Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:16-26 This
I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other:
so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the
law. Now the works of the flesh are
manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such
like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time
past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ's have crucified
the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the
Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain
glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
What does Paul mean by "walk in the Spirit?"
Live and act in the power and influence of the Spirit.
Can our body, our physical self, overcome the lust of our
flesh?
No, the flesh and the Spirit are contrary to one antother
therefore our flesh can’t make us spiritual, i.e. we can’t in our own power or
works become more spiritual.
So then according to what Paul says we must not rely on
ourselves but be led of the Spirit. We must follow Him rather than be under the
law.
Does this mean that the law has no bearing, no meaning in the life of the Christian?
No, it means that we must understand how the law works and
understand that it is not meant to accomplish something it cannot. The purpose
of the law is to bring conviction of sin, not make us spiritual or holy.
Galatians 3:21-15
Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for
if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under
sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that
believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto
the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
List the works of the flesh
Adultery, (betrayal of spouse), fornication (sexual union outside marriage), uncleanness (unnatural practices, homosexuality), lasciviousness (lewdness), idolatry (worship of idols), witchcraft (grk pharmakeia, drugs, potions), hatred, variance (contentions), emulations (grk zelos, indignation), wrath (strong bitterness), strife (arguing), seditions (divisions), heresies (factions false doctrine), envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings (debaucherous parties) |
List the fruit of the spirit
love
|
agape
(sacrificing love)
|
joy
|
kara
|
peace
|
eirene
(at one)
|
longsuffering
|
enduring
|
gentleness
|
kindness
|
goodness
|
delight
in what is good
|
faith
|
trust,
belief, faithfulness
|
meekness
|
gentleness,
mildness
|
temperance
|
self-control,
mastery of self
|
Contrast the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit
Works of the Flesh
|
Fruit of the Spirit
|
Selfish, self-serving
|
Selfless, serving others
|
Short-lived passions
|
Long-lived qualities
|
Destructive
|
Constructive
|
Out of Control
|
Under Control
|
Plural
|
Singular
|
What does the term "against such there is no law"
mean?
These stand above and apart from the Law. They are not a
part of the Law, but the outworking of the Holy Spirit within us.
How can I make the fruit grow in my life?
You can’t! This is
the fruit (product) of the Holy Spirit. It requires submission, surrender and
faith, not my own work. To make the
fruit into a list of commandments is what Paul is warning the Galatians about. Whether it is circumcision as a physical means
of salvation or "fruit" as a spiritual list of accomplishments it is
still adding to salvation.
How is our life rid of the lust and affections of the flesh?
We have crucified the flesh, it was accomplished at
salvation and we must believe and accept it, not do something to make it
happen.
Romans 6:6 Knowing
this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Is the "If" on "If we live in the
Spirit" a condition or a declaration?
It is a first class condition. It should be understood as
since. Paul is making a statement of
what is right and logical not conditional upon their choice.
What kind of glory is vain according to Paul?
That which is directed toward ourselves.
Conclusion:
Fruit isn’t
manufactured it simply grows. It is the product of the tree or vine to which it
is attached. Instead of trying to be better Christians and making more fruit
our commandments are to dwell in Christ and be led of the Spirit. If we do
these then the fruit will be in our lives and we will only be able to point to
the Lord as the one who made it in us.
John 15:4-5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
No comments:
Post a Comment