Nakala

You probably know a number of people rather casually—you walk by them at school or you work down the hallway from them, or you see them in passing at the grocery store or at church. How would you describe those people to someone else? You would probably describe them by their physical features or ethnicity.

How would you describe a dear friend to someone else? You would not describe your friend simply by physical features but by his or her personality and character traits. The truth is, it is not physical features or ethnicity that truly defines a person.

As we sail back into Galatians 5, the apostle Paul begins describing Christians. And he focuses on character and the actions that flow from it. First, Paul says the believer is “led by the Spirit.” Actually, he writes in verse 18, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” The word for “if” here in the original language can be translated “since.” “Since you are being led by the Spirit,” you’re now freed from slavery to the law and are under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

And what is that going to look like in your life? Well, Christians will avoid “the works of the flesh,” which Paul lists here in verse 19. And Paul is going to get pretty specific in naming these works, or desires, of the flesh. In fact, he gives us a list of fifteen of them.

The first three, mentioned here in verse 19, are forbidden sexual matters: “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality.” “Immorality” translates the Greek word porneia, which gives us our word pornography. It is a general term for illicit sexual involvement. The next word, translated “impurity,” includes immoral thoughts or fantasies; and then the word for “sensuality” refers to a lack of restraint in sexual matters. These forbidden sexual matters are not the lifestyle of the Christian.

Then in verse 20, Paul lists forbidden religious matters. He forbids “idolatry” and “sorcery.” Idolatry is worshiping anything other than God. Today many people effectively worship nature and the universe, giving them creative power that creates life and directs life. These people are hoping the universe will “answer them” or that the stars will “align” for them. That is idolatry.

The Greek word for “sorcery” is pharmakeia, which literally refers to the use of drugs. We get our word pharmacy—the drugstore—from it. However, this Greek word was also used in Paul’s day to refer to magical powers.

The next group of sinful works are forbidden relational matters. Paul adds to his list of sins with the word “enmity,” which is hatred; and that is going to lead to the next word, which is “strife.” Solomon writes, “Hatred stirs up strife” (Proverbs 10:12); strife is disunity or discord. The next word is “jealousy,” and this refers to a selfish desire for personal promotion. Then Paul mentions “fits of anger,” which might very well be the result of some selfish person not getting his promotion—his own way—and thus this sudden outburst of anger. Somebody might say, “I have an explosive temper, but the explosion is over in a few seconds.” Well, so is a nuclear bomb, beloved; let us not try to justify a fit of anger.

The next three words in this list here in verse 20—“rivalries, dissensions, divisions”—have an obvious connection. These interpersonal sins literally destroy relationships. Selfish competition and conflict and division can tear a church or a family apart.

Next, Paul adds the word “envy” in verse 21. This word refers to someone becoming displeased that someone else has something he or she wants.

Paul then wraps up this list by noting two sinful acts here in verse 21: “drunkenness” and “orgies.” They are paired together because they typically go hand in hand.

Now this list of forbidden sins is not exhaustive, but it gives us a pretty good picture of sin. All this was going on in the first century, and it has not slowed down to this very day. In fact, today, the average person will not blush at any of it—from sexual sin to disunity and strife. Instead, people excuse it, saying, “Well, that is just the way we are.”

Here is what God’s Word has to say about it in verse 21: “Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Now, that is a pretty shocking statement: They are not going to heaven—period.

This doesn’t mean that those who do such things are beyond the hope of salvation. What Paul means is that those whose lives are characterized by these sins are simply giving evidence that they are not believers. Beloved, Christians can sin just as badly as anybody else, but here is the difference: an unbeliever cannot wait to do it all over again, whereas a Christian is ashamed he sinned all over again. Unbelievers live by this list of sinful deeds, but a believer wants to live by another list of deeds.

And Paul gives that list to us in verses 22-23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” This “fruit” is the work of the Holy Spirit, and because the Spirit indwells every Christian, these are the character traits we are pursuing as believers.  

Now notice something here: This is not a list of the fruits of the Spirit. The singular form is used here in the Greek language—this is the fruit of the Spirit. These qualities are unified—they are one fruit consisting of nine elements, like one cluster with nine grapes.

And that is important because you do not decide to work on mastering kindness and then you eventually move on to work on patience. No, these all work together at the same time as the Spirit of God develops Christlike character in you.

The first grape in the cluster is love (agapē). This kind of love seeks what is best for others, whether they respond or not. “Joy” does not describe outward happiness but rather inward contentment that is unrelated to the circumstances of life. I have witnessed joy from people who were suffering greatly—they definitely demonstrated the fruit of surrender to the Spirit of God.

Then Paul adds “peace,” which is an inward calmness. One author said this word describes someone who is confident that “God is too good to be unkind and to wise to make a mistake.”[1]

Next in this cluster of fruit is “patience.” This word refers to bearing up under trials.

Next is the word “kindness,” which refers to being gracious toward others, especially unbelievers. The Lord Jesus modeled this often in His earthly ministry. Next in the cluster is “goodness,” which emphasizes a spirit of generosity toward others.

Paul mentions the quality of “faithfulness” next. This word relates to someone being convinced that God is the creator and controller of life, and that conviction leads to perseverance.

Then in verse 23, Paul adds the characteristic of “gentleness.” Your translation might render it “meekness.” This word combines the idea of strength with gentleness. It was used in Paul’s day to describe wild animals that had been tamed.[2] They were still powerful, but they were now under control. So, being gentle does not mean you are weak. Jesus was described as being gentle (Matthew 11:29; 2 Corinthians 10:1), but He was supremely powerful. Yet His power was always under control.

Paul concludes the list with “self-control.” This word refers to self-discipline in life.

So, how would people who know you best describe you? What list would they say you are most interested in pursuing—the list of forbidden sins, or this list of the fruit of the Spirit of God? Let us make the answer to that question obvious to them. Let us walk in the Spirit.

Until we set sail again, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.