In these verses (Galatians 5:19-21), Paul lists fifteen practices that are “works of the flesh.” Perhaps I have given myself too much credit, but I figure that I am guilty of only ten of these. In baseball, a batting average of .333 would be truly remarkable. For a Christian believer, it is also remarkable, but not for a good reason!
“Flesh” is not bad. In fact, John describes our Lord in this way: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us...” (John 1:14) When flesh is governed by the Spirit, it becomes an instrument for love. In fact, Paul reminds us that “the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:14).
But, when flesh (human beings) makes its decisions without the leadership of the Spirit, it becomes fruit of the flesh and not fruit of the Spirit. (Next week we shall encounter Paul’s list of the fruits of the Spirit.)
Translators have struggled to capture what Paul is attacking in Galatians 5:19. The New Revised Standard Version says “works of the flesh.” In the Common English Bible it reads “The actions that are produced by selfish motives.” The Twentieth Century New Testament has “The sins of our earthly nature.” “...kind of behavior that belongs to our lower nature” is how the New English Bible puts it. Clarence Jordan (The Cotton Patch Version of Paul’s Epistles) paraphrases it: “the results of being guided by the body.” The Living Bible calls it “natural evil desires.” Which of these is closest to your experience?
However it is said, these verses from Galatians depict a life in which decisions are made without attention to the guidance of the Spirit. Spirit-led decisions are marked by love. To be truthful, we may disagree on what love would be in a particular situation, but actions that erupt without regard to the Spirit’s values are sub-Christian. Paul gets rather specific about what these “works of the flesh” might be (Galatians 5:19-21). There are not many places to hide from that truth!
Paul told the Galatians that he was surprised at how quickly they had deserted the values of Jesus (Galatians 1:6). I wonder what he would say in a letter he wrote me.
What Someone Else Has Said: In A Higher Loyalty (Flatiron Books), James Comey commented: “Evil has an ordinary face. It laughs, it cried, it deflects, it rationalizes, it makes great pasta.”
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Search my heart, O God, and tell me what You find...”
