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Galatians Lesson 8 (2010)

LIFE BY THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:16-26
Key Verse: 5:24-25

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

During the last seven weeks, we have been navigating through Paul’s letter to the Galatian Christians. We have two more lessons left before we complete our journey. As we enter the last leg of our journey, it seems good to review what we have learned so far. Apostle Paul opened his letter by defending the gospel he preached. He emphasized that the gospel is not something that man made up, but was something he received by revelation directly from Jesus Christ. (1:11-12) The gospel he preached was that men are not justified by observing the law but by faith in Jesus Christ alone. (2:15-16a) This gospel was not different from the gospel of the other apostles, like Apostles Peter, John and James. In fact, it was precisely the same. Throughout the letter, Apostle Paul repeatedly challenged the Galatian Christians, telling them that they were deceived by false teachers who led them astray, persuading them to mix their faith in Christ with legalism. According to Paul, we should not mix our faith in Christ with any form of legalism because if we do, we will be alienated from Christ and fall away from grace. Legalism is slavery. We who believe in Christ are not to be bound by any form of legalism because we are set free from the curse of law and the bondage of sin and death through Christ.

In last week’s passage, 5:1-15, Apostle Paul proclaimed that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Therefore, we should stand firm, so that we will not be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (5:1) Yet, the question is, “How can we have this freedom in our day-to-day life?” For example, some of us might say, “I thought by now that I wouldn’t have to struggle so much with anger. I’ve been a Christian for so many years. But why can’t I control my anger? Why am I still tempted by pornography? Why do I feel that I am still stuck in my sinful nature? Where is the freedom that is promised to us? When can I be completely free from sin and temptation and fly like an eagle?” I am sure most of us want to get an answer to these questions. “Can any of us become completely changed so that we will not be tempted at all?” No way. Somebody might say, “It’s because you are not born again.” (Jn 3:5) “Do born-again Christians still struggle with their sinful nature?” Yes. Then how do we achieve freedom in our lives?” According to today’s passage, it does not take place suddenly through one miraculous happening. It takes place slowly, step by step.

Today’s passage, Galatians 5:16-26, is one of the most important Bible passages on the Christian life. It teaches us a very practical and crucial lesson about what we should do in order to have freedom in Christ. Apostle Paul said in the previous passage, 5:13-14, “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. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” In the following verses, verses 16-26, we learn more practical lessons about how we can obtain freedom in Christ.

First, we must accept that struggling is a normal thing for Christians. (16-18) Look at verses 16-18. “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” Apostle Paul said that we can obtain freedom from sin when we live by the Spirit. This does not mean that we will be completely free from struggles or the temptations of sin. In some sense, we feel more troubled. Why? Is it bad? No. Actually it is good. But that’s what we want. But it’s good. It is one of the signs that we are spiritually alive. But why is it happening? It’s happening because two forces are at war within us.

One is called “the sinful nature” or “flesh.” The other is called “the Spirit.” In other words, we have “God’s Holy Spirit” within us, as well as our sinful human nature. (3:3; 4:29; 5:16, 18, 22, 24; Ro 8:4-6, 9, 13) We experience conflict within us between the desire to follow our sinful nature and the desire to follow what the Spirit desires. This kind of struggle is unending for each and every Christian until he or she goes to heaven.

Some people think that if they come to Christ, all their problems will be solved and they’ll never struggle again. But that’s not true at all. We still fall into temptation and sin. In fact, we are still vulnerable to the devil’s temptations and sin. That’s why Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Mt 5:13) In fact, we don’t need to pretend that we are perfect and are not tempted. From time to time, my wife asks me, “Honey, are you still tempted by looking at beautiful women? Tell me the truth.” I say, “Never!” But she knows that I am not a hundred percent truthful. If I am not tempted at all, I am not a human being. I am like a stone Buddha. 1 John 1:8-10 reads, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his words have no place in our lives.”

I am not saying that it’s okay to sin. No. Yet, what we need to know is that we are vulnerable because we are still in the flesh and have the desires of the sinful nature. So what Paul says here is that we should accept that struggling is a normal thing for Christians. However, we are not to give in to our sinful nature but to choose to live by the Spirit.

We live in a world in which struggling against sin is considered to be something unhealthy and negative. Do you remember the TV commercial by “Sprite” that says, “Obey your thirst!” Many people are indoctrinated by the idea that the way to deal with feelings of sexual temptation is to end the struggle by giving in to the temptation. Many people fall into the sin of fornication, adultery and all kinds of sexual sins. Many families are broken due to sexual sins. The fact is that we all struggle with something natural and unnatural, sometimes secretly, behind closed doors. Yet, we must know that our ongoing struggle and temptations are not in themselves sinful. It is not sin when we struggle. Rather, it is sin when we stop struggling and give in. Hebrews 12:4 reads, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

In verses 19-26, we are introduced to two different ways of living, the way of the sinful nature and the way of the Spirit, which Paul calls “the acts of the sinful nature” (19-21) and “the fruits of the Spirit.” (22-23)

Look at verses 19-21. “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and 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.” Apostle Paul listed at least fifteen kinds of acts of the sinful nature. Yet, it does not mean that his list is exhaustive, for he ends it by saying “and the like.” (21) And it seems that there are four different categories of sins: sexual sins, religious sins, social sins and more excessive forms of sins. The first category of sin Paul mentioned is sexual sins: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery. Sexual sins refer to any sexual activity outside of marriage, including premarital sex, extramarital sex, homosexuality, and all forms of pornography. Paul began with the sexual sins because the sexual sins were most obvious and most prevalent in his time. These days, we see so many people who are addicted to sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography, shopping, shop lifting, video games, etc. All these sinful behaviors are ugly fruit of the flesh that grows out of the heart. (Mt 15:18-19)

Why do people do all kinds of crazy things? It’s mainly because they feel so empty and lonely inside. I don’t think that they do such things in order to be happy. When people do not have God in their lives, they are really lonely and empty. We need God more than anything else because he is the source of our lives. (Jn 1:4) Paul seriously warns that “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” It does not mean that Christians who fall into temptation and commit sins will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. In fact, true Christians will fall into temptation and sin. But they will be convicted of their sin and quickly seek repentance. There is another way of life, that is, life by the Spirit that leads us to fruit-bearing life.

Read verses 22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” When we live by the Spirit, we don’t gratify the desires of the sinful nature. And according to verse 23b, we learn that “against such things there is no law.” What does that mean? It means that when we live by the Spirit, there is no conflict with the law. In fact, our life by the Spirit can fulfill the law of God.

As mentioned in 5:6, 13 and 14, the primary fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, which is the evidence of our faith in Christ Jesus. All this fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – is the byproduct of our life in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. However, we cannot bear any other fruit without bearing the fruit of love because God is love. According to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails.” What does it mean that love never fails? It means that love is always right.

Then how can we live a Spirit-filled life and bear the fruit of the Spirit? Some people think that they can be full of the Holy Spirit by having a supernatural Pentecostal experience. So they are drawn to all kinds of revival meetings. We should also not confuse emotional highs with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We all have ups and downs in our lives of faith. Nobody can always be full of the Holy Spirit because of the flesh, the sinful human nature. Even Elijah who was supposed to be full of the Holy Spirit had a moment of deep despair and darkness, in which he begged the Lord, “Lord, I’ve had enough. Let me die.” (1 Kings 17:22) Actually, Elijah’s depression came from his mental fatigue and physical and emotional exhaustion. He hadn’t eaten food for a while. He was under a lot of stress and had a great deal of tension. And he worked really hard. Elijah was not superman, but an ordinary struggling man, like us. We must know that we have a body, mind and soul. Physically and emotionally unhealthy people cannot be healthy spiritually. Therefore, in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need to manage our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual conditions. In fact, 3 John 2 reads, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” Although all of these are important, the core of our struggle should be spiritual.

Apostle Paul teaches us a very basic principle of living a Spirit-filled life in verse 24. Read verse 24. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” This verse is often confused with 2:20, which reads, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me.” Paul said in 2:20 that he had been crucified with Christ. But here in 5:24, we see that it was Paul who crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. It was not just about dying with Christ. Rather, it was about deliberately putting himself to death. Colossians 3:5-10 reads, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in the knowledge in the image of its Creator.” Also, Romans 8:13 reads, “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

Of course, Christ himself said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk 9:23) Here, we learn that following Jesus Christ is never meant to be easy. It is the way of self-denial and the way of crucifixion. But it is the way of life. It is the way of being filled with the Holy Spirit in the most fundamental and biblical sense. But it’s not popular. The great secret of holiness and living a Spirit-filled life is in the degree of our repentance. We need to cultivate the soil of our hearts through sincere meditation on God’s words and repentance. In this way, we can remove the rocks of pride and prejudice, the thorns of worries, anxiety and greed, and all kinds of acts of the sinful nature.

Secondly, we need to keep in step with the Spirit. (25) Look at verse 25. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” What does it mean to keep in step with the Spirit? Some Bible scholars like to think of it in terms of the military expression “keep in step.” When a host of soldiers marches, their eyes are focused straight ahead and they step together in perfect time. As they move with their fellow soldiers, they follow the lead of their commander. “One! Two! Right! Left!” But I like to compare “keep in step with the Spirit” to a dance. These days, there is a hit TV show entitled “Dancing With the Stars” that pairs professional dancers with celebrities. Assuming that you are dancing with a professional dancer, what do you have to do first? You have to keep in step with the professional dancer. This is not easy, especially if you have never danced before. In fact, the Christian life can be compared to dancing with the Spirit of God, like King David. (2 Samuel 6:16) In order to dance with your partner, you cannot insist on following your own steps. You need to keep in step with your partner, the Holy Spirit. You need to be one with your dancing partner. In other words, we are to follow the Holy Spirit in every part of our lives.

Do you want to dance with the Holy Spirit? Then you should practice a lot. You may make many mistakes and fall down in the beginning. You may even feel awkward. But as you continue to practice and discipline yourself to dance with the Holy Spirit, you will improve. One more exciting fact is that the Holy Spirit, our dancing partner, is willing to dance with us even though we are poor dancers. We should not look around to see how others are dancing. We don’t need to compare ourselves with others. What we need the most is focus. We need to focus on the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our dancing partner, and move along as he moves. Are you ready to dance? This reminds us of what the Lord Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We need to control our thoughts and be sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and have constant dialogue with God through prayer and deep meditation of God’s words.

In conclusion, we learn that struggling against our sinful nature is a normal and essential part of Christian life. When we repent of our sins, we are no longer bound to sin. We are free from sin and guilt. The degree of our repentance determines the degree of freedom that we can experience and the size of spiritual fruit that will be born in and through us. In order to be free from sin, we need to learn how to live by the Spirit, keeping in step with the Spirit. It may be difficult and slow. Yet, we need to learn how to walk one step at a time, like how a little toddler learns to walk. We may fall from time to time, but we should get up, and try again and again. It may be a huge challenge. Yet, unless we try, we will never learn to walk. We will never experience freedom in Christ.

Can you imagine that each of us can dance with the Holy Spirit? A life by the Spirit will never be boring or shallow. Wouldn’t it be an exciting experience and adventure, worthy of our energy and commitment? Will you practice dancing with the Spirit, beginning from today? Although we may not be able to dance from the beginning, we can start by walking one step at a time. You will never lose anything but your sinful nature. You will never be the unchanged self. You will be the person whom God wants you to be, far better than you could have ever dreamed. Read verses 24 and 25. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

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