15 minute read
Lesson One: Fruit vs. Flesh
Contents
Lesson One: Fruit vs. Flesh......................................................................................................... 1
Notes for Group Leaders
Throughout this guide you will see “Group Notes” in the margin featuring discussion questions or other suggestions if you are going through this study with a small group or Bible Study class.
Written by Dr. Jimmy Jeffcoat Editing/Layout/Design: Ken Roach ©2021 Frazer Church 6000 Atlanta Hwy. | Montgomery, AL 36117 334.272.8622 | www.frazer.church
Summary: In this lesson we are introduced to the concept of the Fruit of the Spirit, and how they relate to the overall life of the common Christian. We will contrast the Fruit of the Spirit with the Acts of the Flesh, and will see how Paul differentiates the Follower of Christ from the Unbeliever.
Lead-in Questions:
1. What characteristics would you use to describe the difference between a true follower of Christ and an unbeliever? 2. Would these characteristics be visible at all times, or simply show up from time to time? 3. How do we go about developing the Fruit of the
Spirit in our daily lives?
Introduction
Paul enumerates the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23: “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” Note that the verb used in this case is singular in number – Paul uses “is” instead of the plural “are.” The implied meaning is that the common, everyday Christian should manifest all of these fruits in their lives. Although each fruit is individual in nature, the follower of Christ is expected to display all of these fruits to some degree. Will we have all of them in equal proportion? Probably not. Some of us will perhaps be better at being generous than we are at being joyful, but that does not mean that we can’t be joyful as well. Some of us have tremendous self-control, whereas others of us wish that we had a little more of it. Nevertheless, we should hope that others can see evidence of all of these various fruits in our lives. How do we get this fruit? The simple answer is that we got them when we became a Christian. We were made Christians by the Holy Spirit when we gave our lives to Christ. In John chapter 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that we must have a “second birth” if we are going to be part of the Kingdom of God. This birth, he said, is of the Spirit. Pushed further, he tells Nicodemus that “whoever believes” in him will “not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) So, being born again evidently involves the Spirit doing something in us that gives us eternal life, and it happens when we have saving faith in Christ Jesus. Nevertheless, like our physical birth, being born of the Spirit is the beginning of the process, rather than the end point. Once I become a Christian, I will move through the various stages of spiritual life in much the same way that I move through my physical life. In fact, we can probably say that each of us will experience a spiritual childhood, a spiritual adolescence, and hopefully, a spiritual adulthood during our individual spiritual journeys.
Life In the Spirit
Our whole spiritual journey is one of living in the Spirit. Let’s look at some examples from Scripture that help bring home this point. Jesus indicated to Nicodemus that the process of being born again, or becoming a Christian, was the work of the Holy Spirit – we are born of the Spirit. Later, in Romans 8:16, we are told that it is the Holy Spirit who bears witness to us that we have become Christians. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses for Christ. Jesus told the apostles, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8) Paul tells us that the Spirit assists us in our prayer life. In Romans 8:26, we read: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” The Holy Spirit is constantly interceding on our behalf (i.e., praying for us): “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:27) The Spirit helps us learn the truths that Christ left to us through his followers. Jesus comforted his disciples before his arrest with the knowledge that the Holy Spirit would help them to recall the very words of Jesus. In his last address to them before he was arrested, he explained that the Spirit would be a teacher for them, giving them (and, by extension, us) insight into the words of Christ. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26) Paul notes that our means of conquering the desires of the flesh is the Spirit. “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:13) Most of us are familiar with the irritating way that we fail when we try to make ourselves be better. We make resolutions; we make covenants; we go on strictly planned routines, all for naught – we find ourselves breaking the very laws that we are trying so hard to keep. The sinful human condition affects our capacity for purity; so, we know what we ought to do, but we just can’t seem to do it.
GROUP NOTE
Discussion: Thinking about physical birth, what traits of the parents are immediately evident in their children at birth? What traits become evident only through a process of growth and maturity? How might both aspects apply to spiritual birth and the fruit of the Spirit?
2 | SUSTAIN We see Paul describing this dilemma at the end of Romans chapter seven. He, like us, wants to know how we can break these ungodly yearnings and habits. The Spirit, Paul tells us, is the answer to the how question. The Holy Spirit helps us put to death our fleshly desires and weaknesses, by putting them to the cross. Paul describes it this way: “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7) Then, in chapter 8, Paul tells us that the breaking of sin on a daily basis is the work of the Spirit. Our very bodies are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. When Paul was chastising the people in Corinth for the way that they continued to live sensual lives, he told them that the reason they should remain pure is that they are dwelling places for God’s Spirit. He writes: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” (I Corinthians 6:19-20) His point is that if our body is the place where the Spirit of God lives, then that Temple
GROUP NOTE ought to reflect the holiness of its inhabitant by the
Have someone purity of the believer’s physical life. read Galatians The Fruit of the Spirit reflect this interconnection we 5:16-21. Question: Do you see any correlation between the have with Christ through the Spirit, and though each of us may vary in which of the individual fruits we manifest more consistently, we all should show evidence of the works of the flesh presence of the Spirit within us by the fruit being visible and the fruit of to the community in which we live. the spirit? For example, are there particular Spiritual DNA works of the flesh that seem to Let’s look at this from another point of view. I carry within correspond with me the DNA of my family. To some degree that DNA an opposite fruit? is reflected most visibly in my physical body – what type of body I have; what type of hair I have; my eye color; the shape of my face, etc. We often say things about babies such as “she has her eyes,” or “he is a big baby like his daddy,” traits that come with us at birth. However, there are other intangible traits that come from our birth parents as well, such as athletic prowess, musical talent, or mathematical ability. We also pick up traits of our parents because we are with them more than any other people for a long period of time. As a result, sometimes we hold our head a certain way, or cough or walk a certain way, just because, without our knowing it, we have modeled ourselves after our parents. What does that have to do with this Fruit of the Spirit series? Each one of the Fruit of the Spirit is also demonstrated perfectly in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If we want to know what love looks like, we can look at our Triune God. If we want to know what gentleness should look like, then we simply need to observe the model that we find in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Do you get the picture? The Fruit of the Spirit listed by Paul can all be found in the highest level and form in our Savior, and because of that we should exhibit them in our own lives. The Spirit supplies the DNA of the Fruit within us, and they are amplified the more we spend time with Christ. Just like I take on many of the traits of my parents through both inheritance and example, in like manner, I take on the character of Jesus both through the inheritance of the Spirit and the effects of spending time in His presence.
Acts of the Flesh: The Opposite of Fruit
Now, having looked at the fruitful side of the equation, it might be helpful now to notice that Paul put out a second list in Galatians 5. This is the list of the Acts of the Flesh, the things that will automatically put us at odds with the Lord. We can learn much about the positive traits of the Fruit by contrasting them with the negative traits of the Flesh. When we list out these “acts of the flesh” we find that they seemed to be grouped into pairs or fours: • Idolatry & Witchcraft. • Hatred, Discord, Jealousy, and Fits of Rage.
• Selfish Ambition, Dissensions,
Factions, and Envy.
• Drunkenness & Orgies
It is possible that Paul simply wrote down things that came to him off the top of his head, but, considering the kind of logical mind that Paul had, it seems safer to assume that he brought out these characteristics in the order that they connected with each other.
1. Idolatry and Witchcraft
This first grouping of Acts of the Flesh links two practices which seek to replace worship and obedience to God with false substitutes—idolatry and witchcraft. Scripture frequently defines idolatry as choosing other gods over the true God. The first two of the Ten Commandments say that you shouldn’t have any other gods apart from the Lord, and that you are not to make a graven image or representation of God. (See Exodus 20:2-6) In addition to these external idols, internal attitudes can create the sin of idolatry. For example, when King Saul offered an illegal sacrifice because he was impatient, God calls it idolatry. Samuel explained to Saul, “For rebellion is no less a sin than divination, and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry.” (1 Samuel 15:23) How could idolatry be the same as stubbornness? To be stubborn is to want your way over that of someone else. To put your own will ahead of God’s will is to put yourself in the place of God. In other words, our decision to choose our own wants and desires over God’s is the same as making an idol of ourselves. So, idolatry can be interpreted as worshiping anything other than God, and can be expanded to mean anything that has precedence over God in our lives. How does witchcraft connect to this concept? In the
Scriptures there are several words associated with witchcraft, including necromancers, mediums, and sorcerers, and their practices are seen as magic arts, divination, telling fortunes, interpreting omens, and inquiring of the dead. In the New Testament, we see several individuals who are said to be possessed by evil spirits, who have the gift of divination or predicting events. In Jeremiah 27:9, God links together false prophets, diviners, dreamers, fortune-tellers, and sorcerers. In Exodus, when Moses faces the Pharaoh, his opponents are called magicians or diviners. In Isaiah, God chastises the people for their practices relating to witchcraft: “Now if people say to you, ‘Consult the ghosts and the familiar spirits that chirp and mutter; should not a people consult their gods, the dead on behalf of the living, for teaching and for instruction?’ Surely, those who speak like this will have no dawn!” (Isaiah 8:19-20) The point here is that witchcraft, like idolatry, is putting one’s trust in forces opposed to God, and reflects a trust in false gods rather than the true God. People go to these diviners mentioned in the scriptures because they want to know the future to control it. They want to make choices based on secret knowledge, apart from God’s will. Witchcraft uses incantations, amulets, and other things to control the forces of the spirit world. This was the essence of the ancient religions; it was all about control. They believed that if they said the right words, gave the right amount of money, or made the right sacrifice, the god had to fulfill their request. In other words, humans could control the gods to get what they wanted. This isn’t far from the beliefs of our present-day culture, is it? Often when God does not seem to do what we wanted him to do, we say things like, “It isn’t fair: I go to church, I try to be a good person and treat people well, I prayed and fasted; where is God when I need him? Why doesn’t He ever answer my prayers?” This is the same attitude as in ancient witchcraft – God should do what I want Him to because I fulfilled the requirements of the contract necessary to get my way. In his Chronicles of Narnia children’s stories, author C.S. Lewis illustrated that God is not under our control through the character of Aslan, a lion who symbolizes Christ. When the character Mr. Beaver is asked whether Aslan is safe to be around, he responds: “‘Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver; ‘don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you.’”1 Lewis means for us to understand in this extended storyline that God is a Transcendent God – you can’t control Him, He does what He wishes. The prophet Isaiah puts it this way: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) In other words, God doesn’t operate according to our whims and desires. We could not even understand God if He had not revealed Himself to us in His love. God is not controllable by human beings. We are the created, not the Creator. Whenever we build idols, or seek the aid of witches, warlocks, seers, and diviners, we place ourselves in opposition to the God who rules the universe. Witchcraft and idolatry are always about human beings having charge of their own life and destiny. Christianity has as a core understanding that God is not controllable, but He will bless, love, and redeem based on His own plans and purposes, not our feeble attempts at control.
2. Hatred, Discord, Jealousy, and Fits of Rage
This group of Acts of the Flesh moves from our attitude towards God to our attitudes towards our fellow humans, and it links the inner attitudes of hatred and jealousy with outward actions of discord, rage, and violence. When people in the same organization “hate” each other, discord and jealousies are quick to show up. When one person is jealous of another, it is not long before the one begins to hate the other. When one of the partners in a relationship begins to be jealous of the other partner, it isn’t long before discord or division begins to disrupt the happiness in that relationship. Eventually, that hatred turns to rage which often manifests itself in violence. Jesus classified hatred as murder due to the connection between our thoughts and actions (See Matthew 5:21-22). An act of sin rarely arises without forethought. Jesus recognized this, and spoke to it in Matthew 15:19-20: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” Regardless of our outward religious rituals, when we allow our inner self to be corrupted, then ultimately our actions will come forth from the interior fountain. It may not come out until we are under stress, but eventually what is in our hearts will be revealed in our actions.
This grouping of Acts of the Flesh expands from interpersonal relationships to the dynamics of whole groups of people. It links the inner attitudes of selfishness and envy with the outward consequences of division and faction within a group. In organizations, if one employee (or the employer) becomes filled with self-centered ambition, they tend to create dissension and factions as they push themselves to the top. In many cases, their ambition is also fueled by their envy of those who happen to
GROUP NOTE
Divide into groups and have each group take one of these passages about idolatry: Isaiah 40:12-31; 42:5-9; 44:9-20, 24-28; 45:5-13, 18-25; 46:5-10. Ask each group, ‘What do we learn about God in this passage?’
