WALKING IN THE SPIRIT Lesson 8 (variance, emulations & wrath)
The Bait Of Satan Series
EMULATION Used by the AV and NEB in the sense of “jealousy” or “envious rivalry” in Rom. 11:14 for the verb parazēlóō (RSV “make jealous”), and by the AV in Gal. 5:20 for the verb zēlóō (RSV “jealousy”; NEB “envy”).
ANGER—the emotion of instant displeasure on account of something evil that presents itself to our view. In itself it is an original susceptibility of our nature, just as love is, and is not necessarily sinful. It may, however, become sinful when causeless, or excessive, or protracted
Paul begins his ethical appeal with a second declaration of freedom: You, my brothers, were called to be free (v. 13). This declaration echoes the central points of his first declaration in chapter 5 (“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” ). Both declarations focus on the initiative of God: Christ’s action set us free! God’s call set us free! When the whole human race was hopelessly locked up under law, imprisoned by sin, “God sent his Son” into human history to set us free. When we were enslaved, “God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts” to set us free. Our freedom is not the result of our decisions or our actions. God acted in history on the cross and through the resurrection to set us free. God acted in our hearts by his Spirit to set us free. The gracious initiative of God is underscored by Paul’s repetition.
Paul puts the purpose of God’s action right at the beginning of both sentences: “For freedom … ! To freedom you were called, brothers!” What is the purpose of your Christian life? Freedom in Christ! Paul blasts out these trumpet calls of freedom to Christians who are in danger of putting themselves under a heavy yoke of slavery
After the first declaration Paul gives a command to protect freedom by refusing to accept the “yoke of slavery.” After the second declaration Paul gives a command not to use freedom to indulge your sinful nature but to serve one another in love. In other words, we are first told not to lose our freedom by turning back to slavery; then we told to use our freedom by entering into slavery.
No doubt Paul sets up this apparent contradiction as a kind of warning signal. Paul clearly sees the danger that his teaching about freedom from slavery under the law might be interpreted to mean freedom to do whatever our selfish desires lead us to do
The Greek word I have translated as “opportunity” was originally a military term for “the starting point of a military offensive” or “a base of operations.” It was commonly used to mean “occasion” or “opportunity.” An abuse of Christian freedom from slavery under the law could be a base of operations for the flesh, an opportunity for the “flesh” to launch a terribly destructive attack against us.
Paul uses the term flesh eight times in 5:13–6:10 to refer to that aspect of our being that is opposed to the Spirit of God (5:16–17) and that produces all that is evil and destructive in our human experience
The NIV translation of flesh as sinful nature is a helpful, interpretive translation. Human nature apart from God’s intervening grace is both a captive of sin and the source of “passions and desires” (5:24) that lead to sin.
Freedom to Love (5:13–15) Christian freedom is the freedom to serve one another in love (v. 13). The slavery of love is contrasted to two other kinds of slavery. First, the immediate context puts this command to serve in love in direct contrast to indulging the sinful nature. Our sinful nature causes us to be slaves to our own selfish desires, but love expresses itself in service to the needs of others. Second, the command to serve in love is contrasted to slavery under the law. Christians are not to be under the law, enslaved to it, but they are commanded to be under others as slaves to them. Christian obligation is not subjection to the law (v. 3) but subjection to one another in love.
Freedom by the Spirit (5:16–18) The attempt of the Galatian believers to attain spiritual perfection by keeping the law had ended in failure. Their churches were torn apart by conflict: they were “biting and devouring each other” (v. 15). Obviously their devotion to the law had not enabled them to be devoted to each other in love. And since they did not love each other, they were breaking the law. Where could they find the motivation and power to resolve their conflicts and renew their love for each other? Many Christians are asking the same question today. They are members of Bible-teaching churches torn apart by conflict. What went wrong? How can they be so devoted and yet so divided? How can they be empowered to really love each other?
Paul’s answer is the Spirit of God. So I say, live by the Spirit (v. 16). The command live by the Spirit is the central concept in Paul’s ethical appeal. Since the Christian life begins with the Spirit (3:3; 4:6, 29), the only way to continue the Christian life is by the power of the Spirit. The Spirit is not only the source of Christian life but also the only power to sustain Christian life. Actually, “walk by the Spirit” would be a more literal translation of Paul’s command in verse 16. The command to walk in a certain way speaks of choosing a way of life—or we might say a “lifestyle,” as long as we realize that what Paul has in mind is more than a matter of outward style. His command speaks of a way of living in which all aspects of life are directed and transformed by the Spirit.
Paul’s confidence in the directive power of the Spirit is emphatically asserted in the promise that follows his command: Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature