Tuesday, October 13, 2015

The Works of The Flesh Are Evident

Gal 5:19-21 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.

  • adultery: extra-marital intimacy and/or sexual relations
  • fornication: sexual relations outside of wedlock
  • uncleanness: unholy; impure; unrighteousness; unfit; defilement
  • lewdness: preoccupation with sex and sexual desire; lustful and wicked thoughts
  • idolatry: worship of created things as opposed to the Creator Himself
  • sorcery: magic; divination; occult practices; fortune telling; witchcraft; paganistic practices
  • hatred: strong dislike, disregard, or even indifference toward someone or something which is seated in a person's emotions or will
  • relative hatred: lesser love or disregard for Rom. 9:13 As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated."
  • absolute hatred: enmity; the opposite of love; ill-will; deep-seated unfriendly feelings Gen. 37:4 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
  • contentions: the act or instance of striving in controversy or debate; struggle between opponents disputing in an argument Acts 15:39-40 The contention became so sharp between Paul and Barnabas that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; and Paul took Silas and and went through Syria.
  • jealousies: envy; suspicion; distrust; spite; resentment Prov. 27:4 Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, but who is able to stand before jealousy?
  • outbursts of wrath: passion, hot explosive anger, anger forthwith boiling up and soon subsiding again. Those who allow their anger to show itself in this fashion explode and then calm down. Unfortunately they usually leave very hurt people in their wake.
  • selfish ambitions: seeking of followers and adherents by means of gifts; self-seeking; places self-interest ahead of what the Lord declares is right, or what is good for others. Phil. 1:15-16 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: the former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains.
  • dissensions: discord or strife that arises from a difference of opinion. Acts 23:7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.
  • heresies: false doctrine, or teaching which denies one of the foundational beliefs of the church, such as the Lordship or deity of Jesus.
  • envy: jealousy over the blessings and achievements and advancements of others. Envy, when allowed to fester genders strife. King Saul was jealous of David when the women sang, "Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands." Whatever Saul sent David to do, he did it so successfully that it made Saul hate him even more.
  • murders: unlawful killing. Murder begins in the heart when anger and hatred is harbored against a brother or sister. So murder is a result of one's thoughts and meditations and proceeds out of the heart.
  • drunkenness: a drugged or deranged state which results from drinking intoxicating beverages Isa. 28:7-8 But they also have erred through wine, and through intoxicating drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, they are swallowed up by wine, they are out of the way through intoxicating drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filth; no place is clean. Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.
  • revelries: boisterous merrymaking or wild noisy partying
There is NO sin that cannot be forgiven under the grace of God except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit*. When the apostle stated that those who "practice" such behavior will not inherit the kingdom of God, he could not possibly have spoken of Spirit filled believers who are led by the Holy Spirit and are not under the law and are not fulfilling the lust of the flesh.

Those who "practice" such things are those who have not become partakers of the Holy Spirit and don't know Christ on an intimate level.
 
We have thrown off that old sinful nature in which we used to "practice" such fleshly things and have taken on a new nature, created to be like Christ - truly righteous and holy. As we mature in Christ our new nature grows more and more and our identity in Christ if manifested in full.

Phil 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

1 John 5:13, 18 (13) These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (18) We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

*Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit... the following link goes to a very good teaching on The Unforgivable Sin. Take a listen.
The Unforgivable Sin by Dr. Michael Youssef