The Flesh Versus The Spirit

“THE FLESH VERSUS THE SPIRIT”

Galatians 5.16-26

This evening we shall endeavor to gain wisdom. Wisdom is the proper use of truth to solve the difficult problems of life simply. It knows a simple way to solve a complicated problem. Turn to the book of Proverbs to look at two patterns used in the Word of God to teach wisdom: comparison and contrast.

Let’s examine a passage that teaches wisdom by making a comparison. Proverbs 19.13 reads,

“A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.”

Here we are shown that a stupid kid and a wife who will not quietly allow her husband to lead both causes a guy real headaches. That’s an example of wisdom that is taught by comparing things.

Now let’s look at wisdom taught by contrast. Proverbs 14.23 reads,

“In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury,”

or poverty. Here we have two kinds of men contrasted. One kind of man works and prospers while the other kind of man always shoots off his mouth about big deals, and continually stays poor.

Those are just two samples of how God teaches wisdom. Sometimes He compares things that are comparable, and sometimes He seeks to draw stark contrast between things or results that are diametrically opposed.

In our text for today, Galatians 5.16-26, Paul seeks to impart wisdom by contrast. Contrast is when you take two things or two ideas and show how different they are, show their dissimilitude, show that the two things you are dealing with don’t have anything to do with each other. That’s what the Apostle Paul is doing with the flesh and the Spirit in this passage. He is showing that, in a person’s life, flesh, on the one hand, and the Holy Spirit of God, on the other hand, don’t have anything to do with each other. Get that into your thinking, and you will be wise:

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

In these eleven verses, we see the contrariness of the flesh, and the Spirit first stated, then explained, and illustrated, and finally applied.

IN VERSE 16 THE CONTRARINESS OF THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT ARE STATED

In the first half of the verse, we see Paul’s apostolic command:

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit.”

The word “walk” means to move around, to live your life. Paul is simply directing his readers to live their lives in the Spirit, to be continuously under the control of the Holy Spirit of God. Is that asking a great deal? I don’t think so. Remember, Romans 8.9 says that a Christian is in the Spirit, not in the flesh. What Paul is demanding is for Christians to be consistent. “You say you are a Christian, indwelt and led by the Spirit of God? Then live your life like it.”

In the second half of the verse, we have Paul’s concern:

“Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”

Human beings live on two planes. Christians live life on the plane of the Spirit of God, far above the plane of flesh on which lost men live their lives. If you and I will live consistently, as Christians, we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. Do you realize what this means? It means if you will obey the command of Paul to function in your life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God you will not, you cannot, consistently do what your flesh wants you to do. The two parts of this verse form a statement that is so direct as to declare that the Christian will either do what the Holy Spirit wants him to do, or he will do what his flesh wants him to do. And these two wants, these two desires, are mutually exclusive! Folks, that’s contrary.

IN VERSES 17 & 18 THE CONTRARINESS OF THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT IS EXPLAINED

As to desires, Paul writes,

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.”

Let’s examine three words: “Spirit” is the Holy Spirit of God. “Flesh” is very simply the material part of man. But it’s not such a simple concept that we can say “flesh” is just your body. “Flesh” includes your brain and your mind and your emotions. It is that part of you that is unaffected, during this life, or unaffectable, by your salvation. Finally, the word “lusteth.” Usually, though not always, this word has a bad, sexual connotation in the Bible. But this connotation is usually related to the context in which the word is used. The word means a powerful, not always evil, desire.

Paul, matter-of-factly, informs us that the strong and powerful desires of the flesh will always be diametrically opposed to the strong and powerful desires of the Holy Spirit, and visa versa. There are many people who don’t like the idea of the flesh always being in opposition to the Spirit. Why? Many desires are contrary to God’s will. But that’s what Paul writes. The key for the Christian is to conform to the Holy Spirit’s strong desires, not rewrite our theology to make the strong desires of the flesh seem to be acceptable. That, you see, is what the Charismatic and Pentecostal communities have done.

As to directions, Paul continues,

“and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

Not only are the desires of the flesh and the Holy Spirit diametrically opposed, but the directions they seek to influence the Christian to go are opposed, as well. This means that you can’t do what you want to do. Either you are doing what the Holy Spirit wants you to do, at any moment in time, or you are doing what the flesh wants you to do. Have you ever thought of that concept? Wow! Life could get to be complicated, deciding whose will do to each time you did something. Kind of makes you want to develop godly habits so you won’t always have to be confused by deciding all the time. Amen?

As to dependence, Paul concludes his explanation with

“But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the Law.”

Before the cross, God’s people depended on the direction of the Mosaic Law to direct their lives. But Church Age Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. We are not under the Law. What do we do for our guidance and leadership? We depend on the Holy Spirit by use of the Word of God. When you follow the guidance and instruction of God’s Word you depend on the Spirit of God. You see, He wrote it.

IN VERSES 19-23 THE CONTRARINESS OF THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT IS ILLUSTRATED

In verses 19-21, we see the works of the flesh:

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,0

Though we do not have the time to deal with each item in Paul’s list, notice two things: First, notice that there is evidence. Paul indicates that the works of the flesh are manifest. That means they can be seen. You don’t have to be judgmental to tell who’s spiritual and who isn’t. In a little bit, that person will tell you all by himself. He or she will broadcast it by his or her behavior. As well, when the Christian has capitulated to the flesh, there is evidence. Second, notice that there is an estate. People who “do” such things will not be in the kingdom. The word “do” refers to continuous habits of life. Christians can and do allow the flesh to have its way from time to time. But the person whose life is dominated by behavior that is not caused by the Spirit of God does not have the Spirit of God. He’s unsaved. How do I know? Because Christians are already in the kingdom of God. It’s not something they will inherit. You see, salvation is the present possession of every child of God. So Paul has to be referring to lost people here, not backslidden Christians.

In verses 22 and 23, Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit of God:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Do you see the dramatic difference between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit? One is the list of what a person does when his life is not dominated by the Holy Spirit, meaning he is lost, while the other is a list of what a person is when the Holy Spirit controls. One has a life’s behavior that is characterized by selfishness and evil. The other’s personality is saturated with virtue. How opposite these two are. Amazing that there are times when even Christians decide for the flesh and resist the Spirit of God, that even we choose to live with the guilt that comes from sin and shun the very best that God has to offer. The choice is so illogical and foolish that it leads you to think that perhaps the man who makes the wrong choice the great majority of the time isn’t choosing at all. He or she is that way because he is exercising the only option he has. You can’t yield to a Holy Spirit inside you Who isn’t inside you. Amen?

Finally, IN VERSES 24-26 THE CONTRARINESS OF THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT IS APPLIED

First, this contrariness is applied to the Christian’s past:

“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

There’s a note of finality here that is not often expressed by Bible teachers today. The fact of the matter, friend, is that when you trusted Christ you nailed that old man to the cross. Whether you fully realized it at the time or not is irrelevant. Part of the terms of your salvation included the Lordship of Jesus Christ and complete and total submission to His emissary in your life ... the Holy Spirit. That means that, rightly, because you are a child of God, the decision between the flesh and the Spirit should have already been made in your life. So, to avoid gross hypocrisy, you ought to be committed to yielding to the Holy Spirit. To avoid gross inconsistency in your life, you ought to follow through in your commitment to yield to Him.

Then, this contrariness is applied to the Christian’s profession:

“If we live in the Spirit.”

You say you are a Christian. Amen? Amen? When you say you are a Christian, you are also indicating that the Holy Spirit indwells you and that you live “in the Spirit,” which is to say, in the Holy Spirit’s sphere of influence.

Then, this contrariness is applied to the Christian’s present:

“let us also walk in the Spirit.”

If your past is right, if you did crucify the flesh and the affections and lusts of the flesh, and if you really are in the Spirit, then your present life will reflect it. How will your life reflect these things? You will walk in the Spirit. Though not sinless, you will generally live your life in such a way that it agrees with both your own words and with what the Bible says should be there.

Lastly, this contrariness is applied to the Christian’s problem:

“Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Do you see what these three things add up to? They add up to pride, selfishness, the self-centered life. The choices we make reflect the differences between the two kinds of lifestyles. Either you live a Spirit-dominated lifestyle or a flesh-dominated one. The Spirit of God, obviously, focuses and concentrates on glorifying Christ. So, if your life is Spirit-dominated your life will also be Christ-centered. But if it’s flesh-dominated it will be self-centered.

There are only two options open to you. There are only two gods available in your universe. Either the Lord, He is God, or you are god in your own life. Either Christ rules through His Spirit or your flesh rules.

Make no mistake about it; these two will never agree. It’s all a matter of principle with God. He will not compromise Himself to gain control of that which is already rightly His, which is you and me. And if you retain even the slightest control of your own life, then you live a life which is not Spirit-dominated or Spirit-led. When you reserve the right to decide what you will do or how you will be, then you are a god in your own life.

Do you have the personality that is described in verses 22 and 23?

- It isn’t love unless it hates sin.

- It isn’t joy unless it glories in trials.

- It isn’t peace if there’s worry over money troubles.

- It isn’t longsuffering if you become frustrated and lose your temper.

- It isn’t gentleness if you are rough and abusive.

- It isn’t goodness if you judge the motives of other people.

- It isn’t faith if you doubt God’s control of the situation.

- It isn’t meekness if there is pride or weakness.

- And it isn’t temperance if it doesn’t result in self-control.

Should you try and cultivate these things? Oh, I suppose you can. But these traits are not so much cultivated characteristics in a Christian’s personality. They are the byproducts, the normal and expected consequences, of the unencumbered presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. And how opposite they are from the works of the flesh. But that’s to be expected. You see, the flesh and the Spirit of God have nothing in the world to do with each other.

When the works of the flesh are seen in your life or mine, all the world can know that the Spirit of God is not, at that moment in time, in control.

If the works of the flesh are all the world ever sees, then know that you are lost.

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Calvary Road Baptist Church

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