Fruit of the Sinful Nature

Galatians 5:19-21  Comparisons of NLT & NIV & NASM & NKJV

1. sexual immorality         sexual immorality           immorality                       adultery
2. impurity                        impurity                          impurity                          fornication
3. lustful pleasures            debauchery                     sensuality                        uncleanness & lewdness
4. idolatry                          idolatry                          idolatry                            idolatry
5. sorcery                          witchcraft                       sorcery                            sorcery
6. hostility                         hatred                             enmities                           hatred
7. quarreling                     discord                            strife                                contentions
8. jealousy                        jealousy                           jealousy                          jealousies
9. outbursts of anger         fits of rage                       outbursts of anger           outbursts of wrath
10. selfish ambition            selfish ambition                disputes                          selfish ambition
11. dissension                    dissensions                       dissensions                      dissensions
12. division                        factions                            factions                           heresies
13. envy                             envy                                 envying                          envy
14.  drunkenness                drunkenness                     drunkenness                   drunkeness
15. wild parties                  orgies                                carousing                       revelries
16. other sins like these      the like                             things like these              and the like

The Vital Divine Habit

Galatians 5:16   So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  17  The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

Wuest:  But I say, through the instrumentality of the Spirit habitually order your manner of life, and you will in no wise execute the passionate desire of the flesh,   17  for the flesh constantly has a strong desire to suppress the Spirit, and the Spirit constantly has a strong desire to suppress the flesh.  And these are entrenched in an attitude of mutual opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you desire to do.


I like how Wuest fills this out.

• We are to make it our habit of letting the Holy Spirit guide our lives.
• These desires of the sinful nature or flesh are passionate.
• the sinful nature needs suppression since the desires are so passionate.  What can suppress the sinful nature, only Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, not modern psychology, not our own will, not guilt or condemnation, not good intentions.
  

Don't Allow Sin to be King

Romans 8:12 relates well with Galatians 5

The words in verse 12, "let not sin reign," are in a construction in the Greek which forbids the continuation of an action already going on. The word "reign" is in the Greek "reign as king." The tense speaks of habitual action. "That you should obey" is literally, "with a view to habitually obeying." The word "lusts" is literally "cravings." "Therefore" does not go back to "sin" but to "body." . . . "Lusts therefore" refers to the cravings of the human body, which cravings come from the sinful nature. The translation reads, "Therefore, stop allowing sin to reign habitually as king in your mortal bodies, with a view to your habitually obeying the cravings of that body." God is never unreasonable in His demands upon His own. What He asks of us is always within our ability to fulfill as we appropriate the divine resources of grace. Since the power to sin is broken and the divine nature is implanted, we are well able to keep sin from reigning in our bodies

(Treasures from the Greek New Testament, pp. 96-98).

Don't be Immature in Using Your Freedom

But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.

At Robertson word pictures: "turn not your liberty into an occasion for the flesh" (eiv apormhn thi sarki), as a spring board for license.

The Old Identity

Galatians 5:13
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

Sinful nature is how NLT describes the greek word sarkos.  KJV uses "works of the flesh", Barclay uses "the lower side of human nature", Amplified has "doings (practices) of the flesh", Phillips "activities of the lower nature", and Wuest "actions of the evil nature".

Understanding our Identity

Galatians 5:13

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

We are called.  Our calling is the new identity we have in Christ.  In this new identity as a child of God, as a born again person, as a new creation, freedom is a characteristic trait.  We have been given freedom.  In our immaturity we can use that freedom to satisfy our sinful natures or use it in a mature way to serve one another in love.


And Identity is what identifies us with something.  Our new nature in Christ should identify us with God.  We are learning to walk in His nature, we are becoming like Him.

Three Phases

Galatians 3: 1-5

Paul give focus to one of the key characteristics of the true gospel here in Galatians 3.  Salvation happens through the empowering of the Holy Spirit as well as continued growth happens in the same way.

In 1 and 2 Paul clarifies that we recieve the Spirit initially because of belief in the message of the gospel and then in 3 and 4 he reinforces that this is how we continue to operate and grow.  And in 5 he goes on to talk about the power of the Spirit in working miracles happens because of this same belief in the gospel of Christ.

Faith is never created from human works, but in belief in Christ.

Empowered Initially and Continually by the Spirit

Galatians 3:2   Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 

Paul has confronted Peter and the Judaizers about following another gospel.  Here Paul is giving a characteristic of a false gospel as compared to the true gospel.  He points out to them that truly following the gospel is being empowered by the Holy Spirit which was given to them because they believed the message of Christ.  Walking with God is a continuing to walk in belief which gives the Holy Spirit control in our lives.  

Paul is using questions here to break down the false message and point the people back to the core message of the gospel.  The core message is belief in the testimony of Christ which results in life (Spirit guided life).

Affirmation from the Pillars

Galatians 2:9  In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews.


Paul uses this affirmation to solidify his case for apostolic authority.  These three who were at the top of the ladder when it came to influence of the New Testament church gave Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship.  This signified that they agreed with Paul and his call and what he and Barnabas were doing.  This affirmation identifies Paul as a partner with the three.

Paul on Level of the Big Three

Galatians 2:6 And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) 

These leaders with the big reputation were most likely the three apostles listed in vs. 9, James, Peter and John.  These men had nothing additional to add to what Paul had been shown by God.  By saying they had nothing to add, Paul puts himself on the same level as these men. This position validated Paul as an apostle himself. Paul got revelation straight from the horses mouth, Jesus, and did not need any help in understanding the gospel.

God Revealed it to Me

Galatians 2:2   I went there because God revealed to me that I should go....

Paul wants everyone to know that his trip to Jerusalem wasn't from his own planning or cunningness.  He was divinely instructed to go.  It was revealed to him by God to go.  This affirms Pauls mission wasn't from human initiation.  He is not working in conjunction with mens plans or even his own plans.  It also shows that his authority is a God given one.  It is the authority of divine revelation.  This reinforces Paul's point in 1:12 that the gospel Paul was given was through revelation.

It's Not an Argument from Reasoning

 ¹¹ Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. ¹² I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

It is important that Paul establishes where his version of the gospel comes from.  Paul lets all know the gospel he preaches is really not his version at all.  he didn't learn it from his own studies, he didn't learn it from those around him, he didn't learn it from the apostles themselves.  There was no human source, not others, not even himself.

The gospel he preaches came from direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

Paul talks about how he was zealous in following the Jewish religion, but something divine happened in his life.  Gods grace exploded upon him and God revealed his Son to Paul.

For three years Paul was in Arabia, away from the influential men of the faith.

Because it was 3 years later that Paul met with Peter the statements of 1:11,12 stand strong.

Pauls Authority

 This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. Gal. 1:1

Paul wasn't chosen by men.  There was no battery of tests.  There was no jury that voted for him.  Men can not find Gods man be testing him or voting on him.  This calling comes from God.  It may not even make sense to men. 

Why would God choose this Hebrew of Hebrews to go and be a witness to the Gentile world.  Wouldn't it make more sense to find a really knowledgeable Gentile and get him saved and sent to his people.

It is Gods calling and Gods authority that can sustain someone who is called.  A man or woman's best efforts won't sustain them in ministry.  There are obstacles, there are challenges that can not be overcome without God giving this person Divine authority to overcome them.

Paul could speak to the Galatians because he was sent by God.  He didn't have to rely on his own merits.

It is interesting to me that Paul doesn't start his letter with "Dear Galatians" but with Paul an apostle.  He comes out of the gate speaking about his authority.  Paul knows it is God who has sent him and is giving him authority.

Acts 9:15 tells us Gods initial word to Paul:  "But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

Pauls Apostleship

Acts 1:15 But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

Romans 1:1  This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.

Romans 11:13 I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, 

1 Cor 1:1  This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes.

1 Cor 15:9  For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.

2 Corinthians 12:12  When I was with you, I certainly gave you proof that I am an apostle. For I patiently did many signs and wonders and miracles among you.

1 Timothy 1:1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.

1 Timothy 2:7 And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth

2 Timothy 1:11 And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.

2 Timothy 2:1  This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus.

Titus 1:1  This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives.

Appointed by Christ not Men

 Gal 1:1  This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.

Paul is clearly stating where his authority to speak comes from.  He was appointed by Jesus.  He clarifies that his authority doesn't come from man.  So it doesn't come from prominent apostles like James and Peter.   His authority doesn't come through man.  In others words it isn't because some system called him a bishop or gave him an ordination.  Paul was appointed by the one who gives all true authority, Jesus Christ.

Paul sets out at the beginning to clarify his apostleship because it has been challenged by some.  Paul sets himself up to be on the same playing field as the twelve.

"the usual form of saluation is expanded by additions which answer to the occasion of the letter, and foreshadow its principal thoughts." 1

1 unknown commentary.