The Results of Salvation - Part 1 (Galatians 5:16-17)

The Galatians had a very big problem in their church: they believed in Christ, and yet at the same time, they did not. They were Christians, and yet, though they clearer had heard the Gospel from Paul, they were being sucked back into the trap of the false teachers, who told them that they had to still subject themselves to the Law, believing that the Law still had a part in the saving work of Christ. How could this apply to people today? Some like to talk about how people subject themselves to "laws" in general, pointing to verse 23 in this chapter as their proof. And they are right, in that people are looking for subjection to anything but the grace of God. But that is not the point of this text. The Galatians struggled with a very specific problem concerning a very specific Law. And people in the churches today do this all the time. They do not merely struggle with subjection to just any law, but often (in ignorance) subject themselves once again to the Law. Thus, this text applies very much so to the believer today. Charismatics, Catholics, Mormons and even many professing Christians in Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodist churches suffer with the belief that we, in some way or another, must follow the Law. They make it a goal. "You shall not lie," it seems, has become one of the Laws that one must live by. Though lying is clearly wrong, that is not the point anymore. We are no longer living for ourselves- we no longer live for the flesh, for sin or anything outside of the Most High. We live for God, and Him alone. So how does that apply to the Law? What do all those Laws mean to the believer today? As a foreshadow into what I am going to write in this series, I shall ask one question: How was King David a Christian? (Did he ever lie, steal, commit adultery or commit any other sin? Had he ever broken the Law?) The Law is important in the life of a Christian, but for an entirely different reason than most might like to assume......

 Part 1: War Within Ourselves

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” - Galatians 5:16-17 

The phrase "dying to self" means little to most people. They have a very faint idea as to what this statement might mean, and truly, care very little for what it might imply. How can I actually "die" to myself? People, perhaps, laugh at the idea. And yet for the Christian, this is a very important thing to grasp. Early on, one can see clearly that there is a battle within ourselves. It doesn't take much experience to see that we argue with ourselves, and face temptations constantly. When a person is on a diet, they must, in some sense, die to themselves. When they see a stack of freshly baked cookies, they don't just automatically reach out and eat five of those cookies. (Or rather, they often don't do that- I'm sure there are exceptions.) They must resist the temptation to eat the sugar, and often, this is fought off by either walking away and not thinking about it, or filling one's stomach with that which is healthy. For the Christian, we face temptations every day. It seems some days, we cannot walk out the door without some sort of temptation. Be it the temptation to slap someone across the face, or the simple temptation to be in a bad mood. We are constantly under the threat of sin. And yet, in the church today, you hear little explanation of the "death to self." And in the true reality of eternity, one must see that this "death to self" is actually the event taking place in an epic battle beyond our imagination. Though there is (often) the complete lack of gunfire, explosions and actual physical death, there is a greater consequence to the lack of focus. One is damned to the eternal fire of hell because they fail to reach the perfection expectation of God's righteousness, and because they do evil deeds (as that is who they are, which we will see later in this series). Thus, though one may not go out doing obviously evil deeds, every failure that we have to reach the perfection God demands is reason for condemnation. (Thus is the first part of the Gospel- the depravity of mankind.) 

Thus we have the battle of the flesh and the Spirit, as is discussed here this text in Galatians 5. To make this text clearer, let us first look at the former text: 

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another." - 5:13-15

If one fails to love their neighbor as themselves, they are more than likely to "bit and devour" others. That is, they are quite likely to betray and hurt those around them. After all, if you do not love those around you (specifically those within the church), then we hate them. (Even just "disliking" someone will lead to harming them, one way or another, as it neglects the desire to please them, and thus strives to please one's self.) 

These things are a result of the flesh (as will be seen in the deeds of the flesh later). We are, as Christians, free. We were called to this freedom in Christ by the Holy Spirit, and by the will of God the Father. This has nothing to do with the flesh! Based upon that reality, the flesh will fight against the Spirit. And the word "fight" is a great understatement in this matter. The desire of the flesh is, by nature, opposition to the Truth. These Galatians were at the evident risk of tearing each other apart. Though they desired to be saved by the works of the Law, they neglected the fullness of the Law, found in that statement by Paul, when the Law says "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." They had forgotten one of the most important Laws in their attempts to live according to the Law! (See Matthew 22:36-40)
We can see clearly that the battle with the flesh is one that is often lost in ignorance. We often think that we know what the flesh is with clarity, and can counter its obvious evil at every turn. And yet, as all true Christians know, there are many evils that overtake us, and we never know about it. We may lie, and never notice it. We may still, and justify it within our thinking as legally obtaining something. The Jews in Scripture were so often stuck in the idea that they had to avoid sin to be saved. That is why they built up so many laws around the Law. They made the Sabbath stricter, and demanded that people keep their additions to the Law as the Law itself. That is why the Pharisees and scribes were constantly hounding our Lord for His disciples' actions, such as picked heads of grain on the Sabbath, or healing people on the Sabbath. (See, for example, Luke 13:10-17) They had missed the key to the defeat of the flesh. They thought that, to win the battle against the sin within us, we had to do all we could to avoid that sin, and thus that required many more laws to be established around the Law, as the Law wasn't broad enough. Yet as Paul made clearer in the previous chapters of Galatians, the purpose of the Law was never to save anyone. It was never about keeping the Law. The Law pointed to Christ, and thus, these Jews made a great many errors in these things. 

So what is the key to defeating the flesh? What are we supposed to do to, as it were, give the Spirit within us victory? It is actually quite simple, and so opposite to what many think the answer is. The goal should be, truly, the doing of good... 

If we are that person who is determined to lose weight, what would be the best counter to the desire to eat one of those cookies? Merely walking away from it won't typically remove the craving. One's thoughts will constantly return to the temptation, and eventually, you'll walk by it (or another), and be tempted yet again. The best counter isn't the focus on "Don't eat the cookie, don't eat the cookie," saying it over and over until you're cured, as truly, that won't do it! The best counter is to eat something else. It is certain that if you eat enough carrots, for example, eventually you'll no longer crave cookies. (Now bear in mind, this is a mere example, not a session on how to lose weight by not eating cookies.) 

The same method can, in many ways, apply to the defeat of the flesh. If I am tempted to sin, what am I to do? Righteousness! If I am tempted to be cruel and indifferent to another, the best counter is to be kind and considerate towards them. If I am tempted to lie, the best counter is to tell the truth directly. The best counter to evil is never the determination to "not do evil." The best counter to the flesh is to live according to the Spirit. How is this done? That is one of the points of this series I am writing. 
This will involve many things:

1. One must often go against their own feelings. When I am hungry, that cookie is going to sound very good at times. (Or any other sugary sweet, for this example.) Likewise, when I am tempted to be in a bad mood, I will want to be bitter and upset. When something frustrates us, we want to be angry. We want to punch a hole in the wall at times, and yell at other people. And thus, the best counter to these things (doing good) is never going to feel right. Yet feelings are never the truest of answers. Many will tell people to do "what you feel is right." They sound so noble. And yet, they are so foolish. "A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind." Proverbs 18:2 is quite clear there. And Young's Literal makes that verse even clearer: "A fool delighteth not in understanding, But in uncovering his heart." What do you hear in the mouths of today's "wisest and brightest"? "Follow your heart!" they sing aloud. But alas, "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9) 
2. This will often go against our mental understanding. That is to say, it won't often seem that logical. The Spirit is not subjected to our logical way of thinking, as the Spirit moves in ways no many knows. The knowledge and understanding of God far surpasses all, as all knowledge is given by Him. (He, truly, created knowledge.) And so, it may often contradict what may seem logical to us. Take, for example, the cookie. We may not only feel hungry, but can also use reason to justify the eating of the tasty treat. However, that reason is (in this example) flawed. Just because we may not understand the full effects of the sugar in our bodies, that doesn't mean it won't then affect us. And in a more serious example, the martyrs themselves were defying logical thinking. Humanly speaking, it makes no sense to let men bind you to a wooden stake and then burn you to death. It just isn't logical. But from the reality of eternity, these things go beyond our understanding in many ways. Not that many of these things are beyond our understanding, but rather they are above it. And thus comes the need to study these things. That is why we have the Bible- the Word of God- to learn and understand and live by these things that go beyond the human understanding. And the only way to gain this understanding is to have the Spirit. 
3. This will go against our Historic understanding. We may see, for example, a group of colonies breaking off from the most powerful government in the world to rebel, and fight back in a very well-known war, but as Christians, we never "live by the sword." (That is, we never take such action as a church.) Another example is that of the Reformation, which many look to for counsel and advice. Though it was very good, it was not perfect. These men were (at least most of them) of God, but they were still not writing Scripture. The Scripture will contradict many things, including science as well, and the Spirit is no different within us. We may have a valiant understanding of history, but such figures are not the ones we live by. This point may seem a bit more confusing than the others, so allow me to give a rather basic illustration: a little boy and a little girl are both arguing. So the father comes up to break up their little feud and get to the bottom of the debate, to find out what started it. The little girl caught the boy reaching into a jar of candy. She instantly sprung at the opportunity for his punishment, and began to accuse him upfront about the stealing. He replies that, a week ago, he saw his friend do the same thing, and he said it was okay to do, as long as you didn't take too much. In other words, a "But they did it!" situation. In many ways, professing Christians do this all the time. They attempt to justify lying by using historical figures as examples, such as Rahab, when she hid the two spies from Israel and lied about their being there. However, the Spirit convicts, as we know lying is still against the Law. In the context of Galatians 4, we see that the point of the Law was to prove that we were sinful. It exposes the sickness within, and thus shows us to be what we really were- dirty, rotten, unworthy sinners before God. The Spirit works within the elect the conviction, which leads to the desire for Salvation. And thus, based on all the above, we can see that the Spirit even contradicts the seemingly most justified excuses we have. God said, "You shall not lie," and thus the Spirit, as it were, assaults our consciences to no end when we lie. History in no way changes Scripture, and it should never be used as an excuse to contradict the Word of God. 
4.  A rather obvious contradiction that the Spirit preforms upon us is the contradiction towards our temptations. The Spirit, as this text in Galatians 5 says, is at war with the flesh. All of the temptations of the flesh will be attacked- they must be. More detail will come later on in this series about the deeds of the flesh, but we must come into this fully realizing that the flesh will and must be contradicted by the Spirit. This may seem like such a small point, but in reality, it is key to the living of a Christian. All of the deeds of the flesh will be contradicted by the Spirit, so our task is to keep an eye out for this, and we must know clearly the fruit of the Spirit to counter the deeds of the flesh. 

As mentioned above, the flesh must be contradicted. By how do we contradict the flesh with the Spirit? Is it just some sort of magical occurrence or feeling within us, and if we say "Go away, in Jesus' name, devil!" he will flee? How do we resist the devil? The Word of God. 
Scripture is key to understand in fighting off temptations, not just the devil. If we "resist" satan, he will flee from us. But how is this done? Look at our perfect Example in Matthew 4: 

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.' But He answered and said, 'It is written, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”'" - Matthew 4:1-4

And the other temptations were answered likewise by our Lord. He could have struck satan right then and there, and made him flee with force, but He didn't. He used the Word of God, and the devil fled when he found that he would get no other answer from Him.  

But why the Scripture? Why does this bear authority? If we use Scripture, how is this the Spirit fighting the flesh? If one is asking these questions, they ought to be worried. One of the first things a person must understand when they become Christian is that the Word of God- Scripture- is just that... the Word of God. Scripture Itself makes that clear. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." (2 Tim. 3:16) Peter said it just as clear in 2 Peter 1:21, "for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." The Spirit has spoken to us, but not as people like to imagine it. He used men, whom He moved, to write Scripture. We have it right in front of us, yet people desire to go anywhere else but the Scripture to find the words of God. John calls Christ "The Word," and Christ called Himself, "...the way, the truth and the life."  Nobody, as He makes clear in that text, comes to God the Father, but by Him alone. He sends the Spirit to His chosen, as He says in John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you..." (See also John 15:26) The Spirit, if in us, will be seen. We will no longer just "give in" to temptations, as we used to. May we fail sometimes? Sure. But that will only make us want to fight back harder, if indeed we have the Spirit within us. Paul didn't say, "Power has nothing to do with weakness," but rather, Christ told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9) We gain strength, we don't lose it. And the stronger we are, the more we will be tested. But as Christ also said, He will offer that way of escape for us.

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." - 1 Cor. 10:13

Thus we are told to "walk by the Spirit." This is key in understanding how we deal with the flesh. When we are tempted, it isn't just a matter of sitting down and reading Scripture, or just quoting it. Did Christ merely quote Scripture, and that was it? A simply reading of the Gospels will show us that He did many things.

The best counter to the flesh is to do good. Period. When we give to others, for example, are we just doing it out of some sort of obligation? If we are, then it is not good. But if we are doing it because we are saved, it is good. We know what good is because we are told what it is in Scripture. If we understand the Scripture, we won't just read it and quote it when we are struggling, but we will also live it out. This is essential to understand! We must, at all times, live out our salvation. We are told to work out our salvation, with "fear and trembling," an honor and respect for what has been given to us. (See Phil. 2:12) The best summation to knowing how to deal with the temptations of the flesh is this: if we are doing good, we aren't doing bad. So simple, and yet so profound. As I'll deal with later in this series, the fruits of the Spirit are contradictions to the deeds of the flesh. The deeds of the flesh are evident, the fruits of the Spirit actually take work. And thus they counter the deeds of the flesh. 

So, instead of going to all sorts of seminars and conferences, and listening to recordings, TV pastors and reading all sorts of "inspirational books," perhaps one should just focus on doing... good. As defined by the Word of God, not other people. Giving to charity, no matter how much, is not good in and of itself. Giving to charity for the glory of God is good. In other words, giving these things- making sacrifices in all sorts of areas- all to give God the credit. We get to do good, and this is the best counter to the flesh. So the battle against the flesh isn't just a matter of "I'm not going to do bad, I'm not going to do bad, I'm not going to do bad!" nor is it a matter of reading the Bible 24/7. It is a matter of living out the Truth- working out that salvation that we have been given. The best counter to evil is good. Yes, it is that simple. And though it isn't always easy, it is key. 

We often hear the quote, "Don't 'quench the Spirit'!" But what does that actually mean? How does that happen? The context makes it much clearer: 

"But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." - 1 Thes. 5:12-22

We can, in a sense, "extinguish" the Spirit of God. Not that we can defeat God in anyway, but rather, from our limited frame of reference, being humans, we can fight off even the desire to do good. If we one does not aid the growth of a fire for warmth in the cold, it will most likely go out. In this case, if we do not encourage the fruit of the Spirit within ourselves, it will go out. It takes work. As Paul made clear to these Thessalonians, if one does not, for example, "rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks..." then this leads to the quenching of the Spirit. We know how we ought to do good through Scripture. But... will we do it? I can (again, from our limited perspective) choose between good and bad. And we are lying to ourselves if we think we always choose what is best all the time. We make mistakes. But we encourage the Spirit within us by growing all the more in our understanding of the Truth- of God. We do no "despise prophetic utterances." We do not push off the preaching of the Truth, but rather, we search all the more for the Truth. But it goes even further than that. We, as a result, also examine all those who claim to have the Truth. We don't accept all supposed prophetic utterances either. Christ warned that many would come in His name, being false teachers, and the apostles warned of these false prophets many times. (See for example Luke 21:8) And then this text allows aligns with the fighting off of the flesh. If we hold fast to that which is good, we abstain from every form of evil. And likewise, if we do not hold fast to that which is good, we will not abstain from every form of evil. If we aren't doing good- if we aren't holding onto the Truth with all our might- we will fall into sin again, and are at risk of taking every form of evil into our lives. This is a serious thing we ought to be thinking about and looking out for. 
In this battle, there are obviously two sides at war here. This point is brief, as it is obvious. There is the Spirit within us, and there is the flesh around us. which do we give in to? (Let's hope that answer is obvious!) If we have the Spirit within us, we will desire to follow the commands of God, and with joy. But at the same time, the flesh is constantly pulling on us. Even the smallest of things make this evident. When I get up in the morning, do I desire to read my Bible, or get something to eat first? In some cases, the latter is just a matter of patience. Not that eating and reading the Scripture at the same time are bad, but in some situations, it really is a matter of doing what is Best first. We dare not take these things too lightly, as they are important. The flesh is often disguised as "logical," and will use the simplest of feelings in us to get its way. We all know too well our ability to put things off, and we know what it is like to fail in doing what is best. Paul's struggle, however, in Romans 7 gives us comfort, in that this battle between the Spirit and the flesh is one we expect to face. Paul writes in such perfect language the war and confusion that we all face at one point or another: 

"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" - Romans 7:14-24
But it does not end there. The Father spared us from the subjection to the flesh, and Paul ends this with a solid conclusion that, truly, should make the heart jump with joy and satisfaction with what was done in Christ: "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin." (vs. 25) Sin is no longer who we are, so why act like it? We no longer sin- we battle off the sin within us, as we are in Christ, not sin. 

Paul makes it clear also, in Romans 7, that we are no longer serving ourselves. In Romans 7, we find that sin is an entirely separate "person" within us, fighting against the Spirit within us, the true us "in Christ," the "one who wants to do good." This is seen in this chapter as well in Galatians, in which it is made still clearer that there is a war within us, one being that "person" that is foreign to our new nature. 
It cannot be stated enough, however, that there is, in our lives, a crucial battle going on within us. It is often that sort of silent battle, that few others ever know about, but we ourselves hear it every day with such clarity. So, one must ask the questi0n: "Who am I?" We are, as Paul says in Romans 7, the one who "wants to do good." This is the true "me," who lives according to the grace of God, not my own fleshly desires. And yet, at the same time, we see that we are battling the very flesh that covers us on this earth. And how violent is this battle within us? Very. This is seen in the command for us to "die to self." (See 1 Cor. 15:29-34) We were truly designed to worship and serve God, and when we are saved through the work of Christ by believing in Him, we are made capable of fulfilling that purpose. But sin, being that "old man"- the old nature- constantly assaults us, attempting to rid us of righteousness and good focus. The devil does not desire our death and utter misery- he desires our so-called "prosperity" and "wealth," living for ourselves, and thus ignoring God and His Word. He is out to be anti-God- in the stead of God- and thus, he'll use anything he can to gain this goal. But as verse 18 points out here in Galatians 5, we are not under the Law, because we are lead by "the Spirit." The only Spirit of Truth, that being the Spirit of God.
Who we truly are is also seen in the earlier part of Galatians, in chapter 2, verses 15-21:

"We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Paul was not saying that every Christian is a Jew, as is seen plainly based upon the context. (He was speaking to Peter, both being Jews.) Like the Galatians, Paul used to live according to the Law. He had believed that he would be saved through the works of the Law, but then was brought to the reality of the grace of God in Christ, and found that it is through faith, by the grace of God, that we are justified in His sight, not by the works of the Law. This issue with many of the Jews in the day was an obvious problem with these Galatians, and this is seen clearly throughout the letter from Paul to this church. So to clarify to them their position in Christ, he separates them from the Law, and sin itself, and puts them in Christ. If we are still sinners, than Christ is that "minister of sin." He "died needlessly" if we are still in our sins. (See 1 Cor. 15:12-19) Therefore, we cannot possibly be sinners in Christ. So when this "flesh" battles against the Spirit within us, we can no longer do the "things that [we] please." So this battle must be won. If we are in Christ, we are not in sin. And if we are not in sin, it is no longer who we are, and what we do. Sin is open rebellion against God, as He sees and knows all thoughts and intentions (Gen. 6:5). But we are not alone in this battle. It is certainly not "up to us," as we are not the ones who brought ourselves to this Salvation in the first place. This battle going on within us is a battle between the Spirit of God and the sinful flesh, not a battle of me against the devil (contrary to what most believe these days). And God does not give the enemy that "upper hand." They cannot win against the Spirit from the perspective of God, but from our point of view, we find comfort in knowing that we are never tempted beyond what we are able to bear (1 Cor. 10:13). 

So we see here that these things are a complete contradiction to the way our day and age sees the work of the Spirit. They see Him as making us "feel" special and "powerful," glorying in ourselves and ignoring any practical works as a result of the grace given to us from God in Christ our Lord. The world sees the Spirit as leading us to "health, wealth and prosperity," that is, material wealth. But the true Spirit of God leads us to far, far, far better things. He leads us to Christ, Who was sent from the Father to save our eternal lives from sin, gave us riches untold in His Word (the Truth), and gives us prosperity in persecution, faith, and doing what we ought to do. 

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10