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.
But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness,
self–control. Against
such there is no law.
And those who are
Christ’s have crucified the flesh
with its passions and
desires.
If we live in the
Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:19–25
Often when
we hear or read of something often what is said or printed loses its power;
they become just words. Worse, we often make excuses that contradict what is
said or written. I am afraid this is true of the opening Scripture; we know it
all too well but we don’t apply those written words in our lives. We can recite
those works of the flesh, and the works of the Spirit but we far too often miss
the important part of this Scripture: “If you are doing the works of the
flesh: those who practice such things will not inherit
the kingdom of God.” Did you get it? If you think that you are in some
favor of God due to any works that seem to be religious or pious and yet are
involved in such fleshly practices you are not in God’s favor and all you can
expect from Him is that you will not inherit the kingdom of God. That is
powerful! How many churches allow homosexuality, or abortion, or women as
pastor’s, and then give excuses by misapplying Scripture. They are bewitching
those in the congregation. How can anyone get around this Scripture? “For
this reason God gave them up to vile passions.
For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against
nature.” (Note that the appeal is not to Scripture per se, it is that this
lesbian lifestyle is against nature) “Likewise also the men, leaving the natural
use of the woman, burned in their lust (there it is in a nutshell: lust ad lust
is to have
“now” what a person desire whether it be right or wrong,
and lust leads to fleshly desires being imposed for man’s self and not God) for
one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in
themselves the penalty of their error which was due. (Read the first chapter of
Romans and tell me how anyone claiming to be Christian can allow these things
to exist in their church, to teach that it is ok, and that God will bless them,
and not see the hedonism?). Please tell me: how can a person who claims to
walk in the Spirit gamble, or get drunk, or fellowship with unbelievers above
what is required. How is it that a person claiming Jesus as Savior and then
commit murder, that is speaking first and foremost of abortion which in any
sense is murder, a taking of life? How is it that a Christ is so filled with
selfish desire that are selfish ambitions, and then to follow heresies because
they are too lazy to take the time to pray, to read God’s word? If you say you
live in the Spirit then live in the Spirit! How many of you are taking time to
teach your spouse, your children? Or, are you so busy taking them to some
practice, which in of itself is not bad unless it takes away from family time,
a time when the family comes together to read God’s word. Maybe it is because
you are reading a poor translation; i.e., the NIV, or ESV, etc. that leave out
important words when the variances are found to be abundant in other
manuscripts, such as the word “adultery” not found in the NIV that I checked,
but is in the New King James version that includes the word “adultery” because
the majority of manuscripts have the Greek word, “μοιχεία” in the Scripture
(Galatians 5:19), but then a person is unwilling to change to a better
translation. Why, they are comfortable with what they have and tacitly agree
with a poor translation that leads a person away from the truth. I would like
to include this song recorded by Ernest Tubb, and written by Willie Nelson:
“There’s a family Bible on the table. Its pages torn and
hard to read. But the family Bible on the table will ever be my key to
memories. At the end of day when work was over and when the evening meal was
done, dad would read to us from the family Bible and we’d count our many
blessings one by one. I can see us sitting round the table when from the family
Bible dad would read and I can hear my mother softly singing, Rock of Ages,
Rock of Ages cleft for me. This old would or ours is full of trouble but this
old world would also better be if we’d find more Bible on the tables, and
mothers singing Rock of Ages cleft for me. I can see us sitting round the
table, when from the family Bible dad would read, and I can here my mother softly
singing, Rock of Ages, Rock of Ages cleft for me.”
This song reminds me that I must walk in the Spirit, that my
words must be accompanied by action and I hope you are reminded that you too
must walk as you speak and put away the desires, those works of the flesh and
fall upon your knees before a Holy God who loved you so much that He came, yes
Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God, the very essence of God, God became man to pay
yours and my debt so that we could have the promises especially the promise
given to Abraham that all people who are called, enabled and have the Holy
Spirit, will be adopted as sons, become the Bride of Christ, and be
ambassadors, for God, and in time will live, not in this world full of trouble,
but will live eternally (Read Revelation 21:4) you will find great joy.
For this is the love of God,
That we
keep His
Commandments. And His
Commandments
are
Not burdensome.
1John 5:3
Praise God He called you!
Richard L. Crumb
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