every man and woman. The battle is between Jesus and Satan, good and
evil. As Christians, we have accepted Jesus Christ as our savior.
In doing this we receive the Holy Spirit in order to help us to walk
in the way of Christ. Even with this, Christ seldom forces us to
behave a certain way. Jesus gives us a choice to choose good or
evil.
In Galatians 5:16 û 26 the behavioral aspects of this battle are
discussed. We shouldn't lust after the flesh (Galatians 5:15).
When we lust after the flesh we are pursuing an evil way. This
passage points out that the flesh and the Spirit are pursuing
opposite goals (Galatians 5:17).
What are behaviors of the flesh? In Galatians 5:19 û 22 we see
several fleshly behaviors. It starts with adultery. Adultery simply
is a married person engaging in any sexual activity outside of the
marriage relationship. A non-adulterous relationship must be a
marriage to the opposite sex. It cannot be a same sex commitment,
not in the eyes of God. A non-adulterous relationship requires a
monogamous commitment to your married partner of the opposite sex.
In addition, the passage talks about fornication. Fornication is
any sexual relationship between non-married people. This is true
whether the relationship is consensual or not. Fleshly living does
not just entail sexual conduct; however this type of conduct causes
many people to stumble.
Idolatry is a form of fleshly living. Idolatry consists of
worshipping idols. Idolatry consists of worshipping anyone or
anything other than God. This can mean worshipping someone as a
God. Also, this can mean placing money, cars, magazines or whatever
else in the place of God. Some of the other fleshly behaviors
mentioned:
Sorcery: Engaging in witchcraft, fortune telling, devil worship
etc. Saul (not the one who became Paul) died because he angered God
by consulting a seer (fortune teller).
Envy: A resentment of the possessions, qualities, abilities, etc.
that someone else has.
Drunkenness: Intoxicated with alcohol or other drugs for that matter.
In addition to these, other behaviors are mentioned in this passage.
What is the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
(Galatians 5:22 & 23)
These are the behaviors that should be produced and or practiced by
Christians. Each of us should evaluate our own actions, and
determine whether we are spending our time engaging in fleshly
behaviors or are we producing the fruit of the Spirit.
As a Christian, if you find yourself engaged in fleshly behaviors
then:
1. Admit your fleshly behavior to God.
2. Ask God for forgiveness, and stop the behavior.
3. Get closer to God by praying, reading the Bible, studying the
Bible, and attending church services.
As you do these things, you will consciously and unconsciously begin
to produce fruit of the Spirit.
Copyright 2003, Stanley T. Crawford, is the editor of, "People of
the Bible," and webmaster of http://www.peopleofthebible.com.
All Rights Reserved. mailto:scrawford@...