Galatians 5:1, 13-25: The Character of Grace, Not Of Mere Survival

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. - Galatians 5:1, 13-25

There is another way to live, not contrary to the law but beyond the law. Paul says, "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” but then he says, "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." and then, after listing the fruit of the Spirit, he says "Against such things [the fruit] there is no law." The law was about restraining us from going against our neighbor. The Bible knows that we will tend to see other people as competitors, rivals, enemies or nobodies. As a result, the law had to come to reframe people, not as the rivals, but as someone as worthy of us of being loved. "Love your neighbor as yourself."

But then Paul goes beyond that: if we didn't live with other people as rivals--if we lived with other people as deserving love way that God loves us--then it opens up a whole new way of life. Whereas life now classifies people as superiors, rivals, equals or dependents, the Spirit's way of life is about a new sort of relationship that isn't evaluated but rather celebrated. This doesn't contradict the golden rule--love your neighbor as yourself--but rather delves deeply within it to find what relationships can become if we follow the Spirit. What could we create together if we weren't always comparing or competing--if we were a loving, joy filled, peaceful, kind, patient, faithful and in-control sort of people. I pray God we are not the last to get there, but we would be the first ones through the gate into the character of grace, not the character of mere survival.

Galatians 5:13-24: Freedom for What?

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. - Galatians 5:13-24

What does it mean to be "called to be free"? Free to what? Would we say that a man or woman who has been 2 years free from alcohol is free because they are now free to drink booze? Is that truly free? No. It is clear that the freedom that Paul is talking here is not the removal of encumbrances but rather the enabling of a new way of life. There are lots of things that we can do with our freedom that are essentially the same self-indulgent things we were capable of before our encounter with Jesus. But we are not just free from the old life, but free for a new life. Free to live a life that isn't self-indulgent because that self-indulgence is a type of slavery where, even if the bonds have been removed from us, we place them back on ourselves. The new life is a freedom from the encumbrances of the old life for the purpose of a new life in the Spirit which blesses others rather than using them.

John 15:1-17: If Connected, Would It Be My Native Language?

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. - John 15:1-17

The key word for this section is remain: We remain in Jesus. He remains in us. There is a unity, facilitated by the Holy Spirit (see John 14:16,20) but it seems to be something that vary. His remaining in us does not change, but our remaining in Jesus seems to be able to wax and wain.  What are the symptoms of this variability? Our obedience (15:10) and our fruitfulness (vs. 8).  If we take the fruit to be similar to that listed in Galatians 5:22-23, then this makes sense because John ties his commands back to: Love each other as I have loved you.

At this point, we are in Sunday School-land: God loves us so we should each other. I think that is because we don't think fruit has a cost. How much of the God-infused life is required to be fruitful in other people's lives? We miss verse 13, where Jesus tells his disciples that "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." If it was easy to being loving, joyful, patient, peaceful, forgiving, etc. then Jesus' words would have just provoked a "Duh" moment. To provide our fruit to those who are unlovable, depressing, impulsive, quarrelsome, and unforgiving, is even more difficult, but it is exactly that which shows that we are changed and that we are connected to Jesus.

Sometimes, I try to imagine what it would be like for the connectedness to Jesus and the fruit of the Spirit to simply flow from me naturally, like I was speaking my native language. It isn't my native language. My normal expression is some weird pidgin conglomeration of who I was and who I am becoming. But this thought exercise produces in me a longing for the better, giving self that Jesus is trying to produce in me. Sometimes when I am struggling, I will pray for that natural part of remaining in Christ, and strive towards it, however imperfectly.

We remain in his love. In the previous chapter, Jesus has told his disciples that he is going away and they freak out. Then he tells them that he will leave them the Holy Spirit and by the Spirit's means we will realize that "I am in my Father, and you are in me and I am in you." Almost a duplicate of what he tells them in this passage in John 15.

Remember you did not choose me, no I have chosen you

Remember you did not choose me, no I have chosen you

The world will show you hatred, the Spirit show you truth
That where I am, there you may also be - That Where I Am, There You, Rick Mullins

Benediction: Galatians 5:22-23

Three groups, group is determined by first letter of last name.

A-G: May the love of the Spirit that cares for the family, the neighbor, the stranger and the enemy be with you all. 

ALL: And also with you.

H-N: May the joy of the Spirit that brightens the darkest day and overflows the happiest moments be with you all.

ALL: And also with you.

O-Z: May the peace of the Spirit that flourishes in both chaotic and calm days be with you all.

ALL: And also with you.

A-G: May the patience of the Spirit that bears with uncertainty and pain be with you all. 

ALL: And also with you.

H-N: May the kindness of the Spirit that tempers every interaction with caring be with you all.

ALL: And also with you.

O-Z: May the goodness of the Spirit that stimulates the best in you and the best in those around you be with you all. 

ALL: And also with you.

A-G: May the faithfulness of the Spirit that persists with those in difficult times be with you all.

ALL: And also with you.

H-N: May the gentleness of the Spirit that upholds others in their fragility be with you all.

ALL: And also with you.

O-Z: May the self-control of the Spirit that conquers distractions to pursue God be with you all. 

Galatians 5: Weeds and the Tale of Two Gardens

My wife tells me that our life is the tale of two gardens. In each situation and with every choice, the question is which garden will respond most vigorously. One of these is full of desires out of control. The other is full of the desires under the Spirit of God's control. Or as Paul puts it, one shows itself through "sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like." (Gal. 5:19b-21a) In the other garden, we have "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Gal. 5:22b-23a) Each is the natural product of one part of our nature when restraints are removed: our original life without God and our revitalized life with God.

So what is the difference? Jesus taught that there are things that choke out the healthy garden: thorns (or weeds), which are "...the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful." (Mark 4:19) So, what can we learn from weeds:

1. Weeds are a plant out of place. My wife says this often. Many weeds are actually desirable plants: quick growing, easy to maintain and beautiful foliage and flowers. But put that plant in the wrong place, it can be invasive, pervasive and destructive. That is true with our desires: many are the good gifts from God's promoted to an unhealthy position of prominence in our lives. When they are over-important, they are toxic, causing us to use or abuse others. 
2. Weeds are best controlled by encouraging healthy plants. In the area around my home, star thistle is an annoying, prickly, spindly plant that penetrates gloves, grows easily and is resistant to most types of typical herbicides. According to the pamphlet produced by the local horticulture experts, the best way to control star thistle is to replace it with desirable plants. We cannot just kill a bad habit--we must replace it with a good habit. I find that my toxic thoughts are tenacious. It is remarkable how long I want to hold on to them. That is why Paul encouraged "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Not just accidentally drift over to these things, but intentionally think about them-planting the furrows of your mind with the healthy, beneficial thoughts.
3. Weeds sprout more quickly than healthy plants. That's one of the reasons they are weeds. Tear out your garden down to bare dirt and don't water, prepare the soil or fertilize. Which plants show up first? Nice, healthy fruits, flowers and vegetables? No! Weeds do. Our self-desires is often the first to respond, while the Spirit-nurtured desires sprouts more gradually. Like in any garden, we must watch out so that they are not the "first responders" That's why John had to remind his friends, "Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward." (2 John 1:8)

The good news for Jesus' followers is the promise of the life-giving presence of the Spirit. The natural, expected result of the Spirit's renewed life in us is the good fruit. Many of my prayers ask for just that. Jesus said, "A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit." (Matt. 7:17) Spirit, let your flourishing produce it's good fruit in me and reduce the weeds to ash.

If I Could Tell You One Thing...Relationships (Galatians 5:22-23)

These were group-time lessons used for Cornerstone's Family Camp. The room was split into three groups. The speaker introduced the topic (Key Idea) the led the groups through a series of questions and then had them brainstorm actions. Each topic took 20 minutes.

Key Idea
God changes us so that he can change the world.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23

The external signs of the change God has made in us are sometimes called fruit. They are new attitudes. The new attitudes lead to new habits. The new habits lead to new behaviors. It is not a linear, straightforward process. It proceeds in leaps ahead, false starts, wrong turns and backtracking, but those who have been followers of Jesus for can see that they are no longer the people they were.

But those changes in attitude (called ‘fruit’) are not the end goal. In gardening, fruit has a purpose. It is the seed-bearer. It is meant to be the nutritional encapsulation of the seed which nurtures it to life in a new, sometimes harsh environment.

The seed is the word of God. Our ‘fruit’ are the seed bearers. As in Jesus’ parable of the sower (Matthew 13), God is scattering the ‘seed’ but he is doing it through his people, who wrap that seed in the ‘fruit’ of godly, loving attitudes.

When you love, when you show joy, when you live at peace, when you ‘patient’, when you are kind, when you are good, when you are faithful, when you are gentle and when you restrain yourself, you are making a home for the word of God in someone’s heart.

Not every spent fruit has a happy ending. Some seeds die. But it is true that if there are no spent fruit, then there are fewer nurtured seeds. And, if fewer nurtured seeds, then there is no harvest.

Questions
These are questions you should ask yourself about this passage:

Why do you think Paul used the term ‘fruit’ to describe these God-enabled attitudes?

Compare with Col. 3:19-21. What characterizes these ‘anti-fruit’? What is the result?

Who do you think are bickering in this church? (cf. Col. 5:26)

Why does Paul use the term ‘crucify’ (vs. 24)? If crucified, why do we struggle so much with our sin?

Actions
Do a roll-call of your relationships. What kind of ‘fruit’ have been typically displayed in each (if any!)? Which of the fruit do you most need?