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Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Spurgeon - God grant us grace to keep to grace! God grant us faith enough to live by faith, even to the end, as the freeborn children of God, for His name’s sake! Amen. Keep standing firm - This is a command in the present imperative calling for the Galatian believers to make this their lifestyle, their daily, habitual practice. As with all of the only NT commands, they needed to be aware (and we do too) that they cannot keep these commands by relying on their own strength. The only possible way to successfully obey Paul's command is not by relying on self, but by continually relying wholly on the Holy Spirit to supernaturally enable them (and us) to obey this supernatural command! And Paul practiced what he preached for he had stood firm in Gal 2:3-5 and did not give in to their pressure to make Titus, a Gentile convert, a Jew by circumcision declaring "we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you." (Gal 2:5+). Related Resource: Discussion of our Need for the Holy Spirit to obey the NT commands (or "How to Keep All 1642 Commandments in the New Testament!") Keep standing firm (4739)(steko) can mean to stand literally (Mk 11:25) but 9/10 NT use steko figuratively calling for saints to stand firm in faith, to be constant, to persevere, to remain steadfast. In Jn 8:44 Jesus uses steko in a negative sense describing the fact that the devil absolutely does not stand in the truth. Below are 4 of Paul's other uses of steko. It is worth noting that 2 of these exhortations (1 Th 3:8, Php 4:1) call for the saints to stand firm in the sphere of the Lord, in His Name, in His power (and as we have proposed this predicates that we are relying on the Spirit of Christ for supernatural power to stand firm!). (1 Th 3:8+) for now we really live, if you stand firm (steko) in the Lord. (Phil. 1:27+) Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; (Phil. 4:1+) Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm (present imperative) in the Lord, my beloved. (2 Th 2:15) So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. Paul used this same verb steko in the closing section of his first letter to the saints at Corinth giving them 4 "staccato like" commands each in the present imperative. Be on the alert (gregoreuo), stand firm (steko) in the faith, act like men (andrizomai), be strong (krataioo). (1 Cor 16:13) Paul explained earlier the danger to which the believers in Galatia were vulnerable writing that "it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in (pareisaktos) to spy out our liberty (same word eleutheria translated "freedom" in Gal 5:1) which we have in Christ Jesus, in order (term of purpose = THIS IS THEIR EVIL PURPOSE!) to bring us into bondage (katadouloo)." (Gal 2:4+) In other words these "spiritual spies" snuck into the fellowship and sought to bring the believers back into slavery under the Law, the very thing from which Christ had liberated them! John
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Spurgeon - “You are not under the law, but under grace. Do not subject yourselves, therefore, to legal principles. Do not live as if you were working for wages and were earning your own salvation. Do not submit yourselves to the ritual and commandments of men, which would rob you of your liberty in many ways. But having once become free men, never again wear the chain of a slave: ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free.’ Because you are the seed of Isaac, who was born according to the promise, you are not the children of the bondwoman; you are not Ishmaelites. Therefore, as you were born free, as Christ has made you free by virtue of your new birth, stand fast in that glorious liberty.” Spurgeon writes "It may seem remarkable that Paul, who was once the strictest of Pharisees, should become the most ardent champion of the doctrines of salvation by grace and justification by faith...Did not the Lord show great wisdom in selecting as the chief advocate of this truth a man who knew the other side, who had wrought diligently under the Law, who had practiced every ceremony, who was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and had profited above many under the Jews' religion, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of the fathers? He would know right well the bondage of the old system, and having felt its iron enter into his soul, he would the more highly prize the liberty wherewith Christ makes men free...The Lord, therefore, sent this mighty man of valor, this Saul the Benjamite, head and shoulders taller than his fellows, of sound heart and decided purpose and devout spirit, to wage war with the adversaries of free grace. ( "Salvation by Faith and the Work of the Spirit", Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 21:205-206, sermon 1228) Phillip Ryken has a picturesque comment explaining that Paul "recognized that his people had become beasts of burden. They were so loaded down with the law that they couldn't even stand up straight. How could the Galatians take a firm stand for freedom when they, too, were doubled over by the yoke of the law? (Reformed Expository Commentary - Galatians) And so in Gal 5:1 Paul uses zygos in a negative sense to picture the binding burden of the Law. The irony is that zygos has a positive meaning in Christ's famous invitation... Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (THE JEWS WERE WEARY OF TRYING TO KEEP EVERY MINISCULE DETAIL OF THE LAW AS ADVOCATED BY THE LEGALISTIC PHARISEES). Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy (KIND, GRACIOUS) and My burden is light. (Mt 11:28-30+) Comment - What is the yoke in context of Mt 11:29? Is it not His teaching, His teaching which is calculated to make disciples? To “take a yoke” in Jesus' day meant to become a disciple. When we submit ourselves voluntarily, willingly and wholly to Jesus Christ, we are yoked to Him. And instead of the enslaving yoke of the Law, we experience the liberating yoke of Christ! In fact, all believers have become eternally "yoked" to Christ the moment they entered the New Covenant in His blood by grace through faith. Because Christ freely gives us grace, His yoke is easy and His burden "light". While the yoke of the Law enslaves us, the yoke of Chrit frees us to fulfill His will and please His Father. What a wonderful yoke grace is compared to the pharisaical yoke of the Law that only weighs "men down with burdens hard to bear" (Luke 11:46+). Christ does not merely "touch the load with one of His fingers", but He shoulders it completely!
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Spurgeon adds that "Many of God's children are in this condition -- entangled, surrounded, captive, held fast!" The Greek word for ENTANGLE is EMPLEKO (en = in + pleko = to weave) which literally means to "weave in" and thus to intertwine or interconnect closely as by wrapping or twisting together. Empleko means "to be involuntarily interlaced to the point of immobility." (BDAG) It was used in secular writings meaning "to ENTWINE one's hand in another's clothes, so as to hold him." Empleko was used to describe a runner entangled in his long robe, which would hinder his ability to run in such a way so as to win (cp Heb 12:1+, 1Cor 9:24-27+). Figuratively empleko means to become so entwined in an activity that it interferes with other activities or objectives. The related noun (emploke) was used by Peter to describe the BRAIDING of hair (1Pe 3:3+). The root verb (pleko) described "WEAVING a crown of thorns" for Jesus' mock coronation (Mt 27:29). Can you begin to get a sense of why Paul warned soldiers of Christ to avoid becoming ENTANGLED "with the affairs of everyday life?" In the context of Paul's exhortation, empleko depicts one who becomes so entangled that they are hindered, even controlled, and no longer free to function effectively as a Christian soldier. Clearly, "a good soldier of Christ Jesus" (2Ti 2:3), enabled by the Spirit, must continually choose to focus on eternal priorities, not temporal peripherals, holding the temporal loosely and prizing the eternal passionately. As F B
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Spurgeon adds that "Many of God's children are in this condition -- entangled, surrounded, captive, held fast!" Are their any "matador vines" of grace neutralizing, legalistic tendencies in your life that are hindering you from running well? ILLUSTRATION OF LEGALISM - Legalism lurks in the shady corners of nearly every Christian community. This is why we can go for months, if not years, and never notice it’s there. Legalism’s lurking presence in our lives reminds me of a bizarre incident at one of the park district pools in the Chicago area. A nine-year-old boy went down a waterslide, plunged into the pool, and bumped into the dead body of a woman near the bottom of the pool. Much to everyone’s horror and disgust, however, they discovered that the body had been in the pool for several days, even though the pool was open, lifeguards were on duty, and people were swimming. Health inspectors explained that because the pool was so murky no one could see the dead body submerged several feet under the surface. A dead body lurking in the murky waters of a pool—that’s the way legalism works in the life of a church and in the life of a Christian. This is because legalism lurks in the corners of every Christian heart. And it is often the case that the most susceptible are the most intensely religious. Legalists lose sight of what ultimately counts. They start thinking that nonessentials are essential; they begin to insist that good things are in fact necessary. And the result is that they look with pity or suspicion on anyone who would think or do otherwise. ((Preaching the Word – Galatians: Gospel-Rooted Living)) ILLUSTRATION - How easy it is to take for granted and to fail to appropriate the freedom which we have. We can note this in great civilizations of days gone by who drifted from freedom back into bondage or slavery simply because they took their freedom for granted. June Hunt in her book Above All Else, illustrates this when she says: Just before we were to leave West Berlin, we had an opportunity to climb a scaffold overlooking the Berlin Wall. I noticed a man on the platform frantically waving a white handkerchief. Looking past the rows of barbed wire and the steel barriers in the field, we saw a woman on the street about 150 yards away. From time to time she would hold up her baby for the man to see and then wave a handkerchief back at him. Our small group watched in hushed reverence. Tears streamed from the man’s eyes as he watched the woman and child reluctantly back away and slowly disappear out of sight. He had stood and watched the two of them until he was staring at an empty street. What total emptiness we all felt in that moment. What did we personally know about freedom or the lack of it? Through the brief experience of a nameless man from another country, the value I placed on freedom multiplied before my eyes. (source unknown) Just as it is possible to lose one’s freedom through complacency and indifference in the country in which we live, so it is possible, likewise, to lose the freedom that ought to be ours in Jesus Christ through putting ourselves back into legal bondage. It is the desire of Christ, through His gracious act, to set us free from the bondage of sin and death and as His free sons to enjoy life more abundantly. (Don Anderson) Phillip Ryken - The Princeton theologian Archibald Alexander (1772-1851) asked a question that continues to trouble thoughtful Christians today. He wanted to know why "Christians commonly are of so diminutive a stature and such feeble strength in their religion." There are many answers to this question, but here is the one that Alexander emphasized: There is a defect in our belief in the freeness of divine grace. To exercise unshaken confidence in the doctrine of gratuitous pardon is one of the most difficult things in the world; and to preach this doctrine fully without verging towards antinomianism is no easy task, and is therefore seldom done. But Christians cannot but be lean and feeble when deprived of their proper nutriment. It is by faith that the spiritual life is made to grow; and the doctrine of free grace, without any mixture of human merit, is the only true object of faith.... Here, I am persuaded, is the root of the evil; and until religious teachers inculcate clearly, fully, and practically, the grace of God, as manifest in the Gospel, we shall have no vigorous growth of piety among professing Christians. (Thoughts on Religious Experience - Page 336) Comment - I agree with Alexander but would add that the believer's growth in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pe 3:18) must also include an accompanying growth in understanding and increasing reliance upon the source of the transforming power of free grace which is none other than the Spirit of Grace Himself (Heb 10:29)! THE GRAND INVITATION: COME! Come! The greatest invitation that ever issued from a Man's lips. "Come!" Come the first time to salvation (Justification). In the context of Jesus' preceding words in Matthew 11, this is the primary interpretation of His call to come... COME TO JESUS FOR SALVATION Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy written by Joseph Hart (Sung by Fernando Ortega) Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy Weak and wounded, sick and sore; Jesus ready stands to save you, Full of pity, love and power. Refrain I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in His arms; In the arms of my dear Savior, O there are ten thousand charms. Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome, God’s free bounty glorify; True belief and true repentance, Every grace that brings you nigh Refrain Come, ye weary, heavy laden, Lost and ruined by the fall; If you tarry till you’re better, You will never come at all. Refrain View Him prostrate in the garden; On the ground your Maker lies. On the bloody tree behold Him; Sinner, will this not suffice? Refrain Lo! th’ incarnate God ascended, Pleads the merit of His blood: Venture on Him, venture wholly, Let no other trust intrude. Refrain Let not conscience make you linger, Not of fitness fondly dream; All the fitness He requireth Is to feel your need of Him. Refrain While there must be this initial coming to Jesus for salvation rest, by way of application, there is yet a need for every saint to daily "Come" and allow the Spirit of Christ to grow us in grace and Christlikeness (2Pe 3:18+) (Sanctification see Three Tenses of Salvation). And then there will be a final invitation to "Come!" when Jesus invites us to come up to Him (if we are here to experience the Rapture - 1Th 4:16-17+, cf "I will come again and receive you." - Jn 14:3) and be with Him forever and ever in the eternal rest of Paradise! (Glorification). "Therefore comfort (present imperative-command to continually encourage) one another with" Jesus' invitation to "Come!". (1Th 4:18+) I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me and rest; Lay down, thou weary one, lay down Thy head upon my breast.” I came to Jesus as I was, Weary and worn and sad; I found in Him a RESTING PLACE, And He has made me glad. -Horatius Bonar Dear reader, at whatever stage of your life you find yourself, will you not hear the gracious invitation that falls from His perfect lips? Will you not come dear struggling sinner, trying to make yourself acceptable to the Holy God? Will you not come dear struggling saint, trying daily to earn your Father's approval, trying daily to defeat that besetting sin that only the Spirit of Christ can defeat as you learn to cooperate with Him (Ro 8:13-note)? And dear saint, will you not live in the light of His final call to "Come !", allowing this firm anchor motivate a deep desire for daily purification (1Jn 3:3-note) and growth in likeness to Christ, your Lord? And here is the great assurance that the One Who calls us to "Come" now will Himself come very soon, a coming for which we pray "Come Lord Jesus"... He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Revelation 22:20, 21 The End! Come - Not "do this" or "don't do that" but simply "Come". Note also that Jesus does not say come to the church, to a creed, to a clergyman, to a "denomination" or to anything but to Jesus Himself, to a vital, dynamic, radical relationship with the Living Lord. As Oswald Chambers says "Personal contact with Jesus alters everything." Do nothing else but come to Him, for He alone is the way, the truth, the life (Jn 14:6). There is salvation rest in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved (the first time and then every day thereafter!). (Acts 4:12) Jesus is the narrow gate, the narrow way that leads to the rest of eternal life (Mt 7:13, 14). Inherent in Jesus' call to come is that the hearer come now and not wait nor procrastinate - when you hear His invitation, that is the day of salvation (cp 2Cor 6:2). THE INSIDIOUS DANGER OF LEGALISM Warren
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Spurgeon - "The Galatians wanted to be more sure than faith could make them, and so they ran off to getting circumcised and observing days and weeks and months and all sort of carnal ordinances." (Salvation by Faith and the Work of the Spirit) Receive circumcision (present passive)(4059) see below on peritemno Stott writes the Judaizers "were thus declaring that faith in Christ was insufficient for salvation. Circumcision and law-obedience must be added to it. This was tantamount to saying that Moses must be allowed to finish what Christ had begun." (Ibid) Ryken adds the Judaizers "were saying that Moses had to finish what Christ could only begin." (Ibid) Ryken asks "If circumcision was only minor surgery, why did it become such a major issue? Because Paul understood that what was really at stake was the justification of sinners: What makes a person right with God? Getting circumcised was a way of saying that sinners have to do something to get right with God. This is what Paul meant when he spoke of those "who would be justified by the law" (Gal. 5:4). He was talking about circumcision as something that stood for the whole law of God....Either people are justified before God partly by what they do for themselves or they are justified exclusively by what Jesus Christ has done for them. When the Galatians were thinking about getting circumcised, they were really thinking about getting justified. According to F. F. Bruce, "They could seek justification through faith in Christ (and obtain it) or they could seek it through legal works (and miss it). To seek it through faith in Christ was to seek it on the ground of God's grace; to seek it through legal works was to seek it on the ground of their own merit." Circumcision was a way of saying that Jesus Christ was not enough for the Galatians, that they needed something more. Getting circumcised is one alternative to faith in Christ, but there are many others. Some people base their standing before God on the work they do in the church, or on the quality or frequency of their personal devotions. Others depend on the decision they made for Christ when they walked down the aisle or raised their hand at an evangelistic rally, as if they were saved by that gesture. Still others seek to justify themselves by the fact that they are baptized and confirmed members of a Christian church. If we try to be justified before God by anything we do, no matter how small it is, we are not free. This is why justification must come by faith alone. What Jesus did on the cross and through the empty tomb justifies sinners all by itself. Therefore, if I am a Christian, my standing before God depends entirely on what Christ has done, not on anything that I have done. Otherwise, I am enslaved by my own works." (Ibid) Jack Arnold - These Galatians had received Christ but were thinking about going back under the law to gain the approval of God. They felt they could not have the blessing of God unless they permitted themselves to be circumcised and perhaps some felt they could not be saved at all without circumcision, for this is what the Judaizers taught (Acts 15:1, 5, 10) Christ in His death delivered them from the law and to go back under the law would place them in a position where the benefits of Christ's death would not be of any advantage to them. They would not be in a position to receive the real blessings of Christ if they went back under the law. By going back under the law, Christians are depriving themselves of the ministry of the Holy Spirit which Christ made possible through His death and resurrection and which ministry was not provided for under the law. (Liberty not Legalism) Christ will be of no benefit to you - “Christ will be an advantage to you in respect to nothing.” The Greek word for "no" (ouden) signifies absolute negation. Notice the Judaizers were not saying "Don't believe in Christ." They were saying in essence that Christ alone was not sufficient for salvation. But to the contrary Puritan William Perkins said, "He must be a perfect Savior, or no Savior." ESV Study Bible on of no benefit to you - The atoning sacrifice of Christ cannot benefit anyone who trusts in law and ceremony for salvation. (ED: This is a true statement, but assuming that Paul was writing to believers, this was not the main problem. In other words, they were justified by faith in Christ alone, but now would fall into the trap of attempting to be sanctified progressively by works and would experience no benefit from Christ.) Ryken adds that "If we will not let Christ do everything for us, He can do nothing for us, at least as far as our justification is concerned. If we try to help ourselves, Christ will be no help at all." THOUGHT - Again Ryken is referring in context to our sanctification, our growth in Christ-likeness. It is not even logical -- how could these Galatian believers or any believers for that matter expect to grow in Christ-likeness if Christ is of no benefit to them? It simply cannot happen! They will end up as "stunted" believers at best, lacking the fruit of the Spirit, etc. Little wonder that the life of legalistic Christian is without love, joy, peace, etc!
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Spurgeon - Some pilgrims faint because the way is so very long. We can do a great deal at a spurt, but we are not able to keep it up. There are a great many people who enter the church and are splendid fellows for a short time. If they could get to heaven in a one-mile race, they would surely win the prize; but they have no staying power in them. What is needed is perseverance in well doing; perseverance under slights, misrepresentations, and slanders; perseverance when it means tugging and toiling at the oars; perseverance when there is no smile of recognition, but when there is many a frown from those who misjudge your work. It is under such difficulties that men are apt to faint. Who hindered you - This is a rhetorical question, for Paul has already alluded to their spiritual adversary. They ran well for a time and were making good progress until legalism hindered them. Legalism is always a hindrance, never a blessing. THOUGHT - There are many believers who ran well when they first came to Christ. But somewhere along their Christian journey, legalism began to sneak in and instead of running they began limping, because they no longer were partaking of the grace that saved them the in the first place (cf Gal 3:2-3+). They have fallen into the trap of trying to live the Christian life on their own (by keeping rules, by trying to be good enough, by trying to do enough good works to make sure they pleased God, etc, etc) instead of relying wholly on the Holy Spirit for the supernatural power to live this supernatural life in Christ and for the glory of God!
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Spurgeon on waiting - Notice the posture that our hope takes. We are waiting for this hope—waiting. Would it not have been better to have said, “We are working”? No, it would have spoiled the sense altogether. To complete the foundation of our hope of righteousness by faith, we have nothing more to do except to wait for the reward of what is done. As far as justifying righteousness is concerned, we are as righteous as we shall be when, robed in light, we shall cast our crowns before the throne of God. We are at rest, waiting in peace. It is true we are working for other reasons and other purposes, but as far as the righteousness of faith is concerned, we are waiting, not working. Waiting—that is the posture of confidence. We are not hurrying, bustling, and running about in anxiety, but we are at rest, knowing that the reward will come....As the workman when his six days’ work is over goes up to his master’s pay table and waits for his wage, we believe that the meritorious work by which heaven is procured for us is all done. Therefore, we are waiting in the name of Jesus to take the reward that as a matter of justice is due to Him, and has been by His dying testament transferred to us. (See also related notes) Waiting (eagerly) (553)(apekdechomai from apó = intensifier [see Vincent below] + ekdechomai= expect, look for <> from ek = out + dechomai = receive kindly, accept deliberately and readily) means waiting in great anticipation but with patience (compare our English expression "wait it out"). To expect fully. To look (wait) for assiduously (marked by careful unremitting attention) and patiently. It is notable that apekdechomai is used seven times in the NT of the return of Christ: Rom. 8:19, 23, 25; 1 Cor. 1:7; Gal. 5:5; Phil. 3:20; Heb. 9:28) Apekdechomai is in the present tense indicating this is a heavenly citizen's continual mindset and the middle voice which indicates the subject is the beneficiary of the waiting. Another way to think of the middle voice is it speaks of the subject's personal. In the use in Php 3:20 Wuest picks up on this nuance of the middle voice with the translation "eagerly waiting to welcome the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to receive Him to ourselves" where "to ourselves" is the reflexive aspect of the middle voice. What a beautiful picture of the Bride, His Church, waiting to receive Him to herself! A waiting, welcoming mindset will motivate the bride to keep herself pure and holy. Kenneth
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Spurgeon - The outward is disregarded and the inward becomes all-important. The flesh, like Ishmael, is sent away, and the newborn nature abides with the father, and inherits the covenant promises. All believers understand this riddle: can all of us in this household interpret it? Paul made a similar assessment of circumcision and uncircumcision writing "For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." (Gal 6:15)
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Spurgeon - Faith is like a metalworker who is about to prepare some work of fine art, such as smiths used to produce in the days of wrought iron. Faith, like a strong and vigorous smith, has love as its arm. Faith does not lift a finger without love. Faith believes and resolves, and then it proceeds to action, but the power with which it can work lies in love. Faith without love would be a cripple without arms. More than this, love is not only faith’s arm but its tools. Love is faith’s hammer, file, and anvil—its every implement. You have seen a wrench that can be made to fit every nut and bolt, however large or small. Love is just such a tool, for love will teach a little child or evangelize a nation. Love can stand and burn at the stake, or it can drop two coins into the offering box. Love hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor 13:7): nothing comes amiss to it. A wonderfully handy tool is this sacred grace that faith has adopted to work with. It can strike and cut; it is good for uniting and good for breaking. It will do anything faith wishes it to. Only let faith wield love as its instrument, and it can fashion whatever divine wisdom tells it to form. ILLUSTRATION - The story is told of an aspiring artist who was commissioned to do a large sculpture for a famous museum. At last he had the opportunity to create the masterpiece he had long dreamed of. After laboring over the work for many years, he saw it grow not only in shape but in beauty. But when it was finished he discovered to his horror that it was much too large to be taken out a window or door and that the cost for tearing down part of the building in order to remove it was prohibitive. His masterpiece was forever a captive to the room in which it was created. That is the fate of all human religion. Nothing a person does to earn God's favor can leave the room of this earth where his self-made works are created. (MacArthur) Faith Working by Love C. H. Spurgeon. I. FAITH ALWAYS PRODUCES LOVE. 1. By a necessity of faith's own nature. 2. By the discoveries of beauty in Christ which faith is sure to make. 3. By its appropriation of the love of Christ. 4. By its enjoyment of mercy, leading the heart to a grateful acknowledgment of the source of mercy. 5. By the familiarity with God and the congeniality of disposition which it breeds in the heart. II. LOVE IS ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON FAITH. 1. No man loves a Saviour in whom he reposes no confidence. 2. Love cannot flourish except as faith flourishes. 3. Love cannot work without faith. III. FAITH DISPLAYS ITS POWER BY LOVE. Compare faith to an artificer in metals. 1. Love is faith's arm. 2. Faith's tools. 3. Faith's furnace. 4. Faith's mould. 5. Faith's metal, for into the mould of love faith pours love itself. 6. Faith's burnisher. IV. LOVE REACTS ON FAITH AND PERFECTS IT. 1. Love leads the soul into admiration and so increases faith. 2. Love forbids unbelief. 3. Perfect love casts out fear.In conclusion (1) Faith works: let us as a Church work because we have faith. (2) A working Church must be a loving Church, for faith works by love. (3) But if you are to be a working and a loving Church you must be a believing Church, for that is the bottom of all. Galatians 5:7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? Phillips Paraphrase - You were making splendid progress; who put you off the course you had set for the truth?
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Spurgeon - Somebody else has called you aside, some false shepherd, who is but a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and who would destroy you if he could.” Did not come from Him Who calls you - This persuasion was not from God. It was from "false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage." (Gal 2:4+). (Ga 1:6) I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; Persuasion (only here in NT)(3988)(peismone) refers to the means or the process of convincing.
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Spurgeon - One man’s influence may mislead thousands; one piece of false doctrine may taint our whole creed. If you have a wrong ground of confidence, you are wrong altogether. Cereghin - A little leaven of false doctrine or false practice leads to greater errors later. Today it is legalism. What will that lead to? What will it be tomorrow? Full-blown apostasy always starts small- a doctrine compromised a bit here, an unscriptural practice introduced there. The Galatians had been leavened by legalism. If they did not purge out this leaven of false doctrine now, they stood in danger of greater problems in the future. (Commentary) A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough - Paul's point is that even a little error introduced by a persuasive person could spread throughout the body -- permeating, corrupting, affecting everyone it "touches." It would be subtle and imperceptible at the outset, but eventually it would spread throughout and effect all the believers. Doctrinal error spreads just like yeast spreading in a lump of dough. THOUGHT - Think about the effect of a "little yeast" and a "little error." There is no such thing as a little error. Have you ever been around someone who expressed just a "little" heresy. And others said, don't worry it's such a little issue! How foolish people can be, for all it takes to cause a massive forest fire is one little spark! So think of the Body of Christ you belong to as a "lump of dough," a whole with individual parts. And it is everyone's obligation to be on guard constantly for "little" heretical errors! And learn from Paul's description that this heresy may be very persuasive to some and it must be removed. Small persuasive errors can produce big catastrophic consequences! Duncan comments that "Benjamin Franklin put it this way: For want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe, the writer was lost; for want of a writer, the battle was lost; and for want of a battle, the kingdom was lost. All this for want of horseshoe nail. Circumcision seems like a small thing, and it's persuasive. It's Biblical. Abraham was circumcised. The word of God commanded circumcision for those in Abraham's family and for the Jewish people. But wrongly taught, it is deadly. It brings a person under obligation to the whole Law and severs him from Christ. Neglecting small errors results in big problems. Paul warns of that." Leaven (yeast)(2219)(zume probably from zeo = to heat, as in fermentation of dough when leaven is mixed) was literally a small portion of dough that was retained in order to start a new batch of dough. In ancient times, when bread was about to be baked, a small piece of dough was pulled off and saved. That leaven or yeast would then be allowed to ferment in water, and later kneaded into the next batch of fresh dough to make it rise. Leaven throughout Scripture was used figuratively to describe permeating power or influence, usually the influence of evil, but also of good in Mt 13:33 and Lk 13:21 referring to the growth or expansion of the Kingdom of God. Zume is was used proverbially to demonstrate great effect from little causes. Paul uses the term two times here in Galatians to describe the effect of the false doctrine of legalism (of which circumcision was only the "tip of the legalistic iceberg"), of mixing of Law and Grace. Writing to the believers at Corinth, in 1 Corinthians 5:6, it refers to immorality in personal life, which, continually tolerated by the Corinthian church, was a dangerous thing for the whole church. Zume in the NT - Matt. 13:33; Matt. 16:6; Matt. 16:11; Matt. 16:12; Mk. 8:15; Lk. 12:1; Lk. 13:21; 1 Co. 5:6; 1 Co. 5:7; 1 Co. 5:8; Gal. 5:9 Little Nicks—Big Trouble! A little leaven leavens the whole lump. —Galatians 5:9 We couldn’t figure it out. My son and I had purchased an old powerboat for fishing and couldn’t make it run properly. We were unable to get it up to speed, and it shuddered when we tried to go faster. We figured that the trouble was with the fuel system, so we adjusted the carburetor and changed the fuel filter. But that still didn’t solve the problem. When we took the boat out of the water, my son found the cause of the trouble. One of the propeller fins had a 3/4-inch (2 cm) nick in it. That can’t be it, I thought. That nick is too small. But when we installed a new propeller, what a difference it made! We had been slowed down by a tiny nick. A similar problem is often at work in our lives as Christians. Sinful practices like those described in Galatians 5:16-21 have their roots in the seemingly insignificant thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Matthew 5:28; 15:18-19). If we ignore or tolerate these “little” sins, they will eventually grow, corrupting more of our thoughts and actions—even harming people around us. Just as a little yeast leavens a whole lump of dough (Galatians 5:9), so also a “little” sin can eventually weaken our service for Christ and the ministry of His church. One little sin, what harm can it do? Give it free reign and soon there are two. Then sinful deeds and habits ensue— Guard well your thoughts, lest they destroy you. —D. De Haan Little sins won't stay little. Galatians 5:10 I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. Phillips Paraphrase - I feel confident in the Lord that you will not take any fatal step. But whoever it is who is worrying you will have a serious charge to answer one day.
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Spurgeon - Depend upon it, every man who troubles a church with false doctrine is amenable to the High Court above. Sooner or later he may expect even a temporal judgment here below.
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Spurgeon - “The stumbling block of the cross” is that it sets up faith in the infinite merit of Christ’s atonement and knocks down all confidence in outward rites and ceremonies. Paul says that if he had preached the flesh-pleasing doctrines of men, he would not have been persecuted. But the fact that he was persecuted was a proof that he was standing fast in the liberty with which Christ had made him free. Then the stumbling block of the Cross has been abolished - "If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended." (NLT) Why would the Judaistic teachings abolish the stumbling block? Cereghin puts it this way "The Judaistic gospel brought no offence because everyone likes salvation by works. It exalts man's role in his own salvation (ED: And thus his pride) and minimizes God's work. But strip a man of all his religious works and maintain that salvation is all of grace and all of God and what the fur fly! Man's religious pride has been punctured so he will naturally attack the gospel of grace that Paul preached. We must keep this offence of the cross before our congregations at all times. If the message is not offensive then it is not the Gospel. It must be offensive to sinners (and even saints!) because the Gospel and its claims of discipleship naturally are in opposition to the natural mind. Men may want to be saved but only on their own terms. To accommodate this desire is compromising the Gospel, the sin the Judaizers were guilty of. They preached a popular message- work for it. Men like to work for their salvation. That message carries no offence and is thus not the Gospel. To suppose a cross without an offence is folly." Duncan - He would have nothing to fear from men. He would have made is peace with the world. He would be giving them a gospel that they can accept, because preaching circumcision or law keeping tells men that they can save themselves and that they have personal merit and people want to hear that. What men hate about the gospel is that they have nothing to offer God, that Christ alone saves, and that we must come to the foot of the cross with nothing but our sins and come humbly. In fact, if we add our works to Christ's work, we lose His work. Christ is of no benefit to us. J C
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Spurgeon - It were better that they were cut off from the church than remain to sow false doctrine. As lepers must be put out of the camp, so must evil teachers be cast out of the church. Cereghin - Strong words for strong apostates! Mean! Nasty! Go back to 1:8 and see where Paul calls down curses on these Judaizers! But when souls are at stake and the Gospel is being undermined, it is no time to be nice and polite. It is time to take out the Sword of the Spirit and start swinging for blood. These Judaizers were leading men to hell by their message and were perverting the Gospel. They deserved nothing better than to be cursed by God and to be cut off.
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Spurgeon - Do not make license out of your liberty. Remember that liberty from sin is not liberty to sin. The apostle, in this epistle, had been urging the Christians of Galatia to stand fast in the liberty with which Christ had made them free, and never to be again entangled with the yoke of legal bondage. He warned them against that error into which many have fallen. But you know that it is often our tendency, if we escape from one error, to rush into another. So the apostle guards these Christians against that antinomian spirit that teaches us that freedom from the law allows indulgence in sin. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh - Yes believers are free and there is the option or danger if you will that we can misuse our freedom in a way that pleases ourselves at the expense of others.
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Spurgeon - You are not to do anything because it pleases you, but you are to do everything because it pleases God. When a man is no longer a slave to sin, or self, or Satan, let him begin to serve his brothers: “through love serve one another.” Oh, if that “one word” were so engraved on our hearts as to influence all our lives, what blessed lives of love to God and love to men we should lead! Life Application Study Bible. - Paul distinguishes between freedom to sin and freedom to serve. Freedom or license to sin is no freedom at all, because it enslaves you to Satan, others, or your own sinful nature. Christians, by contrast, should not be slaves to sin, because they are free to do right and to glorify God through loving service to others. Through love serve one another - This is the antidote for using liberty as an occasion for the flesh. What does the fallen flesh want? It expects others to conform to our desires, and cares little about others. But when through love (we) serve one another the nasty nature of the flesh is conquered. Of course, this is not our natural bent, but calls for dependence on the Spirit (Walk by the Spirit - Gal 5:16) Who enables this supernatural (agape) love and creates in us a desire to serve (douleuo) others rather to be served just as did our Savior (cf Mk 10:45).
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Spurgeon - The legal spirit is all for expansion; it multiplies its commands and lays down its ritual for this and that and the other. But the gospel spirit is all for condensation. It has condensed the whole law into a single word, that is, “love.” In the first table of the Ten Commandments, we are taught to love God, and the commands of the second table teach us to love our neighbor. This is more important than symbolic rites: To destroy love to preserve a ceremony is to kill a child in order to preserve its clothes. YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF - Paul is quoting from Lev 19:18+ ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. You shall love (25)(agapao) means to love unconditionally and sacrificially as God Himself loves sinful men (John 3:16), the way He loves the Son (John 3:35, 15:9, 17:23, 24). And since this is a verb, clearly agapao calls for action. In other words this quality of love is not an emotion but is an action initiated by a volitional choice in turn enabled by the indwelling Spirit Who gives us the desire and the power (cf Php 2:13NLT+) to carry out supernatural love!
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Spurgeon - When dogs and wolves bite one another, it is according to their nature; but it is sad indeed when sheep take to biting one another. If I must be bitten at all, let me rather be bitten by a dog than by a sheep. That is to say, the wounds inflicted by the godly are far more painful to bear, and last much longer, than those caused by wicked men. Besides, we can say with the psalmist, “It was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it.” It is natural that the serpent’s seed should nibble at our heel and seek to do us injury. But when the bite comes from a brother—from a child of God—then it is peculiarly painful. I have lived long enough to see churches absolutely destroyed, not by any external attacks, but by internal contention. This man finds fault, the other must have his own way, a third is for something quite new, a fourth is for nothing but what is antique, and so they fall to squabbling and quarrelling. Devour (consume) (2719)(katesthio from kata = down + esthio = to eat) means to eat up, consume, devour (Lk 8:5). Figuratively katesthio means to destroy by fire (consume, burn up) (Rev 11.5), by illegal exploitation (rob, take complete advantage of - Mk 12.40) or as in the present passage by strife within a group which caused great division (Gal 5.15). It means to engage in spiteful partisan strife. Take care that you are not consumed by one another - Paul issues a command in the present imperative, one that can only be obeyed in the power of the Holy Spirit. See discussion of the Need for the Holy Spirit to obey NT commands (or "How to Keep All 1642 Commandments in the New Testament!") Take care (beware, take heed) (991)(blepo) means simply to see or look at but in this context means to have one's eye on so as to beware of. To watch, to take heed, to take care. To see with the mind’s eye, to discern mentally, to turn the thoughts or direct the mind to a thing. It speaks of "a more intentional, earnest contemplation" of something.
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Spurgeon - Walk under the Spirit’s power, following His guidance. The Spirit never leads a man into sin. He never conducts him into self-indulgence and excess. Be obedient to that great principle of the Spirit that goes with the doctrine of grace and salvation by faith, and then you will not be obedient to that lusting of the flesh that is in you by nature. It is the FLESH that is the PERFORMER. It is the SPIRIT that is the TRANSFORMER. And you will not carry out the desire of the flesh - Although "not" is a small word in this passage, it is absolutely critical to the dynamic of defeating the flesh. In other words "not" is a strong double negative, which in effect makes the wonderful declaration that when we are walking enabled by the Holy Spirit we ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT carry out the desire of the flesh! This is good news beloved. If the Spirit is like "oil", carrying out the lusts of the flesh is like "water." They simply cannot mix! Notice that Paul does not say we won't still have the lustful thoughts, but as long as we are walking by the Spirit, the Spirit will give us "victory" over those temptations and enables us to not act on those lustful thoughts. It is not a sin to be tempted, but only a sin when we make the bad choice to act upon the temptation! Lightfoot says: In this passage the Spirit is doubly contrasted, first, with the flesh, and secondly, with the law. (Gal 5:18) The flesh and the law are closely allied: they both move in the same element, in the sphere of outward and material things. The law is not only no safeguard against the flesh, but rather provokes it; and he who would renounce the flesh, must renounce the law also. (See Ro 7:5) We have here germs of the ideas more fully developed in the Epistle to the Romans.
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Spurgeon - The Holy Ghost, when He comes into us, is the author of all our desires after true holiness. He strives in us against the flesh. The holy conflict that we wage against our corruption comes entirely from Him. We would sit down in willing bondage to the flesh if He did not bid us strike for liberty. James describes this relationship between temptation and sin... Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust (ORIGINATING FROM HIS FALLEN FLESH). Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. (James 1:13-15+)
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Spurgeon - Spirit against the flesh You are pulled about by two contrary forces: You are dragged downward by the flesh, and you are drawn upward by the Spirit. They will never agree. These two powers are always contrary one to the other. If you think that you can help God by getting angry, you make a great mistake. You cannot fight God’s battles with the devil’s weapons. It is not possible that the power of the flesh should help the power of the Spirit. Spurgeon - THE worst enemy we have is the flesh. Augustine used frequently to pray, “Lord, deliver me from that evil man, myself.” All the fire which the devil can bring from hell could do us little harm if we had no so much fuel in our nature. It is the powder in the magazine of the old man which is our perpetual danger. When we are guarding against foes without, we must not forget to be continually on our watch-tower against the foe of foes within. “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit.” On the other hand, our best friend, who loves us better than we love ourselves, is the Holy Spirit. We are shockingly forgetful of the Holy Ghost, and therein it is to be feared that we greatly grieve Him; yet we are immeasurably indebted to Him: in fact, we owe our spiritual existence to His divine power. It would not be proper to compare the love of the Spirit with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, so as even by implication to set up a scale of degrees in love; for the love of the regenerating Spirit is infinite, even as is the love of the redeeming Son. But yet for a moment we will set these two displays of love side by side. For these are in opposition to one another - This opposition or internal conflict is every believer's lot until the day we take our last breath. This is not like wars between nations where it is not uncommon for there to be a pause in the conflict (e.g., winter weather in WW II resulted in such a pause). No, this supernatural war is ongoing. Ponder that thought a moment. You get a great night's sleep, wake up refreshed and feel ready to conquer the world. What we often forget is that the fallen flesh was up before we were and it was already planning strategies to take us down spiritually. Peter alludes to this unceasing warfare writing to the saints in his first epistle "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul." (1 Peter 2:11+) Notice the verb "wage war" which in Greek is the verb strateuomai which describes a soldier fighting a war and in context an "enemy soldier" we cannot even see, and whose "command center" is inside the fortress of our mortal body! Not only that, but the verb is in the present tense signifying that this warfare with our "fleshly lusts" is unceasing! Does this picture help you understand why our "commanding general" Paul is ordering us to continually be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to victoriously fight this Holy War? Are in opposition (480) (antikeimai from antí = against, opposite + keimai = to be placed, to lie or be laid down) means literally to line up against or to lie opposite to, both ideas giving us a vivid picture of the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. The present tense emphasizes that this opposition is a continuing conflict with no truce in sight (until we reach glory!). So that you may not do the things that you please - Amplified says "so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do." The things that you please are the manifestations of your fallen flesh. These are those sinful things we wanted before we were a Christian and they reflected the natural innate longings of the self-centered human heart that seeks self-fulfillment and self-gratification. As an aside if you remove the "h" from "flesh" and reverse the letters, it spells "self!" Similarly note what the middle letters of sin and pride are -- both are the bid "I" the person dominated by the fallen nature. As John
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Spurgeon - The Spirit never brings the soul into bondage. The terrors and the fears that come of legal slavery are not the work of the Spirit of God. Where He works, holiness is delight and the service of God is a continual joy. Oh, that we may be thus led by the Spirit! Don Anderson - If the Spirit is leading, then it does not depend upon your performance and you are not under law. It is the law which brings the flesh into action, and we are living on the basis of performance, endeavoring to produce within the flesh that which was intended to be produced in the power of the Spirit. (from 155 Page of Study Notes) Luther used to say: . . . “My flesh seems to be on a warpath against the Spirit again. Go to it flesh, and rage all you want to. But you are not going to have your way. I follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit.” Luther says: When the flesh begins to cut up the only remedy is to take the sword of the Spirit, the word of salvation, and fight against the flesh. If you set the Word out of sight, you are helpless against the flesh. I know this to be a fact. I have been assailed by many violent passions, but as soon as I took hold of some Scripture passage, my temptations left me. Without the Word I could not have helped myself against the flesh. (Galatians 5 Commentary)
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Spurgeon - A black catalogue, but sin is very prolific. There are four classes of sins mentioned here. First Paul mentions sins of lust. Next, idolatry and witchcraft. Then follows a third set, which may be classed under the head of sins of temper. Lastly Paul mentions sins of appetite. We must take care that we avoid each one of these works of the flesh, or else we shall give no proof that we are led by the Spirit of God and possess the grace of God. No matter what they profess, or what sacraments they may partake of, those who live in these sins are not alive unto God. Spurgeon on sexual immorality - Any kind of sensual indulgence, whatever it may be—a lustful glance, the cherishing of an unclean desire, the utterance of a foul expression—all this is condemned, as well as the overt acts of adultery and fornication. Sexual Immorality (4202)(porneia from root verb pernao = to sell, porneuo = to play the harlot; pornos = male prostitute) originally referred to any excessive behavior or lack of restraint, but eventually became associated with sexual excess and indulgence, of every kind of extramarital, unlawful, or unnatural sexual intercourse. Don Anderson on impurity - “UNCLEANNESS”—it began by meaning physical and material dirt. Then it came to mean the quality of that which is soiled and dirty. A mind can be like this and soil everything that passes through it. It can reduce the finest action to the meanest motive. It can defile the purest things with a dirty joke. It is that which separates a man from God. How many have said as a result of participating in illicit sexual relationships, “I feel so dirty and unclean.” Someone has described sex outside of marriage as like taking a handful of dirt and throwing it on the carpet. This is not where it belongs and the carpet has been defiled. This is sex outside the bounds of marriage. Whereas dirt in the garden where it was designed to be becomes soil in which it is possible for the production of a crop. This is sex within the bounds of marriage. (from 155 Page of Study Notes) Impurity (uncleanness) (167)(akatharsia from a = without + kathaíro = cleanse) is a broad term referring to moral uncleanness in thought, word, and deed. It describes a state of moral impurity, especially sexual sin. The term akatharsia refers to filth or refuse. Paul's point here is that sin defiles us, producing corruption and degradation of the sinner. The sinner is never a winner!
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Spurgeon on sensuality - The outward uncleanness that society condemns, yet often practices. This includes all conversation that excites the passions, all songs that suggest lewdness, all gestures and thoughts that lead up to unlawful gratification. All works of art that are contrary to modesty are here condemned, and the most pleasing poetry if it creates impure imaginations. These unclean things are the works of the flesh in the stage of putridity—the very maggots that swarm within a corrupt soul. Sensuality (lasciviousness) (766)(aselgeia from aselges = licentious <> a = negates next word + selges = continent) originally referred to any excess or lack of restraint but came to convey the idea of shameless excess and the absence of restraint, especially with sexual excess. Thus like koite, aselgeia was used almost exclusively of especially lewd sexual immorality, of uninhibited and unabashed lasciviousness. It refers to the kind of sexual debauchery and abandonment that characterizes much of modern society and that is often flaunted almost as a badge of distinction! Aselgeia refers to uninhibited sexual indulgence without shame and without concern for what others think or how they may be affected (or infected). Anderson on sensuality - “INDECENCY”—this is a general uncleanness of the whole personality, tainting every sphere of life; a love of sin so reckless that a man has ceased to care what God or man thinks of his actions. It has no respect for people or the rights of anyone else, complete indifference to public decency and opinion. (from 155 Page of Study Notes)
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Spurgeon - idolatry To bow in worship before an “altar” so-called, or a cross, or an image or picture of a saint, or before a real or supposed “holy” relic, or anything of the kind, is nothing but sheer idolatry. Yet multitudes are committing this great sin under the notion that they are doing God service. There is a form of idolatry that is not as gross as this, yet it is also sinful—the idolatry of loving ourselves, or our wife, or husband, or child, or father, or mother, or sister, or brother, more than we love the Lord. Sorcery By this is intended all real or pretended communion with evil spirits or with the dead. Necromancy, spiritualism, and everything of the kind are absolutely forbidden to all who desire to “inherit the kingdom of God.” Enmities The apostle mentions a habitual enmity, usually combined with a selfish esteem of one’s own person. Certain men cherish a dislike of everybody who is not of their clique, while they detest those who oppose them. They are contemptuous, ready to take offense at the weak, and care little whether they give offense or not. They delight to be in minorities of one. The more wrongheaded and pugnacious they can be, the more are they in their element. Strife If you give way to a contentious spirit, foster disagreements, are filled with hatred and envy, so that you cannot bear to know that others prosper more than you, and desire to drag them down to your level; if you give way to bursts of passion or indulge in backbiting, for that is strife—you are sowing to the flesh. I grieve to say that these evil things abound all around us. But, O men and women of God, keep clear of all these things! Jealousy Jealousy in all its forms is one of the works of the flesh. Is it not cruel as the grave? There is a jealousy that sickens if another is praised and pines away if another prospers. It is a venomous thing and stings like an adder. It is a serpent by the wayside, biting the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward. Outbursts of anger This is the fury of angry passion and all the madness that comes of it. “But I have a quick temper,” says one. Are you a Christian? If so, you are bound to master this evil force, or it will ruin you. If you were a saint of God to the very highest degree in all but in this one point, it would pull you down. Indeed, at any moment an angry spirit might make you say and do that which would cause you lifelong sorrow. Disputes The continual love of contention, the morbid sensitiveness, the overweening regard to one’s own dignity, which join together to produce strife, are all evil things. What is the proper respect that is due to poor creatures like us? I believe that if any one of us got our “proper respect,” we would not like it long. We would think that bare justice was rather scant in its appreciation. We desire to be flattered when we cry out for “proper respect.” Respect, indeed! If we had what we deserved, we would be in the lowest hell! Dissensions As far as our church life is concerned, this evil shows itself in an opposition to all sorts of authority or law. Any kind of official action in the church is to be railed at because it is official; rule of any sort is objected to because each desires to have the preeminence and will not be second. God save us from this evil leaven! Factions This is the kind of hate that makes every man set up to create his own religion, write his own Bible, and think out his own gospel. Someone has said: When we are out of fellowship with the Father, it will manifest itself in our relationship to our brothers and sisters within the body of Christ. This is so true because when the flesh gets in it produces selfishness and enmity and strife and all sorts of difficulties that are not present when the Lord’s children are dominated by the Spirit. Galatians 5:21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Phillips Paraphrase - envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like that. I solemnly assure you, as I did before, that those who indulge in such things will never inherit God's kingdom.
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Spurgeon - envying - Not so much the desire to enrich oneself at another’s expense, as a wolfish craving to impoverish him and pull him down for the mere sake of it. This is a very acrid form of undiluted hate and leaves but one stronger form of hate. To desire another’s dishonor merely from envy of his superiority is simply devilish and is a sort of murder of the man’s best life. Drunkenness It is not merely that you may drink to excess, but you may eat to excess, or clothe your body too sumptuously, or there may be some other spending of money upon your own gratification that is not according to sober living. Spurgeon on those who practice such things - All who commit any of the sins in this long black catalogue are sowing to the flesh, and not to the Spirit. When a man sows to the flesh, what will the harvest be? “The one who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption” (Gal 6:8)—putridity, rottenness, death! The sin that the sinner thought was sweet as honey turns bitter as gall to him. There are many men and women in this world who have lived in sin until it has become its own punishment, and if it is not so in this world, it will be so in the world to come. Luther says: This is a hard saying, but very necessary for those false Christians and hypocrites who speak much about the Gospel, about faith, and the Spirit, yet live after the flesh. But this hard sentence is directed chiefly at the heretics who are large with their own self-importance, that they may be frightened into taking up the fight of the Spirit against the flesh. Anders says: While a Christian may intermittently get pulled into these sins, those who live like this (habitually, continually) are not Christians and will therefore not inherit the kingdom of God. Barker & Kohlenberger say: Paul adds a solemn warning, saying that those who habitually practice such things will never inherit God’s kingdom. This does not mean that if Christians fall into an isolated lapse into sin through getting drunk or some such thing, they thereby lose their salvation. Rather, Paul is referring to a habitual continuation in sins of the sinful nature, and his point is that those who continually practice such sins give evidence of having never received God’s Spirit. When he says that he warned the Galatians of this previously (presumably when he was among them), he reveals that his preaching was never what one might call mere evangelism but that it always contained a strong dose of the standard of morality expected from Christians. Bartlett says: As well expect a fish to live on dry land as to imagine for a moment that a sinner could ever be happy in heaven. (Galatians 5:16-23 - Practical Application) Bickel & Jantz say: Worst Ad Campaign Ever There is an ad campaign for a well-known city in Nevada that says, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” That has to be the worst advertising slogan ever developed, because it blatantly tells people that satisfying their fleshly desires is perfectly okay—and even encouraged—as long as no one you know and respect (like your family) finds out about it. Wrong! Everything we do to satisfy the flesh has consequences, even if “nobody” sees. Lovett says: INHERIT. As we scan the works of the flesh, we realize we all do some of these things in varying degrees. One might then conclude, “Since I do some of these things am I excluded from heaven?” No. Which nature does them? The old. Indeed the corrupted nature cannot enter heaven. Our true (spiritual) circumcision in Christ removes the old nature from the soul so that it passes away with the flesh at physical death (Rom. 2:29; Col. 2:11). The “old man” cannot enter heaven. Only the new man does. The Christian, clothed with his new nature, inherits the kingdom. The unsaved man dies with his old nature still attached to enter eternity a child of Satan forever (John 8:24). Paul’s words could be translated, the old nature does not inherit the kingdom of God. Duncan comments on these sins in the life of saints -- "Now that doesn't mean that Christians don't practice these things at all. It doesn't mean that Christians cannot fall into any one of these sins. Christians do fall into these sins and others. In fact, we do that every day. (ED: BUT HOPEFULLY WE KEEP "SHORT ACCOUNTS" AND CONFESS AND REPENT LEST WE CONTINUALLY GRIEVE/QUENCH THE SPIRIT OUR ONLY HOPE OF VICTORY OVER THESE SINS!). That's the struggle that Paul is describing here. It's a battle that we are in. But such sins are not characteristic of the Christian life. They are not the bent of our life, and that's the force of this statement who practice such things, because Paul puts that in the present tense, which indicates habitual, continual conduct in fleshly sins, not periodic lapses in sin. This describes a person who has no real struggle against these sins. It's just the pattern of one's life. (ED: DUNCAN GIVES AN EXCELLENT CAVEAT) That doesn't mean that we can look at a person's life when we see this pattern and determine whether he or she is a child of God or not. We don't have that ability and I don't think Paul is setting this forth here in order for us to take it upon ourselves to examine everybody's life and see who is or who isn't a child of God. As I say, we cannot do that, but we can examine our own lives and we can look at ourselves in light of these two lists, these two groups of virtues and vices and see where we stand. In fact Paul tells the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to do that very thing. But if we're a child of God, we'll see a pattern in our life that fits the fruit of the Spirit, because the salvation that Christ obtained is not only a salvation from the penalty of sin, but from the power of sin. So a salvation, as Dr. Johnson once put it, that does not result in practical holiness is not His. That is, it's not Christ's salvation. Salvation He has obtained for His people has power. The power of sin's been broken. (Galatians 5:16-26 The Flesh And The Spirit) Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Phillips Paraphrase - The Spirit however, produces in human life fruits such as these: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, fidelity,
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Spurgeon on but - That “but” is placed here because the apostle has been mentioning certain works of the flesh, all of which he winnows away like chaff, and then sets forth in opposition to them “the fruit of the Spirit.” The apostle has just used no less than seventeen words to describe the works of the flesh. Human language is always rich in bad words because the human heart is full of the manifold evils that these words denote. Nine words are here used to express the fruit of the Spirit, but to express the works of the flesh—see how many are gathered together! Duncan says that "If one is missing, then we do not have the fruit of the Spirit." Spurgeon on fruit of the Spirit - The great artist has sketched fruit that never grows in the gardens of earth until they are planted by the Lord from heaven. Oh, that every one of us might have a vineyard in his bosom and yield abundance of the love that is “the fruit of the Spirit.” The text (Gal 5:22) speaks of “fruit,” and fruit comes only from a rooted abiding. It could not be conceived of in connection with a transient sojourning, like that of a traveler. The stakes and tent pins that are driven into the ground for a nomad’s tent bear no fruit, for they do not remain in one place. Inasmuch as I read of the “fruit of the Spirit,” I take comfort from the hint and conclude that He intends to abide in our souls as a tree abides in the soil when fruit is borne by it. Duncan on love - The first that is listed is love, and we would expect that, because God is love, 1 John 4:8. Love is the greatest of the virtues; Paul tells us that in 1 Corinthians 13. Love fulfills the whole Law, as he has just instructed us in the previous passage. And it is the distinguishing mark of the disciple. That's what Jesus said in John 13. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another." And so love naturally leads the list of the fruit of the Spirit. It is what the world is to see preeminently in our lives as we act in love toward one another, and not only in love toward one another, but in love toward the world around us. Most importantly though, love is directed toward God. It is the motivation for all that we do. It's private. It is characteristic of our personal relationship with Him, reflected in our life of study and prayer, and just the way we live. So first and foremost, fundamentally it is love for God and it grows within us as we understand what God in Christ has done for us. (Galatians 5:16-26 The Flesh And The Spirit) Spurgeon on love - Love is first in the list of the fruits of the Spirit because in some respects it is best. First, because it leads the way. First, because it becomes the motive principle and stimulant of every other grace and virtue. You cannot conceive of anything more forceful and more beneficial, and therefore it is the first. Love is a grace that has to do with eternity, for we will never stop loving Him who first loved us. But love has also to do with this present world, for it is at home in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, nursing the sick, and liberating the slave. Love delights in visiting the fatherless and the widows, and thus it earns the encomium: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me as a guest, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to me” (Matt 25:35–36). Love is a very practical virtue, and yet it is so rich and rare that God alone is its author. None but a heavenly power can produce it; the love of the world is sorry stuff.....Fruit does not start from the tree perfectly ripe at once. First comes a flower, then a tiny formation that shows that the flower has set. Then a berry appears, but it is very sour. You may not gather it. Leave it alone a little while, and allow the sun to ripen it. By and by it fills out, and you have the apple in the full proportions of beauty, and with a mellow flavor that delights the taste. Love springs up in the heart and increases by a sure growth. Love is not produced by casting the mind in the mold of imitation, or by fastening grace to a man’s actions as a thing outside of himself. There are people who have borrowed an affectionate mannerism and a sweet style, but they are not natural; they are not true love. What sweet words! What dainty phrases! You go among them, and at first you are surprised with their affection: You are a “dear sister” or a “dear brother,” and you hear a “dear minister,” and you go to the “dear church” and sing dear songs to those dear tunes. Their talk is so sweet that it is just a little sticky, and you feel like a fly caught in molasses. This is disgusting; it sickens one. Love is a fruit of the Spirit. It is not something assumed, but something growing out of the heart. True love, real love for God and others, comes out of a man because it is in him, wrought within by the operation of the Holy Ghost, whose fruit it is. The outcome of regenerated manhood is that a man lives no longer unto himself but for the good of others. “LOVE”—this is the love of Jesus Christ controlling us. This is the godlike kind of love—AGAPE love. The idea of whether love is deserved or not has passed out of sight. It flows to the deserving and undeserving alike. It is the love that is willing to sacrifice one’s best interest in order that it might flow freely to others. “JOY”—this is the distinguishing atmosphere of the Christian life. Joy is the result of a right relationship with the Father and is a product of the Holy Spirit. This is a keynote of the book of Philippians. Independent of circumstances this “JOY” is the manifestation of the Spirit in the life of the child of God. “JOY” is the evidence that THE KING IS IN RESIDENCE. Joy is the flag that flies from the castle when the king is in residence. One of the first things to depart as EVIDENCE OF OUR WALK WITH GOD when we are out of fellowship with Him is our “JOY.” Duncan on joy - It's been said that joy is the virtue in the Christian life corresponding to happiness in the secular world. There's a big difference between the two. Joy is reliable; happiness is not. Happiness is dependent on the circumstances. Joy is dependent on the Lord, who is above the circumstances and controls them for our good. In fact, that's the reason that we can have joy in the midst of affliction, because we know that God is sovereign. He rules over every aspect of life. He is King over this world and over our lives at every moment of our existence, so everything that comes into our life is, Paul tells us in Romans 8:28, is for our good. We may not understand it. It may puzzle us greatly, but we can rejoice in the midst of it, because by faith we know that the God who has allowed these things into our life, He's using them for our good. And again we have joy because of what Christ has done for us and what He has obtained for us. Whatever pains or losses we have in this world, they're only temporary. They won't last. Heaven is real and eternal and it will be our possession shortly. (Galatians 5:16-26 The Flesh And The Spirit) “PEACE”—this is serenity or tranquility. The perfect contentment of the life which is happy and secure. It describes the perfection of human relationships. Peace is right relationship in every sphere of life. This “PEACE” points in THREE DIRECTIONS. It is “PEACE”: 1. UPWARD—in the sense that I am right with God. 2. INWARD—in that I know there is nothing hidden within about which I am feeling guilty. 3. OUTWARD—in my relationship to other brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. De Haan says: These are not FRUITS but FRUIT. The “works” of the flesh are plural and Paul enumerates seventeen of them in detail. But the “fruit” of the Spirit is singular and consists of three groups of virtues: 1. Personal fruit—love, joy, peace. These have to do with our own subjective personal life. 2. Outreaching fruit to others—longsuffering, gentleness, goodness. This is our attitude in grace toward others. 3. Up-reaching fruit—toward God. They are faith, meekness, temperance. Nine parts of one fruit, all supplied by the Spirit. It covers our complete responsibility toward God, our fellow man, and others. (Studies in Galatians) Related Resources: What is the fruit of the Holy Spirit? What is love? What is joy? What is peace? What is patience? What is kindness? What is goodness? What is faithfulness? Going Home The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace . . . . —Galatians 5:22 In an article for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution titled “Hassled For The Holidays,” Bill Hendrick describes the tensions of the Christmas season. For millions of people, he writes, “going home for the holidays has become an arduous, stress-filled ordeal in which grown men and women unconsciously revert to childish roles, elderly parents bark orders like tyrants, and somebody else . . . makes all the decisions.” Even in the best of families, holiday reunions can be a stressful time when we experience anything but peace. But Galatians 5 says that as new persons in Christ, we have a choice about our thoughts and actions, no matter where we are. If we live according to our sinful nature, the result is “hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions” (v.20). But if the Holy Spirit controls us, we can show “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (vv.22-23). When we get together with our families, these Spirit-filled qualities can be seen as we “through love serve one another” (v.13). When the Holy Spirit fills us, He will energize our life; He will help us serve each other, Spreading peace instead of strife. —Sper To be a peacemaker, let the peace of Christ reign in your heart. "Joy Stealers" He who has begun a good work in you will complete it. —Philippians 1:6 Why do many Christians fail to experience real joy, which is listed as a fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22? In his book Laugh Again, Charles Swindoll suggests three common “joy stealers”—worry, stress, and fear. He defines worry as “an inordinate anxiety about something that may or may not occur.” (And it usually doesn’t.) Stress, says the author, is “intense strain over a situation we can’t change or control.” (But God can.) And fear, according to Swindoll, is a “dreadful uneasiness over danger, evil, or pain.” (And it magnifies our problems.) Swindoll says that to resist these “joy stealers” we must embrace the same confidence that Paul expressed in his letter to the Philippians. After giving thanks for the Philippian believers (1:3-5), the apostle assured them “that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (v.6). Whatever causes you worry, stress, and fear cannot ultimately keep God from continuing His work in you. With this confidence we can begin each day knowing that He is in control. We can leave everything in His hands. Although our joy will wane at times From worry, stress, and fear, God keeps on working in our heart And tells us He is near. —D. De Haan Happiness depends on happenings; joy depends on Jesus. Rejoice, No Matter What! Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! —Philippians 4:4 A Christian friend of mine, now in her eighties, has kept a joyful spirit throughout her life. During World War II, in spite of dangers and separations, she and her husband were still able to laugh together at home. She recalls a summer when their laughter was overheard by a cynical neighbor. “What on earth do you two find to laugh about?” she grumbled. Author Colleen Townsend Evans has an idea about why some can maintain joy, while others can’t. “This kind of tough joy can irritate those who might want it very much but, not knowing how it comes, choose to scoff instead.” Evans continues, “Joy is okay, the world seems to say, if we have some excuse for it. Like when your favorite team wins or you get a raise in pay. If we have no obvious reason for our joy, we’re likely to be judged.” The Bible doesn’t say joy is a fruit of circumstance; it clearly states that joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). To live a joy-filled life, we must “walk in the Spirit” (v.25). Then we can rejoice in spite of our circumstances. Paul was in prison when he said, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Because life's circumstances change, Our happiness may not remain; But if we're walking with the Lord, Our inner joy He will sustain. —Sper Joy comes from the Lord who lives within us, not from what's happening around us. Tried And True Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man? —Proverbs 20:6 We are often disappointed by the unfaithfulness of people. A family member promises to write, but months go by without a letter. A pastor says he will visit when we are sick, but he doesn’t make it to the hospital or to our home. A friend agrees to be there for us in our bereavement but doesn’t even call. Others tell us they will pray for us but quickly forget our need. Someone promises to do an important task for us but never follows through. We ask ourselves, “Who can find a faithful man?” (Proverbs 20:6). We can do very little about the unfaithfulness of others. But we can do a lot about ourfaithfulness to others. When we make a promise we must keep it. When we tell someone we will pray for them, we need to follow through and do it. When we proclaim our loyalty and love for others, we can do little things that show them we mean it. The apostle Paul said that one fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness (Galatians 5:22). God will create in us a steadfast spirit if we take seriously what we tell others we will do for them, and if we follow through. Lord, grant to me a faithfulness In what I say and do So others will be confident That I will follow through. —D. De Haan Faithfulness in little things is a great thing. Better Than Happiness The fruit of the Spirit is . . . joy. —Galatians 5:22 Mark was 21 and dependent on drugs. Finding happiness was his big goal in life, a goal that had eluded him. Once, while talking with our family, his frustration erupted: “Look, all I want in life is happiness. I want to feel happy. Is that asking too much?” Sadly, Mark was asking far too little of life. What he really was seeking but hadn’t realized was not happiness but joy. He couldn’t accept that real joy is a fruit of something, or Someone, much greater than happiness. He came very close to Jesus Christ—close enough to taste the life that results in the joy he so deeply craved. But eventually he walked away, only to remain unhappy. According to Bible scholar Ian Barclay, “Happiness is not a biblical word at all. It is derived from the root to happen. Clearly, what happens to us will affect our happiness.” Joy, on the other hand, is a fruit of God’s Spirit and is not affected by good or bad happenings. Joy is not dependent on our circumstances. It is dependent, as we ourselves need to be, on God Himself who dwells within us. Because life's circumstances change, Our happiness may not remain; But if we're walking with the Lord, Our inner joy He will sustain. —Sper Happiness depends on happenings; joy depends on Jesus. A To-Do List The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. —Galatians 5:22 What’s on your to-do list today? Cleaning out an overstuffed closet? Calculating a financial report at work? Paying your monthly bills? We all have things we need to get done today, whether we’ve written them down or not. They’re important for us to accomplish. While a to-do list is helpful, another type of list is even more valuable: a “to be” list. Albert Einstein said, “Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.” The apostle Paul encouraged the Galatian believers, and now tells us, to be concerned with our character. He said that if we’re controlled by the Holy Spirit, God will produce in us the characteristics of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (5:22-23). As you look at those character traits, which are you needing most in your life? More patience with a co-worker or a child? A little more gentleness and kindness toward a neighbor? As you draw near to God, He will enable you to be the person He wants you to be. The hidden person of the heart Must take priority Because our inner character Determines who we’ll be. —Sper It’s not what you do but who you are that’s most important. Fragrant Fruit Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example. —1 Peter 2:21 We were privileged to be the guests of some friends who live in the mountains. When we entered our room, we were pleased to find a lovely basket of fresh fruit on the table. The grapes, pears, apples, and strawberries looked refreshing and delicious. But it was not until we cut or bit into the fruit that we experienced the full aroma and flavor. Paul likened the characteristics of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives to fruit (Gal. 5:22-25). The delectable arrangement he described includes love, joy, peace, and kindness. Like the fruit in our guestroom, the full “flavor” is best released under cutting or trying circumstances. Love, for example, is most beautiful when encountered by hatred. Peace is most welcomed when it blossoms in the midst of conflict. Longsuffering and self-control are sweetest in the face of bitter persecution and temptation. One reason God allows us to experience trials is that through our godly response the true value of the fruit of the Spirit is released as a witness to the world. We shrink from the purging and pruning, Forgetting the Husbandman knows The deeper the cutting and paring The greater the fruitfulness grows. —Anon. The Spirit's keen paring knife enhances a Christian's fruit-bearing life. The Fruit Stealer Put on the whole armor that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. —Ephesians 6:11 Four young men crept silently through the late-evening shadows toward the unattended farm market. One picked up a ripe watermelon and slipped to the edge of the darkness. He handed it to the second young man, who relayed it to the third. The fourth put it into the trunk of their car. In a few minutes they had taken a dozen watermelons, and they sped off. Fruit-stealing happens more often than we realize, not only with real fruit but also with what the Bible calls spiritual fruit. The apostle Paul told believers to develop the fruit of the Spirit, which includes love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). But Satan doesn’t want that fruit to be on display in our lives. As soon as we begin to develop these spiritual virtues, the devil uses his wiles to “steal them away” from us by tempting us to sin. The next thing we know, Christlike character traits are replaced by un-Christlike ones. Our fruit is gone. To protect ourselves, we need to focus on the truths of the Bible, choose to do what is right, remember our purpose as God’s redeemed children, trust God, and pray always (Eph. 6:13-18). You can trust the Savior's power To protect from Satan's snare; But you must be ever watchful— Of the robber be aware! —Hess To bear the Spirit's fruit don't let sin take root. Galatians 5:23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Phillips Paraphrase - tolerance and self-control - and no law exists against any of them.