Strong Desires and the Christian
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LeeMartini on
7/12/2011 6:55:16 AM
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Strong Desires and the Christian
Galatians 5:16-18
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit, what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
There is a problem with an accurate translation of Galatians 5:16-17, but we will concern ourselves with understanding and applying a correct translation. Here the Christian is strongly advised here to walk in the Spirit. The word "walk" is used in the original Greek manuscript as a command to be constantly obeyed; "Be conducting yourselves in the Spirit." The word "Spirit" refers to the fragment of the Creator, the Spirit of God within each of us that can be charted as dot within a circle. The dot represents a child of God and is encompassed within the Holy Spirit. The advice given here is, "Be constantly conducting yourselves in the sphere of the spirit." That would seem to mean, to determine every word, deed and even thought we have as by the leading of the Spirit through the Word. We are to cognitively overcome the biological urges and tendencies of our bodies and social interactions. Think every thought, speak every word and do every deed in an attitude of entire dependence upon the Holy Spirit's empowering energy. Seek to bring every thought into the captivity of obedience of God. If we do this, we have God's promise that we shall not fulfill even the strongest desires of the flesh! The Holy Spirit comes into fullness to cleanse our hearts from all sin. Sin here can be seen as an error and the only way we can keep cleaner than we are naturally, is to remain within the Spirit. The way to sanctification, which is an ongoing process, is to let the Holy Spirit dwell in our hearts unhindered.
An explanation of how we are delivered from said cravings and actions is found in verse seventeen. The fallen nature of man has strong desires against the Holy Spirit and is compounded by our weaknesses. The word "against" is from the Greek word which means "down." The idea is one of defeat by suppression. One could rephrase the sentence, "The flesh always has a strong desire to suppress the Spirit." The work of the God's Spirit within the believer in this area is like a coin having two sides. One area of effort is to put sin out; the other to produce His own fruit. The fallen nature has a strong desire to suppress the work of the Holy Spirit. Also, the Spirit has a strong desire to suppress the fallen nature in it's attempts to cause the believer to obey it's demands. Therefore, the two are diametrically opposed to each other. "They are contrary to one another" tells us in the original language that the Spirit and the flesh reciprocate the antagonism each has for the other. The word "contrary" speaks of a permanent attitude of opposition toward each other between the Spirit and the flesh.
Imagine the picture portrayed in the text is that of two opposing armies, each digging a system of trenches, each has dug a system of trenches for the purpose of holding the territory they have and making it difficult for the opposition to move them out.
The struggle is going on all the time in the heart of the child of God, it continues until the grave for us. There is no struggle or conflict within those who do not believe. The Holy Spirit is the only hope for victory over sinful desires. If one is to be constantly determining their every thought, word and action in an effort to be lead by the Holy Spirit, then they are open to receive the energy needed to yield against desires. Verses 16 and 17 could possibly read: “But I say to you, be constantly conducting yourselves within the sphere of the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the cravings of the sinful flesh. Be aware that the flesh has constantly a strong desire to suppress the Spirit of Righteousness. For the Spirit of God, that He has given to us, has a constant strong desire to suppress the sins of the flesh and they are entrenched in a permanent attitude of opposition to one another.”
All thanks and praise to the Creator for His most excellent guidance we find in the book of Romans. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are within Christ Jesus, because through Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set us free from the law of sin and death. For what the Law alone was powerless to do, in that it was weakened by our sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so the Unequalled Absolute condemned errors of sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the Law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to our sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is a life of greater peace; the sinful mind, the mind of constant error, is hostile to God. It does not submit to unselfish acts, nor can it do so. Therefore I say according to Scripture, Do good and have fun… Lee
