Galatians 5:19-26
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
I write this on Good Friday, the day we remember the crucifixion of Christ. The crucifixion was a terrible thing, full of suffering and agony. My natural response is to want to avoid that, to escape to the "happy" parts of the Bible story. But in this passage Paul calls us to embrace the crucifixion. After listing the contrasting fruits of sin and Spirit, Paul says in verse 24: "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires". The flesh that must be crucified, or put to death, is the the part that indulges in sexual immorality as described in verses 19-21. So if I'm truly to be a Christian, if I'm ever going to be free from the compulsions and brokenness that I experience in my sexuality, then I must enter into the crucifixion with Christ. Crucifying our sinful nature is not a pleasant or easy thing. It requires going against our natural self-interest. But it is the only way to experience the fruits of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (verses 22-23).
Lord, I want to experience the fruit of the spirit rather than the works of the flesh. Help me to crucify my sinful nature.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
I write this on Good Friday, the day we remember the crucifixion of Christ. The crucifixion was a terrible thing, full of suffering and agony. My natural response is to want to avoid that, to escape to the "happy" parts of the Bible story. But in this passage Paul calls us to embrace the crucifixion. After listing the contrasting fruits of sin and Spirit, Paul says in verse 24: "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires". The flesh that must be crucified, or put to death, is the the part that indulges in sexual immorality as described in verses 19-21. So if I'm truly to be a Christian, if I'm ever going to be free from the compulsions and brokenness that I experience in my sexuality, then I must enter into the crucifixion with Christ. Crucifying our sinful nature is not a pleasant or easy thing. It requires going against our natural self-interest. But it is the only way to experience the fruits of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (verses 22-23).
Lord, I want to experience the fruit of the spirit rather than the works of the flesh. Help me to crucify my sinful nature.