“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT).
We opened our look at Galatians chapter five by considering the two paths by which one may approach God: self-focused or God-oriented. A self-focused approach says, “God will accept me if I meet the right performance criteria.” A God-oriented approach says, “Jesus has already met the right criteria and I am made acceptable to God through His sacrifice.”
As mentioned earlier, these approaches are mutually exclusive. Those who seek to find acceptance with God by following a list of “do’s and don’ts” must turn from the path of salvation by grace through faith in Christ. Those who accept Christ must abandon any attempt to get right with God by their own efforts. A decision to ignore or reject God entirely carries its own consequence as well.
With these things in mind, lets take a moment to contrast the self-focused life that’s described for us in Galatians 5:19-21 and the Christ-oriented life that’s outlined in Galatians 5:22-23…
|
Self-Focused Life (works of the flesh) |
Christ-Oriented Life (fruit of the Spirit) |
| Hatred | Love |
| Selfish Ambition | Patience |
| Jealousy | Kindness |
| Dissensions | Goodness |
| Outbursts Of Wrath | Self-Control |
A decision to pursue the works of the flesh (or reject God entirely) always carries negative consequences. These are the ramifications we encounter in Galatians 5:19-21: “…sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar” (CSB). The ultimate repercussion that accompanies that choice is eternal: “I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!” (NET).
On the other hand, those who approach God through faith in Christ can expect to see a number of positive results that flow from that decision. Those positive results include the qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. While struggles and difficulties may continue on the road to Christian maturity, these positive consequences should be increasingly evident as we encounter and overcome such challenges.
Therefore as Galatians 5:23 concludes, “You won’t find any law opposed to fruit like this” (Voice). In the words of one commentary, “A person who exhibits the fruit of the Spirit fulfills the law far better than a person who observes the rituals but has little love in his or her heart.” (1)
(1) Life Application New Testament Commentary, pg,791 Copyright © 2001 by The Livingstone Corporation., all rights reserved.