The Christian Life: Free at Last, Freed at Last
The following is a sermon manuscript, preached on January 3, 2022 at Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Introduction
Many people have goals, ambitions, and desires. Desires of themselves are not bad, but misplaced desires can be totally detrimental. Oftentimes, the Christian life is misrepresented by moral approaches to quell desire. This is similar to a works-based Salvation, where you can will your way into a clean heart by “doing” good deeds. This is the basis of modern psychological therapeutic methodologies: Change the unwanted behaviors and the mind will follow. Other people use a guilt-based approach where they state: “You are a Christian, so you should not struggle with lust, desire, greed, etc.” However, the reality is much different than this type of common understanding. In fact, the reason the Christian does struggle with these aspects of the flesh is that they are a Christian. The flesh and the Spirit are opposed to one another, and only an active work of God in the heart of the human can rectify this situation. We call this process the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. If you are like me, you have often said to yourself, I don’t want to do the wrong thing and sin. I think Paul will help us be relieved from this fear as well as give us an understanding that we can embody in our daily lives through our text this morning.
Let’s Read: Galatians 5:16-18 together.
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
The context surrounding our passage is rooted in a false interpretation of the Scriptures by false teachers claiming that the Galatians needed to hang on to circumcision to please God in the flesh. Paul condemns this ideology and hermeneutic at the beginning of chapter 5. The reality is, that legalism does not appease God. However, the Galatians were falling into the trap of legalism as a form of pleasing God. This shows how detrimental incorrect and inconsistent theology can be to a Christian’s spiritual growth and health.
Paul reminds the Galatians that the basis of their relationship with God through Jesus Christ is not merit or a work of themselves; rather, it is solely an act of divine grace. Therefore, they who were once separated from God, being slaves to their own nature, should not desire to be under the Jewish Law since the end of the Law is death. It is better to be free in Christ than to be a slave to nature.
Knowing that we, just as the Galatian people, are prone to go astray and turn unto legalism or antinomianism; how should we live out the Christian Life?
We are to Walk by the Spirit of God (v. 16):
Paul uses emphatic terminology when he says “But I say.” His usage of this phrase carries the weight of his apostolic authority, but more importantly, it carries the weight of his reputation in Galatia that they were familiar with from his previous visits. This phrase is used to contrast those who would refute the Apostle Paul’s teachings. It is similar to how we would use the phrase “Heretics say you should… But I say you should…” Paul’s usage of the language here also shows his pastoral care for the people in Galatia. He is attempting to correct a false understanding by appealing to them from a personal aspect. It is like Paul is saying to them: “Hey you know me, so here is my advice and instruction.”
Paul follows up with the command to “walk by the Spirit.” The Spirit of God indwells every believer. This is the new reality of the Christian. If the Spirit of God is not in the heart of the believer, then that person is not a believer. Paul’s statement in verse 16 is consistent with the idea of being under the influence or under compulsion of the Spirit. The phrase walk by the Spirit is a loaded phrase. It implies a work of God but also connotes human responsibility.
The verb “walk” that is used in verse 16 is in the active, present, imperative tense which is a command that is done by the person. The verb itself means to walk literally, but also carries the idea of living or devotion. Therefore, what Paul is telling the Galatians to do is to actively be devoted to a lifestyle of cherishing and nurturing the Holy Spirit.
This is very important for us to grab ahold of. The Word of God is telling us that we have a responsibility to actively, in each moment, show devotion to the Holy Spirit’s indwelling by cherishing and nurturing the Holy Spirit’s presence in our hearts.
Why is this necessary? Why should I pay such close attention to the Holy Spirit as if He is fragile?
Paul tells the Galatians that they are to do this to negate, nullify, and demolish the desires of the flesh. The flesh is the natural nature of Adam into which we are all born. It is this nature that Jeremiah speaks about when he says that the heart is desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). It is this nature that sin originates from, in our lives (James 1:14-15). It is this nature that held us as slaves, preventing us from committing acts of righteousness and even preventing us from coming to God. Thus, God needed to rescue us from ourselves through the regeneration of the heart by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to enable us to respond to His Word.
Paul understands and informs the Galatians that this nature is not completely eradicated by the Holy Spirit at conversion, but rather a process has begun. The process of sanctification: This is the process by which a person walks by the Spirit to demolish the desires of the flesh. Jesus puts it this way in Luke 9:23 “If anyone desires to follow after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” This is the first evidence of salvific faith; the active process of sanctification.
This is very true for you and me. We are to put to death the flesh and its desires, but how are we to do this? We demolish the influence of the flesh by cherishing and nurturing the presence of the Holy Spirit. If we are to cherish the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, then we are to conduct ourselves in a way that honors the Holy Spirit. This image is clearly portrayed in the latter verses (v. 22). This conduct flows out of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and is also conduct that honors the Triune God.
The other manner in which we walk by the Spirit is to nurture the Holy Spirit’s presence in our hearts. The way we do this is to bask, soak, and bathe ourselves in the Word of God. We nurture the Spirit by immersing ourselves in the Holy Words of God. Practically this is done by sitting under competent preachers, reading and digesting passages of scripture, and meditating on God’s word continually. The scriptures themselves testify of practical ways in which this is carried out: Philippians 4:4-6; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Ephesians 5:25-26; and Deuteronomy 6:1-7.
For someone to honor and nurture the presence of the Holy Spirit is to look to the scriptures for guidance on what honors the Lord and then to subject themselves to those boundaries. This might look like giving up certain social behaviors for you such as hanging out with friends who drink at parties because you are weak in self-control, or being more disciplined in your daily activities so you can commune in the Word of God more regularly. This also might involve you surrounding yourself with intentional conversations about the texts that you are reading to ascertain what implications these texts impose upon your life. Some people change what they ingest as entertainment because it leaves an aftertaste of sinful desire in their minds after the program is over. Job made a covenant with his eyes that he would not look upon a young maiden as to prevent himself from grieving the command of God not to covet.
The death of the fleshly desires is a natural by-product of nurturing and honoring the Holy Spirit. Therefore, you do not need to meditate on what you cannot do or what the flesh wants. Rather, it is more appropriate to meditate upon the attributes of God, the identity we have in Christ and the aforementioned things that honor and nurture the Holy Spirit. Resolve to live out Philippians 4:8.
Consider the illustration of the Spirit’s work in your life similar to two people in a canoe. The front-rower knows how to canoe (this would be the Spirit), but the rear canoer (this would be the flesh) doesn’t know what a paddle is, nor how to use it. The rear canoer obstructs the work and the progress of the front canoer, but the front canoer is able to overcome the rear canoer. However, if the front Canoer stops or is prevented from paddling then the rear canoer can cause the canoe to regress its track in the water. The scriptures command that we aid the front canoer by not participating in the shenanigans of the rear canoer.
How does honoring and nurturing the Spirit help in the battle against the flesh? Why do I fail to be perfect?
We are to understand the fundamental differences between our natures (v. 17):
Paul exposes the reality of the two natures that are at work in the Christian: The Spirit and the Flesh. Paul intends to remind the Galatian believers that although they are in Christ there exists the reality of the flesh that antagonizes the Spirit. This antagonization is something with which Paul was personally intimately familiar. Paul speaks of his personal struggle with the flesh in Romans 7:21-8:2. In a way, Paul is educating the Galatians on the battle that is occurring inside of them while also offering consolation that this is the way it is supposed to be.
This struggle will occur until the mortal puts on immortality as Paul describes to the Christians at Corinth in 1st Corinthians 15. However, the hope that we have in Christ is that one day this struggle will end. Paul identifies that the struggle between the Spirit and the Flesh keeps the Christian from doing what he or she wants to do.
What does Paul mean by this statement? According to Burton, Paul is expressing that the antagonism that exists between the Spirit and the Flesh is such that when you want to do evil the Spirit restricts that action, and when you want to do good the Flesh restricts that action.
Why does this occur or what is the premise that Paul bases his perspective on? The distinction of the two natures is identified in Paul’s letter to the Romans in Romans 5 where Paul contrasts the action of Adam against the action of Jesus Christ. Paul even identifies Jesus as the second Adam. Paul states that by Adam, death entered unto all showing that the federal representation of humanity was on the shoulders of Adam and Adam plunged all his posterity into the sinful state, a marred image of God in man exhibited through the corruption of the flesh. However, Paul contrasts this idea against the work of Jesus who fulfilled the intent of God’s Law in the flesh to rescue man from this marred image. The result is God granting life to those who trust in Christ by restoring the image of God in their flesh through the atoning, recreative, and power of Jesus Christ’s work.
Based upon this, Paul exposes the fundamental differences in the two natures that are alive and present in the Christian. The flesh is antagonistic to the Spirit, but also yields corrupted fruit, and the Spirit is antagonistic to the flesh, but yields fruit pleasing to God. These natures hinder the person from unrestricted adherence to one nature or the other. This is normal, and should not be discouraging to the Child of God. Knowing the clear distinctions between the two natures that are at work in us, how should we walk in the Spirit?
We should correctly understand the role of grace and the work of mercy in the process of sanctification. As Galatians 5:1 states, Christ has set us free; therefore, we should not submit ourselves again unto a yoke of slavery. This means that while we understand the fundamental difference in the two natures, we do not place ourselves back into slavery to the flesh through self-torture, self-pity, or legalism since the flesh was never able to do anything to please God anyway. The flesh has always been at enmity with the Law and God. It is the grace of God that sets us free from the penalty of the Law due to the weakness of the flesh; therefore, the natural response is to magnify the Lord through the Spirit since that is the nature that we should desire to strengthen inside of us.
When one sins, it is important to repent, seek refuge in the Lord, and understand that God is not going to cast you out. The fleshly inclination is to run and hide from God such as Adam did in Genesis; however, the Spiritual response is repentance, embracing the grace of God. Paul illustrated this through his statement in 2 Corinthians 12:9 and 1st John 1:9. Seek the Lord’s wisdom first, then seek accountability from a close companion, and remove the opportunities to sin as much as reasonably achievable.
How should I view my freedom in Christ as compared to the Law?
We are to understand our Freedom in the Spirit as Liberty from the Law (v. 18):
Paul teaches the Galatians that being led by the Spirit removes the necessity to uphold the Law. Paul doesn’t negatively view the Law. Paul isn’t saying that the Law is evil or bad; rather, Paul identifies the Law of God as intrinsic to the nature and character of God. So, why does Paul use this language to talk about freedom from the Law?
Paul is showing the continuity between the character of God manifest in those who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and the goodness of the Law. Paul is describing that those who are led by the Spirit will not act contrary to that which is pleasing to God because their hearts, minds, and strengths are focused on following the Spirit which will naturally manifest itself in agreement with the Law. However, the Law is not a binding enforcement over their heads to remind them of the fact that every time that they fail to uphold the Law death is at the doorstep. This is true freedom in that Christ has redeemed them from the fear of death (required by the Law) and the Spirit’s guidance in their lives will manifest itself as a life pleasing to God (a life in general agreement with the intent of the Law).
For example, the Law states that one should not murder. If a person is led by the Spirit of God, then that person has no fear of murdering because the heart attitude of that person is set upon loving God and neighbor. The desire to murder would come from a fleshly origin and the work of the Spirit in the person would immediately identify the origin of flesh and crucify its passions. The result is a life that is devoid of murder and the thoughts of murder.
The internal work of the Holy Spirit of God allows us to not have checklists of dos and don’ts. It allows us to focus on the relationship, redemption, and reconciliation that we have with God and with each other. The work of the Spirit enables us to focus more on the heart, or the motivation behind our actions; rather, than the specific actions themselves.
This can be illustrated through the image of marriage. I have been married for almost 11 years. My wife does not hand me a list of rules each day. She knows that I am faithful to her and that I love her by my actions. I am faithful to her because I love her. However, there are times that I might sin against her by being less patient than I should be or letting my anger become unchecked. When this occurs, I can tell immediately that I was in the wrong because of the look on her face or by her response. When we walk in the Spirit of God, we don’t need the list of rules to follow because our love for Christ and his nature will drive us to faithfulness. This is the same in marriage. However, when we sin against God (in the flesh), we immediately know because the Spirit and the Holy Scriptures bear witness to our hearts. This is very similar to the way that my wife responds when I hurt her feelings. Just as God is faithful to forgive us when we sin, so my wife forgives me when I offend her. This is because God loves us and she loves me. If my wife ever was to hand me a list of rules, I would memorize them, but most likely I would not need to follow them because my respect and love for her would cause me to meet them anyway. This is especially useful when a situation arises that isn’t covered in the rules, and many complex situations do exist in life. This is how the Spirit and living in the Spirit enable us to live consistent with God’s Law, but not under it.
J.C. Ryle: “Genuine sanctification will show itself in habitual respect to God’s law, and habitual effort to live in obedience to it as the rule of life. There is no greater mistake than to suppose that a Christian has nothing to do with the law and the Ten Commandments because he cannot be justified by keeping them. The same Holy Ghost who convinces the believer of sin by the law, and leads him to Christ for justification, will always lead him to a spiritual use of the law, as a friendly guide, in the pursuit of sanctification.”
Conclusion
For us as Christians, we have a beautiful opportunity to walk by the Spirit being freed from the consequence of the Law because of Jesus Christ who has reconciled us together with Himself. Understanding the two natures of friction inside our hearts, we can understand why the command and our responsibility is to nurture or cherish the Holy Spirit vice attempting to seek a level of holiness from the Law. Furthermore, we understand that if we continually walk by the Spirit of God, then we will have no fear of pleasing the flesh, falling into sin, or being restricted by the Law. Therefore, let us press on towards the upward call in Christ Jesus because He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it.
