The Conflict between the Flesh and the Spirit
Galatians 5
Verse #1: - “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage”. Paul pleads with the people to stand firm in what God has done for them and don’t return to bondage again. It is just like a person that has been delivered from drug, alcohol, or smoking and they have been set free from that mess and for some reason go back to doing the same thing over again, they have returned back unto bondage.
Verse #2 - #6: - “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” Paul was letting the people know that if they insisted on circumcision that they had to abide to all of the law, the sacrifices, the ceremonies, and all the rituals and because of this Christ would profit them nothing, because Christ came and fulfilled all the law; therefore they were nullifying what God had done through Jesus Christ, you have fallen from grace, which is the unmerited favor of God, to trying to achieve something through work of the flesh.
Verses #7 - #12: - “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. I would they were even cut off which trouble you.” Paul said you started out just fine, you had that desire that nothing shall separate you, but what happened, what or who caused you to stop believing the truth and turn to this false doctrine and become under bondage once again. This is not something from God. You see how just a little sin will spoil everything, you must refrain from sin all together, even a little occasional sin is sin and defiles the truth. However, he believes that they will see the trouble of their backslidden condition and make a change before it is too late. Paul was saying if I preach circumcision which is the law and keep the law why then am I persecuted is the effect of the cross no good. Paul says he wishes that those that troubled the people were cut off from ever being able to trouble them again.
Verses #13 - #15: - “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” Paul gives one last warning to the people and tells them that they have been made free of the curse of the law, no longer are they under bondage. However don’t use your freedom from the law as an occasion to sin, but show love toward one another. Don’t become so consumed by how one is blessed differently than another, that will destroy you, but have love for each other has God commanded.
Verses #16 - #18: - “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” When you walk in the Spirit, you walk in the paths that are pleasing to the Lord and not the satisfying of the flesh. To walk in the Spirit is simply being lead by the Holy Spirit and living our lives Holy to the glory of God and not to the satisfaction of the flesh. There is a battle between the flesh and the spirit; however, here Paul was talking more about how the law and grace conflicted each other. The law requires works, circumcision grace required faith the two conflicted each other and because of this conflict you cannot do the things you would do. Example serve and worship God is limited by the law because the law stated that on certain days and certain times things were prohibited, conflict. If you are lead by the spirit you are not under the law, you are free to do the things the spirit requires you to do without conflict.
Verses #19-#21: - “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murder, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Numbers in the Bible have certain meanings. It is stated that the number 17 means victory. There are 17 works of the flesh mentioned here, to overcome these 17 works of the flesh truly is victory, to sub-come to any of them would cause one to loose the victory and spend eternity separated from Christ.
Work: - according to Webster’s dictionary is something produced by physical labor, to toil, labor, it is a task or a job (This is done for wages – the wages of sin is death)
Verses #22-#23: - “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Once again we find numbers here is the number 9. The numbers 9 means Divine Completeness of the Father. If you walk in the spirit you shall have Divine Completeness of the Father in Heaven, fulfilling that which God has required of you to do.
Fruit: - a useful product of growth, a product of fertilization, the ripe ovary of a seed with its contents and appendages, the consequence or result. The etymology of the word means to enjoy and have use of. The ripe ovary is were the fruit is produced, we should be the ripe ovary producing the fruit of the spirit.
Let’s look at the Work of the Flesh.
Work of Adultery: - Greek word “moicheia” – unlawful sexual relations between men and women, single or married.
Work of Fornication: - Greek word “Porneia” from which we get pornography. Same as adultery but also includes all manner of unlawful relations. Fornication is any sexual congress outside monogamous marriage. It includes not only premarital sex, but also adultery, homosexual acts, incest, remarriage after un-Biblical divorce, and sexual acts with animals, all of which are explicitly forbidden in the law as given through Moses in Leviticus 20:10-21. Much of the behavior that is fairly acceptable in our culture is exactly what Paul would term “Porneia”, Sexual immorality.
Work of Uncleanness: - Greek word “akatharsia” whatever is opposite of purity, homosexuality, bestiality, sodomy, pederasty, and any other from of sexual perversion.
Work of Lasciviousness: - Greek word “aselgeia” lustfulness, unchasity, and lewdness. It is partaking in that which produced lewd emotions.
Work of Idolatry: - Greek word “eidololateria” image worship. Anything to which passions are set extravagant admiration of the heart.
Work of Witchcraft: - Greek word “parmakeia” sorcery, dealing with evil spirits, magical incantations, spells, charms.
Work of Hatred: - Greek word “echrthra” enmity, bitter dislike, abhorrence, malice, ill-will against a person.
Work of Variance: - Greek word “eris” discord, quarreling, disputes, dissensions.
Work of Emulations: - Greek word “zeloi” envies, jealousy, striving to excel at the expense of others rivalry.
Work of Wrath: - Greek word “thumos” indignation, fierceness, rage, lasting anger.
Work of Strife: - Greek word “eritheia” contention.
Work of Seditions: - Greek word “dichostasia” divisions, parties and factions.
Work of Heresies: - The word itself has no evil indications at all, but refers to doctrinal view of belief at variance with sound doctrine. It takes on evil when sound doctrine is rejected and a fallacy is accepted. This is where we get the term Heretic. The Christians that were killed b the Roman Empire during the crusades were called heretics because they went against what Rome called true religion and therefore were killed in the name of the church, the Roman church, not the body of Christ.
Work of Envyings: - Greek word “phthonoi” Ill-will at the good fortune of another, jealousy.
Work of Murders: - Greek word “phonoi” to kill
Work of Drunkenness: - Greek word “methai” intoxicated a slave to the drink.
Work of Revelings: - Greek word “komoi” rioting
Let’s look at the Fruit of the Spirit.
Fruit of Love: - This love is different from the love that we think to be love; this is “Agape.” Agape is God’s love for man. Agape is not predicated on our goodness, but is solely based on the strength of God. God says I love you even though you are incapable of loving me back; I love you just because you are there. Our love, carnal love is predicated on what I can get. This is called Eros.
What Eros does is triggers our senses, our sight, our smell, our touch, our taste, and sound and puts us in contact with our environment, and because things are pleasurable to us, because certain things excited the erotic nature in us, because things make us feel good and are good to the flesh we believe this is love because it is good to us. Nobody is loving you for no reason. People get to know one another for reasons. There is nobody here that loves somebody just for what they can do for them and not get anything in return. I love you because you stimulate me. I love you because you excite me. I love you because you make me feel good. There is no way for us to have admire without some desire because this admire is Eros and it is coming out of the desires of the flesh and the desire of the mind. But when we are seasoned with the fruit of Love this is Agape and if I infuse my Eros with Agape, since God produces Agape then I can begin to love like God loves me and this is being Holy. I now have love inspite of what you do, you don’t have to love me in return, I’m trying to complete myself, I just love you, why because I love your soul. I don’t love the sin that you are doing, but I love the soul.
This is the epitome of the Fruit of Love, when as the song writer said “I WAS SINKING DEEP IN SIN FAR FROM THE PEACEFUL SHORE VERY DEEPLY STAINED WITHIN NEVER TO RISE NO MORE THAN THE MASTER OF THE SEA HEARD MY DESPAIRING CRY FROM THE WATER LIFTED ME NOW SAFE AM I, LOVE LIFTED ME, LOVE LIFTED ME WHEN NOTHING ELSE WOULD HELP LOVE LIFTED ME.”
Fruit of Joy: - Many people get the wrong idea of Joy. So many-times we look at joy on the basis of being happy, but it’s deeper than just that. Joy is an emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or the prospect of possessing what one desires. The devil desires to have you for no other reason than God not having you. When you have the fruit of joy it is an emotion that is evoked in God because he sees us giving Him praise, He knows that the devil desires to have us, but He has us. This evokes the emotion of joy in God because He knows that the devil desires to have control of us, but yet we are giving God praise. God is evoked with joy and gives us strength to endure. That’s the meaning of the Joy of the Lord is my strength. The fruit of joy is not something that we have because things are going good in or life, but the strength of God to make it through the trials in our lives.
Fruit of Peace: - This doesn’t mean that everything in your life is going to be harmonious. Many people have a misunderstanding of this particular peace because they think that it is limited to just having peace or being peaceable with others; however, it is dealing with the Trichotomy of man which is the body, soul, and spirit of man. Peace comes from reconciling the soul back into a harmonious relationship with God. The Fruit of Peace is talking about the ones that bring peace to an un-peaceable situation. Understand that a peace is not a seasoning but a responsible activity belonging to every Christian. In other words a peacemaker.
The Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 5:18-20 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God”.
This is the ministry that every Christian has and that is reconciliation. Reconciliation is - to restore to friendship or harmony. Our job of reconciliation is to lead the lost souls back to God. When we lead the lost souls, sinners, back to Christ, then their souls are no longer suffering to be reconciled back to that status they had before the fall of man, this is the concept of a peace.
Fruit of Longsuffering: - Many people believe that this means to be able to suffer for a long time; however, it is more than that. Longsuffering is being able to stand when people criticize you for speaking about the word of God. Longsuffering is being able to stand when it seems you can’t go on. Longsuffering is being steadfast and unmovable. Longsuffering is when friends and family say come on its ok, longsuffering is being able to resist those temptations and doing the will of God, even when its not fashionable.
Longsuffering is the capacity of a child of God to grow or thrive when subjected to an unfavorable factor, the capacity of the Christian to endure or become less responsive to the adversary. Is being able to hold on to God’s unchanging hand and like Job said, Though He slay me YET will I trust Him.
Fruit of Gentleness: - Gentleness is being free from harshness, sternness, or violence. Matthew 10:16 says “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” We are going into a world of wolves and we must be wise and know how to handle every situation while ensuring that we do not hurt someone to the point that they totally turn away from God.
The fruit of Gentleness is not being timid on sin, but the sinner. This does not mean that we compromise the word of God in order not to offended, but must handle a person with gentleness while destroying sin.
Fruit of Goodness: - Goodness is the nutritious, flavorful, or beneficial part of something. We are to give the world Jesus in such a way that they are able to taste and see that God is good.
It is a spiritual decency that we show the world. We are the only Jesus that this world will see and we must present God to the world through us. Therefore, we are not to be caught up in doing the things that the world is doing. 2nd Corinthians 6:17-18 says “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” This is the meaning of “Righteousness”
When the world looks and sees us caught up in the same mess that they are in, when they look at us and see us doing the same things they are doing, then where is the goodness. However when they are suffering and struggling and wandering around confused, frighten, and dumb-founded because of situations in life and look at us who have joy unspeakable and full of glory and peace that passeth all understanding, then they will see the goodness of Jesus Christ through us and glorify Him.
Fruit of Faith: - Knowing that God can and God will when nothing seems like it can be done. It is the characteristic we must develop within ourselves to rely totally upon God and not upon ourselves. It is the confidence in knowing that even if the storms keep on raging and the winds keep on blowing your soul is anchored in the Lord.
Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I like this example of faith “Faith is standing at the break of darkness and you don’t know if the next step is going to throw you off a cliff or not. However, Faith is, knowing that at that precise moment that GOD is either going to give you something solid to stand on or the ability to fly. Faith recognizes our limitations and releases us to walk into the limitless resources of God.
Fruit of Meekness: - Meekness as one writer said, “is not an invertebrate virtue”. It is not weakness or mere mildness of disposition, rather an element of Christ’s’ character that must be emulated by all His disciples. Of all the qualities of character, meekness is the least sought after. However Jesus extols it as a grace highly esteemed by God. “The ornament of a meek and quite spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” 1st Peter 3:4
Meekness can fight with strength and vigor when the glory of God or the interest of the kingdom is at stake. It was Jesus himself, meek and lowly, who with a whip expelled the evildoers out of the temple. Meekness is not good-naturedness that will take anything from anybody, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force, it is an attitude of the mind which does not insist on its own rights or interest, but is ready to waive its privileges for others. A perfect example is John the Baptist “I must decrease that He may increase.”
Fruit of Temperance: - Temperance is not limited to not exploding when situations in your life go array, but the ability to remain at a certain level. Most of us when a situation arises in our life we fluctuate in our emotions.
Before something happens we are at a certain level, but we tend to escalate when things go array. Temperance is the ability to remain the same before, during, and after a storm in our lives.
Temperance can be summarized in the meaning of self-control. Temperance is the ability to control your flesh, your emotions, and your actions before, during, and after a situation in your life.
Mark 4:35-41 says “And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him.”
This is the perfect example of Temperance. Before the storm Jesus was resting in comfort, during the storm he was still resting until the disciple woke him, he rebuked the storm still calm, after the storm he asked the disciple ye have no faith, after the storm he was still calm, because the Bible says in chapter 5 “And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.” Nothing else is said about the storm or Jesus’ attitude toward the storm.
Temperance is self-control over our flesh, our emotions, and our actions at all times.
Against such there is no law: - No law can condemn the fruit of the spirit for law can only condemn sin not grace and righteousness.
Verses #24 - #26: - “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” For those that are truly called according to His purpose will and have done this. Their desire is to please God first not flesh. First seek ye the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. If you walk in the spirit don’t be jealous of other thank God for their blessing and He will bless you also, don’t be upset saying well when is He going to give me mine, or how come them and not me.
Elder Melvin L. Maughmer,, Jr..
Boanerge Ministries
