RodR

All works of the flesh can be divided into three categories: Those committed against OURSELVES such as impurity and debauchery. Those committed against OTHERS such as hatred and discord. Those committed against GOD such as idolatry and witchcraft. In truth, however, all are sins against God because they reject His Spirit in us.

In these verses, Paul encourages the Galatians to follow the Spirit’s leading and reject the temptation of giving in to fleshly desires. As we submit to the Spirit, fleshly desires are drained of their power over us. Each time we resist, resistance becomes easier and the old nature has a less powerful influence over us. Spirit-led living is a life-long process and we still make choices. We will not choose perfectly until we are fully controlled by the Holy Spirit living in us. In addition, while we are in this world, satan is still at work to draw us away from Spirit-led living and he knows our weakness.

Some Christians believe that their freedom in Christ means they can behave any way they want and they wear their forgiveness as a license. They have forgotten the golden rule of Matthew 7:12 - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Spirit-led Christians fulfill the spirit of the law by asking themselves, “What would Jesus do?” and then choosing to follow His lead. The climate of a congregation either supports or inhibits spiritual growth and discipleship. Backbiting, rudeness, and any “sins of the flesh” in a congregation grieve the Spirit and indicate the body's spiritual immaturity. A spiritually immature congregation will create spiritually immature disciples.

I still wish there was a way to encourage more dialogue between participants in these studies. I appreciate the lessons and the questions sometimes make me think about the verses from a different perspective. But I miss having some interaction with others. Perhaps there could be a group of participants who are assigned to read and respond to participant’s questions or make comments on the postings in order to generate dialogue.

Active faith is not willing that any “wanderers” should be lost. Matthew 18 demonstrates Jesus’ determination to seek and find the one wandering sheep. His concern for that one sheep describes an active faith. He doesn’t just sit and wait believing that the sheep will return. He actively seeks and finds the wanderer and brings it back. To me, that shows His faith by His works.

The oil is a symbol of God’s powerful Spirit in the process. The prayer of faith is an indication of the powerful faith of the elders. Faith in God’s ability and authority for healing is required for God’s healing power to occur. Confession of sins clears the way for physical healing when the sickness is affected by a need for spiritual healing.

The elders are to come when called after preparing themselves for their role in the process. They must come in faith that God can heal through this process. They must come with a prayer that boldly declares their faith that God can heal the sick. They must come as God’s instruments with God’s authority.

The one who is sick initiates the prayer for healing. He/she is to “call on the elders” for prayer. It’s important to demonstrate his/her faith that God can use this process to heal. It’s also an indication of the person’s desire to be healed.

Grumbling and complaining implies that we are not satisfied with where God has placed us or with what He has given us. It shows that we do not trust that God can take care of us and meet our needs. It indicates that we lack patience to wait for God’s promise of working all things together for our good.

Waiting on God’s timing is difficult. We are often distracted and give up or try to make things happen on our own. Either way we lose faith and trust. Patience is vital because it causes us to be expectant and prepared for the Lord’s return. Without patience we can become apathetic and unproductive.

James doesn’t condemn the rich. He warns them of relying on their riches for their security. Greed is the spiritual danger faced by those who are rich in this world. James mentions three specific indications of misuse of wealth caused by greed. The first is hording it, the second is treating others unfairly in order to gain it or keep it, and the third is living a self-indulgent lifestyle not considering others needs. It’s easy for the rich (all of us) to turn “wants” into “necessities” and “necessities” into “expectations” and “expectations” into “entitlements” regardless of the effect that has on others or on future generations.

James is warning us against believing we are in charge of our future. Humble planning includes an understanding of Proverbs 16:9 - “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Being humble in our planning involves decisively submitting to His timing and His will. This is especially difficult when we have the means or ability to move ahead on our own. We must always seek His wisdom and His guidance on His timetable.

Paul is saying that the only reason the Judaizers wanted the Gentiles to be circumcised was because they were offended by the death of Christ. They caused the death of the Messiah and it was an offence to them that this was necessary for salvation. Some today are put off or offended by the fact that Jesus had to die in order to make salvation available. When we soften the proclamation of the cross or try to avoid the blood He shed, it invalidates the true message.

The indwelling Holy Spirit is a sign of the new covenant as circumcision was a sign of the old covenant. God gave Christians the Spirit as a “promise” of what is to come. Submitting to the Spirit’s leading in our lives helps us grow to become more like Christ. Verse 6 indicates that the primary evidence of the Spirit’s presence is “faith expressing itself in love.”

Good observation. Paul seems to do this alot. Check out Col 1:3-5.

Paul is saying that to choose to return to Judaism by allowing circumcision or by legalistically following the requirements of the law, is to step back from or fall from the grace offered by Jesus Christ. The “fall” is caused by choosing to return to the old covenant of the law rather than embracing the new covenant of salvation by grace. We “fall” from grace any time we add requirements or conditions to grace. We can do nothing to earn grace. That’s why it is called grace.

Christian parents generally do all they can to set an example for their children and guide them to spiritual maturity. At some point, however, children make a choice. When this choice goes against everything the parent holds dear, we grieve. We wonder what we could have done or said differently and we pray that our children will “turn back” to the truth. When Christ is formed in a person they take on His characteristics. This spiritual formation is nurtured when the person submits to the Holy Spirit’s leading by prayer, study of the Word, and fellowship with other Christians.

Paul’s concern was not that the Galatians were celebrating special worship days but that their adherence to these special days was taking priority over their relationship with God. If we emphasize form over substance, any religious expression can be a movement towards legalism. It is certainly not wrong to celebrate Advent, for example, but if we think we have met our spiritual “obligation” by lighting the advent candles, we are wrong. There is nothing inherently wrong with the “church calendar” unless we associate observing the special times with our salvation or our righteousness and make it a test of fellowship. Then, it become legalism and that’s what Paul was concerned about for the Galatians.

The indwelling Spirit is an indication of the closeness of our new relationship with God through Christ. He lives in us and prompts us to grow in Him. Abba is a term of endearment and indicates a close family relationship. Jesus is God and I am not! However, we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ thus claiming some of the same benefits that He has (like eternal life). What a blessing it is to think of Christ as my brother and to want to make Him proud of me!

What a great list of our riches in Christ. Thanks for sharing!

Slaves do what they are told to do because they are told to do it. The law was given as a list of requirements for righteousness. It showed what sin was and what one needed to do not to sin. It didn’t save or redeem anyone. Christ came to redeem (purchase, liberate, rescue, ransom) us from the requirements of the law and make us sons and daughters of God. We are now heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. (Rom 8:17) As heirs, we obey out of love and not out of duty.

Paul says the Messiah came, “in the fullness of time…” The Message version of the Bible puts it this way, “when the time arrived that was set by God the Father…” It took just the right amount of time on God’s calendar. He had been planning for Jesus to come since creation and He knew when the world’s conditions would be right to reveal the Messiah and spread the gospel. The first century world was the right time because it was religiously, politically, culturally and economically prepared to receive God’s Son. But mostly, it was right because God had prepared the first century world for the Messiah.

Some of them must have since Paul addressed the issue in several letters. The basis of our unity in Christ is our being united with Him through baptism. The necessary humility associated with baptism pulls down barriers by applying to all in the same way. No one identifies with Christ in any other way. I agree with Travis63. I don’t think Paul would use the term “Jewish” Christians or “Gentile” Christians. He is emphasizing that we are all ONE in Christ – all simply Christians. I think young or new Christians are sometimes regarded as second-class citizens in our congregations. We need to commit to discipling new Christians by encouraging them and building them up.

How can we pray for you?

Bad-mouthing a neighbor makes you a judge of which laws apply to whom. When we criticize others, we are forgetting that we are not perfect either. Like the old saying goes… “There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it ill behooves any of us to find fault with the rest of us.