02/07/2024: Galatians 5:24 – I must constantly crucify the passions and desires of my flesh.

Thought for today – I must constantly crucify the passions and desires of my flesh.

Those who have been called and redeemed by Jesus Christ are constantly crucifying their flesh.  The Greek word translated “crucified” is in the present tense indicating that this is an action that is ongoing.  Paul used the word “flesh” to encompass all the appetites, passions, and desires that produce the kinds of evil listed in verses 19-21.  If I do not continually remove the influence of the flesh from my life, the fruit of the Spirit cannot flourish because the flesh and the Spirit are at war with each other (verses 16-17).  It falls to me to constantly nail my flesh to the cross.

That’s what the Bible says!
 

02/06/2024: Galatians 5:22-23 – No law can prohibit or demand the fruit of the Spirit.

 Thought for today – No law can prohibit or demand the fruit of the Spirit.

Just as no law can prohibit the fruit of the Spirit, no law or effort of man can effectively demand their performance.  No amount of human effort, training, education, or length of service can produce the fruit in one’s life.  The fruit is totally the product of the Spirit of Christ in the life one who believes in Him, and it is completely subject to His will.  Yes, that is the kind of Christian I want to be, but I still struggle.  The question remains, how can I see more of the fruit of the Spirit in my life?  I will begin to examine that question tomorrow, and it may take a while.

That’s what the Bible says!

02/05/2024: Galatians 5:19-21 – We dare not skip over these verses.

Thought for today – We dare not skip over these verses.

Paul concludes his argument against legalism with one of the most stern and tragic warnings in all of Scripture.  People whose lives show the “works of the flesh” are not going to heaven.  He presents this list of the visible works of the flesh to illustrate the kinds of things that keep people from eternal life.  What we need is not a set of rules that cannot change us, but we need transformation and forgiveness from the works of the flesh, and that forgiveness is found only in the Spirit of Christ through the regeneration of the new birth by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

That’s what the Bible says!

02/04/2024: Galatians 5:17-18 – Victory in life comes thru being led by the Spirit.

Thought for today – Victory in life comes thru being led by the Spirit.

In these verses, Paul uses 3 terms that we need to understand.  First, he speaks of the flesh using that word to signify the cognitive, emotional, volitional, and physical part of man that is subject to the temptations that come from our nature, the world, and the devil.  Next, Paul speaks of the Spirit, specifically the indwelling Person of the Holy Spirit whom Paul calls the Spirit of Christ who indwells all those whom He has called to repentance and faith.  These two elements, the flesh and the Spirit, are locked in a struggle for my will and devotion.  The third element of this equation is the law, which in this context refers to the external set of rules and laws that are intended to help me conquer my flesh without the Spirit.  If I submit to the Spirit, I escape the control and failure of the law, and I have victory over my flesh by walking with Him and living for Him.

That’s what the Bible says!

 

02/03/2024: Galatians 5:16 – Walking by the Spirit is the answer to legalism.

 

Thought for today – Walking by the Spirit is the answer to legalism.

In order to understand what Paul means by the phrase, “walk by (in) the Spirit,” I need to examine the essential dichotomy of legalism and Spiritual freedom.  The legalist teaches that we must have the Law in order to control the lust and sinfulness of men.  Believing that somehow faith is not enough to keep us living right, they teach that we need law to make grace work.  “The fear of the legalist — that walking in the Spirit gives license to sin, and that only legalism can keep us holy — is just plain wrong ."  ( David Guzik, Study Guide for Galatians 5).  The answer to legalism is to walk by the Spirit. 

That’s what the Bible says!

02/02/2024: Galatians 5:13-14 – I now have liberty to serve others through love.

Thought for today – I now have liberty to serve others through love.

Having been set free from the bondage and futility of legalism and liberated from the guilt of sin and failure, I now have liberty to serve others through love.  One of the reasons that the efforts of the legalists fail is because the law of love for their neighbor is not central to their ritual.  Having been set free from the rituals of empty religion, I am free by faith to serve others in the love that flows from the Spirit of Christ in me.  That love and service in liberty fulfill the law as I love my neighbor as myself.

That’s what the Bible says!

 

02/01/2024: Galatians 5:6 – I live in Christ by faith working through love.

Thought for today – I live in Christ by faith working through love. 

Apart from faith in Jesus Christ, nothing I can do carries any value in the sight of God.  If I follow the law fastidiously, or if I live apart from the law, I cannot attain anything of eternal worth.  My standing and relationship with Jesus Christ depend exclusively on faith in Him, and any good that I do is the product of faith through love at work in my life.  This is true for me and everyone else alive today.

That’s what the Bible says!