The Book Of Galatians – Chapter 5:16-25 - Message 20 – Walking By The Spirit Embracing The Fruit Of The Spirit – Not The Deeds Of The Flesh Series

Christians are capable of any of these sins because they are according to the old nature. They belong to the old nature and are not eliminated once we become Christians. However they are not to have the mastery over us. When we walk after the Spirit (by the Spirit) then we are not living in these evil things, and we should not be desiring (lusting after) them.

Do we slip up? Yes we do. There are 15 items given, and I dare say that us as Christians have been guilty of most of those, even as Christians. Those who defend themselves and say that are innocent are liars. If we were not guilty of them then we are as a perfect man and James would shoot that down.

I have considered how to deal with these 15 items given for the deeds of the flesh in this message and I don’t think it is of much value this time to take each one and speak on each. We should all know what each one means. The list above comes from the NASB. What is written in the AV is rather difficult to understand in our times with language changes such as “emulations”. I will also give this list as it is in the NIV -

[[“sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies.”]]

I do want to speak about one of the words in verse 20, the second one in – “sorcery” (witchcraft – NIV). The Greek for it is fa?µa?e?a (pharmakeia). It is the word that is not properly translated. It is related to magic and pagan rituals where mind-altering drugs were used in ceremonies. You can see from the word, that it is where we get “pharmacy” from, a chemist store, pharmaceuticals, a drug place (I think Americans use “druggists”).

The word should be translated as “drugs”. In our culture today that is SO APPLICABLE. Apparently surveys show that a majority now use “recreational drugs” such as marijuana. The AV translated the word as sorcery not understanding the widespread usage of drugs in society, legal and illegal. There is one other use of this word occurring in Revelation where it is speaking of the people in the Tribulation (with the Church having left this earth earlier in the Rapture), people so wicked that they refuse to repent in spite of all the judgements – {{Revelation 9:21 “and they did not repent of their murders, nor of their SORCERIES, nor of their immorality, nor of their thefts.”}} There will be Satan worship in the Tribulation headed up by the False Prophet, along with a drug culture. The strains of that are with us today.

I do want to mention verse 21. {{Galatians 5:21 “envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, about which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that THOSE WHO PRACTISE SUCH THINGS shall not inherit the kingdom of God,”}}. We are told the ones who practise those 15 items shall not see heaven. It is as clear as that.

Well what about a Christian who has these outbursts of the flesh from time to time, for none of us is perfect in this regard? The point that must be stressed is that the Greek for “practising” is a present participle, “is practising”, is engaged in it without repenting; their way of life; what their walk is. The Christian may slip back into some of those things but he/she repents in the Christian walk (or must do so!).