Before
one can delve into the works of the flesh, one must come to grips with verse 16
and 17 of Galatians 5. If we sin, it is because we choose to sin. The antidote for the flesh is the Spirit, we
develop the fruit of the Spirit in our lives and not the sinful lusts of the
flesh. If however we follow the flesh, we cannot walk in the Spirit. As Jesus
said, no one can serve two masters ... you cannot serve God and mammon- Matt. 6:24.
After establishing the difference between the flesh and the Spirit, Paul listed
the fleshly desires. The first four deals with sexual sin. Adultery and
fornication are both sexual sins which violate God's standard of morality.
Adultery is an extra-marital affair between married people; fornication is an
illicit sexual relationship between unmarried people. Uncleanness and lasciviousness
deal with the whole gamut of sensuality.
Idolatry
and witchcraft identify the craving of the sinful nature to explore the unknown
spiritual realm in rebellion against God. The rest of the lusts are based on
man's insistence that he is the centre of his world. Variance, emulations,
anger, disputes all arise out of heart-controlled by evil desires, especially
greed.
Growing
good fruit is a process that happens in the course of time. It is a maturing
process. The more we walk in the Spirit, the more fruitful we grow. While the lust
of the flesh includes sexual immorality, the fruit of the Spirit is love;
philia include physical love and is otherwise known as the highest kind of
human love while agape is God's kind of love as expressed in His sending His
son to die for mankind.
The
fruit of joy is a festive joy- the kind that Nehemiah shared with his friends
when Jerusalem wall was rebuilt- Neh. 8:10. Joy should be the norm for all
Christians.
Peace
is the next fruit of the Spirit that was listed. This peace is described as
that which passes all understanding. Peace in time of disaster, mourning, and
heartache. Long suffering is another word for patience. We live in an impatient,
instant-gratification society. We want things to be done immediately, whether
it is God's will or not. Patience is developed only as we encounter and
overcome the adversities of life.
Gentleness
or kindness, goodness , and meekness go hand in hand. This is the attitude of
serving, putting the needs and desires of others above ours. In a me-first
society as ours today, God has called us to be different.
Faith
refers to faithfulness to God, pastor, church and home. Faithfulness
encompasses all these things. Faithfulness and dependability are hallmarks of
the Holy Spirit in the lives of God's children.
Temperance
denotes self-control over our fleshly desires. It is more than moderation
involving a conscious effort towards self discipline through the help of the
Holy Spirit. God has set standards and the fruit of temperance is learning how
to live within God's standards.
Often,
it is easier to note the weaknesses in our lives than it is to note our areas
of strength and ability. It is usually easier to correct a negative weakness by
replacing it with a positive strength.
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