He
dedicates a few chapters to explain why it is so important to live by The
Spirit who they received through baptism into Christ, and how their faith
should not rely on their fleshly deeds governed by the Law, but rather, on the faithful
works done through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their lives to ensure justification
from their sins. (Romans 8:1-3)
After
addressing the need for the church to turn away from practicing the Law that
was temporarily put in place and had been fulfilled in Christ (Matthew 5:17),
Paul goes on to focus on how they should be living by the Spirit who is
working in them to bring them redemption. “Through His Spirit “You are sons
[daughters], co-heirs with Christ, sharing in His inheritance; the Kingdom
of Heaven.” (Galatians 4:6-7)
St
Paul continues to teach the Galatians that just as easily as they can inherit
the Kingdom of Heaven, they can also wilfully forfeit their inheritance. He
warns the Church and us, that ‘those who live by the flesh (not the Spirit) and
gratify its desires will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.' (Galatians
5:21).
Today,
Christians are bombarded with fleshly temptations that stir up desires within
and battle against the Spirit. These are just as common today, if not, more so as they were in
the time of the first generation Church in Galatia. St. Paul highlights the
detrimental works of the flesh that we fall into when we are not
living by The Spirit or when we are ignoring His conviction: Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery (witchcraft), hatred,
contentions, jealousy, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions,
heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like. (Galatians5:19-21).
But
for those who are seeking forgiveness and redemption and want to inherit the
Kingdom of Heaven which Christ opened the doors to through His blood; you are
to live in the Spirit. “I say then; Walk in the Spirit, and
you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh… (Galatians 5:16-17).
When
we are called to live in the Spirit, it is not by force or by robotic
obligation that we live our life by the fruit and characteristics of Him (as some may believe), but it is by our own free will and faith that we should
feel obliged to choose to live in this Godly way (Romans 8:12-13) out of our
love for God and through the conviction that the Holy Spirit gives us if we start to wander off the path.
Aphrahat draws a great illustration on the
importance of living in the Spirit; “The blessed Apostle also
thus said, “You are the temple of God, then the spirit of Christ dwells in you”
(1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16). Again our Lord also said to his disciples as
follows, “You are in me and I am in you” (Jn. 14:20).
When the
house becomes a dwelling place, then the man begins to take care of what is
needed to the one who dwells in the building. For example, if a king or a man
held in honour, who is called by the title of king, should dwell in the house,
then, all the royal provisions and all the services are required for the king,
which are necessary for the honour of the king. For, the king will neither stay
nor he dwell in a house, which is devoid of any good things; rather complete
decoration of the house is needed for the king, with nothing wanting in it. If
anything is lacking there in the house where the king dwells, the housekeeper
is handed over to death because he has not provided the service for the king.
So also the man who becomes a house and a dwelling place for Christ should see
to what is fitting for the service of Christ who dwells in him and with what
things he will please him.”
(Aphrahat Demonstration I on Faith)
St.
Paul identifies the characteristics or fruit which the Spirit yields in our
life to all who live by and take heed of His guidance. These virtues are all
bound by the one commandment of love. For all the law is fulfilled in
one word, even this; “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Galatians
5:14)
Thus,
the fruits of the Spirit are:
Love – Four simple letters, but
an all-encompassing, powerful word. In this world, this is the most challenging
virtue to practice consistently. When we make our love for God the number one
priority in our life, love for others in any circumstance and situation flows
over. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in
him. (1 John 4:16).
Joy – Is associated not
with happiness, which is temporal, but with contentment. Living in the Spirit
brings us contentment in life whatever the circumstances. Just as St. Paul
mentions in Philippians 4:11, that though he struggles and suffers he finds
contentment in Christ. He exhorts the Church to stand fast in the Lord and
“rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)
Peace – In the Lord, we are
called to live at peace with one another. Let the peace of Christ rule in your
hearts (Colossians 3:15)
Long-suffering
(Patience)
– Just as the Lord is patient with us, we must also show patience to others and
ourselves. “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like
minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 15:5)
Kindness – Is hardest to show
when you are struggling with selfishness and un-forgiveness. “Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
Goodness – This word / virtue is
of no surprise when it comes to living a Godly life in the Spirit. Just as God
contrasts evil, good contrasts bad and light contrasts the dark. Goodness comes
from God and we are to imitate His goodness by the help of His Spirit. For
you were once darkness, but now you are children of the light. (For the fruit
of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) Ephesians 5:8-9
Faithfulness: to God and others. The
Israelites were seen as an adulterous nation as they loved other god’s before
their one and only God. So we too as the Church, the bride of Christ, must make
Him number one in our lives and remain faithful to Him by remaining in Him,
through partaking in His Holy Body and Blood, Absolution in Church, reading His
Word and praying to Him. In so doing, His Spirit teaches us how to be faithful
to God and those around us (Ephesians 5:32-33).
Gentleness: The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who
are in opposition. (2 Timothy 2:24-25)
Self-control – requires us to have
control over our bodies by: not being easily angered; He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he
who captures a city. (Proverbs 16:32), not getting drunk “do not be
drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”
(Ephesians 5:17), controlling our body including our tongue: For this very reason, make every effort to add to your
faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and
to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to
perseverance, godliness; and to
godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)
You
will notice that these virtuous fruits of the Spirit are similar to a chain. Each
virtue is linked to another. Once you practise one, it will be easier to
practise the others. And of course this chain is bound and held together by the
LOVE of Christ which flows through to us by the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in
the faith just like an unbreakable chain.
So, whenever
you hear that voice within you say "this is wrong, I shouldn't do it”, or
you feel guilt and remorse after you have done something that conforms to a
sinful way of living; God's Holy Spirit is working within to convict, guard and
guide us from our own wrong ways to live in accordance with His perfect and
righteous ways. It is then our choice to act repentantly on the conviction or
sinfully ignore it.
We
can once more conclude that God’s Spirit who dwells within us, leads and
guides us to continually perform good works in our lives that are necessary for
our salvation; to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (Galatians 6:8-10; Romans8:14-17).
This week’s song: Mercy Me – Here with me
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