Dear Galatians
Week five - Fruit is Better than Stew
Galatians 5:1, 13-26 and Genesis 25:29-34
Bottom line: We cultivate good fruit and live in the freedom Jesus gives us one Spirit-led choice at a time.
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
Free
Free
Freedom is NOT “do
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. —Galatians 5:13-25
In contrast to the acts of the flesh, Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit. There are obvious distinctions, but also a couple of subtle differences:
- Acts (plural) vs Fruit (singular)
- The acts of the flesh are impulsive and related to instant gratification, whereas the fruit of the Spirit is ongoing and cultivated over time.
The nine qualities in verses 22-23 are not things which, if we try hard enough, we could simply do without help, without the Spirit. The point of all of them is that when the Spirit is at work they will begin to happen; new motivations will appear. When these qualities appear, with all their quiet joy, all their rich contribution to the sort of community God intends and will eventually produce, they come like the fruit in an orchard, not like the baubles on a Christmas tree. They will truly be part of who we will have become. Equally, as Paul shows by putting ‘self-control’ at the end of the list, the way we become this kind of person is through Spirit-led hard moral choices. —NT Wright
Hard choices to love first when our instincts tell us otherwise.
“What does love require of me?”
Hard choices to not lose what we want
29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)
31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.
So Esau despised his birthright. —Genesis 25:29-34
True freedom is being bound to Christ.
We cultivate good fruit and live in the freedom Jesus gives us one Spirit-led choice at a time.
This isn’t legalism. It’s love…because Jesus already gave us his birthright.