even during the times of rebellion or times of trouble. It is not a question about obedience or disobedience; it is about a process that is creating obedience and a new life. For example, in the mist of an episode of rebellion there comes an increase in pain and a decrease in peace. Anger and bitterness are examples of this pain. Out of this pain grows a new attitude and perspective concerning God’s plan.

The believer learns in the “conditioning” phase through training and managed discipline to hear The Shepherd’s voice and to follow His instructions. This kind of obedience eventually becomes natural and such obedience represents an increase in grade advancement in life’s classroom.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." [John 10:27, 30]

Under The Spirit’s control, the law becomes irrelevant because the believer learns about proper behavior through this loving guidance. The law is a measuring device to gauge the current condition of the believer. The “shall” in the commandments are predictions about the condition the believer “will” recognize eventually, the right path in the sanctification process.

Next week, the Lord willing, we will continue to examine this 5:18 verse and explore the nature of obedience, its meaning, and its role in our lives. This study will touch on some of the leading mechanisms The Spirit uses on us in the conforming process

Galatians 5:16-18

¹⁶So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

Notice these verses are not about obedience; the theme is about the “new creation,” which is led by The Spirit, free from the law. The “Beatitudes” [Matthew 5:3-10] or the Commandments [Exodus 20:1-17] are not human goals or lofty aspirations. These rules are design specifications for those who own God’s gift of faith that launched the “new creation” life. When we see a disparity between these specifications and our condition, we are to recognize that God is not finished with us yet. We have room for improvement and more conforming processing is required, and we should be aware that new lessons are on the way. These precepts and commands describe the dimensions The Spirit uses to determine our individualized lessons and training plan.

God makes us, leads us, restores us, and guides us; [Psalm 23:3] this represents our behavior and our purpose in this life. According to psychologist, it is not as simple as this. In order to study psychology, we need to be introduced to neurotransmitters, stages of personality development, understand sensations, perceptions, memory, the mind, and becoming aware of various motivations, and emotions. All of these factors, and a number of others, it is claimed, contribute to the development of our purpose. The degree and scope of how these factors play in our lives are in great dispute among the psychological community. Generally, they say, it requires a professional to analyze a person’s potential (future), mental health (present), and subconscious motivational needs (past). These areas are carefully measured in a diagnosis.

One of the best-kept secrets is that the Bible is the most comprehensive psychology text in the world. Some psychologist will admit the Bible is helpful, but few will be as hyperbolic as this. There are branches of psychology discipline that specialize in Christian psychology and education. However, very few subscribe to the message given in the context of these verses [Galatians 5:13-18]. We are designed, individually unique, by God, and the Bible gives us lots of information about our design specifications.

By observation of others and ourselves, we can see a lot of commonality in our motivations and our actions and reactions. These mechanisms are designed into us and are used by The Spirit to conform us into the image of God’s Son.

At this point, the thought of our uniqueness or some resistance to God’s control often sparks some “rabbit chasing.” A questioning and expressed doubt about God’s predestined plans is usually raised reflecting the age-old concerns that are classified as “universalism.” While this has nothing to do with our current passage in Galatians and this subject was discussed in some detail in Chapter Four, it still is important because of the pervasive and lingering existential beliefs in our culture that have caused a great deal of confusion; therefore, it is worth some reiteration. Two passages can be offered as clues coming from God’s word.

¹⁰Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. ¹¹Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: ¹²not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger." ¹³Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

¹⁴What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! ¹⁵For he says to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." ¹⁶It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. ¹⁷For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." ¹⁸Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. [Romans 9:14-18]

This passage is telling us that such mysteries are outside of our understanding and are none of our business. God acts and we react; this is what we have to begin to appreciate. This is all part of His plan. We should be thanking God for His plan just the way it is without trying to rewrite it. God business is His business. Additionally, we need to recognized God’s Sovereignty the way David did when he wrote,

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to^] me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them! [Psalm 139:13-17]

It all comes down to, defining our source for the truth. Are we going to believe what some theologian wrote some two hundred years ago or are we going to believe God’s word?

Galatians 5:16-18 (Part IV)

By observation of others and ourselves, we can see a lot of commonality in our motivations and our actions and reactions. Without leaning on the terms found in psychoanalysis, but using the principles we find in the Bible, we can identify mechanism, techniques, and propensities, which seem to be involved in everything we do. The Spirit is training us in individual ways, which seems to us a battle much like the struggle described in this scriptural context. These experiences we think of as troubles, but they are designed for our good [Romans 8:28], used by The Spirit to conform us into the image of God’s Son [Romans 8:29].

Therefore, we have this battle on the thin red line, usually accompanied by dubiety, denial, disease, disaster, and death. The transition from a condition dominated by “my will” into a realization that this life is all about “His will” is difficult and arduous. We can summarize and differentiate, in today’s world, two primary conditions, one can be described by a very popular philosophy technically called “existentialism,” and the other the Biblical condition called “sanctification.” It can be observed that few can claim experiencing any transition very far from existentialism into the sanctification condition. We can point to four in the Bible because we are given enough evidence to make this judgment --- Moses, David, Paul, and Peter. The transition takes time and snapshot judgments don’t count. Narrow is the way and few find it [Matthew 7:13, 14]. This is why listening to The Spirit is so important. The following matrix may help in distinguishing some of the differences between the narrow and the wide road.

THE WIDE ROAD EXISTENTIALISM (SUBJECTIVITY)	THE NARROW ROAD SANCTIFICATION (SEPARATION)
SAND	ROCK [MATT. 7:24-27]
· CONTROLLED BY THE SINFUL NATURE	· THE SPIRIT IS IN CONTROL
· DESPAIR, ANGER, BITTERNESS	· PEACE AND JOY
· TRADITION BASED	· SCRIPTURAL BASED
· SUFFERING IS A CURSE	· SUFFERING IS A BLESSING
· SELF-DETERMINATION	· SPIRIT’S LEADING
· CONSENSES SENSITIVE	· LEARNING SENSITIVE
· EMOTIONAL VERIFICATION	· LIVING VERIFICATION
· INSIPTID DUBIETY	· EXUDING FAITH

Treating the commandments and all of the examples of righteousness as performance standards may help. Think of these rules as rulers, as measuring tools used to gauge our progress and not as some fixed goals we are suppose to accomplish through our efforts. These standards should not be used to judge others, only ourselves [2 Corinthians 13:5-9, Galatians 6:4, Matthew 7:1-5]. As we learn from The Spirit’s lessons and our self-examinations, we change, and as we change, we obey more. This Spirit guided action-learning-changing-obeying cycle conforms us to God’s plan and purpose [Romans 8:28-30].

Obedience, the highly heralded characteristic of any Christian, is but a byproduct of The Spirit’s control. The Christian does not obey because of some obligation but because of the change in nature that is occurring, which is directed by The Spirit [Galatians 3:11]. This verse [5:18] and the Roman verses [Romans 8:4-17] are telling us that obedience is not coming out of our effort but The Spirit’s control is managing a change in our nature, which produces such obedient actions.

We are always reacting to God’s training schedule, and this reaction changes our nature, which, in turn, results in obedience. This is a continuous cycle outside of our influence and control. Even when we think we are in control, we are not [Romans 8:3-11, 2 Peter 1:3, 4].

Let’s examine three mechanisms The Spirit consistently, not exclusively, uses in His conforming process; this might be helpful. The mechanisms are (1) our instincts, (2) our training experience, and (3) our inherent sinful nature.

Our instincts include all of the individualized behavioral characteristics that form our responses to various involuntary stimuli. Sex drives, fright, flight, hunger, fatigue are example of instinctive reaction to endocrine stimuli. The degree and the timing of these motivations vary from individual to individual.

These instinctive motivations are mostly biochemical in nature and can cause physical and emotional reactions. We cannot deny that our responses to such various stimuli occur without any cognitive thought or prior consideration. Such reactions are outside of any definition regarding decision-making. The causes for such reflex reactions are complex. Often such reactions are called animal reflexes. Most animal trainers use instinctive reflexes to train or to capture animals. In these training methods, first, identify an instinct that can be exploited. Herding horses or cattle, for example, can be accomplished by using sharp sounds, like the cracking of a whip because we have observed these animals fear these noises. Like animals, we too respond to various stimuli.

The Bible does not use the term “instinct” directly, but the idea of this kind of involuntary reflex is spoken of in terms of comparing our reactions to animals, “we all, like sheep” [Isaiah 53:6]. The characteristics of these animal instincts are used in metaphors to teach us lessons [Psalm 23:2, Proverbs 1:17, Isaiah 1:3, and John 10:1-18]. Instincts should be relegated to traits that are distinctively providing uniqueness to every individual, and are not destructive to the individual’s soul. This is a broad definition, which would include eye color, fingerprints, and DNA configuration.

Instincts include a wide range of characteristics that makes us into unique individuals. Temperaments, for example, are a fascinating category of instinctive reactions. Sometimes it is interesting to attempt to identify the temperaments of various Biblical characters. We are given a number of clues about some individuals; compare for example Peter and Thomas or Moses and Aaron. Such an exercise can help in our understanding of the text surrounding these individuals but also helps us to understand ourselves a little better.

We are all unique because God put us together this way [Matthew 6:27]. This uniqueness makes it impossible for us, without the leading, teaching, and guidance of The Spirit to be in control of our lives.

The difficulty we have in controlling our instincts is one reason why psychology is such a large business. If we put our trust in our Designer, we won’t have to lean on all of the psychobabble in this world [2 Corinthians 1:3-11, 2 Timothy 3:16. 17].

Our training experience causes us to make changes in our learned motivations. These types of motivations are very different from our instincts; however, we can learn to control our reactive instincts to some events and experiences.

Adjusting to changes can be seen as a learning experience, which can take place with or without any cognitive awareness. Our training experiences cause us to accommodate to our surroundings. Our trial and error method of discovery allows us to change and adjust to new and different stimulus. We do not come equipped with any of the answers; therefore, we have to learn through experience the answers we require. Our training also uses traditional lessons taught to us by our peers and predecessors, which are largely unreliable. This is where the Scriptures are invaluable. We do not have to repeat the mistakes of the consensus or our ancestors. When we apply the principles and lessons taught by scriptures, we save ourselves from experiencing a lot of pain. Using Biblical principles is often referred to as making wise decisions or being obedient. We often try to take credit for being wise when in reality we are being taught by The Spirit. If we are not vigilant in giving The Spirit the credit we may just find we have to learn another painful lesson [Hebrews 12:7-11].

Our inherent sinful nature is different from the other two mechanisms, because it attempts to interact forcibly with and influence all of our reactions. The Spirit knows precisely how to adjust all our reactions for our eternal good.

In contrast, we adjust and manipulate these mechanisms very poorly. We are mostly oblivious of the mechanisms that shape our lives. The major difference between the sinful nature and these other two mechanisms which The Spirit uses in conforming us to The Son’s image, is that the sinful nature is dying. The Spirit is killing this nature as a part of the conforming process. At the same time, instincts are developed into visible gifts and our training experience is used to develop insight, knowledge, and understanding about God’s ways.

The contrast between The Spirit’s expert ability and our clumsy efforts to accommodate gives us an important reason to follow the leading of The Spirit. The disciplines in psychology and biochemistry are advertised as offering various solutions to help us with our complex problem of coping with our troubles in this world, but they all fall short of what The Spirit can do. Recognizing that The Spirit can solve our problems goes a long ways towards listening to His guidance. When we become aware of the influence of the sinful nature, without hiding it from reality, then we can begin to appreciate the gift of God’s Spirit and start to reap His harvest, such as love, joy, peace, and patience, which are all free from the law.