Galatians 5:19-26 (NIV)
The acts of the sinful nature 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, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Paul’s purpose in this section is not to give a definitive list of acts of the sinful nature or the fruit of the Spirit, but simply to illustrate his previous point that living according to the sinful nature, a choice people make, results in a life that is full of sin and sinful actions and attitudes that will separate people from God. Such people must have the external law before them to convict them of their sin, and to show them where the boundaries are that they are transgressing.
Many of these listed attitudes and actions, such as idolatry, witchcraft, and sexual immorality, are acknowledged by most Christians as sins. But others, such as jealousy, fits of rage and envy are often considered mere weaknesses or shortcomings, falling short of actual sins. And drunkenness is considered by many today as an illness, not a sin.
But Paul lumps all these together as “acts of the sinful nature”, where the desires of the flesh are given control over the actions of the body. And he is shockingly clear that those who live with the sinful nature in control will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The he turns to people who live according to the Spirit, people whom he encourages the Galatians to emulate. The outcomes of such a Spirit-shaped, Spirit-centered, Spirit-obeying life and lifestyle stand in stark contrast to the lives of those who live with the sinful nature in charge. This list demonstrates attitudes and actions that show the light of God in people’s hearts.
Paul’s point that there is no law against these kinds of actions and attitudes is merely saying that people who live that kind of life, centered on and guided by the Holy Spirit, don’t need an external law to draw limits to their behaviors, since the Spirit will provide all the direction that is needed.
Paul points out that the sinful nature is not merely to be resisted, it is to be crucified. It is not to be “kept down”, but killed completely, along with its sinful passions and desires. But the only way that it can be completely killed is by allowing the indwelling Holy Spirit to do the killing, and then to actively place Christ on the throne in its place. That frees us up to live by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, and to keep in step with Him every moment.
Father, this is an amazing exposition. Paul paints the picture in such stark extremes that we can’t possibly miss his point or get bogged down debating gray areas and things like how much sin is permissible in a Christian’s life. With the Holy Spirit in charge of our lives, that issue instantly becomes moot, as darkness is swallowed up by light in our hearts, and sin is destroyed by the righteousness of the Holy Spirit. Thank You, Lord, for not leaving us on our own to deal with the sinful nature, but giving us all the power and grace that we need to allow the Holy Spirit to absolutely crucify it, and so that we can live in Your light and love here and now, and forever. Amen.