The Results of Salvation - Part 3 (Galatians 5:19-20a)

Part 3: The Works of the Old Nature

 

I'd like start this part with a clarification: the deeds of the flesh should not be a huge focus in this text. Paul makes this clear, as I will point out later, and they are simply not worth writing multiple posts on. So I dedicate only this one post on the deeds of the flesh, which is why I cover so much ground in this part of the text with only one post. But nonetheless, the deeds of the flesh (or rather, a list of some) are written by Paul, and they serve as an important warning to Christians. And there is a great deal of "meat" to be found in these texts that is certainly applicable to the Christian in any sense.

"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality..." (19)

 

This is the reason I keep from going into detail about the deeds of the flesh: Paul does not. As we in verse 21, Paul is not being too specific about the deeds of the flesh. Firstly, he begins "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident..." He is not saying there, "Here is a list of every single deed of the flesh." No, he starts with the clarification that all the deeds of the flesh are evident. In his conclusion of this "list," for example, he says "...and things like these." He is not being too specific for a reason. And yet, he writes a list nonetheless. Not a complete list, but a general list, because "...the deeds of the flesh are evident."

We also gain something far greater out of this first statement: the flesh isn't something we ought to learn. We already know it's ways, and how it thinks. It's patterns and paths are evident, and clearly seen, and we dare not overlook this reality. Why? Look at those who pay too much attention to the flesh- they become like these Galatians. What was the crucial error of the church in Galatia? They had both neglected and "deserted" the Gospel of Christ, for something entirely fake. But as we see later in Galatians, they went further with that, subjecting themselves to the Law once again.

Many well intended Christians may make the error of thinking that Paul wrote this for the sake of warning people about the flesh, but that was never the case at all. In fact, he writes these things down only for a comparison for the upcoming fruits of the Spirit (of which he is very specific). This is not a "don't-do" list in any sense at all. The context makes that more than clear, and we ought to avoid the coming views of this, because it leads to people thinking that they must avoid the deeds of the flesh. But as I wrote about in the first post in this series, the focus isn't to be avoiding the deeds of the flesh (the breaking of the Law), but rather focusing on the fruit of the Spirit. A good tree is not worried about growing bad fruit, but because of it's true nature, it naturally grows good fruit. We'll build on this more as we go into the text in the coming posts.

The deeds of the flesh are never as "vague" or "hidden" as we like to think them to be. As Paul says here, they are evident. And if you look into Strong's, you'll see it is even clearer than that. The deeds of the flesh are, in reality, very visible. They are like shining lights, and take little to no time to see. They are, truly, very easy to see. Many like to question this, in an attempt to justify their own struggles with seemingly "difficult" choices. There are, yes, many difficult choices. But when it comes to the deeds of the flesh, are they really so difficult? Too many ask the question "Is it good?" That is entirely the wrong question. The question ought to be, "Is it best?" There are many "good" things, but in most cases, there is only one "best" thing.

For example, let's say there is a child who has two choices to make. They have just entered into the living room to get a toy to play with outside. In the middle of the floor, they see many toys scattered. They could do one of two things: grab the toy and go back outside, or clean up the mess first. (I know, this is an odd example, but bear with me.) The first choice could easily be justified in their little mind. Playing outside is a good thing, as it is far better than staying inside watching TV all day. And they need the fresh air after all, right? But is this the "best" thing?

We often think that such things are easy choices, but we face them every day. If one had the choice between helping someone clean up the dishes, and going back to work in the office, which should they do? Context is important, obviously. But the deeds of the flesh are still evident. How do we know? The list Paul gives isn't an "all-answering" solution, so how do we know which is which? Is it the flesh, or the Spirit?

We are given an important tool here to aid us, however. Conscience is a very nice thing to have, if well-informed, and often this answers many questions. If our conscience is motivated by the Word of God, it will not be out of place. If I know I could finish that work later, should I not help with those dishes? But to understand these things better, we should go into the list Paul gives.

 

Immorality

I'll admit upfront, I am not comfortable in dealing with these sorts of topics. But Paul has listed them, and I ought to explain it as best I can. And thankfully, this one has a clear answer. Does anyone truly ask "What is immorality?" Children might, but it doesn't take too much thought to understand what Paul is saying here. And yet, at the same time, many may miss something else that is said here. Immorality is not as specific as people like to make it. It is, truly, a lack of good morals. Those who lack good morals are rather obvious, are they not? They show it in their speech and actions, and even in their lack of action. They take what comes, and live however their feelings direct them. They are uncontrolled, and give heed to anything they deem "pleasing." Morals are key to a human being, and that is seen in the fact that a morally subjected answer is required often. If I ask "Was the war with Hitler just?" one will have to give an answer based upon their morals. Many should say "Yes!" But the immoral person might find themselves having a hard time answering it. The immoral person is always Godless, and thus, they have rarely any ground to stand upon. They may have to think about the answer for a bit, because after all, Hitler was following his heart. How could any man truly judge another man? The flesh is, by nature, immoral, and we dare not forget that. If what we desire is lacking in good morals, is that not evident? If we have a well-informed conscience (by the Word of God), yes, it should be seen rather quickly.

On top of that, immorality defiles that which is holy. Not only in the institution of marriage, but also in the area of the Gospel of Christ. When people think that they can throw out all good standards and morals because they are "covered by the grace of God," they are not only being immoral, but they defile that which ought to be "set apart" in the heart of a Christian. The grace of God is never a "license to sin," but rather, is a license to do righteousness. So, to think that one no longer has to be a moral person because they think they are saved, they are being immoral. And in the general sense, immorality defiles what ought to be sacred. Marriage was made holy by God, and thus, to defile anything related to the marriage is immoral as well. But humanity, in all its arrogance, defiles all that God sets apart. (But this does not make it any less holy.)

 

Impurity

Again, impurity is, in a simple definition, a lack of purity. The typical thought is of course related to sexual immorality, but it goes far beyond just that. A Christian is one who is, through Christ, pure in the sight of God. Pure, in that they are not found "without sin." The Father no longer looks upon us as sinners, but as saints- sons of God. This is all through the work of Christ, who dealt with our sin. So for a Christian to being "impure" on this earth is a contradiction to who they are. Lacking purity in speech, and more importantly, in thoughts, isn't what the true Christian should be characterized by. We are pure in Christ, so how could we act impure while we are on this earth? Paul states that our true selves, being in Christ, are separate from the sinful flesh. If one is lacking purity in thoughts or speech, however, does this mean that they are not Christian? No, of course not. What leads to that question is how they deal with these things. If they think little of it, then they show strong signs of not being in Christ. If they are devastated over these flaws, then they show the work of the Spirit within them, fighting against the flesh.

Impurity should never be seen as a small threat either. It is like an infection, which spreads quickly, and only leads to death if left to its own. Christ talks about the defilement of a man in Matthew 15:

"Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the moth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, sladers. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

Christ is making a very specific point here. The Pharisees thought that impurity was found on the outside, but not what was on the inside. They followed the traditional washings, and thought that this was what it meant to be pure. But they were wrong. This was a picture of purity, and as Christ makes clear here, impurity is found from within. The Pharisees followed all of the required washings, and yet, they were not pure at all. Christ was just warning His disciples about these men (vs. 13-14), and as is clearly seen in their actions, they were not truly pure in the sight of God.

We see then that evil, if left alone, will spread all around, and infect whatever it can. We must deal with impurity in our thoughts first, before it spreads, otherwise it will infect everything, from our speech, and ultimately, to our actions.

 

Sensuality

"Lust" is a common understanding of this as well, and again, it fits well with this. Because what is "sensuality"? This is living by one's feelings- but what they "sense" to be right. "Lust" is not just limited to the common temptations of the world, but is also applied to one who covets. Too live according to one's senses is never safe, as they often contradict Truth, and are never to be fully trusted. Even hunger can be used for sin.

 

"...idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger..." (20-20a)

 

Idolatry

Worshiping anything but God. Well, that's easy, right? I don't bow down to anything but God! Ah, but then comes the difficulty- worship is not limited to obvious actions. God made clear His judgment upon those who gave their attention to anything more than Himself. (See Ex. 20:3-6) To "replace God" is easy, really. We worship in our hearts what we give our attention to- that is the blunt answer to the question of what idolatry is. If I give more attention to a new gadget than I do to God, is that not idolatry? Idolatry is very clearly seen, as what we love we will give our time and attention to. Now, the lines become a bit blurrier when one gets into the realm of, for example, the husband and the wife. "Does the husband worship the wife?" some may wonder. And the answer is simple: nope. Paul makes it clear why the husband loves his wife in Eph. 5, and likewise, the submission of the wife to her husband. But in general life, we may worship many things instead of God. We have many "anti-Gods" if we are truly enamored with anything at any given time, giving our full attention and love for whatever it is. A husband may very well worship his wife, and that is truly sin. But the point remains, God made a very big point in His condemning of idolatry.

It can be done in putting something above Him in our thinking. I may acknowledge God in my thoughts, but if I put something above Him (even family and causes), I am worshipping that thing more than Him. And likewise, if I put Him below something, I am worshipping that thing more than Him. If, for example, we lie to protect someone, that is worshipping that person. It is the willful sin of disobeying God's command to save the life of a person. Extreme? Not at all. If one truly worshipped God, and loved Him more than anything, and put Him over all things in their life, would they not have faith in Him, no matter what happened? What if the person was found and killed? Does that justify hatred against God? May it never be! God created all things, and all things belong to Him (see Col. 1:13-23). We can make an idol of anything, from a product we wish to buy, to our own family. This is serious error! And based upon these things, we can see that it is actually very evident. Because what we worship, we will give all attention to, in our thinking, words and actions.

 

Sorcery

This is rather specific, in that it is a result of idolatry. Doing things for other “gods,” not just believing in other “gods.” The sins of Israel were not just limited to worshipping other gods, but also in giving more than just time for them, but also effort, thought, and even human lives. Sacrifices were made to these false gods, and the Israelites did this sin many times, as is seen throughout their history in the Old Testament.
So how does this apply to us? After all, we’re Christians, so we would not have to worry about this error, would we? Well, let’s take a look at the meaning of idolatry…

If we can worship another“god” and not even know it, could we not also do many things for this god and still not know it? If, for example, a person loves a new gadget to the point of worship (always thinking about it, loving it more than people, etc.), that is wrong, of course. But what if they act on this? That is, what if they killed someone to get this gadget, since they had no money? This could be, in broad sense, sorcery. This sin is not limited to just magical arts and mystical rituals, but it is also a direct result of following another god and dedicating one’s self to this idol. If someone is willing to kill a person to obtain something else, is that not the same as a human sacrifice? Truly, it is! Many human sacrifices, in my limited understanding of history, were forced into these positions. The people would obtain a human, whether or not they wanted to be a part of this, and would bind them (usually), and then offer them to their gods for a sacrifice. Likewise, if someone murders another person to obtain something (such as a gadget, or even just money), they would be committing the same crime. They would think that ending the life of another human being is worth obtaining something else far secondary in value.

And to clarify, I know this is extreme for a definition of“sorcery,” but perhaps it is a lot more extreme than we like to think. Would we be the cause of the death of another human being just to obtain something false or worthless?

 

Enmities

This one is a lot more specific than the above deed, as it has the meaning of “hatred” and“hostility.” This is not just a dislike of a person, but directed hatred- a desire for someone to come to harm, or do endure pain. It is very specific, in that it shows a severely arrogant and sin-driven mindset for another to suffer. But it goes even beyond this when this is directed towards God.

James 4:4 says “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” The word there for “hostility” in this verse is the same word for“enmities” in Galatians 5. Based upon this then we see something far more serious. To be friends with the world is to be not only an enemy with God, but also one who has a direct hatred for God. We can show the same hatred or people, as this is a result of the flesh, and is an error that can be deadly.

“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

This is from Romans 8 (verses 5-8), and yes, that word “hostile” is the same word. We see here that the flesh is, in and of its nature, hostile towards God almighty. So to follow the deeds of the flesh can and will lead to enmity with God, as those of the world follow their“heart’s desire.” You hear it all the time on TV advertisements. “Follow your heart!” they say, openly admitting their error. As I had mentioned before, the writer of Proverbs 18 is quite critical of such people, making it clear that they are “fools,” and do not delight in the true knowledge, but only in discovering themselves.
So if we show this sort of hostility towards people, it may very well be turned to God. Because this is a result of the flesh, and it must be taken down before it can grow into clear rebellion against God.

Strife

“Contention” is, in context, a result of the flesh. “So what?” one might wonder. This is, however, something that must be handled with care.
Strife is a result of the flesh, and thus, a lack of unity can be a result of everyone following the desires of their hearts. But one cannot say that all disunity is a result of the flesh, in that there is some justified lack of union, as the church does not unify with false teachers, nor does it gather in all sinners from every corner of the world.

Rarely, if ever, do you see the church being used a place for sinners to come. And yet today, you’d think that the church is the only place people will hear the Gospel. And thus we have the churches that we do today, which only seem to speak on either the Gospel or tithing. Rarely do they speak on deeper theological matters, and when they do, they have little care for them. This is a problem however, in that the church is primarily meant for the believers in Christ to gather, not the unbelievers. But that is a different topic which should be dealt with elsewhere.

But often, a lack of unity is a result of the flesh. In many churches, the lack of unity can be blamed upon random fights, useless disagreements, and petty arguments. People can leave a church over the color of the carpet or the lack of suits on all the men. Rarely is strife justified, and that is so clearly seen in the modern church. But certainly, Paul had some disagreements with the false teachers, and warned of them many times. It’s when the disagreements are useless, and the lack of unity unjust, that it is a result of the flesh.

 

Jealousy

There is a, dare I say,“righteous” jealousy. For example, God being a “jealous God.” (See for example Ex. 20:4-6) But obviously, that is not what is mentioned here. So what is this jealousy?

Let’s start by looking at the word “zeal.” There is a good sort of zeal, a misguided sort of zeal, and an entirely wrong sort of zeal. The first is seen, for example, in the Christian being zealous for God, and this“zeal” being one founded upon the Truth of God’s worth- it is well-informed and truthful. Then we have the second, which was mentioned by Paul in Romans, when he speaks of the Jews. (See Rom. 10:1-4) The last “zeal” we have here is one that is not only misguided, but is heading in the entirely opposite direction of the Truth. It is entirely evil, and seeks to glorify itself above all things, in whatever way possible.

This “jealousy” Paul lists here in Galatians 5 is the same word as used in Romans 10:2, but is also the same used of Paul’s just jealousy, as used in 2 Cor. 11:2. So which is this?
This is the unjustified jealousy. That is to say, it is not based upon the Truth, and is more arrogant than anything. In fact, arrogance can define this sort of jealousy easily. When a child is jealous of their sibling who, let’s say, gets free ice cream when they do not, that jealousy is rooted in arrogance. This is the sort of arrogance we strive to avoid, as it leads to jealousy, which can lead to action. Many murders occur because one is jealous of another, and this is rooted in arrogance, and thus action is taken as a sort of vengeance.
This deed of the flesh is, like all of the others, rooted in arrogance, and that is the best way to understand this sort of jealousy.

 

Outbursts of anger

Well, none of us struggle with this one, right? Obviously we all do, to some extent or another. And this one, like all the others is evident. It doesn’t take much time to explain, and is of course, the unjust sort of anger. It is self-focused, and reacts to whatever upsets it. It is like an explosive tank being heated slowly, and at a certain point, if irritated enough, it will explode. It is a sort of reaction that takes place without any sort of thinking, save for self-focused thinking. This could be called“uncontrolled and visible anger,” as it is unjustified and is entirely ignorant of those around it. This is truly a wrong sort of wrath.

 

To Be Continued…