Galatians 5:24-26

                                                                     Galatians 5:24-26

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

It is helpful to understand the identity as well as the activity of true believers.  Every believer belongs to Christ.  Belonging to Christ implies that many things are true about our lives.  Certainly, the most impactful of those truths is that the Spirit of God lives in us.  This chapter concludes with Paul three implications of belonging to Christ and being indwelt by the Spirit.

 

BELIEVERS HAVE CURCIFIED THE FLESH: Paul does not say that some who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh; he indicates that all have done so.  The flesh is marked by passions and desires, but these too have been crucified by virtue of our belonging to Christ.  Experience tells us that our flesh, with its sinful desires, is not immediately irradicated the moment we trust Christ.  It seems Paul is speaking here of positional truth in the sense that there is no doubt as to the destiny of our flesh and sinful desires: they have already been crucified with Christ.  In eternity we will experience this glorious reality in its fulness.  However, at this very moment every believer has the power by God’s Spirit to be victorious over our crucified flesh. 

 

BELIEVERS WALK CLOSELY TO THE SPIRIT: Since the Spirit of God grants us new life when we trust Christ, we are called to “keep in step with the Spirit.”  God’s Spirit is actively leading every believer through the trials and temptations of this world.  The path of which the Spirit seeks to lead us always leads to the glory of the Father and our eternal good.  Unfortunately, many times we fail to follow His leading.  This failure to follow in His steps can be seen in both our actions and our attitudes.  Our greatest priority should be to discern the leading of God’s Spirit in every aspect of our lives.

 

BELIVERS AVOID COMBAT WITH OTHERS: The path on which the Spirit leads us is clearly marked by humility and love for one another.  Pride, provocation, and jealousy are never the work of the Spirit in our lives.  Since it is Christ in us through the Spirit that truly accomplishes any good thing we might do, there is no room for gloating over anything He does.  The Spirit promotes love and unity within the body of Christ.  Believers that are led by the Spirit will help and encourage one another and rejoice together over any victories the Spirit produces in our lives.  There is no room in the body of Christ for competition and comparison.

 

APPLICATION: Be confident in our ability to have victory over sin and have great hope in the promise that, one day, that victory will be complete.  Be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading in our lives and submissive to whatever He directs us to do.  Humbly encourage and rejoice together with all believers in this new life in Christ.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more