Lesson 76 December 4, 2002
Back to Galatians 5
Paul makes an understatement to emphatically drive
home his point!
against such things there is no
law.
When
we're walking by the Spirit therefore by faith as we've already noted, the righteous requirements of the law are
fulfilled (Rom. 8:4) and these characteristics are produced in the life.
Rem: Paul's purpose with this epistle is to ensure
that these believers are experiencing the freedom that Christ provided them and
they are not being enslaved either by external law observance or sin nature
rulership. Both destroy the relationship with Christ and the blessing in time
that they and us also should be enjoying in life.
Summary 5:22-23
1. Because
each of these 9 characteristics are mental attitudes a crucial issue in the
spiritual life of the believer is one's
mind and the resources for it.
2. Since
our thinking and attitudes precede our actions in life it is vitally important
what is the basis for our thinking.
3. God the
Holy Spirit works on our thinking, what is in our mentality as He illuminates
the truth of the Word so that our actions in life will be in the will of God.
4. Since
fruit is singular all of these characteristics are present in the believer who
is walking by the Spirit, but every believer does not possess the same capacity
for their expression.
5.
Expression is related to one's spiritual advance or maturation.
6. Christ
during His life exhibited all these
characteristics to the maximum and He was able to do that since His thinking
was always in total alignment with God the Father.
7. It is
the Holy Spirit who makes the truth real to us and enables us to exhibit these
characteristics.
8. Our
responsibility as believers is to walk by the Spirit therefore in fellowship.
5:24
Provision made for victory
It’s
a don't forget what the subject is, that is what our awesome provision is so
that we are able to walk by the Spirit in the freedom for which He set us free
so that no longer are we enslaved either from external laws or internally by
the rule of the sin nature.
Now those
who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the flesh
- There
are really two aspects being emphasized here by the active voice.
1st aspect; that we chose at a point of time to believe
the gospel message of salvation.
2nd aspect; after
salvation the emphasis is on the decisions made to continue to walk by the
Spirit, and therefore to maintain experientially the crucifixion of the flesh,
its isolation from rulership in our life.
-
Positional victory comes at the
point of faith in Christ, when we were saved.
-
Experiential victory comes as we
moment by moment choose to walk by the Spirit and not to walk by the
flesh, that is to live the Christian
life.
the flesh with its passions and
desires.
Summary
5:24
1. At the
point of salvation, when we responded to the convicting ministry of the Holy
Spirit and believed the gospel, the Holy Spirit identified each of us with
Christ's work on the cross. Rom. 6:3-4
2. Being
justified by our faith in Christ the barrier of the penalty of sin is
removed. Rom 5:1; 3:24
3. At this
point we were also retroactively identified with Christ so that
we were freed from the power of the sin nature. Rom. 6:7; 8:2-3
4. That the
flesh is "crucified" does not at all indicate that its eradicated or
that its dead and no longer is able to entice or tempt you.
5. What it
does mean is that since the flesh is crucified, that the sin nature no longer
has to rule our life.
6. So when we believed in Christ the positional
aspect was accomplished totally by
God, part of the divine provision, and
now day by day we must make the choices necessary to utilize those resources
and walk by the Spirit.
5:25
Positive Exhortation: Power for
Life
First the premise: If we live by the Spirit,
Then
follows with the conclusion based on the premise. let
us also walk by the Spirit.
The emphasis of stoice,w is to walk
in a straight line, to walk in step with others; was used of soldiers marching
in order/in step; the implication is that it calls for conduct consistent with,
in harmony with a standard; i.e. WOG, DVPT.
What's Paul's emphasis?
That our spiritual life is related
to the Spirit from the very beginning, we need to walk in step with the Spirit
in harmony with Him if we're to experience the dynamic of living the Christian
life day by day and have impact for Christ!
Summary
5:25
1. We began
our Christian life by means of the Spirit,
since the Holy Spirit is the one
who regenerated us.
2. Paul's
exhortation is to get in line, to get in step
with the Spirit therefore that He is enabling and leading them in life.
3. This is
the only way that we will be able to walk by the Spirit and manifest the
fruit of the Spirit we've just seen in
vs:22-23.
4. It is
the Holy Spirit who illuminates the Word that forms the inner dynamic for this
fruitful walk.
5. Paul's
exhortation is for the believer then to walk by the Spirit living a life that
is consistent with their new position/identity as sons of God in Christ.
6. With
this exhortation Paul is recognizing that we can as believers choose to walk in
harmony with the Word and the therefore the Spirit.