NAU Galatians 5:19-21 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which being: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In the following verses 19-21, Paul comes to list out the deeds of the flesh and says that are easily seen. They are witnessed and understood by those around them. The list consists of sexual sins, emotional sins, intellectual sins, relational sins, and moral sins. Every one of the sins listed have a bent toward either protecting or pleasing the self. This is not a complete list. There are more than what is in the list by the statement “and things like these”. So any other sins that could be listed that would fall into one of those categories could have been listed as well.
It is interesting to note that the first three listed deal with physical sins involving someone else. The three listed are immorality, impurity, and sensuality. Immorality (fornication) is to be understood of every kind of extramarital, unlawful, or unnatural sexual intercourse. Impurity (uncleanness) is also known of the sexual vice of indecency and sexual impurity. Sensuality is known as living without any moral restraint.
Paul concludes the fleshly deeds with a critical point that he wants to make here concerning living in the flesh. He gives a warning and the consequences of not heeding to that warning. The word “practice” is in the Participle Present Active Nomative Masculine Plural form acting in an adjectival sense relating to the subject. This tells us that the action is being done in a continual fashion by the subject. The subject in this case is the person who is living like the list that was previously provided. Paul is describing a lifestyle of an individual that has chosen to live in such a fashion.
Paul is clear that those who continue to live in such a manner will not inherit the kingdom of God. In other words, they will not be living with God for eternity. They will not be saved even though they might understand that Jesus is The Messiah (Savior of their sins). This is because they would be living in direct disobedience to pleasing God and following Him by the leading of His Spirit by their own choice. Salvation in Jesus Christ is not only believing in Him for the atonement of sins but also turning away from the sins that caused Jesus to die for us in the first place.
Paul is pointing out the desire of the will of the person that claims to be saved and a lover of God. Paul is very clear that it is the choice of the believer to follow the leading The Spirit of God or to follow the leading of the flesh, by the choice that the person makes will demonstrate the heart’s desire or will of that person. Their choices will show if they love and desire to please God or if they desire to please the sinful flesh.
What Paul is not saying is that believers will never sin again. We know that if we do sin, that is choosing to follow the flesh, then we have An Advocate Who speaks to The Father on our behalf. “NAU 1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”; We are forgiven our sins when we come to Jesus in repentance of sins. He knows how honest our hearts are during a time of repentance for living in a manner that is unpleasing to Him. The desire of one who is repenting is not to live in disobedience to God but desires to live in obedience to Him. They desire to love God with their lives. Paul is not talking about this type of person. He is talking about the type of person who practices or lives a life following the desires of the flesh as a normal way of life.
What a joy it is to know that God has given us His Spirit to guide us to live pleasing to Him by overcoming the desires of the flesh. How precious is it to know that God desires a relationship with us, in such a way, that He hopes that we will choose to follow the leading of His Spirit in our lives and not the leading of the sinful flesh. What a wonderful loving and compassionate God we serve Who not only gives eternal life to those who believe in Jesus The Messiah but Who also desires to live intimately in our lives as we let Him.
May we delight in this fact about You, Lord. Please help us to choose You Lord over the sinful desires of the flesh. It is truly only in You that fullness of life resides in this life time and for eternity.
love,
Daniel
Posted on October 29th, 2007 by Daniel
Filed under: Truth To Live By