Holy Spirit stained glass window, All Saints Catholic Church, St. Peters, MO, USA
…Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. Galatians 5:15–21
Paul, true to the tradition of his times, lists a catalog of vices and virtues as he argues for the Galatians to live fueled by the Spirit, not ruled by the flesh. The acts of the flesh that he lists in this week’s reading, and the fruit of the Spirit we read next week, would vary according to the group of Christians he’s addressing. The Galatians were split by infighting as they tried to determine who to follow – Paul or the so-called Judaizers, who wanted to impose their under-the-law practices, such as circumcision. Realizing this context helps us from making these lists an exhaustive catalog.
But the Bible speaks today, and with the context in mind, we can ask the Lord to show us where we are living by the flesh instead of the Spirit. Churches and households at odds with each other don’t bear the fruit of love.
The angry words that flew in a church I heard about left many hurt, outraged, and in pain. Those in lay leadership opposed the minister, and didn’t hold back in their public criticism, calling him deluded and other names. New to church leadership, he admitted that he could have approached the conflict differently. But yet the vicious words and attacks on his character left him reeling.
How can you support your church leaders? You might not agree with all of their decisions, but they need your love and encouragement. Perhaps you could write a note thanking them for something specific you’ve gained from their ministry. You could drop off a bag of food or goodies. If they have young children, you could offer to babysit so they can have a night off.
How will you be led by the Spirit today?
Prayer: Triune God, help me to put to death the acts of the flesh, that I might live led by your Spirit. Glorify your name through me I pray. Amen.
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:7–14)
In the text we’re reading this week, Paul doesn’t shy away from strong language. If it doesn’t put you off your cereal or sandwich, think through exactly what he’s saying in verse 12. Yes, this is no dry treatise, but rather a passionate missive to win the hearts and minds of a community of believers being led astray. Their fruit would wither on the vine as they embraced, step by step, a false gospel.
Paul yearns that the Galatians would live in the freedom that Christ earned for them. They are free from, and free to. Free from the law (but as we said last week, when living by the Spirit, we’ll yet live according to the law); free to love and serve.
Living in step with the Spirit means following the nudges we might sense from God throughout the day. Instead of walking past the acquaintance on the street, pretending we don’t glimpse them, we stop and chat. And hear of their tooth pain and family brokenness, and we pray for them, there and then at the street corner. That’s following the greatest commandment – loving our neighbor as ourselves – out of a loving obedience to God’s whispers. All the while being grateful that we can hear God and share his neverending love.
Other times it’s harder to love our neighbors as ourselves. Perhaps that neighbor is actually our husband, with whom we are annoyed for some earthy and mundane reason. When we put aside our frustration and repent of our harsh words, loudly spoken, we show love and humility. (And how did you guess, I’m writing about myself and my own struggles!)
How might loving your neighbor take shape for you today? Anticipate how God will work through you.
Prayer: Lord God, we confess that we often fail to love as you love. Help us overcome our selfishness as we reflect your attractive love. Amen.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1–6
When we think of the fruit of the Spirit, often we will think of this list as found in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Many a sermon has been preached outlining the fruit, and no doubt, fruit has been borne from those sermons. But we benefit from reading the text within its context. That is, from seeing Paul’s letters for what they are – other people’s mail. What can we learn about the group of Christians he’s addressing? Why is Paul so passionate?
This idea isn’t original to me; it’s been a theme of biblical commentators throughout the centuries. But one modern author has opened my eyes to reading Paul’s letters especially with the recipient in mind: Conrad Gempf in his How to Like Paul Again (Authentic, 2013). I may have edited the book, but when I picked it back up recently I was struck again by how much we gain by gathering knowledge about the Galatians (and Corinthians, Philemon and so on). Knowing the biblical context – learning about the people receiving Paul’s mail – can save us from making poor applications to our lives.
The Galatians had fallen prey to some false teachers who came after Paul. They were trying to convince the new church that Paul wasn’t authoritative, and that to be true worshippers – bearers of fruit – men should undergo circumcision. No, says Paul. You’ve been set free from the law; what matters now is “faith expressing itself through love.”
As New Testament Christians, do we put ourselves under the law? We need to train ourselves in righteousness – through the practice of spiritual disciplines, for example – but we should also experience the freedom and joy that Christ brings. When we live by the Spirit, I’m guessing we’ll abide by the law anyway – but with a different motivator. What do you think?
Prayer: Father God, you loved us so much that you gave your only Son to die for us. Help us to live in your freedom and joy this day. Amen.
I’ve had a bit of a break from posting devotional thoughts, but am delighted to share this one on the fruits of the Spirit. As it’s Lent, the season of preparing for Easter (why should you observe Lent?), it seems appropriate to focus on how God can bring forth fruit in our lives. Thank you for joining me!
When I lived in Virginia, the church I attended held their yearly retreat in the Shenandoah mountains each September. The weekend was always a special time of fun and growth in the Lord – we’d have a speaker who would teach and stretch us, but we’d also enjoy long walks, side-splitting entertainment, and deep conversations. But an abiding memory from those weekends was seeing and enjoying fruit of various kinds. As it was apple season, we’d feast on crunchy Virginia apples and enjoy apple cider. The spiritual fruits we’d glimpse would also enrich us – the love between friends and family, the serving of others, the joy and goodness in evidence.
During this several-month series, we’ll be looking at the fruit of the Spirit according to the letters of the apostle Paul. I hope as you read Paul’s letters, you’ll sense his love and concern for each of the churches he’s addressing. Try to imagine those to whom he’s writing, each facing different situations and challenges. I’ve roughly ordered the readings according to when he wrote the letters (though probably we should have started with Galatians, but 1 Corinthians 13, the ‘love’ chapter, is a wonderful place to start).
The fruit of the Spirit as appearing in Galatians 5 is what we usually think of when we hear the term. But Paul wasn’t making it an authoritative list of what is birthed in and through us as we live as the new creations in Christ. The naming of vices and virtues, as we will see, was then a common practice. So we should bear that in mind, not making the Galatians passage the cast-iron nine-fold list of the fruit of the Spirit.
Anyway, it’s clear from Paul’s writing that love is the main and most prized fruit, which binds the others together. Love is what motivates Paul when he writes to the new Christians, whether from chains in jail or from his travels among the churches. Love is the reason God created us, and sent his Son to redeem us. Love is what fills and overflows from us as the Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be God’s light in a darkened land.
May we love as we are loved.
By Rob Hille (own work) [CC0]
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs… It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13
This chapter in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is probably one of the most famous in the Bible, alongside Psalm 23. It’s read at weddings (yes, I read it once) and arranged decoratively and hung on a wall. But Paul addressed it to the Corinthian church, not to lovestruck couples. If we look at the two chapters on either side of chapter 13, we see his concern about how they are conducting themselves in worship, and specifically in regard to spiritual gifts. The most important thing is love – not being the star prophet or interpreter of a word of knowledge.
As Paul says, the greatest of faith, hope, and love is love. And that’s what will remain. It’s also the best and most powerful fruit we can grow. I find that the longer I travel the Christian walk, the more love I receive and the more love I am able to give out. A few years ago, this came home to me during the final session of a retreat I was leading in Spain. As I looked across the room at the diverse group of women, I was struck by the charism of love I had for each one of them. I was no longer a scared, unemotional, closed person, but one who loved and was loved. Each day as I don my new clothes of the new creation, God does his work of regeneration, changing me from the inside out.
How do you receive and share love? Who are the difficult ones in your life to whom you find it hard to extend love? (The relative, the friend who betrayed you, your neighbor?) As you read through this familiar chapter again, ask God to show you one person to whom you can show the love that always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres.
To consider: ‘No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in union with us, and his love is made perfect in us’ (1 John 4:12).
