Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days (audio)

We continue our study of the 9-fold fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, the character of Christ that the Holy Spirit is forming within us, as we are led by the Spirit and walk in the Spirit. The first 3 (love, joy, peace) are primarily to do with our relationship with God, the next 3 (long-suffering, kindness, goodness) describe out attitude toward others, and the final 3 (faithfulness, meekness, self-control) describe who we are in relationship to ourselves. Having studied the first 3 last time, we complete our study of the fruit of the Spirit by discussing "long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (meekness), and self-control." We describe these wonderful qualities, which together fulfil all the requirements of the Law of God, which is why Paul concludes by saying: "against such (fruit) there is no Law" (v23). We also explore the meaning of what Paul means by saying that believers have crucified the flesh (v24). God's verdict and judgment on our flesh is crucifixion, which has been accomplished in Christ. Believers accept and agree with God that our flesh cannot be improved or rehabilitated, and so is only deserving of death. Therefore, knowing that our flesh is sinful by nature and cannot contribute anything good, we have put all our trust instead in Christ for our righteousness and salvation, and in His Spirit of grace for our sanctification. Thus we have no confidence in our flesh for our salvation and life. Although we have submitted to God's revelation and nailed our flesh to the Cross with Christ (metaphorically), so that its death is inevitable; like a crucified criminal, it is still alive and wants to express itself. So, although we decisively repented from trusting in ourselves, when we trusted in Christ for our salvation, we must daily maintain this decisive attitude toward our flesh (Luke 9:23), seeing it as sinful, rightly crucified under God's judgment, and therefore refusing to pander to it, yield to it, and give it the right of expression in our lives. In conclusion, Galatians 5:16-25 says that in order to walk in the Spirit, be led by the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit, we must consistently choose to say: 'Yes' to the Holy Spirit, and 'No' to the flesh.

The Fruit of the Spirit is formed in us through the working of the life of Christ within us, through the Holy Spirit flowing out from our reborn spirit. This fruit of holiness is formed by the initiative and grace of God, but our co-operation is necessary. God works in us both (1) to will and (2) to work His good pleasure. He (1) forms the attitude of Christ in our soul, and then (2) empowers us to act accordingly, so that we bear fruit in our life. We must (1) receive His love into our heart, which changes our inner motivations, and then (2) release that love in our life, by yielding to it through loving words and acts (of obedience). In this way, by our obedience, we work out His salvation (saving life) into our soul and life, which God has already worked within our spirit (Philippians 2:12-13). God continually pours out His love into our hearts by His Holy Spirit, enabling us to love God and others (Romans 5:5), and when we yield to that love by obeying His command to walk in love, the fruit of love grows and is developed in our soul (John 15:9-10). In this way, although we are not constrained by an outward law, we are constrained by the love of Christ working within us, causing us to no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ, who loved us (2Corinthians 5:14). We make a special study of "love, joy and peace", describing the wonderful nature of these realities that only the Holy Spirit can produce in our us - see also Romans 14:17: "The Kingdom of God is righteousness (love) and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Love is rightly mentioned first, as love (agape) summarises the perfect moral nature of God, and is therefore the ultimate requirement and fulfilment of the Law. All the other 8 flavours can be seen as different aspects of love (see 1Corinthians 13:4-8,13).

After describing the ugly works of the flesh, Paul describes the beauty of the fruit of the Spirit - the beauty of holiness that the Holy Spirit in union with our reborn spirit will produce in our life. In contrast to the many works of our flesh, the Spirit in us produces one fruit with many segments or flavours (Paul lists 9 manifestations of this one fruit). Fruit only grows as a result of life. Thus the fruit of the Spirit is the result of the life of Christ working within us through His Holy Spirit. Our spirits were born again by the incorruptible seed of God's Word, so that they have been recreated with the love-nature of Christ (1Peter 1:22-25), and are in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit, who now pours the love of God into our hearts (Romans 5:5) We look at other Biblical passages that describe the fruit of the Spirit and how we can co-operate with God and bear much fruit, especially Jesus' foundational teaching in John 15:1-16. We can only bear fruit if we are in Christ (the Vine) and abide in Him (fellowship), (1) looking to Him as our Source of life and love and drawing upon the sap of His Spirit by faith, and (2) yielding to His Spirit of love within us, by obeying His commandment to love others. From the depths of our heart in prayer we can call upon the depths of God's grace to fill us with His fullness and He will (Psalm 42:6-8, Ephesians 3:14-21).

Paul lists the works of the flesh in v19-21 to reveal the true nature of the flesh, motivating us to refuse to yield to the flesh and express it in our lives, but rather be led by the Spirit. We note the 4 categories of these works: (1) sexual sins, (2) religious sins, (3) social sins, in the area of personal relationships, and (4) intemperance. We study the meanings of the Greek words used by Paul to describe the following works of the flesh: heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries. Paul indicates that this is by no means a complete list, and other manifestations of the flesh are described elsewhere in the Bible. It is helpful for us to understand the nature of the flesh, so that we recognise the voice the flesh when it speaks to us, or tries to express itself through us. When the flesh rises us we should turn to Christ and declare His Word, trusting in Him to give us the victory over the flesh. Paul adds a warning that: "those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God" (v21). We show that those who do not inherit the Kingdom are the same as those who are not in Christ, and who are not sons of God. This does not mean that believers who sin will necessarily lose their salvation. Rather it speaks of those who embrace and practise these sins as a lifestyle, expressing their true inner nature (of fallen flesh) in their life. Although born-again believers will on occasion yield to the flesh and sin, when they do so they are acting against their true inner nature of love in their reborn spirit, and are convicted by the Holy Spirit. As a result they do not embrace these sins of the flesh as their lifestyle, but rather they struggle against them. Thus a true believer cannot be happy or at peace while living in sin.

Paul encourages us to submit to the Spirit rather than the flesh, by contrasting the ugliness of the works of the flesh, with the beauty of the fruit of the Spirit. It helps us to see the true nature of the flesh, by what is evidently manifested when people yield to their flesh. When it says: "the works of the flesh are evident" (v19), it speaks of the flesh having its own nature, mind and desires. The nature of the flesh cannot be changed, and the flesh of a Christian is just like the flesh of the unsaved. The difference is that our spirit has been born again and we have the Holy Spirit within, who enables us to overcome our flesh. Even if we do not yield to the flesh in these various areas, the sins which Paul describes (v19-21) are still latent in our flesh. This motivates us to make no provision for the flesh, but rather put on Christ through the Holy Spirit (Romans 13:14). We study the meanings of the Greek words used by Paul to describe the following works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, and dissensions.

In raising Lazarus from the dead after 4 days in John 11, Jesus validated His claim to be (1) the Resurrection and (2) the Life, the One who will raise us from both (1) physical and (2) spiritual death, if we believe (trust) in Him.

Derek shares 3 true stories that paint vivid pictures of the wonderful salvation that God has provided for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and His death on the Cross.

The Mount Everest of Prophecy (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12). This majestic prophecy from 700 BC reveals the perfect saving work of the suffering Messiah in dying for our sins and rising again. We see how Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled this prophecy in all its details.

We discuss the nature of the flesh according to the Bible, and how it is implacably opposed to God and His work in us. Our flesh cannot please God and only deserves crucifixion. Therefore to please God, we must walk in the Spirit. There is a battle between our flesh and the Spirit, and both desire to gain control over our souls. In our born again spirit, we desire to do God's will, but the covetousness of the flesh pulls us in the opposite direction, to prevent us living the life that God desires of us. However, the Spirit is stronger than the flesh, and gives us automatic victory over our flesh, when we trust in Him, for if we will walk in the Spirit, and we shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. In our soul, we must choose to trust and obey the Spirit of grace within us, and then victory over sin will be automatic, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death (see Romans 8:1-9). Thus if we are led by the Spirit (living in submission to the leadership of the Spirit of grace), then sin will not have dominion over us. To be led by the Spirit and to live under law are 2 incompatible ways of living. therefore to enjoy the life and freedom of the Spirit, we must first be set free from the Law.

In Galatians, God's Magna Carta of Christian Liberty, Paul emphasised justification by faith first (chapters 1-4), because it is foundational, and puts us in position, where we can receive and walk in His sanctifying Spirit, who empowers us to overcome sin in the flesh (chapters 5-6). First, God sent His Son to set us free from the Law by His death on the Cross, and then on that basis, He sent His Spirit into our hearts to set us free from sin (see Romans 6:14). Christ has set us free from the Law's dominion, curse and condemnation. Having been justified by faith, we are now under grace and are at peace with God on the basis of the perfect righteousness and work of Christ. We have been set free from the Law, in order to enjoy a life of liberty under grace (v1,13). Therefore, we must not submit to a yoke of legalism - trying to get right with God on the basis of our works (v1-12), for while we remain under legalism, struggling in the flesh to fulfil God's Law, we cut ourselves off from the liberating Spirit of grace, and as a result sin will have dominion over us. We have been called by grace into a life of liberty from (1) the Law and (2) sin (the sin-nature in our flesh). He set us free from the Law, so that by His Spirit within us, we might live a life of freedom from sin. Therefore Paul says in v13 that we must not use our freedom from the Law as an excuse or basis to indulge our flesh, because that is just another form of bondage - slavery to sin. Christ did not come to give us freedom to sin, but freedom to not sin. God graciously set us free from the tyranny of the Law, so that we might be set free from self (the flesh), to serve others in love, and so fulfil God's law of love, through His Spirit of love within us. There are 2 ditches of bondage on either side of the road of freedom: legalism and license. Both involve bondage to different aspects of our fallen flesh.