Galatians 5
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.
2Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9"A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." 10I 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. 11Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[a]; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."[b] 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Life by the Spirit
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.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Footnotes:
[a] Galatians 5:13 Or the flesh; also in verses 16, 17, 19 and 24
[b] Galatians 5:14 Lev. 19:18
3 comments:
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Literally words to live by. I think I need this posted next to my desk, so that I can be reminded each day:
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Also, wasn't it interesting to see Paul's comment about "finishing the job" in v12? It made him seem more human.
Lord, help me to live by the Holy Spirit, and not by sin, Father. Give me strength today to be your beacon, and share your love by example.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
crb
Galatians 5,
Wow! Lots of things come out at me here. I am always encouraged and at the same time challenged by vs. 1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. At the very core of eternal life is freedom. Freedom from attachments and freedom for action. So often "freedom" has become this nebulous I can "do what I want to do and don't even think about telling me anything about MY life" attitude with no higher purpose than self-gratification and glorification.
In vs. 10-12 Paul demonstrates a great trust in the work of God in the lives of the Galatians as well as a great trust in the Justice of God. He is "confident" that they will chose to follow Christ alone and that those who seek to mislead them will "pay the penalty." I don't always trust God so greatly. I need to stop seeking retribution upon those who seek to mislead and harm the flock.
The funniest line in the whole book is vs. 12. Paul wishes those people advocating that all believers MUST be circumcised would actually castrate themselves to be "super holy." Legalism will always end in such absurdity and Paul makes a great point.
vs. 13 "do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love" Great reminder to me and hearkens back to the first point above. We, as Christians, must get back to the basics of simply loving others as ourselves in peace. Simple, but so hard in practice. You all can pray for me in this area.
vs.16-26 are so challenging to me as well. Keeping in step with the Spirit (vs. 25) and staying humble when things are going well.
Father, praise you for your love that sets us free. Father, I confess that I often trade in my freedom for my own pleasure. Forgive me and shape my mind and heart to desire the fruit of your Spirit to be growing in my life. Bring it to pass for your glory. Lord, this season is such an amazing celebration of your grace and might. May we not miss You for all the stuff around us.
In Christ's Name,
er
(NLT)Gal 5:24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.
Wow. I love this Chapter. My orayer for all of us is that we can "nail it to the cross!"
In Christ,
cas
Post a Comment