Paul’s Conclusion to the Galatians is to live
Controlled by the Holy Spirit
Galatians 5:24-26 And they that are
Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in
the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain
glory, provoking one another, envying one another. KJVPaul concludes this section of his letter to the Galatians after detailing what the works of the flesh look like in contrast to the fruit produced by God the Holy Spirit with the axiom or the logical self-evident truth that should be present in the life of every regenerated, redeemed, and renewed child of God. Paul declares the true believer to “have crucified” the flesh. This English phrase “have crucified” is translated by the Greek word stauroo which means figuratively the act of self-denial or to extinguish, subdue, and deaden or kill internal passions from the old nature that are wrong. Paul has already earlier explained to them that they have a war going on inside of them when he wrote this, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (Galatians 5:16-17). We already showed in a previous study that this war is not between the “flesh” and God the Holy Spirit, but it is between the born again believers “old nature” which equals the “flesh” and his or hers “new nature” which equals the “spirit” (the part of the believer’s threefold make up that is completely regenerated, redeemed, and renewed right now).
Every believer in our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ is a threefold being of spirit, soul, and body as Paul prayed for God the Father to preserve the Thessalonian believers, “And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound {and} complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The “old nature” is still alive within the born again believer and will never be taken out completely until our death and the new glorified body we receive from our Lord Jesus Christ, but until then Paul declares to these Galatians and to us today that we must cooperate with God the Holy Spirit to progressively and continually deaden the works or “affections” and “lust” that rise up from our old man still waging war within us. The English word affections is translated by the Greek word pathema which means emotions or influences that produce passions that are beyond normal limits or unreasonable, especially sexual desires that are outside the will of God. The English word lust Paul uses is translated by the Greek word epithumia which means a longing for that which is forbidden by God or to set one’s heart on and covet that which is wrong. Paul in writing to the Roman believers made this declaration, “We know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him(Christ) in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective {and} inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin.” (Romans 6:6).
This crucifixion takes place at the moment or instance of our new birth, but it is our responsibility from then on to yield to God the Holy Spirit in order that the “flesh” or old nature is continually put to death as Paul writes to the Colossians who are already born again believers with these words, “IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at {and} seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds {and} keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory. So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed {and} covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God). (Colossians 3:1-5) Note: Read Colossians 3:1-17 to get Paul’s complete exhortation to not only just these Colossians, but to all true believers of every generation.
Paul goes back to what he said in Galatians 5:16 encouraging them and us today to be controlled by our regenerated, redeemed, and renewed “new nature” and feed it constantly and continually while at the same time starving our “old nature” and then and only then will these Galatians and us today truly “walk in the Spirit”. God the Holy Spirit (as we declared in a previous study) will not force these Galatians or us today to follow His lead, but will stay quieted within us when He is grieved by our sin, disobedience, and rebellion from the Word of God and the Will of God and this is why Paul wrote this to the Ephesian believers, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:25-32).
Paul warns these Galatians that they were on the very path of grieving God the Holy Spirit and cutting off His effectiveness in their individual lives and in the collective lives of their Churches if they sought after “vain glory” that is honor or praise from men and not from God (John 12:43). Paul also warns them against causing anger and resentment in their midst. They should never ever be jealous of each other. The heirs of the grace of life as the Apostle Peter put it (1 Peter 3:7) should never intentionally provoke their brothers or sisters to anger or be jealous of any brother or sister “in Christ” knowing that we all are equal right now as Paul has already declared to them in this letter (Galatians 3:28). Our Lord Jesus Christ is going to reward every son and daughter of His according to their “works” and no one will be able or want to say that he or she did not receive their just reward.
Our Lord Jesus likewise warned against this desire to be seen by men and applauded by them with these words, “Thus, whenever you give to the poor, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do, that they may be recognized {and} honored {and} praised by men. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already.” (Matthew 6:2). The desire of theses Galatians and us today should at all times be to please our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. When we please Him it does not matter whom we displease as we saw the Christian Sister in Kentucky “Kim Davis” stand up for what she believed Christ Jesus our Lord was telling her to do in not signing the Marriage Licenses uniting or joining together same-sex couples. Paul declared to the Colossians with these words detailing our responsibility, “Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, Knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward. [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah).” (Colossians 3:23-24).
My own Personal Note: You and I cannot achieve victory by our own will-power (for we have none that is sufficient). Rather, victory comes through faith, by an act of our will to enter into and abide, remain, continue, and stay in Christ’ power. Through surrender and submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit day by day we experience victory as He cancels Satan’s dominion, rule, authority, power, and control over sexually immoral behavior. Excerpt from my Book entitled “Silent Assassins of the Soul: Finding Freedom from Sexual Impurity through the Lord Jesus Christ, A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs”
“We who are Christians profess to be under the influences of the Holy Spirit. By His influences and agency is our spiritual life. We profess not to be under the dominion of the flesh; not to be controlled by its appetites and desires. Let us then act in this manner, and as if we believed this. Let us yield ourselves to His influences, and show that we are controlled by that Spirit. It is an earnest exhortation to Christians to yield wholly to the agency of the Holy Spirit on their hearts, and to submit to His guidance.” Albert Barnes
“Be not desirous of vain glory - Of the praise or esteem of men. They who do not carefully and closely follow the Spirit, easily slide into this: the natural effects of which are, provoking to envy them that are beneath us, and envying them that are above us.” John Wesley
“As in their baptism they were obliged hereunto (for, being baptized into Christ, they were baptized into His death, Romans 6:3), so they are now sincerely employing themselves herein, and, in conformity to their Lord and head, are endeavoring to die unto sin, as He had died for it. They have not yet obtained a complete victory over it; they have still flesh as well as Spirit in them, and that has its affections and lusts, which continue to give them no little disturbance, but as it does not now reign in their mortal bodies, so as that they obey it in the lusts thereof (Romans 6:12), so they are seeking the utter ruin and destruction of it, and to put it to the same shameful and ignominious, though lingering death, which our Lord Jesus underwent for our sakes. We must set ourselves in good earnest both to mortify the deeds of the body, and to walk in newness of life.” Matthew Henry
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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