The Fruit of the Spirit

Today’s reading is Galatians 5.

How many sermons and classes have we been through on the fruit of the Spirit? How often have we jumped to Galatians 5:16ff, to discuss the spiritual walk, and forgotten Paul has been leading to this for an entire letter? When we argue and discuss what it means to walk by the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, live by the Spirit, let us not forget he has already given us an illustrating contrast.

In Galatians 4:21-31, he reminded us of Hagar and Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac. Remember Ishmael was born according to the flesh, but Isaac was born according to the Spirit (Galatians 4:29). Yet, also recall being born according to the Spirit meant being born according to the promise (Galatians 4:23). When Abraham and Sarah came up with the plan to impregnate Hagar on Sarah’s behalf, they were pursuing the flesh. They were attempting to accomplish God’s plan through their own strength. When Abraham and Sarah merely believed God’s promise of a son and conducted themselves properly in their marriage, they were following the lead and guide of the Spirit.

Take a look at that list of works of the flesh. How many of them came out in the story of Hagar and Ishmael? Immorality, impurity, and sensuality. Perhaps, through some technicality, making Hagar a concubine was lawful under that old system, but we know that was not God’s full intention for marriage. Without doubt, we find enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalry, dissension, division, envy. All of those works of the flesh increased by Abraham and Sarah’s plan with Hagar.

This is what we discover from that story. When we try to accomplish God’s plan by our own strength; that is, when we are try to justify ourselves by the strength of our own flesh, we are going to find the works produced by our flesh won’t be righteousness, godliness, holiness. Even when that is our goal. When relying on our own strength and our own plans, we will inevitably fall into immorality, impurity, sensuality, etc. That is what relying on our strength produces.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are the fruit of the Spirit. They are not the fruit of the flesh. They are not the fruit of our extreme effort and work. They are not what we will ultimately produce when we try to white-knuckle our way to justification. We will only have these fruit in our lives when we hear the promise God has revealed through His Spirit and respond in faith to His promises.

We really have a bit of a litmus test here. To the degree those works of the flesh are still present (and no doubt they are still present in all of us), we are relying on our own strength. To the degree the fruit of the Spirit are growing in us, we are relying on the Spirit.

Let us dig in to God’s promises. Let us believe God’s promises. Let us respond to God’s promises. In so doing, we will be led by God’s Spirit and God’s Spirit will grow His fruit in us.

Tomorrow’s reading is Galatians 5.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family

1. What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
2. Why are the works of the flesh so appealing?
3. What advice would you give to others to avoid the works of the flesh?
4. Do you want the Spirit’s fruit in your life? If so, how will you follow the lead of the Spirit?
5. What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?

Children of the Free Woman

Today’s reading is Galatians 4.

I admit it. The allegory in Galatians 4:21-31 can be confusing for us. We’re not quite sure why Paul teaches this way or why he can even make the points he does from this story. However, getting bogged down in questions about allegories misses the point. Paul wasn’t trying to give us an example of how to study the Old Testament in general or how to apply Scripture in general. He was simply driving home his point.

He asks if those who are making so much of the Law are even paying attention to the Law they are pursuing. In that law there was a branch of the Abraham family that was enslaved. There was a branch that was free. Hagar was a slave. Sarah was free. Though Hagar was fertile while Sarah was barren, it was better to be Sarah than Hagar. Further, it was better to be Sarah’s son than Hagar’s.

Think about how awful the whole situation really was with Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham starts trying to make God’s plan work by Abraham’s own strength. And in the attempt he really perpetrates an evil against Hagar. This relationship with Hagar was certainly not a loving, caring marriage. It was taking advantage of a slave. When they were done, rather than actually producing a son for Sarah and Abraham who would be free and inherit as Sarah initially suggested would be the case, Ishmael was simply a slave. This was not a shining moment in Abraham’s life. It is a further indication that the power in the story is God and His grace, not Abraham and his personal righteousness.

As shocking as it might seem, Paul says those who want to pursue the Law, are opting to be Ishmael instead of Isaac. Isaac was a child of the promise. This is the promise Paul talked about in Galatians 3. In Christ, we are children of the promise. However, if we decide to pursue the Law or try to be justified by Law, we become nothing more than children of the flesh and of slavery.

Take into account what Paul had said just before this allegory. He spoke of the Judaizing teachers. “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.” This is exactly what Abraham and Sarah did with Hagar. Sarah made much of Hagar. On the surface, it was as if Sarah was lifting up Hagar in honor. She could be a wife of the master. However, this was not good for Hagar or any children that would come through her. Sarah made much of Hagar, but only for Sarah’s own personal benefit. That is the case when we follow teachers who would lead us back under the Law. They make much of us. They act as if they are helping us. They aren’t. They are only trying to help themselves. They are enslaving us. Don’t follow them.

We are children of the free woman. And know this: though the free woman was barren, by God’s work and power, she will have more children. Further, be aware. The children of the flesh will persecute us as Ishmael did Isaac. But Ishmael will not inherit with Isaac. Don’t pursue the flesh. Don’t try to find justification through your own effort by keeping the Law. Pursue the promise of God through Jesus Christ. That is freedom. That is salvation.

Tomorrow’s reading is Galatians 5.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family

1. What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
2. Why is freedom better than slavery?
3. Why do you think the Galatians and some people even today want to go back to the slavery of the Law or add the slavery of the Law into the gospel?
4. Consider the implication of Galatians 4:30. What was Paul encouraging the Galatian Christians to do with those who were going to distort the Gospel with the Law?
5. What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?