But the fruit of the Spirit is … (I)

The “But” starting this extract from Galatians 5:22 points to the contrast of the works of the flesh (the sinful nature) with the fruit of the Spirit which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (verses 22,23). In context Paul is telling that those who live according to the flesh (described in verses 19-21) “will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” But when we live by the Spirit (verse 25) and not in such lawlessness, then the fruit is produced in us, and law does not touch or condemn us, because “against such there is no law” (verse 23b). These are are those who belong to Christ, and who have crucified (put to death) the flesh with its passions and desires (verse 24). Part of me wants to say those who are Christ’s “are putting to death …,” seeing this as a process, but the tense is aorist, signifying a single action in the past.

You see the Lord does not want to improve us, His intention is to kill us, and out of that death a new life emerge. Life in the Spirit, is to rise Phoenix like from the dead. Paul tells us “I have been crucified with Christ,” and we were “buried with Him through baptism” and so we are to “reckon ourselves dead to sin” (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:4,11). But what does that mean? Well, when we do not reckon our sinful nature as being dead, then inevitably we try to deal with our weaknesses by wrestling with them. When I do this, I inevitably finish up doing what I don’t want to do, and not doing what I want to do (Romans 7:19). If I tell myself “Don’t be anxious, don’t be anxious” what happens? My anxiety increases! What I am saying, is that when we wrestle with our weaknesses, we actually empower them? So what do we do? We tell ourselves “I am dead to sin, and alive to God!” Does this seem like a lie?

It is little wonder that the wisdom of the cross is foolishness to the unbeliever, but beloved, it is the Power of God to those of us who are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18). Graham Cook makes an interesting distinction between pretending and practicing. In particular we are practicing being dead to sin. By faith I choose to believe what the Scriptures tell me about my being dead to sin. When the temptation comes, I picture myself, in my minds eye, on a slab dead, and I see the new spiritual man resurrecting through my dead body - dead to sin alive to God (Romans 6:11). They say “practice makes perfect” and it is this that is in process, as I choose to believe things that are not as though they are (Romans 4:17). Above all I must not strive. Have you ever seen a fruit tree striving?

Father, I see that a big part of MY putting to death the deeds and the desires of the flesh BY the Spirit, is to believe what You say about me being dead and buried. This is surely what it means to put off my old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. But we also need to put on the new self. And part of this is to believe what You say about us, that we are saints and beloved adopted sons and daughters, and that You are in process of transforming us from one degree of glory to another. In Jesus Name Amen