Live By the Spirit, Not Under the Law

Transcript

GR 2106
12/03/2017
Live By the Spirit, Not Under the Law
Galatians 5:16-18
Gil Rugh

We’re in the Book of Galatians, and we’ve come to chapter 5 and we’ve been working our way through this fifth chapter of Galatians. Paul has been emphasizing and making clear through this letter that first of all a person cannot be justified in the sight of God by keeping the Law. Back in chapter 2 verse 16, he said knowing that a man is not justified by the Law, works of the Law but through faith in Christ, even we and in the context in verse 15 the “we” refers to we Jews who had the Law, the Law given being given to the Jews. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified by God in His sight. No one, so even though the Jews had the Law given to them, it never was a means of salvation and as he has unfolded, salvation has always been by faith in God and His promises. If there’s no salvation by trying to keep the works of the Mosaic Law like the Ten Commandments and all the other commandments, it is abundantly true there is no salvation by works of any kind or from any source.

That’s Ephesians 2:8-9, “for by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one can boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” Good works are a result of the salvation we have in Christ but they are not a cause, nor are works a means of our sanctification and we’ve noted that error that keeps getting promoted. We’re not saved by keeping the Law but we now become holy, and sanctification is associated with keeping the Law. The Law served its purpose. With the coming of Christ, that purpose was fulfilled. It was never for salvation, so we looked beginning in verse 13 about the freedom we have and I just want to review the points with you in verses 13 to 15 that we looked over as we studied that.

We “were called to freedom” so the first point is God has called believers to freedom. “You were called to freedom brethren,” and we noted there that word, “called.” Paul is operating under the assumption he is dealing with believers, even though some of the conduct and things they are doing has raised serious questions in his mind. At least about some of them, but he refers to them as “those called by God” and we noted that word, Paul always refers to a call that is effective in bringing people to salvation. He calls them brethren, fellow believers in Christ. Our call to salvation in Christ was a call to freedom so that’s foundational.

A second thing we noted in this context, still in verse 13, our freedom must not become a pretext for sin. In verse 13, “do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh.” We’ll talk more about the flesh but we’re free, and since we’re not under the Mosaic Law, it means we can do whatever we please? No, and we noted we have been set free from the power and control of sin and Satan to become slaves of God and His righteousness. Our freedom does not mean we have an excuse for sin so you’re prepared for any who would say oh, you don’t believe we have to keep the Mosaic Law, then you are antinomian. You believe you can live any kind of lifestyle you want. No, we don’t! The Scripture doesn’t teach that but it clearly teaches we are not under the Law.

Thirdly, still at the end of verse 13 “through love we are to serve one another.” We’re to serve, basic word for slavery. We become enslaved to one another. That’s a positive thing because remember true freedom is the ability to function in the relationship that God created us for. A relationship with Him, in harmony with Him, and in fellowship with him as Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden before their sin. It was in perfect harmony and fellowship with Him and since we are fellow members of God’s family then we have that bond as well as John wrote in his first epistle. We want fellowship with you, and truly our fellowship is with the Father. When He brought us into relationship with Himself, He also established for us a family relationship with other believers and so in love we are to serve one another. Through love, serve one another.

Fourthly, the demands of the Law are fulfilled in love and you take this verse and the context of what Paul has been writing and say, “therefore that we go back under the Law so that we can fulfill what is required in love.” No, but the intention for Israel, as God’s people, justified by faith in Him as Abraham was, remember, as Paul reminded the Galatians in chapter 3, “Abraham believed God. God credited it to him as righteousness.” Now as members of the nation that God had chosen for Himself, His people, they were to be in a relationship of love with one another, so basically, what the Law was doing was establishing a pattern for Israel. In the New Testament with the law of Christ, which is not the Mosaic Law, we desire to obey Him and honor Him and in so doing we fulfill and manifest love.

We are acting out of what is good and beneficial for the other person and a very important point. We left on this note in verse 15, if you bite and devour one another, “take care that you are not consumed by one another.” The failure to be persistent in our love for one another can destroy a church from within. This is the danger in the Galatian churches. He’s writing to people he led to Christ and they’re established in local churches in the region of Galatia and he has to say, be careful, if you bite and devour one another, you end up consuming one another.

It’s like animals attacking one another and they end up tearing each other apart. How many churches are destroyed by internal conflict, turning on each other? It’s not a characteristic of love. If your physical family does that, you tear the family apart. We see that clearly. It’s true in God’s family and it should not ever happen and that’s where he’s going, and people under the control of the Spirit of God don’t turn on one another and tear one another apart. This is what his concern for the Galatians--the infiltration into the churches at Galatia has been by people never truly regenerated, so they stir divisions and conflict and bring confusion to believers that results in them turning against one another, and then things come apart.

Having established that Paul now tells you what God’s plan is not. It’s not to go under the Mosaic Law. Chapter 5 verse one opened up, “it was for freedom that Christ set us free, keep standing firm, and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” For Jews, going back under the Law now that they’ve come to trust Christ is not an answer. For Gentiles going under the Law that the Jews could never keep is not an answer so he’s going to say what is the plan of God for our godliness and a godly life? The provision that He has made is in the Person of the Holy Spirit who now indwells the believer, enables and empowers him to live a life that is consistent with the character of God Himself because the Holy Spirit is Himself God, so we have God dwelling in us for the purpose of enabling and empowering us.

The coming of Christ, which we are celebrating in a special way as we celebrate His birth and His finished work on the cross has brought about a significant change in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has always been present in the world and we talked about this. You begin in the opening verses of Genesis chapter 1 and you find the Spirit of God hovering over the new creation, He’s present there; He’s involved there. The Holy Spirit has never been absent from the world but with the finished work of Christ He has come with a new and effective ministry.

Come back to John chapter 16. I know you’re familiar with these passages but we’ll start in chapter 14 and we’ll just walk through these passages as we usually do when we review them. John chapter 14 and you note the context, verse 15 of John 14; this is the last night that Christ is spending with His disciples, they’ve had their meal. He will be betrayed shortly. Verse 15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” That doesn’t mean we’re talking about the Mosaic Law but about what He commands. In love, we desire to obey Him, to please Him, to honor Him and so we manifest our love for Him by our obedience to Him. That’s not going back under the Mosaic Law because that’s not His intention. That’s why Paul has been emphasizing, when you decide to do something and yet it’s not what God wants, you’re not doing it out of love for Him. Love involves obedience and we see clearly, as we’ve gone through Galatians, His intention for us is not to go under the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law had a purpose for a time. That’s been made clear, so you’re not demonstrating your love for God, oh we’re going to show we love God; we’re going to keep the Mosaic Law. Well, you’re in rebellion against God, that’s not love, so “if you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

He follows that up; “I will ask the Father, He will give you another Helper,” the Paraclete, the Helper, another One like Christ. Christ will be leaving this earth but the Holy Spirit will be coming in a new and particular ministry for them, so you see the connection. The love which is a fruit, involved with the fruit of the Spirit as we’ll see in a future study in Galatians 5, and the ability to keep the commandments of Christ, and God’s purpose and will for us now as His people, and as the bride of Christ, the Church, so it’s connected. Here’s the Helper, the enabler that He may be with you forever, that is the Spirit of truth, and so the connection of verse 15 with verse 16, even though in my bible they have broken it and give a title, the role of the Spirit doesn’t separate them.

When we look at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit is….and we start with love, so if you love Me, you will keep My commandments. “I’ll ask the Father, He’ll give you another Helper who will be with you to enable you.” He’s the Paraclete; He’ll be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. He always functions in the context of truth. He never leads us contrary to His truth.

Now you can see how this fits with what we just talked about in Galatians. If you turn on one another, you bite and devour, something’s wrong! The Spirit of God is not in battle with the Son of God. There is something wrong. Truth is not in battle against itself. He is the Spirit of truth so we are functioning as God would have us when we function consistently in obedience to His truth, that’s a measure of our love and what He would have. The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him and here’s the key to the change. He abides with you but He will be in you and from what Jesus’ instruction is, again you’re familiar with these passages, this is a positive move.

We think, wouldn’t it have been wonderful to live back when Jesus walked the earth and there would have been something amazing in that, but you know what He says? It’s better that He is going to Heaven and sends the Holy Spirit, so we have a special privilege, and blessing from God that is an advance, if you will, as God moves His program along. He abides with you, but will be in you. There is an intimacy involved that could not be experienced in the way that it is now. Christ says, “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you,” so really with the coming of the Person of the Holy Spirit, God Himself comes. I don’t think we want to confuse the Holy Spirit with Christ here, so when He says He will come, then He’ll say the Father will come. The Triune God abides in us but the Holy Spirit is the Person of the Triune God whose ministry is emphasized in His indwelling, so what Christ is saying, “I won’t leave you as orphans,” He’s not abandoning us. We are moving forward in the plan of God for His people. Now the Spirit of God who had been present with them is going to dwell within them, and even though Christ won’t be bodily on the earth, He’ll be dwelling in them, and in us.

“After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, you in Me, and I in you,” and we look forward to the full realization of all that is promised here. “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Verse 23, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; My Father will love him,” note this, “we will come to him and make Our abode with him.

“He who does not love Me does not keep my words,” and My words are really the Father’s words so you see the closeness of the Triune God…..three Persons, one God. What a great blessing! The Spirit of God dwells in us, and forever, He said, and He is the power that enables us to carry out the will of God. We’ll talk more about that. Verse 26, “when the Holy Spirit comes He will teach all things” and primarily the first line here is the disciples that would be given the word of God through the ministry of the Spirit but 1 John tells us in chapter 2, you really “don’t need anyone to teach you because you have the Holy Spirit who teaches you.” That’s not saying God hasn’t gifted certain men to be teachers of the word, but the ultimate teaching goes on through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the human teacher is just a vehicle conveying it. That’s why, for example for myself, I had better do it accurately. The Spirit cannot convey error, so if I teach contrary to the word of God, it’s no longer the Spirit working through me. The foundation would be the word that is given so verse 27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. “Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.” Good advice in a world that is often in turmoil. Be at peace and that comes from the ministry of the Spirit.

Okay, come over to chapter 15 verse 26, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father that is the Spirit of truth.” You note that constant emphasis on the truth. That’s why we apply ourselves diligently to the word of God, which was given by the Spirit of truth, and the clarity of understanding of this truth comes from His ministry. We can discern because those who would teach contrary to the truth are not from God. It’s just that simple. That doesn’t mean every believer agrees on every verse. It’s God plan that we dig into the word, that we study it carefully and so on.

Come over to chapter 16 verse 7. “I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away,” and this is what I was referring to, “if I do not go away the Helper will not come to you, if I go, I will send Him to you.” You see what Jesus said, “it is better for you that the Spirit of God come and dwell within you than it is that even I, would remain here, walking this earth with you.” The salvation that God will accomplish through the finished work of Christ would provide for this further and more intimate ministry of the Spirit and when the Spirit comes, He’ll convict the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment. Verse 13, “when He the Spirit of truth comes, He’ll guide you into all the truth,” and that has to do with the fact Jesus hasn’t taught them everything that God wants them to know. That would be what our New Testament is that would be written under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to bring to completion what God intended for us to know.

Okay, I think we can come back to Galatians. We have that as a background. We’re ready to look into what he is going to say. With the coming of the Spirit, He came in Acts 2 in this special way. Remember Acts 1, that “you’ll receive power not many days from now, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you’ll be My witnesses,” so that was still yet future in Acts 1. Christ ascends to heaven in Acts 1 and He said, “not many days following the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit comes and from that point on, those who place their faith in Christ, will be indwelt by the Spirit.”

We move through Acts, which is a transition book, and becomes clear that it’s God intention that those who trust Christ will receive the Spirit. We know now that is what we experience. That’s why Paul, in Galatians chapter 3 as we’ve looked at verse two, is “the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” They ought to recognize the Spirit of God came and took up residence in them when they believed the message of the gospel Paul had preached. Why would you now abandon that and turn from the Spirit and want to go under the Law?

The Spirit is there to be the enabling power in the context of the word of God, which is the truth that He has given. Holy men of old spoke, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, which talks about our Old Testament and is the way the New Testament then was given as well. This is the truth and the Spirit’s enablement for us now to live out this truth. This is where we are in Galatians 5. First Corinthians 12:13, “by one Spirit we have all been baptized into one body” so that work of the Spirit bringing about that cleansing and forgiveness and new birth, which involves Him now coming, taking up residence in us. The emphasis in verse 16 of Galatians 5, where we’re going to pick up through the end of the chapter, seven times the Holy Spirit is mentioned by name. He’s talked about the Law, how the Law fits, what its purpose was what its purpose is not and we’re not to allow ourselves to be put under the Law and all of that but what is the plan of God? The plan of God is the Holy Spirit so that’s where he’s picking up in verse 16.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” Walk by the Spirit and it’s what we call an imperative, a command in its form, and it is in the present tense. Some commentators would suggest the translation, keep walking in the Spirit or you must keep walking to give the force of the command, “in the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” What he is talking about when he says you must walk by the Spirit, by His control, in His power, in His enablement, this is what he’ll talk about in verse 18, if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law, to walk by the Spirit is to be led by the Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18, the command is given, “be filled with the Spirit” and then the manifestation of His filling us, controlling us is the idea again. This is God’s plan, His Spirit has come and taken up residence in us not to be the observer of what we do but to be the one who controls us, who empowers and enables us to do what is pleasing to God.

Now this command alerts us to something. This is not just as we sometimes talk about “let go and let God,” sometimes referred to as Keswick theology, Keswick has a (w) in it but it’s a silent (w), from that deeper life theology that was associated with that. We just let go and sort of you just fall back and let the Spirit carry you along but that’s not what this verse indicates. He gives the verse here, the Spirit of God directing Paul to write gives a command, and a command is something we must do. Now obviously the Spirit is not giving a command to Himself, so through Paul, I say you must keep walking by the Spirit, so the Spirit is the One who is the enabler and the, empower(er) if I can say it that way. We have full responsibility to exercise our will, to submit to Him, in His will and purpose for us.

You’re in Galatians, go to Philippians chapter 2. Paul says in verse 12, “so then my beloved,” again he’s writing to fellow believers that he loves in the church at Philippi, which is in Greece obviously. “Just as you have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence.” So characteristic of them as believers was obedience to God and the truth that God, the Holy Spirit, was revealing through Paul. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you,” so you see the two go together. You must work out your salvation, with fear and trembling, a reverence for God and a holy fear of not pleasing Him “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure,” so you know it is supernatural but it’s not terribly complicated.

I have to discipline myself, have to apply my own attitude, mindset and energy to submit myself to the indwelling Spirit who is working in me, and that’s why we are instructed in Ephesians not to grieve the Holy Spirit, because there is conflict and this is where Paul is going in Galatians. Sometimes there are certain things that appeal to the flesh, and we are to “walk by the Spirit and we won’t carry out the desire of the flesh” that will be his next statement. What we want to note here is that what—we have responsibility. We are given a command to keep on walking by the Spirit so when I fail, when I sin, when I…..just to look at the next verse, since we’re in Philippians 2, we are to “do all things without grumbling or disputing.”

That means the Spirit will not move me to be a grumbler and a disputer so I don’t like to look at it this way because when I’m into that mode, I am justifying myself, but the fact is the Spirit of God says do all things without grumbling or disputing. When I grumble, what am I doing? I am saying, “No” to the Spirit accomplishing His work in my life. It’s practical application and that’s why I say, it’s not complicated and, since grumbling is something I never do, I’ll use it as an example. We like to self-justify, don’t we? Well, l I have reason to grumble, I mean, if they hadn’t done that I wouldn’t be grumbling, if this hadn’t happened I wouldn’t grumble so we just limit ourselves to that. Now wait a minute! There’s never a breakdown on the Spirit’s part. He didn’t lead me into grumbling, so it simplifies my life, it’s not complicated. I’m not saying it’s easy but it’s not complicated. I mean it’s very simple, I do what God tells me to do I don’t do what He tells me not to do. Well, it’s not that easy. Didn’t say it’s easy. God never intended me to be able to do that on my own. He has provided the indwelling Spirit for me, so I learn to walk by His control, just a process that goes on.

Come back to Galatians chapter 5, “I say walk by the Spirit,” that’s the positive side of it, the negative side; “you will not carry out the desire of the flesh,” so that’s the solution and the negative here. There was a command given, you must keep walking by the Spirit and when he says you will not carry out the desire of the flesh, he uses a negative here, he puts two, no’s together. In Greek ou, me, ou is no and me is no, so when you have ou me together, it’s like you will not ever carry out the desire of the flesh. You will not under any circumstances, carry out the desire of the flesh, because walking by the Spirit means the Spirit doesn’t sin, so when He’s controlling my life, I’m walking in accord with the character of God and His truth. It’s like when I tell a lie, I’m not under the control of the Spirit because God is the God who cannot lie.

So I say, we would try to, you know, we would talk about blow a lot of smoke, and bring all these things in. Quite frankly, right here it is between the Lord and me. It had nothing to do with what you do to me, or something that happens to me, this is between the Lord and me. Yeah Lord, but that happened and You know—what He knows is, I should be obeying him, the Spirit never functions contrary. That’s why we get into all this counseling and psychologizing and why people do the wrong thing and we know why unregenerate people do the wrong thing. They’re sinners, they’re under the power and control of their sin and of the master of sin, the devil, but what about us as believers?

Well, the Holy Spirit never sins, never leads me into sin so if I am walking by the Spirit consistently, I will not ever carry out the desire of the flesh. Now if I do carry out the desire of the flesh, we’ll talk about the flesh, but it is what would lead me into sin, then I’m not walking by the Spirit, so we don’t have to have an anger management class. The solution to anger, walk by the Spirit, you won’t fulfill the desire of the flesh. Well you know I was raised with a father who lost his temper so I lose my temper. I know your father, even if I never met him because you are of your father the devil if you’re always doing his will, so of course he’s always in rebellion so I don’t doubt the unbeliever has an anger management problem. You’ll never be able to control it. Oh, you can adjust and quit this kind of sin but you can never please God, that’s where were going. I’m over emphasizing this because Christians have gotten confused in their life with all kinds of psychologizing. The Scripture just cuts through it, “walk by the Spirit you will never” (in any circumstance) “fulfill the desire of the flesh.”

The flesh, talk about the flesh, the flesh is what we are, apart from the work of God in our life. The flesh is not just talking—sometimes the flesh and we’ve talked about this before, is where they’ll talk about the soft parts of our body here over the bony structure and everything else but it’s talking about something more innate that often manifests itself through our physical bodies. Another way of talking about the flesh is the “old man.” Another way of talking about the flesh is our “old nature.” I want to be careful, some commentators get confused here and you’ll read them writing one thing in one place and another thing in another. Sometimes it seems like they’re implying that it is this physical body that is the source of sin and until the body is glorified--that’s the problem, but Jesus said sin doesn’t come out of the physical body. The physical body becomes an instrument that manifests the sin of the heart “for it’s out of the heart that all kinds of sin comes,” Jesus said in for example, Mark chapter 7, so I want to be careful flesh here is not talking about the physical body.

I’ve heard expressions like “were not schizophrenic.” There is the potential for the flesh to manifest itself but we’ll not carry out what the flesh would do, if it were in control. Now you realize why, we follow this, out of verse 15 and the command to “love your neighbor” in verse 14, because here’s what’s going on in the church at Galatia. They have to sort this out, some of this is coming from unbelievers and we all face this. We don’t want to take people, unbelievers, people who tell lies, raise a question whether they’re children of God, people who do all kinds of sin consistently, not saying that any of us are perfect and never sin. When you see a consistent pattern of that sin and life controlled by sin, you have to stop and say am I dealing with a believer? This is what Paul had to say about the Galatians. “While I have an inner confidence that you’re truly saved, I have a fear that at least some of you are not and really, I brought the gospel to you in vain because you didn’t really believe it” and those kinds of things. Verse four of chapter 5, “you cut yourself off from Christ,” you have no relationship with Him. It was a superficial, artificial, fake relationship so you come down here.

This is not all this excuse for sin and sometimes do it in a lighter manner that people come to me for counseling. It can be brief but that’s true for all of us as believers, right? I’ve shared with you many years ago a person you wouldn’t know came to me and was in sin. I just said, here’s what the word of God says, you say you’re a believer and you say you can’t stop. I say one thing’s sure. You’re a liar. Now we have to discern whether you’re an unbeliever who lies or a believer who’s lying. What’s the issue? You’re either not a believer or you’re right, you can’t stop sin or a believer and you can stop but you don’t want to. I mean, let’s not make it complicated. If I was charging by the hour, I stretch it out and over the next six months, I think I’ll be able to help you at seventy-five dollars an hour, one session a week and we’ll work this out.

There’s not much to work out so when we’re done, he says, “well do you want to make an appointment for me to come back?” I said, “you don’t have any reason to come back, you’re either going to do what you’re supposed to do as a believer or by the grace of God I hope you’ll recognize you’re not a believer and trust Him and then you’ll do.” Three weeks later, he calls me and tells me, “you know what, you were right.” Of course, because God’s always right. As long as I tell people what God says, “so walk by the Spirit you’ll not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, the Spirit against the flesh,” and these two are in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things that you please. Again, the flesh refers to what we were before God’s regenerating grace came.

Come back to Romans 6 and Romans, as we’ve mentioned, is an expanded version in many ways of Galatians. Come back to chapter 3 of Romans verse 19. Verse 19 says “we know whatever the Law says; it speaks to those who are under the Law.” That was the Jews and what He’s been doing is showing that not only the Gentiles are sinners but the Jews also. That’s gone back and forth in the first three chapters here because verse 20,”by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight.” All the law could do was reveal your sinfulness, turn the light on and show how disobedient you were to God. When He gave 613 commandments to the Jews, it became clear how many times they broke it and the fact they had to constantly keep-bringing sacrifices, constantly reminded them of their constant breaking of the law, but it never could save them. That’s the point.

Come over to chapter 5 and he’s used Abraham as an example in chapter 4, an expanded version of what we had briefly in chapter 3 of Galatians and then chapter 5 opened up, we’ve “been justified by faith and now we have peace with God.” You come to the end of this great chapter, one of the most significant chapters in all the bible with the work of Adam, and then the work of Christ, by one-man sin entered, by one-man righteousness came, one act of righteousness, one act of sin. You come to the end of the chapter verse 20; “the Law came in so that the transgression would increase.” That doesn’t mean the Law caused them to sin but the Law revealed how great their sin was. You know it’s like self-righteous people today, well, I’m not perfect but really, I’m not that bad. What the Law did was reveal to Israel, how many their sins were.

Then you come to verse 21 so that as sin reigned in death, so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life. It’s that contrast with the Law and with righteousness. You come to chapter 6, “are we to continue in sin that grace may increase?” That’s what we talked about; grace is not a pretext for sin so you come down to verse six of chapter 6. “Knowing this, that our old self” and you note in the margin, the word is Anthropos, which is the word for man, our old man “was crucified with Him so that our body of sin might be done away with.” That verb, done away with katargeo. It doesn’t mean annihilated. It means its authority, its power is broken but the old man doesn’t cease to exist at this point but his authority in my life is broken in order that our body of sin, our body controlled and dominated by sin, might be done away with so we would no longer be slaves to sin.

“For he who has died is freed from sin,” so that power was broken and so I say I never have to sin. I never forgot that, John Cawood who is now with the Lord preached here years ago. Some of you may have been here then. I remember when he said, it was when I was in Bible College, he said, “you never have to sin.” I never forgot that, I never have to sin. Anytime I sin, it’s because I exercise my will to rebel against the Spirit and allow the old man to reassert his influence again. The unbeliever doesn’t have that choice, that’s why trying to reform society is going nowhere in the ultimate view of things. The unbeliever can adjust in the realm of sin but in his heart, he has a heart desperately wicked and the only one who knows the depths of wickedness is the human heart of Jeremiah 17, as it says.

“We have died with Christ, we believe we live with Him” so the analogy here. We are verse 11; “even so consider yourselves dead to sin, alive to God in Christ.” That’s how my mindset, this consideration given, this careful thought in light of God’s truth. I’m dead to sin I don’t have to respond to that anymore. There’s still desires that can come, times when it would like to reassert its influence and even its authority in my life, but I can shut it down. Not because I’m so great but the Spirit of God now indwells me, made me new, and broke the authority of sin in my life so verse 12, “do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts.” This physical body becomes the vehicle for our sin and the expression of our sin, but the source of it is in the old man. The heart, he wasn’t talking about the physical organ that pumps blood but “out of the heart proceeds, all kind of sin” Jesus said. That’s why He says you have to be careful. It’s not something that you put in your mouth that defiles your body, it’s from what comes out of the inside that is defiling because sin comes from the very center of our being, a heart that is deceitful and desperately wicked. “Do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin. Present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, the members of your body as instruments of righteousness.” See Scripture is nice, simple, and clear!

With all the psychologizing that even swept into Evangelical Christianity today, we act like we’re dealing with sin. This is a long process, counseling, finding out what the sin is, how did your parents treat you, what kind of context were you raised in and I have you know, joked, you have to be careful about the joke today. If someone comes into my office and says, I can’t stop doing this and I pull out a gun and shoot them, they stop. They quit doing what they couldn’t do before. You know why, their dead, so that’s why God says you have to look at yourself. You died with Christ. I don’t have to do that, I don’t have to lose my temper, I don’t have to lie, I don’t have to be immoral, I don’t have to….whatever the sin. We’re going to get a list of them with the works of the flesh as we get further in chapter 5.

This is liberating. You can see why Paul says that we have freedom in Christ. Now what He commands me and requires of me is what I want to do, as His child, I want to please Him. I want to honor Him and what He tells me to do is for my good. It enables me to function in greater harmony with Him. That’s what I was created for and then you had the question, verse 15, “shall we sin because we’re not under the Law but under grace? May it never be!” Similar as the chapter opened up. This is not antinomianism. This is functioning in the context of God’s grace under the control of His Spirit and that brings you in accord with His word.

Well then, the Mosaic Law is part of His word. Shouldn’t we do it? No, because animal sacrifices were part of His intention at a given time. I don’t obey Him by doing what He required of Israel, 3,000 years ago or whatever. There’s the progress of God’s revelation and His will so verse 18, “you’ve been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” and as we’ve talked about numerous times, there are only two kinds of people in the world. Those who are enslaved to sin, those who are enslaved to righteousness and sometimes those who are enslaved to sin disguise themselves as though they were slaves of righteousness but their true character comes out.

We want to be careful we’re functioning consistent with our character as well. When we sin, we’re out of character, we’re functioning as those who don’t have the Spirit and if I lie, I’m doing what those who are enslaved by sin do, they lie and on with sin, so consistency and we’re aware of it when we’re believers. We know when we’ve sinned, we’ve rebelled, and there’s never an excuse for it so the quicker we get over that and just wash out the excuse and say to myself, Gil, there’s no excuse so forget it. Yeah but Lord, you know what they did and I hear the Lord saying, “what’s that got to do with what you do?” Life is simple. It’s not easy but making it appear complicated just keeps us from being in a position to carry out the clear instruction of God’s word and it tells us at the end of chapter 6 since that’s where were going in Galatians, you didn’t get any fruit, that word translated benefit, in verse 21.

You know you lived in verse 20, when you were slaves of sin you were free in regard to righteousness and I mean we never did anything. This is what he’ll say in Galatians 5. The unbeliever never does anything that is righteous in God’s sight. Now, again, we sometimes get confused and promote that confusion. They are always serving sin in one way or another, therefore what fruit were you deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death. Now, having been freed from sin, enslaved to God, you derive your fruit resulting in sanctification, the outcome eternal life so how do we have sanctification. I read to you from men who claimed to be evangelical believers and in their confusion, they’re saying we are not justified by keeping the Law but we are sanctified by keeping the Law. He says our sanctification involves living out the freedom we have in Christ, not a freedom to sin but a freedom now to live a righteous life under the power of the Holy Spirit.

Come back to Galatians chapter five verse 17. “The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, the Spirit against the flesh;” these are in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things that you please. What he’s really saying, are there’s two ways of living your life and if you’re “trying to obey the Law” at the end of verse 17, “you may not do the things that you please.” We didn’t look in chapter 7 but I think it’s in chapter seven Paul is telling us what it was like to be a Pharisee and try to keep the Law and Peter reflected that. Remember in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem council, why would we try to tell the Gentiles to keep the Law, even we couldn’t do it. In Romans 7 Paul said, that conflict, he knew when God told him what he had to do, but sin kept controlling him. Then he comes into chapter 8, and thanks God for the great forgiveness that he now has in Christ and that enabling power to live for Him. We’ll be there in a future study. I think that’s what he means, you may not do the things that you please if you’re trying to live--because for him trying to be righteous either for justification or for sanctification, is trying to be saved or sanctified by the flesh. It’s a works way. It never was intended for that so the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit the Spirit against the flesh and they are in opposition. You can’t do it by keeping the Law.

Israel never could. That’s why we read back in Galatians 2 that even we Jews have believed in Christ, because we couldn’t do it under the Law, so if you are trying—Paul said he earnestly desired that. In Philippians 3 when he gave his testimony, he talked about the effort he poured into it but he says it all goes on the dung heap; it’s something that was a failure so verse 18. “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” That says it about as clear as could be. When people want to put you under the Mosaic Law they want you to live like a person who is not led, by the Spirit. They are two conflicting ways.

I have no tolerance for this aspect of Reformed theology. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some things that they’ve got right but this bringing the Law into the believers life is in direct conflict. If you’re lead by the Spirit, you’re not under the Law! What’s the complication here? What don’t we understand? We are verse 16 “to walk by the Spirit.” That means being led by Him, submitting to Him, allowing Him to guide us, and it will always be in harmony with His word, and He’s made clear His intention for us now that Christ has come, is not to try to keep the Mosaic Law. That is a trap. It is to live with the freedom that Christ has given us, which is a freedom now to live consistent with the character of God and the power that only He brings. There’s more to say on this but we’re going to stop there because I want to share with you a summary of these verses and then we’ll pick up. We’re not going to be until the middle of next month, back in Galatians so let me summarize this with you and then we’ll be picking up when we pick up the study at a later time.

Number 1. We must live our lives under the direction of the Holy Spirit. How do you live a Christian life, a godly life? Live our lives under the direction of the Holy Spirit walk by the Spirit.

Number 2. Those controlled by the Spirit will not be controlled by sin. That’s it; those controlled by the Spirit will not be controlled by sin. Well, let’s deal with this, something’s wrong. The power of sin has been broken but I can’t help myself. I didn’t say it would be easy but He says you won’t be controlled by sin if you’re controlled by the Spirit.

Number 3. The flesh and the Spirit are in continual opposition, verse 17. “The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit the Spirit against the flesh.” That old man, even though his power has been broken, the flesh, the old nature, Ephesians 2 talks about it as what we are by nature, children of wrath. That’s never in agreement with God and so the conflict is there, that old man since he’s not been removed, his power’s been broken would like to reassert its authority and power and the devil has lost his power and authority in my life as a believer but he’d like to worm his way back in with his influence. He works in conjunction with the old man, which used to be his power center in my life so there’s that opposition but I’m not under that authority any more.

Number 4. You cannot do the will of God in the flesh. They’re in opposition to one another. That means if you’re in the flesh you can’t do what would please God and that’s Romans 8, which we don’t have time to go back to again but we looked at it in another study. Those in the flesh can never please God. That’s why I say the unbeliever never does anything pleasing to God. That doesn’t mean the unbeliever doesn’t do things on the surface, kind acts, we appreciate that within the context of God’s common grace but he never does it out of a heart of submissiveness and obedience to the living God. Otherwise, he would of what, bowed before Him placing his faith in God so as God looks at the motivation in the heart it is not out of a desire to be submissive to Him, not out of a result of being a child of God. You cannot do the will of God in the flesh.

Number 5. True believers are “led by the Spirit,” verse 18. If you’re led by, the Spirit and believers are to be walking by the Spirit. The trouble is sometimes we stumble but I never have to. I may get worked up and say what I shouldn’t say, do what I shouldn’t do, but I never have to. You’d better get ahold of it quickly because you allow the old man to reassert himself, the devil to get his foot in the door so to speak, he doesn’t stop. His goal is to try to assert as much control as possible back in that life. He doesn’t give up. He’s a relentless foe. That’s his concern about the Galatian churches. If you allow this to go on and don’t get hold of it pretty soon the churches will be torn apart. It has to be dealt with. Believers are led by the Spirit and finally,

Number 6. Believers are not under the Law. If you are led by the Spirit, you’re not under the Law and he’s talking about the Mosaic Law here, obviously. It’s just that simple so we don’t go back under the Law but we have commandments, we’ve had commandments given. There was a commandment given in verse 16. “You must walk by the Spirit.” That’s a command. We do that now in the power of the Spirit but we’re not going back under, trying to have the flesh and our own abilities to have a life pleasing to God. It can only be done in the power of the Spirit and there is that tension.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for Your word, for the provision You’ve made in Christ. What a wonderful, marvelous salvation we have. Lord we seem to have only scratched the surface of all we have in Christ. Lord how little we grasp the truth that You the living God dwell in each one of us personally as Your children. Your Spirit is here dwelling in each of us with Your intention that He be in control of our lives. That He mold us, lead us to be in conformity to Your character, so that all we think, all that we do is consistent with the God who has caused us to be born again, to become children of the living God. May these truths characterize us even in the week before us we pray His name. Amen.