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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.. (Galatians 5.19-21).
A key word in the passage cited is the word evident. That which is evident is not hidden; it is, as we might say, patently obvious. One does not have to do any research to find out that when man turns his back on God, the results are spiritually catastrophic. Man left to his own devices will not ascend; rather, he descends. Man who seeks to elevate himself finds himself ensnared in the sins enumerated by God's apostle to the Gentiles. No argumentation was needed to convince Paul's readers; this truth was axiomatic! The unbounded practice of sin prevails wherever God is pushed out of man's spiritual horizon.
Galatians 5.19-21 is the hall of infamy of the flesh; it lists a number of sins resulting from man's adoration of self and rejection of God. There are sins of a sexual nature, sins of attitude, sins against ones neighbor, and sins relating to doctrine. The list is not exhaustive, that is, it is not a complete list of all sins. Rather it is just the tip of the iceberg of sins. Paul cites these specific sins and then says, "…those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (emphasis mine; jb). The phrase such things includes all other sins of a similar fashion. The word practice connotes the idea of committing and then continuing to commit; it is a manner of life and not just a one time lapse or weakness.
The consequence of living in the flesh is explicitly stated in this text; i.e. "…those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." To inherit is to receive one's rightful portion or allotment. God reserves blessings for all his children in heaven but a person can cancel his/her reservation by turning a deaf ear to God's call to holiness. That is the awful tragedy that Paul seeks to avoid by stating these principles. But Paul also says that this is a restatement of that which he had taught the Galatians on previous occasions. Its importance was such and the dangers were so grave that these warnings had to be repeated! Had the danger only been theoretical, perhaps the Holy Spirit would have not seen fit to restate these facts, but the danger was more than theory; some were going back into the sinful practices that always result when God's way is rejected!
The flesh's hall of infamy is actually a condensed picture of the history of mankind. If one takes a backward step and views in a panoramic fashion mankind's actions from creation, it is easy to see what Paul is talking about. Throughout the history of the Old Testament, the cycle is repeated over and over again - God specifies the way, man begins to walk in the way, and then man steps out of the way. Then the cycle begins again as God restates the way in calling for man's repentance. Truly, the works of the flesh are manifest; they are obvious for all to see.
The force of Paul's statements is this: If we walk in the flesh, we lose our inheritance!
Questions:
1. Where and how are the works of the flesh evident? How can mankind see these works?
2. What is the force of the phrase “practice” in the focus passage? Is it a one-time event?
3. Do you agree that there has been a pattern of sin throughout the Old Testament? Why or why not?
4. Do you agree that those who “walk after the flesh” will lose their inheritance? Why or why not?
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