The last two chapters of Galatians are devoted to the sanctification of the believer. Individual freedom runs wild in evangelical circles today but it is not the freedom Paul taught. Instead of a sovereign God who draws men to Himself (John 6:44) and builds them up spiritually by the Word of God (John 17:17) churches now practice a holiness of their own making. The humanistic doctrine of individual freedom of choice, not God-given faith, has led to methods calculated to pressure people into making a decision. Charles Finney said, "Religion is a work of man" and clearly he regarded revivals of religion as a work of man as well.(Pearcey, Total Truth, p. 289) Contrary to being in charge of one's own growth in holiness, Paul taught that a civil war is raging in every believer’s experience (5:16-18). The only way we can find victory and bear fruit to God is to line up behind the Spirit and allow ourself to be led by Him (Gal. 5:16-18). In this manner spiritual fruit will appear in our life and ripen to maturity. If we desire to have the qualities listed in Gal. 5:22-23, then we may be assured that the Holy Spirit is leading us. But just a warning: Be careful not to confuse your subjective feelings with the Spirit's leading. In a day which features the new morality, we can hardly question the extreme relevance of Paul's teaching on holiness.
Questions to Ponder:
1. From your own experience, describe what it means to live by the desires of the sinful nature (Gal. 5:16-18).
2. Now by contrast explain what you think it means to live by the Spirit.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
In my own experience, the desires of the flesh are widespread and seem to hit from every angle. They would include overeating, procrastination, "spinning" the details of a story (lying), and a desire to be seen as someone of importance and influence.
I think that living by the Spirit would in essence be focusing my thoughts on Jesus Christ rather than on my fleshly desires. The benefit of this being, the single act of truly focusing on Christ becomes the cure for myriad sins of the flesh. The hard thing being that my focused attention span seems to fall prey to Attention Deficit Disorder.
Post a Comment