I got up late on Tuesday, so I started this late. This is now a Thursday post. I don’t think I’ve done the Tasks on Thursday before, but it’s okay. Both days start with a “T” just like task does. That makes it okay, right?
To begin, I’m going to post the scripture from the lesson in the King James Version, because that’s how I do my personal reading and studying.
17For 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.
18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21Envyings, 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.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:17–25 (KJV 1900)
I draft these posts in MS Word, usually. I’ve highlighted the words I plan to look up, but we’ll see if that formatting translates to Substack. If it doesn’t, I’ll likely bold and underline like that. Also, that’s a lot of copy-paste and then a TON of formatting, that I’m not going to do. So, I’m going to hyperlink to the dictionary.com definitions of all those words. That’s the site I use for definitions I post with the lessons. It doesn’t mean other sites are bad or deficient. It means I use that site. Perhaps I’ll do a post one day on why I like the sources I like, but today is not that day.
Contrary
Oh, I have this problem. I am absolutely a contrarian. The moment someone starts telling me an idea, I begin looking at it from the other side, the side that says it won’t work. In my youth, I tended to do that, I think out of pride, because it wasn’t my idea. I had to have a better, competing idea for everyone to look at and say is a good idea. Unfortunately, I was a shy kid and wasn’t willing to offer up my ideas first. That meant I was always reacting instead of initiating things. People who are willing to start conversations, toss out ideas first, and step boldly into the unknown are viewed as leaders and seen favorably. Those of us who wish we were that way but are timid and hesitant can fall into the trap of being contrary. A contrarian who isn’t careful becomes someone more interested in tearing down someone’s idea because it isn’t their own, rather than helping that good idea succeed.
I’m better at not being so contrary now than I was. However, in some situations, I revert to type and fall back into old ways. I will likely struggle with this my entire life.
Manifest
I included this word because I think it is important. The passage says the works of the flesh are “manifest”. We need to know what that word means if we are to understand what all these words have to do with our bodies and lives, living out “in the flesh.”
“Show plainly” and “beyond doubt or question.” That, I think, is the point of the use of this word. The things being listed here are and will be made plain beyond any doubt or question. I can tell you for certain, as it relates to my being contrary, that is the case to anyone who knew/knows me for any length of time. It has taken a long time for me to realize there are more ways to accomplish things than the ways I think are “right” or “best”. In that vein, things are “manifest” to those around me. They may not be to me, but they would be if I were humble enough to see them. We should make sure we have enough humility to accept constructive criticism or brave input from those around us. We fail to take advantage of an opportunity to grow otherwise.
Adultery
There’s a legal definition for this. This link is not that. This link is a simple explanation that having sexual contact with someone, while at least one of the parties is married, constitutes adultery. Period. It’s not complicated. It is also sinful and bad. If this was you, whoever you are, you can move on from that point. It is not the end of the world, salvation is not forfeit, and you aren’t ruined. Might there be consequences for that information coming out? Yes, there are always consequences for our actions, but those consequences can remain here in the flesh. The salvation of Jesus, his atoning sacrifice on the cross, can and does wash this sin away through our faith in Him. If you are already a Christian professing faith in Jesus, that task is already accomplished. You should let that memory, sin, and history go. God did. If this is not you, consider understanding that someone you know or might someday know might fall into this camp and be willing to soften your approach and understanding of their situation.
Fornication
This term catches all other sexual contact between two people who are not united in marriage to each other. It is a consensual act. There is no legal ramification here, but there is a scriptural one. God does not like people having sexual contact outside of marriage. This term expresses that dislike. The unpopular take in modern society is that sexual conduct should remain between a man and a woman who are married. Period. God expresses this sentiment repeatedly in scripture and specifically in the passage we are discussing here. Again, like adultery, if this one is in your past, it is not the end of the world, nor does it make you unfit for service to Jesus. What it does is remind each of us why we need Christ and His cleansing salvation.
Uncleanness
The linked definition is for “unclean”. We can extrapolate this to the nature of being unclean. The third definition is most apt in that it relates to the Law of God. While that particular definition gives us a focus with the “especially” part, it does not mean only. What I mean by that is there are other ways to be “unclean” beyond just dietary and ceremonial. Those are ways, just not the only ways. Any violation of the Old Testament Law of God makes someone unclean in a biblical sense. That same Old Testament Law of God provides things to do to make one ceremonially clean again. It is this part that Christ Jesus’ sacrifice fulfills. That part requiring us to become ceremonially clean is not done away with, but the method, the thing we have to do, is changed. No longer do we take two turtle doves to the temple to be sacrificed. The once-and-forever sacrifice has been made. We simply have to express our thanks and have faith that it was done for us, on our behalf, and we are made clean.
Lasciviousness
I did not know this one. This is interesting. I’ll have to spend some time on this, but I think doing things intentionally that contain a sexual component fall into this category. The word “unrestrained” in the opening definition helps. Also, the word “habitual,” which is one we can easily understand.
Idolatry
I don’t think we have a problem with the first definition. I do think modern society has a problem as listed in the second definition. What are the things we build our schedules around? Where do we place our priorities? What do we declare important, making allowance or room for, above all other things? I think we can put a lot of things into the “idolatry” category. I’m hesitant to do the natural thing that is done here, where non-sports people look at people who like one or more sports teams and declare that team is someone’s idol. Can it be? Yes. Are all those people “worshiping idols” when they enjoy following a sports team or express their allegiance to one team over another? I don’t think so. How do we tell? Which one takes priority in our lives? Which one gets more of our time and attention? Which one do we find it more important to display to the world around us? Those questions might be a good hint, and might feel a little uncomfortable. I know they are to me as a long-time Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
Witchcraft
Make no mistake. Scripture tells us specifically that this is not something we should tolerate or live with. This treads on difficult ground because modern society wants us to openly allow and put up with this particular practice and view it on equal footing with Christianity. I will make the unpopular statement that we should not. This particular practice is not one we should allow, encourage, or tolerate in society. If this was you and you converted from that to Christianity, that’s an outstanding choice, and I commend you for stepping out of the darkness into the light. Many people view this topic as an unenlightened position, relegating “magic” and “witchcraft” to the realms of those things people didn’t understand, for which “modern man” has a better understanding. I contend that it is simply the adversary successfully deflecting opinions away from his actions.
Hatred
Hatred is one who hates. So, I used the definition for “hate” on this word. In that definition, the part that seems to make this most clear to me is the part that explains having an extreme aversion or hostility toward something or someone, also including the words “intense” and “passionate” as relates to the level and type of dislike. It isn’t just not liking something. It is the level to which we do not like that thing or person. Being willing to alter plans, ideas, and actions based on the level to which we dislike something or someone. As an example, no longer participating in an activity or going to a place because we learn a new fact about it is a level of dislike that enters into hate. Making choices differently because of that dislike, even though other factors weigh heavily in favor of our preference, demonstrates a level of hatred. We should be willing to be honest with ourselves and others in identifying hate of this type, and be willing to work on removing it, as these are “works of the flesh” that do not please God and do not lead to the same place the Spirit leads us.
Variance
The nature of being inconsistent or hypocritical. It is also the “state or quality or fact of being…different. Society loves to encourage people to be “different”. The fact about people is that we are all, in fact, different. However, modern society encourages differences that are not healthy for people to get along and coexist peacefully. The last definition, a disagreement, dispute, or quarrel, is also important. This links back to being contrary. Everyone wants to be “special” or revered as a desirable level of unique. We most notably see this in people who excel in competitions or receive accolades or rewards for high levels of performance in some aspect. Unfortunately, modern society has taken this desire to be special or different, this “variance,” to an unhealthy level. An excellent example of this is physical body weight. Modern society calls it “body shaming”. I’m not advocating we go around pointing fingers and making jokes at other people’s expense, but the idea that morbidly obese people are “just fine the way they are” and shouldn’t be concerned is laughable on the face of it. There are other things modern society treats in this fashion that I won’t go into, but being overweight is demonstrably not healthy and shouldn’t be considered okay. The problem we all have is we’ve all become complacent with this and need a resurgence in being okay with not being okay with some “variances”.
Emulations
Here’s another one I didn’t get until I looked it up. The second definition clarifies this. I thought it was just like copying someone, something, or some behavior. Nope. “Jealous rivalry”. What a great, short explanation. Society calls them “trend setters”. The people who start doing a thing, and suddenly everyone else is copying that style, mannerism, speech pattern, whatever. That isn’t necessarily bad. I think we have a spiritual component here that makes it indifferent or bad. The reason we are copying something, the why behind our actions, I think, is what makes it bad. The entry of jealousy into the motivation for our emulation out of a sense of trying to be better than the person, and not just in style, etc. Let’s combine the contrary approach and variance here. What if the reason I’m acting differently and trying to surpass someone else with my competing actions is because I want to be better than they are, or think I am better than they are, so I should do what they’re doing, but I’ll do it differently, so what I do has greater results than what they do? That I think is the spirit in this word.
Wrath
Oh, wrath is easy, right? Anger, but not just being mad. Anger that motivates action designed to affect someone else. This brings up Star Wars and the Dark Side of the Force, which was always powered by negative emotions, at least in the original Star Wars movies. The new movies have dramatically changed things from that perspective. However, for our purposes here, wrath is anger that causes us to act so as to negatively affect someone else. Just like fear is not a spirit of God, wrath is not something human beings are supposed to enact. God declares vengeance is to be His sole purview, His realm, His actions alone. Man is not supposed to be wrathful, but why is that? Because we don’t know the full picture. We don’t see into the heart of another person. Because we lack that insight, we don’t know the level and amount of punishment, because wrath has an element of or for a desire to punish someone, rightly deserved by the target of that wrath. God does know what is right and just. Because God knows all things, He can properly and appropriately punish someone in ways that strike home more directly than anything mere human beings can do. Any time we find ourselves acting out of anger and a desire for someone to “get what they deserve,” we are acting out of wrath, and we should stop immediately.
Strife
This has an immediate effect on me, right now. I need to take this one to heart today and do something with it. I can’t elaborate other than that. As I read this definition, I am convicted of bad behavior, and I need to make a change. The word “antagonism” brings it home for me. In my case, it is my contrary nature expressing itself. Now, I will admit the behavior I intend to alter is meant in good-natured humor, but it expresses itself as “strife,” and I intend to stop it. I’m not sure I’ll be successful, but I’m going to make the effort.
Seditions
This definition specifically says government, but let’s take that definition too. A “government” can be any body designed to oversee any other body or group of people. My boss can be considered a “government” because he is empowered to manage a group of people; he governs us. Any activities designed to incite discontent or not work as well as the group of employees could work together could be considered seditious. I will be fully honest and say that the word sedition is almost never, if ever, used in this context. Sedition almost always refers to a government like the government of a county, state, or country. Certainly, in that context, we are looking at sedition as something God does not like or want. This would be considered particularly poignant considering events unfolding in the news right now, but I’ll refrain from making further political statements there.
Heresies
Heresy, or the plural heresies, is/are words that get trotted out and misused way too much. A heresy is a violation of a well-established and known church doctrine. For example, claiming Jesus Christ was not God made flesh is a heresy for the Christian faith. Why is it heresy? Read John 1:1-14. John leaves no question who he wants us to believe Jesus was. There are other places where Christ Jesus was listed as divine, or God incarnate. John is just one place. The point is, people toss this term out to try to shut down other views when that view conflicts with what they believe. It isn’t a heresy to disagree with someone else. It is a heresy to disagree with well-established and long-standing church doctrine. Those who do such things either need to be corrected so they stop spreading false information or removed from the organization if they will not correct themselves.
Envyings
The obsolete version, “ill will,” seems appropriate here. It is ill will toward someone who has something you want. I think it is okay to see the accomplishments or acquisitions of someone else, decide that it is a good thing they got or accomplished, and try to figure out how you can do the same thing. That’s not what this is. Envying, the act of having envy for someone else, leads to a hateful outlook of that other person. Not because that other person actually did something to you or me to deserve our ill will, but simply because they accomplished something I cannot. That’s a bad idea. Don’t do that. Instead, find out how they accomplished that thing you want, and begin to plan out how you will get from where you are to where they are. If you do it right, they might even help you get there.
Murder
Murder is very different from causing the death of someone through an accident or unintentionally. This definition specifically talks about a desire to see the other person dead, and an act of planning that death. It has a legal component to it whereby the murderer is violating a law. Without that legal component, it isn’t murder. It is something else. That point is germane and important because military fighting in war is not murder. There is no legal violation for a soldier in combat defending his country. Even the losing side’s troops aren’t committing murder when fighting for their side. They had the legal authority from their rulers to fight for their nation. Now, that’s not to say murder can’t happen during wartime. It can happen, and by troops fighting, but it still has a legal component that has to apply. Murder is what is meant in the Old Testament by the “thou shalt not kill” meaning commit murder, as the Hebrew word is used in that text.
Drunkenness
This one hits close to home. Those who have known me for any length of time know I am an alcoholic. As of this writing, I have been 17 years without alcohol, and counting. The sin of this word is the idea of the pursuit of this state of being, specifically. Many atrocities and offenses have been committed and passed off by claiming, “Well, he/she was just drunk.” That’s no excuse I’ll accept to deflect blame. This is not an “irredeemable” state or condition. Most adults have been drunk at one time or another. That’s not the issue. The issue is ordering life around the opportunities to drink with the goal of getting intoxicated. This is not an innocent pastime, nor is it “responsible,” though when alcohol is consumed, one should be responsible in how one goes about it. I’m not going to beat this to death, but scripture has nothing good to say about people who pursue intoxication as a goal. Drinking is not a hobby or pastime to be lauded. I’ll leave this alone now as I find myself spiraling and potentially getting way off track on this one.
Revellings
The second definition is the one that applies here. To indulge in boisterous festivities. The problem is, who doesn’t like a good party? The actual problem is that those parties often lead to intoxication and other problems. It’s okay to celebrate things. In fact, Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding celebration, so it cannot be sinful just to drink, or the Son of God wouldn’t have made that happen at all. The problem comes when we let things get out of hand or away from us. The problem comes when our parties impact other people who weren’t invited and are inconvenienced by our actions.
Inherit
This word is included because the people who “do such things” as are listed above will not “take or receive by succession or will, as an heir” the Kingdom of God, according to verse 21 of the scripture passage. Are these things actions we’ve all done at one point or another? Potentially, even likely for some. Christ Jesus’ sacrifice washes us clean of those past deeds. That’s not the point. The point is that we should not pursue these things, and the people who make these things their goals are the ones who will not be inheriting the Kingdom of God. We should work to remove, as much as we are able to remove, such things from our lives and replace them with the things that follow.
Love
Love. What love is from a scriptural standpoint is all through the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13 comes immediately to mind, but there are others. It is no coincidence that this word opens up the list of the fruits of the spirit. Love is the point, but that doesn’t mean it is the only thing. Just like having gifts, some people struggle with love because they never had good examples in their lives or had it reciprocated. Love covers a multitude of sins, both when we show it and are shown it in return. Never let this one slip by or fall into decline if you can help it. If this is something you aren’t good at, spend time with it regularly, thinking about it, working on it, and improving it.
Joy
I have said, and I still maintain, that God did not intend His children to go through life miserable. I believe God wants us to have joy in our lives. Note from the definition, a thing that causes joy is something that brings about an “emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good.” Exceptionally good. The kind of joy God wants for His children cannot be caused by the pleasure created when we do things and behaviors God does not like. That emotion masquerades as joy, but it is not the pleasing emotion God intends for us. If our pleasure comes from things on the first list rather than things from the second list, we have a problem, and we should tend to it.
Peace
All the definitions apply, but the third one is the one that strikes me as most applicable to individuals. “A state of mutual harmony between people.” Mutual harmony means both parties being in harmony with each other, not one capitulating to the other. Both parties are free to pursue joy in life. The fifth one incorporates a word from the previous list, too. “Cessation of or freedom from any strife or dissension.” Freedom from strife, freedom from conflict, discord, or antagonism. Freedom from someone poking the bear, as it were. Freedom from competition or rivalry, which implies a freedom from “envyings” as we listed them before. The quiet calmness that doesn’t require snap decisions, pressure to do things, or demanding expectations from others. Peace.
Longsuffering
“Enduring injury, trouble, or provocation long and patiently.” Oh, that last bit makes this hard. Putting up with something uncomfortable…without complaining or whining about it. Putting up with it until God decides it should be over. Putting up with it until we get through it. Are there always lessons associated with long-suffering and patience? Not necessarily, but I find that if I can attach a learning point to something I’m going through, it makes it a little more bearable for me.
Gentleness
We used the definition for gentle here because the definition for gentleness is the quality of being gentle. Gentleness, therefore, is us being or having the demeanor of being gentle. I tend to have a short fuse, i.e., I have a temper and thus anger issues. I’ve been working on that most of my life. That tends to make being gentle, or having many of these qualities, a struggle for me. It is not in my nature to be kind. I have to force that one, and it often takes God to make me uncomfortable in my ignorance to get me to wake up to what He wants me to do.
Goodness
Like gentleness, goodness is the state or quality of being good. I strive for this, but I fail more than I succeed. “Morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious.” No one is righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10). We might want to be, try to be, or even do some things considered righteous, but that does not make us so. The fact that we aren’t righteous shouldn’t stop us from doing those righteous things or acting in a righteous manner. Excellence is a goal to be aimed for and can be achieved, but it is one that takes work. So too is goodness.
Faith
Confidence or trust in a person or thing is a great, succinct definition. I also want to note the fourth definition. “Belief in anything as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.” Put that in context of number two, “belief that is not based on proof.” We have people who have “faith” in a lot of things in the world that have no proof. Jesus told Thomas there would be no proof for Christians who come after him, but that we would believe based on faith alone, and so it is. There will be no burning bushes for us, no pillars of smoke and fire. We won’t have the Son of Man walking through markets and sitting in synagogues teaching. All we have are the words from those who were with Him, carefully preserved as God promised. You either have faith that God did and does what He said He would do, or you don’t. It is all about faith.
Meekness
The world has twisted this word. We associate it with weakness, non-violent, and passive. That’s not this word at all. This word opens with the quality of being patient or quiet in nature. The second definition does add submissive, but note that it has nothing to do with being non-violent or passive. We can be quiet and patient and submissive while harboring the ability to make war upon someone else. We can quietly hold our violent nature in check, hoping as we go along with someone submitting to their demands that they will realize the error of their ways before we are forced to take action. However, I believe when the time comes, if we are called to act, that meekness can and should be set aside to pursue a swift and final end to the problem. Meekness merely means quiet patience, holding our desired responses in check, allowing someone else to work out their problems for themselves.
Temperance
Self-control in all things. Temperance. Moderation. This goes hand in hand with abstaining or limiting many of the things on the first list. If we have temperance, those other things do not approach the levels of being a problem in many cases. Should they be avoided? Perhaps yes, but I’ll let you and God work that out on a case-by-case basis. Regardless, is temperance is sought after quality? Absolutely.
Crucified
This is the past tense of the word crucify, which is the definition I used here. The first list is the things of the flesh that we “crucify,” meaning put to death. Putting to death the things of the flesh, crucifying those things, means we recognize them as bad in our character and act to remove them from our lives. This is reflected in the third definition as meaning to subdue those things, meaning bring them under our control. Those things which we cannot control, we have not yet “crucified” in the flesh. For those things, seeking the help of a seasoned Christian confidant or counselor might help.
Affections
I’m not sure why dictionary.com sees this word as obsolete. It is not obsolete. If you scroll down, you get the actual definition I expected, and it incorporates other words we’ve covered here. Affections are to like something fondly, to prefer it over other things, being willing to make decisions that encompass hardships or things to be endured so that the thing we hold with affection can operate or operate without those problems.
Lust
We typically see this word in relation to sexual desires. However, the third definition expands this word to include anything we desire with “enthusiasm, zest, or relish.” If that “enthusiasm” sends us in pursuit of something on the list covering the flesh, likely it is a bad lustfulness. If it sends us after something on the fruits of the Spirit list, it is likely good, though I wouldn’t typically use the word lust in conjunction with a good meaning. Lust typically has a negative connotation.
There’s the list. This one took longer, for obvious reasons. There’s a lot there, but something for everyone, I think. I’m not suggesting everything applies to everyone. I merely gave the things that occurred to me as I covered each word. Look them up for yourself in your own favorite dictionary, and search your concordance for scripture that relates to those words that struck you as you read this. Each of us has our own demons to deal with, but that doesn’t mean you have to deal with them alone. For those things that trouble you, we have the great cloud of witnesses and our group of believers to help carry the burdens. You are not alone and do not have to do this thing called life alone if you don’t want to. God bless and Godspeed.