The Results of Salvation - Part 4 (Galatians 5:20b-21)

Part 4: Such Things...

"...disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." - Galatians 5:20b-21

 

We have already looked at some the deeds of the flesh, and I confess, it still took up an entire post, and there remains some still. Though there must not be too much time spent on the deeds of the flesh, some time must be given, as they are listed here. But the latter part of this post is key, as we see the results of those who live for the flesh. This may seem very condemnatory, because it is. Paul is being very strict here, because this reality must be seen as such; it is not open to unbelievers, in the sense that those who ignore the warnings, and never repent, are those who will not see the grace of God in the End.

Disputes

There are many people who claim they deserve justice. They think that they have been ill-treated, and thus, they deserve compensation to the fullest, according to their own standards. There are some who are truly treated wrongly, but it is how we respond that makes the difference.

The word for "disputes" is the same word in Phil. 2:3, which says, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves." We can gain an idea of what he means here in this verse from Paul's letter to the Philippians.

This would be like someone going into a courtroom with no intention but to meet their own standards of "justice." If you watch certain shows on TV where people come before a judge on television, they are more often than not, if not entirely, focused on their definition of "justification" being met. If they do not get their way, they accuse the judge of injustice. This is the sort of thing we ought to avoid.

Even when true injustice is done upon us, we are not to be those who become angry towards everyone. That is to say, for one, we do not enter into any situation with our own definition of justice. We base our definition of justice upon the Word of God, not our own standards, and when even the true justice as defined by God is overlooked and neglected by earthly judges, we never rebel, or go into a sort of "faction," based upon this error. We must, in these cases, look at the response of Paul and Silas in Acts 16:

 

"The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!' And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'" - (Acts 16:22-30)

 

Here we see a very interesting account. Paul was a Roman already, and as we see later in that chapter, the authorities wished for him and Silas to leave, because they suddenly realized that they had broken Roman law. (See vs. 38-39) But more importantly, we must look at Paul and Silas' response to this seeming injustice. They knew they were Roman long before they had done any of these things to them. And yet, as far as is written, they said nothing at all to those who condemned them, nor to those who beat them. When they were thrown into the prison, they didn't even tell the jailor. They let it all happen without any word. And when they were in prison, they rejoiced.

We dare not raise a dispute over such injustices. We are not selfish, and we are not arrogant. When such things happen to us, we do not form a faction to attack the enemy, but rather, we accept what God has brought about, and rejoice in persecution for His name sake.

So what does this have to do with disputes exactly? We are not to form useless disputes. Paul and Silas never disputed with their adversaries here to any degree, because their focus was elsewhere. And of all people, Paul and Silas, being Romans, could have easily said something.

 

Dissenions

Unjustified fights. We see throughout this list a sort of similarity between many of these things, as they often revolve around division, and never around the Truth. When a church splits over small things that have little to nothing to do with the Word of God that is the same thing as is listed here. Useless wars that take place within churches throughout the world, and very few see any issue with it. This is, to some degree, "unjust partisanship." Not all partisanship is evil, and not all bi-partisanship is evil. But there are far too many willing to give in on far too many key areas, and there are far too many people willing to hold to useless differences that aid no one.

Take, for example, everyone's favorite topic: politics. (That sarcastic on my part.) When a liberal democrat calls for "bi-partisanship," they are calling for a conservative republican to give up something. Often, democrats will tell republicans to give up their stance on abortion, drugs, weapons and the like, all in the name of "bi-partisanship." But they themselves rarely, if ever, give anything up. That is still partisanship.

However, some take it to the other extreme. In churches, there is a dedication to the Word of God. There is a complete submission to that, and if a church does not have this important reality in their congregation, they are in a very dangerous poison. There are some who have a faction based upon something petty, however, and they have a sort of partisanship that is entirely unrighteous. They debate over the smallest of things, and make such a big deal over them, that they are willing to separate with everyone for their "cause." This is not right, nor should it ever split a church apart. And yet sadly, it does so often.

 

Factions

This is certainly not an issue within the church today, right? Yes, that was sarcasm. Many, many, many churches form many different factions, all for the wrong reasons. There is just reasoning behind certain "factions," such as the Baptist verses the Catholic (a very stark contrast). But within the church itself, you see factions form all the time. From trivial things to things that, though somewhat important, are not worth dividing over.

A good example of this deed of the flesh is seen in the church of Corinth, in 1 Cor. 1:

 

Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. - vs. 10-17

 

Here we see the church dividing over something unworthy of division. The church was being split into factions; some were saying that they were of Paul, other of Peter, and even some of Christ. How was this unjustified? When Paul asked the question, "Has Christ been divided?" This was speaking to a group of true Christians, not obvious unbelievers or apostates, thus we see that they were associating themselves with people, not with the common Salvation through Christ. Let's say a group of people in a single church started saying that they were of Luther, and others of Calvin, and so on. This is error, because they are forming factions based upon people themselves, not the Truth. This is why we are not "Calvinists," or "Lutherans," but truly, are "Christians." Not because we like the name of Christ alone, but because we are united around the Truth- we have the same Salvation, and that should cause unity, not factions based upon men. As Paul later clarifies in 1 Cor. 3:5, "What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one."

 

Envying

This is could be seen as a desire for another to suffer loss or pain. How so? Well take, for example, the envy of a child towards another. (Yes, I use children a lot. They make great examples!) When one gets, say, an ice cream cone, while the other does not, it breeds envy and jealousy. The child would, in their mind, desire that the other did not have it. Or that they would have it too, taking away from the special reward, be that the case. When one child does well, they get the reward of the ice cream. When the other, who did not do well, does not get said ice cream, they envy the other, and desire that they had one, or the other did not. Either way, it is some sort of ill will towards the other child. In the same way, many people envy one another over the simplest of things, from a new gadget, to a simple snack. People beat and kill many people over simple envy. This must be avoided in the Christian.

 

Murders

The KJV adds this one to the list; therefore it might as well be covered. And it is rather simple, actually. Killers worship the flesh, as all do who practice these evil deeds of the flesh, in that they follow the desire of their heart, which can yes, lead to murdering another, or even a group of people. Murder is and always will be a result of the sinful flesh, and has been since the very day Cain murdered Abel. He was jealous and envious, therefore he responded as he saw fit, which was to kill his brother in cold blood. When the world continuously tells everyone to "follow your heart," they are encouraging just this. Because the heart is evil, and is very deceitful, therefore it can convince almost anyone of anything; from drugs to immorality to murder. John makes it even stricter in 1 John 3:13-17:

 

Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

 

Drunkenness

Don't get drunk. Period. Anything that distorts or removes our senses is not to be trusted or consumed. Many excuse this for the sake of a social gathering, but the Scriptures are clear on remaining sober at all times. (See 1 Cor. 15:34; 1 Thess. 5:6, 8; 2 Timothy 4:5; 1 Pet. 1:13, 4:7, 5:8.)

 

Carousing

This is a result of drunkenness, actually. It is a senseless reaction to something that, obviously, dulls or removes the senses. Many people entertain this deed of the flesh, whether or not they have been drinking. Some just feel "crazy" and respond by being so. Charismatics often do this, claiming to be filled with the Spirit, but completely lack any self-control. Truly, carousing is a complete lack of self-control. There are many songs today about being crazy and "out of control," and so people see no reason to ignore this feeling, and thus they respond accordingly. They throw away all dignity and control for the sake of feeling "alive."

 

And things like these...

And lo, we come to the end of the list with a very broad expansion. Notice here how Paul is not being too specific. The fruits of the Spirit do not end like this, nor does it begin like this list had. Because we are not to focus on the deeds of the flesh. I tried to limit how much I wrote about these things, and obviously, I could have made it shorter, but nonetheless, the point is here.

The deeds of the flesh go well beyond all of the above, and though they may often be confusing, they are truly evident. How so? How do we know what the deeds of the flesh are verses the fruits of the Spirit? It is actually very simple...

The fruits of the Spirit are very specific, as we will talk about later. They are very direct and straightforward, unlike this list here. Anything that contradicts the fruits of the Spirit is a deed of the flesh. That is why Paul spends little time here in the results of the flesh. Outbursts of anger are the opposite of love, and drunkenness and carousing are the opposite of self-control. This makes telling these apart far easier, if you understand the fruits of the Spirit.
But another point must be made clear: the fruits of the Spirit are a result of being saved. This is why I titled the series as I did, The Results of Salvation. The things that result from the flesh are not compatible with the things that result from Salvation, as the former is a result of the world, while the latter is a result of Him who is above the world- separate from the world entirely. (See John 15:18-19.) Those who are of the world will act like the world, one way or another. False teachers and prophets, such as Robert Schuller and Joel Osteen, show their worldliness in their overall love of money, and strong desire for people to be comfortable in their flesh, not in the Truth. (The apostles suffered and died, and all true Christians will suffer, contrary to what these men and those like them preach.)

Furthermore, we are without excuse. Many like to say after they have sinned, "But I didn't know!" This is utterly untrue however. We, though perhaps denied often, know the deeds of the flesh, because we live in this flesh here and now. Paul writes in Romans that the Law showed us what sin is, as he also writes throughout Galatians. Likewise, we know what good is, because we not only know (to some extent or another) the Law, but also have the Christ as an example, along with many disciples of Him who came into this earth long before we did. The deeds of the flesh are evident, and that is key to understand before you can look into the fruits of the Spirit.

 

Sinners will never enter the Kingdom of God

There are many who try to excuse the sin of another. There are some who try to hang on to obvious apostates, thinking that they will turn around. Others say that no one will ever truly end up in hell. But neither of these are based in the Truth. We must see first and foremost that those who willingly and intentionally practice all of these things will never enter into the Kingdom of God. This passage could not be clearer! But Scripture makes it even clearer:

 

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. - 1 Cor. 6:9-11

 

Those who willfully commit sins, no matter their intentions, are condemned to hell. How were we saved from hell? From the washing of our sin- it is no longer who we are or what we want! If we were sinners, than we would sin willfully. We would lie on purpose, steal, murder, commit immorality, or any of the deeds of the flesh, willfully. Do we still sin, despite our being saved? Certainly. But we repent. It is the difference between the willful sinner and the struggle of the apostle in Romans 7. In Romans 7, Paul pins the guilt of sin upon his flesh, as it is no longer who he was. Christ paid our debt in full, but not so that we would continue in sin.

 

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. - Rom. 6:1-7

 

We cannot, nor must we ever dare to attempt to justify the sin of another. Either we are free from sin or we are not. We are not those who practice sin (the deeds of the flesh), as we no longer live for ourselves, but for God in Christ. 1 John 3 makes this point so clear, and I highly recommend a reading of it. The fact of the matter is clear: if we are saved, we do not practice sin, and if we are not saved, then sin comes naturally, as it is a result of the flesh, in which we are born.

The believer is obvious in their works, as is the unbeliever. The believer puts all his faith in God, and the unbeliever all his faith in anything but God. James makes it clear that the believer's faith results in good works (the fruits of the Spirit). (See James 2:14-26.)

Righteousness is seen in the Word of God, as God has defined it. We cannot judge a person (believer or not) based upon our own definition of righteousness and sin, but upon God's definition. We know that the deeds of the flesh are evident throughout Scripture, as the Law made them evident to us. Righteousness is also made clear to us in the deeds and words of our Lord, as well as the commands of God. The righteousness of man is a dirt rags before God, as they are the deeds of the flesh. But what is our motivation as Christians? Are we not saved by faith in Christ? Indeed, we are! But that is the best part of this. A Christian cannot sin because they are in Christ (though the flesh is still in a sinful state, as it has not yet been conformed to the image of Christ), but now that we are saved, we can do righteousness. My other blog posts have made this point clear, and the very first part of this series also made it clear. We do not focus on not doing the deeds of the flesh, but rather, we focus on growing the fruits of the Spirit. We grow in the knowledge of Christ, not ourselves, and do good works because we are saved. This is where Christ and the world are most separate- the world seeks to justify itself, while we are justified through Christ alone through faith. And without faith, there cannot be works. That is why the next list here in Galatians 5 is called the fruits of the Spirit, not our good intentions. Christ told the adulteress woman in John 8 "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more." (vs. 11. See the context.) This was an obvious and clearly stated command. Being in Christ, who "knew no sin," we are freed from sin. And based upon our salvation in Christ through faith, we can (and will) grow the fruit of the Spirit. It is who we are.

 

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

- Col. 3:1-11