Galatians 5:16-25
One day in college, I was feeling rather creative and hungry. With what seemed like a good idea at the time, I mixed scrambled eggs as though I was making French toast. Eggs with vanilla, cinnamon and brown sugar. It didn’t turn out well. When cooking breakfast, it really is best to pick one or the other – at least while cooking. Once cooked, fine, but not in the preparation process. Neither does mixing sinful habits and efforts to be good Christians.
Paul’s major warning to his readers perfectly sums up the folly in trying to live up to the Law. As stated before, it can’t do anything for us and ultimately leads us back to the path of sin. You see, we all want to go there. Whoever we are, our flesh, our base desires are always there, calling us to them. Thus, even as followers of Jesus (justified, but not perfected yet) we must resist the urges of our desires by keeping in step with the Spirit.
The Spirit and the Law Don’t Mix (v16-18)
These first few verses are a stern warning. Right off the bat, we see that it’s more like we (even after being saved) are hardwired to return to those fleshly desires. Consider the scene in 3 Amigos where Steve Martin is in the dungeon and trying to reach the control to set himself free of the retracting chain. It was so hard to get to the control, but so easy to fly back to the starting line. The desires of the flesh are almost automatic responses that we have to actively fight against or by nature (without thinking) we will return to them. Like a dog returning to its vomit, a moth to the flame, or me to a Milky Way candy bar. The Spirit and the Flesh are opposing forces and since we are hard-wired to the flesh, our only hope is active participation with the Spirit in controlling those desires.
One of the commonly used phrases in trying to avoid sin is to learn and understand the Law of Diminishing Returns (profits or benefits gained from something will represent a proportionally smaller gain as more money or energy is invested in it–Google). This is how sin drags us deeper and deeper. In the beginning, one bite is enough; one taste will satisfy. The next time, however, it takes a bit more. One hit isn’t enough, a tantalizing scene becomes tame, and without knowing you are drawn in—addicted. It can happen to anyone – it’s natural! And that’s the whole point here. Paul is saying we so desperately need the Spirit to lead us because our natural inkling is to run towards the flesh’s desires! Whether you’ve been a believer for long or not, not matter your age, sin crouches at your door (Gen. 4:7). If we are not diligent, sin can take mastery over us just like it did to Cain.
Sin is Easy to Recognize (v19-21)
And our sin will ultimately be as obvious as was Cain’s. Nobody jumps to murder right away (including Cain). You can’t make a cake without ingredients. First you need the time, then the ingredients, then the appliances, then you can finally mix. All sin starts out small. Jealousy, competitiveness, desire to achieve; these are all only building blocks, when put together in the right situation turn out to become a grandiose sin such as murder, adultery, theft, etc. Adultery doesn’t look like adultery at the beginning. Early on it looks like a strained marriage, a friendly encounter, and even a harmless email. Yet when those get a chance to simmer in secret, adultery comes quickly. And it will be found out. Imagine a garden–the fruit doesn’t pop out of the ground looking like a fully formed pumpkin or cluster of grapes. It starts as a stalk with a leaf. Fruit doesn’t look like it’s supposed to until it’s ready either–who really wants a green tomato? What is growing will eventually be obvious and the only way to stop it from growing is to rip it out from the ground.
Spiritual Fruit is Freedom (v22-25)
President Marshall in the movie Air Force One said, “peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice.” I’ve always thought there was real wisdom in there, even if that was just a movie quote. If you rip a sin out of your life, all you’ll do is create a vacuum and the next most powerful desire will fill it unless you fill that hole with the Spirit’s presence. When the Spirit is present, the seeds of sin are choked out and righteousness and holiness can take root. Good begins to be birthed into our lives. It’s not immediate, as those take time to grow in us as well, but they are powerful and life-changing fruits which provide us with the greatest gift – true freedom. There is no condemnation, no law, no expectation in the Spirit. Just joy, peace, and the fullness of the presence of God in our lives.
Next Steps
Living by the Spirit, our actions become good and peace reigns in us. But it’s not a one and done deal, it is an active following where we are warned that even then, conceit and other evil seeds can still take root. We must be vigilant to keep following the Spirit, giving Him control every day.
- Seek God day by day, focusing in prayer on that day’s adventure.
- Find temptations and root them out with accountability.
- Do good things in this world for other people. Fix a car, help with groceries, etc.
Take out the bad and replace with good. Plant the Spirit in your life by seeking God’s presence in your life and doing good things for this world, whom He loves. That will make a much better omelet!
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