Galatians 5:1-26
There are many dangers involved with living our lives according to our flesh. The flesh is dangerous in all of its aspects whether it is the fleshly desire to earns one's own salvation or the fleshly desire to practice sin. The truth is that the flesh is very appealing to us and we must be very careful not to give in to its lusts and desires.
THE CONDEMNATION OF CIRCUMCISION: Actually circumcision in and of itself has no bearing whatsoever on one's standing before God or his relationship to Him. However, when circumcision is practiced as a means of meriting favor with God or in an attempt to appease Him in some way, it has just the opposite effect. Circumcision then becomes an act that produces the wrath of God because it is the same as rejecting the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ. Any attempt to add to the work of Christ through either human effort or religious rituals brings about the condemnation of God. We must never fall into that pitfall of the flesh.
THE FREEDOM FROM THE FLESH: Christ has set us free from the power of the flesh but we must not consider this freedom to be of the flesh in the since that we practice all of the evil desires of our flesh. We are free from sin but not free to sin. The desires of the flesh are dangerous to us and destructive to others. The law does not prevent sin or even protect us from sin the reality is that it usually ends up promoting sin due to the perversions of the flesh. All of us have idolatry, anger and lust bound up in our hearts. It is humanly impossible for us to free ourselves from these fleshly desires just as it is impossible for us to free ourselves from our own hearts without provoking death. Only the grace of God through the cross of Christ is able to free us from the flesh.
THE SANCTIFICATION THROUGH THE SPIRIT: Not only does Christ set us free from the flesh, He also fills us with His Spirit which enables us to live in obedience to the principles of Scripture and a life of service to others. The Spirit is a person who empowers us to do that which we are powerless to do without Him. He gives us a love for God and others that supersedes our love for ourselves and sin. He gives us a kind and gentle spirit that is peasant to others and brings abiding joy to us that does not depend upon our circumstances. This is a supernatural work that is only available to us as we place our faith in Christ. We cannot earn the Spirit's power or be worth of His favor He is a part of the freedom that God provides to us through faith. Why would we ever want to go back to the flesh?
THE CONDEMNATION OF CIRCUMCISION: Actually circumcision in and of itself has no bearing whatsoever on one's standing before God or his relationship to Him. However, when circumcision is practiced as a means of meriting favor with God or in an attempt to appease Him in some way, it has just the opposite effect. Circumcision then becomes an act that produces the wrath of God because it is the same as rejecting the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ. Any attempt to add to the work of Christ through either human effort or religious rituals brings about the condemnation of God. We must never fall into that pitfall of the flesh.
THE FREEDOM FROM THE FLESH: Christ has set us free from the power of the flesh but we must not consider this freedom to be of the flesh in the since that we practice all of the evil desires of our flesh. We are free from sin but not free to sin. The desires of the flesh are dangerous to us and destructive to others. The law does not prevent sin or even protect us from sin the reality is that it usually ends up promoting sin due to the perversions of the flesh. All of us have idolatry, anger and lust bound up in our hearts. It is humanly impossible for us to free ourselves from these fleshly desires just as it is impossible for us to free ourselves from our own hearts without provoking death. Only the grace of God through the cross of Christ is able to free us from the flesh.
THE SANCTIFICATION THROUGH THE SPIRIT: Not only does Christ set us free from the flesh, He also fills us with His Spirit which enables us to live in obedience to the principles of Scripture and a life of service to others. The Spirit is a person who empowers us to do that which we are powerless to do without Him. He gives us a love for God and others that supersedes our love for ourselves and sin. He gives us a kind and gentle spirit that is peasant to others and brings abiding joy to us that does not depend upon our circumstances. This is a supernatural work that is only available to us as we place our faith in Christ. We cannot earn the Spirit's power or be worth of His favor He is a part of the freedom that God provides to us through faith. Why would we ever want to go back to the flesh?
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