1 Galatians “Christ and the Law” Lesson 10 “Walking in The Liberty of The Spirit” “Putting Theory Into Practice” Galatians 5:16-26 Page 38

Galatians 5: I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 2

3 Walking in The Liberty of The Spirit Galatians 5:16-18  “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (v.16)  Christian liberty will control license  It allows the Spirit to have His way  It will suppress the “natural” inclinations to bow to the lust of the flesh  We cannot be occupied with Christ and the lust of the flesh at the same time  “The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh” (v.17)  “These are contrary to one another”

4 Walking in The Liberty of The Spirit Galatians 5:16-18  Question:  How does a Christian win the battle between doing what is right [the Spirit] and doing what is pleasurable [the lusts]?  Answer (v.17):  “You do not do the things that you wish”  “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (v.18)  The differences between Christ and the law is more than ceremonies and observances  The gospel advocates a different lifestyle

5 Jesus Shows the “Better Way” to Live Matthew 5:21-43  Anger toward others: The Law forbade murder; the gospel forbids ill feelings  Moral behavior: The Law forbade adultery; the gospel forbids lust  Marital loyalty: The Law forbade divorce without cause; the gospel forbids divorce except for adultery  Speaking truth: The Law permitted oaths; the gospel forbids swearing  Justice: The Law allowed revenge; the gospel requires forgiveness  Love: The Law promoted love for friends; the gospel expects love for enemies

Galatians 5: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 6

7 The Works of the Flesh Galatians 5:19-21  There is no problem identifying “the works of the flesh” – they are evident (v.19)  They appeal to the human nature  Even under the law (v.18), these were forbidden  Its ordinances gave no power to overcome them  The law provided no pardon for the guilt and condemnation produced by them  “Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (v.21)

8 The Works of the Flesh Galatians 5:19-21 Sins of immorality  Adultery & Fornication – sexual immorality  Uncleanness – “gutter behavior,” impure  Licentiousness – lewdness [obsceneness], shameless conduct with absence of restraint Sins of excess  Drunkenness - habitual intoxication caused by strong drink [and drugs]  Revelries – shameful behavior, riotous gatherings for entertainment [merrymaking]

9 The Works of the Flesh Galatians 5:19-21 Sins of paganism  Idolatry – the sin of the mind against God  Sorcery – the use of medicine, drugs, spells; poisoning; witchcraft Sins of bad attitudes  Hatred – enmity [ill-will, bitterness]  Contentions – strife [esp. rivalry], quarrels  Jealousies – to desire eagerly to “be beside” another, envious (of)  Outbursts of wrath – losing the temper, anger

10 The Works of the Flesh Galatians 5:19-21  Selfish ambitions – the desire to put one’s self forward [even at the expense of others]  Dissensions – divisions, discord, disagreement  Heresies – a choosing; a self-willed opinion which leads to division  Envy – the desire to deprive another of what he has, to grudge  Murders – unlawful killing of others  And the like – et cetera [and so forth]

Galatians 5: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 11

12 Walking in The Liberty of The Spirit Galatians 5:22-23  “Fruit” [of the Spirit] is singular, while “works” [of the flesh] is plural  Any one of the works of flesh can keep us out of heaven  But, we must to possess all of these virtues to get to heaven

13 The Fruit of the Spirit is: Galatians 5:22-23 Love – a pervasive desire to do good to others; the essence of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit Joy – gladness Peace – the sense of rest and contentment consequent to harmonized relationships between God and man Longsuffering – forbearance, patience Kindness – a kindly disposition toward others

14 The Fruit of the Spirit is: Galatians 5:22-23 Goodness – a lover of what is good Faithfulness – the quality of being faithful, to be trusted, reliable Gentleness – mildness, meekness Self-control – the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions  Against such there is no law  The “fruit of the Spirit” is approved by the laws of God, man, and personal conscience

Galatians 5: And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. 15

16 Putting Theory Into Practice Galatians 5:24-26  Those “works of the flesh” which would hinder our walk with the Lord must be crucified [“put off”] along with its passions and desires  If we profess to believe [live in] the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit  This “walk” will show in our lives and conversation that the Spirit of God dwells in us  Conceit, provocation, and envy are foreign to the harmony and peace in the body of Christ