Freedom is in Christ but that liberty is easily lost
In Christ alone, we experience true freedom. We stand free from the curse of the law and its condemnation, but that liberty can be easily lost if we do not live habitually by walking in the Spirit.1 If we are motivated by God’s Spirit, we will not give in to the selfish demands of our flesh. This includes not only our physical lusts but also when sin tempts to corrupt our mind and emotions.
When we are saved, our bodies become a temple of God, where the Holy Spirit indwells and testifies truth and discernment to our spirit. This is our new nature. Before this, sin had control over us. We could not unplug ourselves from the source of its power. Once the Holy Spirit indwells us, He gives us the ability to unplug from the power of sin by choosing to plug into His power instead. We have access to the same dynamite that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. When we treat it like a fire cracker, we are overcome by the temptation to give in to the selfish desires with which we are already inclined to struggle. In essence, we are unplugging from Holy Spirit power and plugging into the power of the sinful desires of our flesh. We can’t be plugged into both of them at the same time; it’s one or the other.
You have access to resurrection power—will you plug into it?
There is a constant barrage from the evil enemy to tell us how okay it is to plug into sin’s power source for just a little while. These are lies from the enemy that want to douse the flame of the Holy Spirit and keep you ineffective for God’s Kingdom.
Plugging in to the Spirit’s power means unplugging to sin.
The way you habitually give in to your flesh is obvious and falls into the categories of sex, religion, human relationships, and misusing God’s gifts.2,3 It’s easy to glance at the list below in verses 19-21 and think I don’t practice those things. When upon closer reflection, you come to realize some of those are a struggle. If it is your practice to continually do these things, you show you are not actually God’s child and will not inherit His Kingdom.
Contrast the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit in verses 22 and 23. This is the work His presence accomplishes in our attitudes toward God, man, and self.1 The Message says it like this, “when we live God’s way, He brings gifts into our lives the same way that fruit appears in an orchard.”4 There is no law against these because no deterrent is needed when we yield power to the Spirit’s control. Who doesn’t want more love, joy, and peace?
The battle between flesh and Spirit is won when we choose to crucify the old nature.
The difference between giving in to the flesh or being controlled by the Spirit is our in willingness to crucify the flesh with all its passions and desires. If we truly belong to Christ, we will choose to do this. We may experience a desire to indulge in our flesh, but the desire won’t overtake us to the point that we keep giving in to its power. When we crucify the desire it will die a certain death.
Walking in line behind the Holy Spirit as our leader keeps us from thinking more highly of our self than we ought to. When we don’t, then we are likely to give in to feelings of superiority or inferiority.1 Feeling superior leads to a competitive challenge to demonstrate we are better. Feeling inferior leads to acting out in jealousy because someone has gifts we want for ourselves. Our conduct in each case exposes the opinion we have of ourselves when we do not keep in step with the Holy Spirit.
Leave our flesh nailed to the cross.
Liberty is easily lost. How can we stay plugged into the power of the Spirit when it is so easy to give into the flesh? Especially considering when we renounce the fleeting pleasure of sin, intense pain will follow as we struggle. John Stott says we must determine our flesh is not something to be treated with courtesy, but something that deserves no better fate than to be crucified.1
Stott goes on to say, if we do not leave our flesh nailed to the cross, it’s as if, having nailed our old nature to the cross, we keep returning to the scene of its execution. We are wistfully fondling, caressing, and longing for its release as we consider taking it down. We crucified our flesh at the moment of our conversion. Luke 9:23 instructs us to take up our cross and daily renew this decision. In order to maintain this attitude, we must leave it there to die and declare war with no room for negotiations. It’s settled at the cross and we are not going to draw out the nails.
When the tempter comes, round on him savagely and say, ‘I belong to Christ.’
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,[a] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do[b] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
