Untitled Sermon (30)

The Battle

“I’m just a sinner”

Is it really the case that we can’t help but sin?

What benefit has Spirit over law if we’re still just sinners anyway?

ινα clause = purpose: Spirit opposes flesh so we can be victorious

This is a one-sided battle, but the winning side is Spirit, not flesh!

The struggle within: we still are caught up in battle, but we need not “gratify desires of flesh”

Works of Flesh

If we have no law, however, how do we know we’re winning the battle?

Paul paints a picture: you’ll know it when you see it

ABA- Pagan Sins, Social Sins, Pagan Sins

Social sins are emphasized (they’re given more room!

Fruits of Spirit

Many sins are mirrors of fruit (e.g. Peace: enmities and strife; self-control: drunkeness and carousing)

The greatest of these is love

This is not a shopping list: all are necessary marks of being spirit-lead

Spirit of Christ

This is also not an exhaustive list

Why these fruits then? Paul paints a portrait of Christ!

The same spirit who nurtures these fruits in us is the Spirit who dwelt in Christ, the Holy Spirit

This same spirit that gave Christ victory gives us victory. Through baptism, we have been “crucified with Christ”, and thus have also crucified our flesh.

Through this same spirit, we have been raised to new life with Christ, life of the spirit.

If we have been made alive by the spirit, then let us also be guided by the spirit. Let us live in the way this new spirit-life calls us.

There is no law, then how do we know we’re spirit lead? We look like Jesus!

New Community

But how can we truly overcome the flesh? How do we walk by the spirit? Many try, and many fail.

Notice that both sins and fruits center on community. Community, i.e. the Church, is key

Virtues and vices= community building vs community destroying

A spirit lead community is one that fosters deeper loving relationships. A community where we relate to one another in the same way Christ relates to us.

This paradoxically cooperative. We have to be committed to working with the Spirit to form such a community, but it is still the Spirit who provides the fruits!

Holy Community is key to spiritual growth