OUR FATHER WHO IS NOT MOCKED

In chapter 6 of his letter to the book of Galatians from verses 1 - 10, the Apostle Paul changes subjects. He had been talking about the need to walk in the spirit to avoid fulfilling the works of the flesh and now he adresses those who are successfully walking in the spirit on how to help those who are being influenced by the flesh.

He first advises them to gently take the responsibility for the care of their fellow believers but to be cautious lest because it makes them vulnerable to temptations.

He advises them not to think too highly of themselves because they could mis-value themselves but he tells them to examine their own work to make sure they are fulfilling the things they were called to do for each person has a set of functions that they are expected to fulfill as individuals.

For those receive insight into the ways of the spiritual walk from others, Paul advises them to share all good things like encouragement and support.

 1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load.

6 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Paul warns the Galatians not to be deceived into thinking that there is no consequential difference between walking in the flesh and walking in the spirit. If a man invests his time on the things of the flesh, he will reap corruption. If on the other hand he invests in the things of the spirit, he will reap eternal life.

His encouragement to them is not to stop doing what is good even when it looks like nothing is being gained by it especially good towards the faithful believers.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO IS PLEASED WHEN WE WALK IN THE SPIRIT

In the book of Galatians chapter 5 verses 16 - 26, the apostle Paul clearly makes the distinction between the works of the flesh and the works of the spirit.

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 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.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.                

Paul lists the works of the flesh and the works of the spirit

 Flesh                                                     Spirit

Adultery                                                 Love

Fornication                                           Peace

Uncleaness                                           Longsufering

Lewdnes                                               Kindness

Idolatry                                                  Goodness

Sorcery                                                  Faithfulness

Hatred                                                    Gentleness

Contentions                      

Jealousies    

Outbursts of wrath

Selfish Ambition

Dissensions

Heresies

Envy 

Murders

Drunkeness

Revelries

Conceit

Paul writes that the believers should walk in the spirit because doing so leads to conduct against which there is no law.

If we find ourselves bearing the fruit of the flesh as listed, we can be sure that we are walking in the flesh. In order to yield the fruit of the Spirit, we must live from our spirits.

In the book of Romans chapter 8 verses 5 - 7, Paul writes that a person whose is governed by the flesh will physically do the things of the flesh and yield sin and death while conversely, a person whose mind is governed by the Spirit will desire the things of God and yield life and peace.

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

With the understanding that the flesh is not the physical body but rather the spirit of a person that was corrupted by inheritance from Adam, we who born-again are encouraged to displace the influence of the flesh on our minds with the influence of our new spirita on our minds. 

This means that we must daily connect to our new spirit and perform the functions that nourish and strenthen our new spirits because when we centering our identities in our new spirits rather than letting ourselves operate in the flesh by default, we will find ourselves automatically doing the things that please God rather than being led into the things that our flesh wants to do.

Amen. 

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OUR FATHER WHO GIVES US LIBERTY

Galatians chapter 5 verses 7 - 15 captures the Apostle Paulˋs challenge to the believers in Galatia to cleave to the truth of the gospel of faith and not to heed the ones who were bringing in contrary doctrines of obligations to follow the law.

Paul told them that the law they were to follow was the law of love which was the ultimate aim of the Mosaic law anyway. 

He introduces the concept of the ˋoffence of the crossˋ to them to show them how following the truth will necessarily evoke persecution from those who are not following the Spirit. He points out to his readers that if he were preaching the law, he would not have incurred the persecution he was recieving.

7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.

11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. 12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!

13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

Paul urges the believers not to use their freedom as an opportunity to pursue the purposes of the flesh but rather, to use their freedom to love and serve one another.

He warns that in a culture that eschewed love and instead fostered conflict and exploitation would result in everyone being consumed.

Amen.

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 OUR FATHER WHO SETS US FREE

The Apostle Paul, in the book of Galatians chapter 5 verses 1 - 6 urges the believers in Galatia to be uncompromising in their dedication to the freedom that Jesus Christ had provided for them and to be diligent in avoiding being entrapped in the false pursuit of attaining righteousness by adhering to the law. 

 5 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. 

To make his case further, the apostle Paul warns the Galatians that trying to attain righteousness by following one part of the law obligates them to follow the entirety of the law.

Instead, he advises the Galatians to remain in the Spirit trusting that their righteousness would be fully attained by faith through love in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

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 OUR FATHER WHO SETS US FREE FROM THE LAW

In the fourth chapter in his letter to the Galatians from verses 21 - 31, the Apostle Paul further challenged the inclination of the Galatians to revert to following the law as a suppliment for righteousness.

Paul wrote that if they truly wanted to follow the law, that they should actually listen to what the law is saying and he brought up the two sons of Abraham as the metaphoric principle.

The first son, Ishamael, was born when Abraham and his wife Sarah tried to remedy their childlessness by their own plan and involved Sarahˋs servant Hagar.

The second son, Isaac, was born when Abraham believed Godˋs promise to him inspite of seemingly impossible odds. 

The first was born by the action of the flesh and the second was born by the action of the Spirit. 

The first represents Mount Sinai where the law was given and the second represents Jerusalem where the promise was given and where the promise of the sacrifice of promised Son of God was fulfilled. At present, Jerusalem is in captivity along with her children but the spiritual Jerusalem is free and it is the city that ensconces us or governs all who have faith in the promise.

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written:

“Rejoice, O barren,

You who do not bear!

Break forth and shout,

You who are not in labor!

For the desolate has many more children

Than she who has a husband.”

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

Paul summarizes his argument by saying that we, believers in Christ, are children of the promise just as Isaac was and just as Ismael harassed Isaac, the children of the bondwoman persecute the children of the promise. In the end, the son of the bond woman was cast out and  was not counted as an heir. 

Paul then finalizes his counsel to the Galatians by asserting that they were children of the free woman and not subject to the bondage of the law as was the son of the slave.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO KNEW US BEFORE WE WERE BORN

The fourth chapter of Apostle Paulˋs letter to the Galatians  from  verses 8 - 20 brings up the apprehension that Paul was feeling regarding the propensity the Galatians were showing for reverting to their idol worship.  Paulˋs concern was that all his wok to bring them to the knowledge of the one True God was going to add up to nothing when the Galatians returned to their tribal gods and tracking the calendar events that marked the dates on which their former religious practices occured.

 8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

12 Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. 13 You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. 14 And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15 What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

Paul urges his readers to follow his example by which he, inspite of a severe physical debilitation, he preached to them. He acknowledged that the Galatians had seen past the physical issues he was having and they recieved him as an angel of God and perhaps even as they would have if he were the Lord Jesus Himself.

They were so enthusiastic to supoprt him that they would have donated their own eyes if they could help him see better. 

Now that he was  rebuking them for their backsliding, he wondered if they were going to start considering him to be an enemy.

17 They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. 18 But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you.  19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, 20 I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.
 

The passage continues with a warning from Paul about the arrival of some people who were going to try to seduce them away from the truth and towards the weak and beggarly elements of alternate beliefs. 

In response to this development, Paul undertook to pray and labor for them so that they would mature to the point because he had lost confidence in them.

Amen.

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