Theme of Galatians - 1:4 – Delivered from this present evil world
Galatians 5:1 – Deliverance from Legalism
Galatians 5:13 – Deliverance from the Flesh
The “Fruit of the Spirit” directly answers the problem of the flesh, and indirectly answers the problem of legalism.
Our battle with the flesh:
Illustration – Fish, the fisherman, and the bait.
The fisherman’s other motive (if not for food) is to momentarily capture and hold a wild animal.
His tool for capture is bait on a hook. In his wiles, he switches bait to what the animal wants.
The fish is draw out of safety by his appetites.
Thus we find in our analogy:
1) The fisherman / the devil (2Timothy 2:25-26); 2) the bait / the world (1John 2:15-17); 3) the appetite / the flesh (James 1:14; Genesis 3:6).
Our flesh desires compromises with our world so that we can have our cake and eat it too.
Instead of asking, “What is my Father’s will?” the flesh asks, “What is so bad about this?”
The Battle with the Flesh: Natural man has two solutions to the problem.
1.Suppress the Flesh with rules and laws
2.Celebrate the Flesh by feeding it until it is satisfied.
“Flesh it the genuine expression of who we are.”
“If God made me with these desires, why should I suppress them?”
The flesh is at odds with God’s spiritual work in our lives (Gal. 5:17; Romans 7:19-25).
Small compromises with the flesh yield bumper crops of corruption (Gal. 6:7-8).
The evident product of the flesh is corruption (Gal 5:19-21).
• The Flesh Justifies Sexual Impurity – Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness
• The Flesh Justifies Deifying Humanity – Idolatry, witchcraft
• The Flesh Justifies Self-centered behavior – Hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife
• The Flesh Justifies Those Who Cause Division – Seditions, heresies
• The Flesh Justifies the Persecution of the Righteous – Envyings, murders
• The Flesh Justifies Intoxication – Drunkenness, revelings
• And this list goes on …
The Fruit of the Spirit is the antidote to the corruption of the flesh – 5:16-17
The call is for both personal application and charitable confrontation – 6:1
Today, you are either the victor over the flesh or the victim of the flesh. If you have no battle, you are already on the hook.
The world practices suppression or celebration of the flesh. Galatians calls for Crucifixion:
Crucified with Christ – 2:20
Crucify the flesh – 5:24
Live Crucified unto the world – 6:14
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