The Fruit of the Spirit, part 3

Before Paul gets to the oft-quoted verses about the Fruit of the Spirit, he spends some time talking about, what I call "The fruit of license.” Now, I know that word, license, can create a very different picture in our minds today than in it did Paul’s day. If you are 14 – 15 years old and hear the word, license, you most likely think about the day you will be legally allowed to drive. If you are the parent of a 15-year-old, you hear that word and dread fills your heart because the state will soon allow your child to drive.

Yet in a very real sense, the meaning of this word is the same today as it was in Paul's day. Basically, having license means "to be permitted or allowed to do something." Paul tells the Galatians this, in Galatians 5:13, “You were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.” We, because of the Gospel of Jesus, are called to be free. We are permitted, or allowed – if you will, to live in freedom because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
 
Unfortunately, some of those in the Galatian church were using their freedom to commit sin. They had a distorted view of grace and of Christ. Others were using observance of The Law’s rules and regulations as a marker of their holiness. They too, had a distorted view of grace and of Christ. (Self-check: Do we sometimes find ourselves doing the same?) I will say it again: the end result of both of these is the same: A spirit of criticism, anger, judgmentalism, competitiveness, and more.

So, Paul calls them out on their misuse of the license of freedom. Let’s read further, starting with Galatians 5:16-18: “I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” CSB.
 
There is something here we need to be careful to not miss. The reason so many Galatians were attracted to going back to The Law, with its rules and regulations, is because they were struggling horribly to live above the desires of the sinful nature. They thought that by being obedient to The Law, they could bring the desires of their sinful nature under control.

Here is the problem - the flaw - with their thinking: Trying to answer a spiritual problem with unspiritual tools, cuts the power of the Holy Spirit out of the whole equation. The sinful nature can only be overcome as we live in obedience to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Otherwise, we are dismissing the only Source of power for living in freedom! This is why Paul says, "Walk by the Spirit, and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.” 

Continued tomorrow