Galatians: A Study of Christian Freedom
Lesson 19: The Spirit’s Orchard, Part Two: Cultivating the Orchard Galatians 5:24-25
Will we let the Spirit do his work? The last lesson ended with that question. While “the fruit of the Spirit” is not the product of our own effort, we can order our lives to promote its development. or we can allow conditions to exist that will impede the orchard’s development. That reality shapes Paul’s admonition ending this chapter.
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus
These words describe a certain class of people. Paul is describing “those who belong to Christ Jesus.” In other words, he is talking about Christians. But not those who are Christians in name only. As will be clear, he is speaking of those who have undergone the life-transforming work of the Spirit in their lives. To try to generate the qualities Paul has just described on our own is to embark on a path of failure.
At the same time, Paul is telling those claiming to be among “those who belong to Christ Jesus” that exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in their lives should be a given.
But how? Paul gives a twofold answer.
First, such Christians who hope to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in their lives have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Paul has been contrasting a life controlled by the flesh and a life controlled by the Spirit. You will remember that the “flesh” is that aspect of our being that attempts to get along without God, either in open rebellion against God or in the attempt to accomplish on our own that which only God can accomplish in our lives. Those who are unredeemed order their lives by the dictates of the flesh, even when their outward behavior seems to have a religious, even spiritual, quality. You will remember we said that the flesh is that which is broken about us, desperately needs to be fixed, and which we cannot fix on our own. Ironically, it is the nature of the flesh to persuade us to attempt to fix what is broken about us on our own. Even after our conversion, the flesh is still part of who we are. But Paul says we do not have to allow the flesh to have the upper hand. He tells us the flesh may be crucified.
What does he mean? Those reading this letter in the Galatian churches knew that crucifixion was a means of execution used by the Romans. They would have known, of course, that Jesus had been crucified. All across the empire, rebels were regularly crucified; they would not incite insurrection ever again. All across the empire, murderers were regularly crucified; they would not threaten the lives of others ever again. All across the empire, thieves were regularly crucified; they would not show contempt for the property rights of others ever again. Crucifixion was an effective way to deal with troublemakers.
In picturing the flesh nailed to a cross, Paul was saying that Christians should deal with this part of their being in a decisive, manner. Then, the flesh—that troublemaker—would not impede the believer’s growth toward Christlikeness ever again.
Can you believe The Wizard of Oz is 75 years old? Do you remember the scene where the Munchkins discover that Dorothy’s house has fallen on and killed the Wicked Witch of the East? The Munchkins begin dancing around singing “the wicked witch is dead.” They were free from her power.
Paul wanted the Galatians to be free from the power of the flesh.
Again, how? We can speak of believers’ crucifying the flesh but what does Paul have in mind.
One thing he didn’t have in mind was the interpretation some Christian groups have given these verses and others like them where Paul instructs us: “Mortify or put to death your worldly impulses.” (Col. 3:5) Some believed Paul was recommending severe punishment to drive out impulses that might lead to sin. Some monks believed they were to never allow themselves enough sleep, never eat until satisfied, and wear coarse hair shirts or lay for hours on the cold stone floor of the monastery. Others attempted to suppress their impulses by flagellation, beating themselves or allowing themselves to be beaten with a lash. Martin Luther, as a monk, engaged in some such behaviors until his mentor told him to stop the nonsense.
While Paul does not have such behavior in mind, he is telling us that this aspect of our spiritual pilgrimage is our responsibility. He tells us these model believers have “crucified their flesh.” Like them, we need to take a firm and decisive action against the impulses that would lead us to give in to the varied “passions and desires” claiming our allegiance.
Walter Hansen says that this self-crucifixion…
“…means that Christians have said an absolute, unconditional no to all their sinful desires and passions. Renunciation of evil…is a practical everyday discipline. When my sinful nature subtly suggest paging through a pornographic magazine, I shout a defiant no to my sinful nature. When I hear a juicy bit of gossip and start to repeat it, I close my mouth and say ‘no way’ to my sinful desire. When another Christian criticizes me unfairly and my flesh screams for revenge, I say ‘absolutely not’ to my sinful passion.”
Most of us could take Hansen’s list and expand it to cover “a multitude of sins.” We could certainly apply the principle to the attitudes mentioned in verse 26, “ Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another”; we’ve treated this passage already but you can see how denying such impulses a say in our behavior would change so much. But the point is, every time we say “No” to our crucified flesh we drive the nails a little deeper. At the same time, when we say “No” to our crucified flesh we can hear the Spirit say, “I’ve got your back.” We are not in the battle alone.
Our flesh robbed of its influence is one part of Paul’s vision for our lives; the other part of his vision involves replacing the old fleshly directive with a new spiritual directive.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
This admonition takes us back to the question Paul asked in chapter three: “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by way of the flesh?” Paul assumes his readers now have reaffirmed that they “live by the Spirit,” that their regenerated condition is the product of the Spirit’s work in their lives. That being so, it only follows that we should be “guided by the Spirit.”
What Paul says is based on the New Testament teaching that every believer has received the gift of the Spirit. That being said, Paul also seems to suggest that not every believer is being guided by the Spirit. That’s a situation Paul hopes to correct.
Historically, the church has sometimes shied away from the thought of the Spirit being active in the life of each believer. Church leaders have feared the notion would lead to excesses. Yet the positive benefits of the Spirit’s guidance in the lives of individual Christians so far outweighs the threat of possible problems in the lives of confused saints that we should be more concerned to never “quench” the Spirit. The truth is, the Spirit will help us avoid the excesses.
Paul’s thought is captured in Peterson’s paraphrase of the command: “Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.”
The phrase translated as “walk in the Spirit” or “keep in step with the Spirit” literally means to have our conduct framed by the Spirit. This would involve the Spirit shaping all of our lives, not simply at church but wherever we are.
This is the second part of Paul’s vision for our lives, that we be “guided by the Spirit.”
But, how does this take place?
The Spirit guides through the Scripture. The Bible consistently teaches that it is the product of the Spirit’s inspiration, the Scriptures are said to be “God-breathed.” When we properly interpret the Scripture, we hear the Voice of the Spirit teaching us, correcting us, and guiding us. That’s important because Paul would have insisted the Galatians could not find their return to legalism sanctioned in Scripture.
This doesn't mean you will find directives for every issue you may face in your pilgrimage, but the Spirit can help us take the material we find in the Scripture and weave it into a course to take.
The Spirit guides through the Church. In Acts 16, we are allowed to observe a episode in the life of the church at Antioch. Luke reports: “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me to do the work for which I called them.’ Then they fasted and prayed, laid their hands on them, and let them go.” While such remarkable experiences may not be commonplace, the Spirit very often still speaks with the voice of the church.
The Spirit speaks through the church’s formal structures such as its preaching, its singing, its confession of faith. Because the Spirit is “the Spirit of truth,” this assumes the church is being faithful in proclaiming the Biblical message.
But the Spirit also guides in our more informal contact with our fellow believers. It may be over dinner, on the golf course, or in a casual, unplanned conversation.
Then, too, the Spirit may guide you in other ways, perhaps through the words of a Christian author who may have died long before you were born or who you're unlikely to ever meet.
The Spirit guides through direct, personal impressions. Of course, we’ve all experienced pangs of conscience. That may well be the Spirit calling us on the wrong we may have done or the good we have neglected to do. That’s a common experience. But these personal impressions also include those occasions when we sense the Spirit prompting us to claim God would have us take a specific course of action.
This is the matter that frightened Christian leaders the most. The mere claim to such personal impressions was one reason Anne Hutchinson was banished from Massachusetts. And, of course, some Christians have tragically confused the wrong voice for the voice of the Spirit. But when Christians recall that the Spirit will never contradict the Scripture or usually coincides with the counsel of their fellow believers, they may feel comfortable considering those impressions.
In 1958, Pastor David Wilkerson picked up a copy of Life magazine and saw a picture of several teenage gang members who were on trial in New York city. He was struck by the anguish on their faces and came to believe the Spirit was directing him to go to the city and begin a ministry to the gangs. The result was Teen Challenge. His ministry did not result from attending a youth conference or receiving an impassioned letter from his denominational headquarters; it resulted from the Spirit using a picture in a secular magazine.
While the Spirit will surely lead Christians into opportunities for ministry, Paul probably is thinking of how being led by the Spirit will produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Of course, it is as that orchard is cultivated and bears fruit, that we become better equipped to face the challenge of ministry. Indeed, no one is equipped to minister in Christ’s Name unless they are somehow demonstrating the character of Christ. That character is mirrored in the fruit of the Spirit.
Observations:
Now, I want to spend a little time revisiting a couple matters.
A Note on Hearing the Spirit.
The TNT series Perception is about a college professor who helps the FBI solve crimes. Nothing especially unusual about that plot. However, the professor also suffers from schizophrenia; he hears things and see people who aren’t there. It’s good entertainment but it is fiction. In reality, people are not always so accepting.
In the minds of many people suggesting that the Spirit might speak to us human beings is grounds for a psych evaluation. We’ve all read frightening stories of crimes committed by those who claimed to be following the voice of God. But I’m am not talking about the actions of those with certifiable mental illnesses. I’m talking about those people who might share pews with us or those in our neighborhoods who might head off to their churches the same time we do on a Sunday morning.
Let me tell you that I have seldom had an experience in which I believed God was telling me something unusual. In fact, the only such occurrence that might fit occurred years ago in Texas. One morning I was studying at my desk when an ambulance rushed through town. I don’t usually chase ambulances—that’s a lawyer thing—but I just felt I needed to follow the path of that ambulance. I did and about four miles out of town, at an intersection near the grain elevator, I came across a car wreck. A pick-up had T-boned the small car being driven by a family in the church. When I arrived the wife—who was most seriously injured—had been loaded into the ambulance but she was resisting the EMTs. They were unable to restrain her so they could get a IV going and get on the road. Again, in an uncharacteristic move, I got into the ambulance, took her by the hand, and said, “Sharon, this is Pastor Jim, these people are trying to help you. You need to settle down.” She did and the EMTs were able to stabilize her and head to the hospital in Amarillo, forty miles away.
Had the Spirit told me to follow the ambulance? I don’t know. Obviously, in a town of eighty-eight, there was a pretty good chance I would know anyone the ambulance had been called to help. And maybe anyone whose voice was familiar would have gotten through to Sharon. Still, Sharon and her family were convinced God had put me there at that particular time.
Although I can think of only one occasion where God may have “spoken” to me, directed me to do what I would ordinarily never do, I know people who are constantly saying “God told me….” The skeptical side of me (which can be pretty prominent at times) can’t help but notice that very often God tells these people to do what they wanted to do in the first place. At the same time, it often seems some people use “God told me” as a means to end all discussion. If your argument is weak, dropping a divine endorsement into the debate has a way of causing all but the most ardent opponents to back-off.
On the other hand, I notice there are those occasions in the Bible when God does speak directly to people. Then, too, there are people I admire very much who occasionally say, “God told me…” and, knowing the depth of their faith, I’m inclined to believe them.
When Paul wrote the Thessalonians, he was aware there were a few skeptics in the congregation, skeptics ready to discount what purported to be God speaking to and through some members. To these he wrote: “Don’t suppress the Spirit. Don’t downplay prophesies. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what is good.” That’s good advice when anyone says to you, “God told me….” Do that and there may be times when you respond to someone claiming to have heard the Spirit’s Voice by saying, “Go for it” and times when you say, “That’s interesting.”
Again, in this context, I believe Paul is more concerned with our hearing the Spirit’s voice instructing us as we long for that time when we will experience “conformity to God’s will in in purpose, thought and action.” (Gal. 5:5 Amp)
The Ideal versus the Real.
The notion of our fleshly nature never again impeding our growth toward spiritual maturity or Christlikeness is a beautiful ideal. It gave rise to the medieval legends of saints so pure they hardly seem to be of this world. More recently, some groups, claiming inspiration from John Wesley, have claimed we may attain moral perfection. But is it reality?
The truth is the rebel element of our identity does not want to remain on the cross and has a remarkable capacity to break free no matter how securely we believe we have driven the nails. In fact, it is often at that moment when we believe the nails are most firmly fixed that the flesh breaks free.
The battle is ongoing. Paul knows this, as the next chapter confirms. Our pilgrimage is marked by both victory and defeat. But it can never be one where we seek a truce. With the Spirit’s help, we can experience long-term victories but we can never forget the enemy waits to seize the opportunity to sabotage us. We may celebrate the victories and mourn the defeats but, above all, we depend upon God’s grace.
In 1757, twenty-two-year-old Robert Robinson wrote words still being sung today, words reflecting the quest for the ideal and an acknowledgement of the reality.
O to grace how great a debtor, Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.
In words that aren’t included in our hymnal, Robinson continues his poem by looking forward to that day when the battle will be over.
O that day when freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen, How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace…
