Not Better
Notes
Transcript
Not Better
Not Better
We left last week asking a question:
Do you want better?
But we might have been left to wonder how scripture defines better.
Before we get to that, our author will talk about what is not better.
In other words, Paul wants to detail the difference between the Spirit and the flesh.
Perhaps what you have discovered is that when you pursue the desires of your heart, all those things that will temporarily relieve the pain of life, at the end...
You are not better.
So, he is going to give us a list of ‘Not Better’ for us to consider.
He will call these the ‘work/deeds’ of the flesh
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
***Now the works of the flesh are evident...
The works: The deeds, the completed tasks. A work, as if you are building a piece of furniture and, when completed, you can look at it, see it is finished, and say, ‘there is a chair.’
In other words, it is complete
And it is obvious (evident)
Paul is going to make a judgment statement here. In other words, he is going to say something that will capture many, many people in his net.
***Sexual immorality...
Well, that is quite a list.
In Mark and Matthew Jesus gives a similar list of things:
He was speaking as to what defiles a person (makes them unclean), and he makes this argument that it is not what goes into a person that makes them unclean, but what comes out of them. And he lists some things: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.
The List:
Sexual Immorality: More often linked to prostitution and the buying and selling of slaves, because prostitutes were sold and purchased as slaves.
Impurity: Ritual impurity, unclean, often used in the Greek version of Leviticus.
Sensuality: Extreme debauchery, such that the one who engages in it has no thought of what others may think of them.
Idolatry: Pretty straightforward, but I think has a strong link to how Ezekiel presents Israel and how she conducted herself with idols and other nations.
Sorcery: Pharmekia, or the sense of conjuring poison in rituals. Widely condemned.
Enmity: Hatred
Strife: Discord, purposely creating it among others. Often in a smaller, more personal sense.
Jealousy: The desire to have what another has
Fits of Anger: Rage, wrath
Rivalries: A common Greek word that would mean something like ‘running for office.’
Dissensions: A common Greek word to foment sedition and coup.
Divisions: Taking captive, seizing something. The idea is being captive to a thought or a way of thinking about something, typically a system or a politic.
Envy: Here as the idea of malice or ill-will. It is the opposite subject of jealousy. It is envying what you have. (Note used of God concerning believers and God’s desire to keep them)
Drunkenness: Obvious
Orgies: Often in the context of worship or service to a god.
And things like this...
Note: Paul is using a number of words that Greek philosophers used in their writings. Sometimes as a positive.
Linked with what Jesus said, these are the kind of things that corrupt a person and they seem to just be inside you, in your heart.
Everything in this list is forbidden by the Law of Moses.
***I warn you, as I warned you before...
You have been set free for freedom’s sake. But it cannot be used as cover to live out your desires.
Otherwise, you are deceived.
Practice: Something you have thought about, premeditated, not done in ignorance.
That is a key concept.
Something done with intent.
Here, Paul indicates that he has already had this conversation with them.
In contrast to the fruit of the spirit…to lighten the mood a bit!
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
We will start to take this apart next week, but I want you to see the contrast between...
The works of the flesh
The fruit of the spirit
I wonder of you have caught the problem with what Paul has written?
“I warn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
The term ‘inherit’ is used less than 20 times in the NT but more that 150 times in the OT.
In the context of ‘if you keep my commands, love God, then you will inherit’
But here, it seems out of place. Paul makes the same argument in 1 Cor 6. Peter makes the same argument in 1 Pet 3. John makes the same argument in Rev 21. Interestingly James does not make this argument...
I say that is interesting because James is accused of making a ‘salvation by works’ argument.
Yet, here, Paul seems to be making a similar argument.
Okay, let’s see if we can make some semblance of sense of this passage.
Jeremy’s two cents…because you cannot really make this passage a ‘system.’
Idolatry.
When you consider this list in the context of idolatry, it might start to make sense.
But not idolatry like you might think, getting an object and worshiping it or the god behind it.
Idolatry in the sense of you are the IMAGE and LIKENESS of God. The term used in scripture for ‘you are the image’
Is also used to describe ‘idols’ in the OT, because the term mean an ‘image’ in the likeness of something.
So, if you turn yourself into an idol, what kind of things are you capable of doing?
If serving yourself is your religion, then what might happen?
If you are your own idol, god, then your loyalty is to yourself and no other.
If you are loyal to only yourself, then how can you love God?
This is NOT works theology, where you save yourself.
That is comprised of things you do to merit salvation, and you can do nothing to merit salvation.
This is AVOIDANCE theology, where you serve God and seek the fruit of the Spirit.
Because, what can SEEM better, is NOT BETTER. And it can SEEM good to serve ourselves, filling every kind of passion we may have.
The Romans were adept at living with each other is relative peace, you do you mentality.
But they were selfish too.
So a Christian in this age would stand out like a sore thumb or stubbed toe!
Today, someone who does not serve their passions would stand out too.
In every church scandal there is a leader who gave in to their passions.
We treat it like any other sin, but the question is this: were they practicing it?
Not Better
Not Better