war!!

Galatians 5:13-26

The key words are: freedom, sinful nature, Spirit. Paul contrasts life by the sinful nature with life by the Spirit. He includes two contrasting lists - the first, a list of the fruit of the sinful nature: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkeness, orgies. Second, a list of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The idea of discord, provoking each other and destroying each other is a theme through this passage.
Paul is saying that we have been set free but not free to indulge our sinful nature. Rather, we've been set free to a new of living - a way that serves the other rather than envies and tears down the other, a way that looks out for the others interests in humility rather than promotes my own interests in pride. He makes it clear that the only way to live out this new way is to keep in step with the Spirit. He provides a diagnostic check list to help us determine if we are living by the sinful nature or by the Spirit. Paul also makes it clear that until Jesus comes, we will not live completely in one camp or the other - that there is war between the sinful nature and the Spirit.
In the past, the fruit of the Spirit has been seen as morals or values that we, as followers of Jesus, need to work on. For example, I am lacking in patience so i am going to work harder at being patient. This is not the message of Paul. He points out that in my sinfulness I can't be patient and my lack of patience shows that I am not in step with the Spirit. To become more patient, I must not just work on being more patient, I must create space for the Spirit to do his work so that he can produce patience in me. If I work hard at being patient, then I get the glory but if it is the Spirit that produces patience in me, then Jesus gets the glory.
I am very self-reliant - I try to produce these morals and values in my own life by my own effort. This leads to pride and not humility and pride is the most deadly of all the sins.

cut off your junk!

Galatians 5:1-12

The key words are: freedom, circumcised, faith, law. Paul uses two word pictures: the first is the yoke - the idea of enslavement and burden, the second is a runner cutting out of his lane and preventing another runner from advancing in the race.
Paul's main point is that we were set free to enjoy freedom, not to be re-enter slavery. He uses some pretty strong arguments, stating that if circumcision is necessary for salvation then we become responsible to the whole law again. We can't pick and choose which elements of the law (probably mostly referring to the ceremonial law and sacrificial system) we are going to observe and which ones we are not. He saves his strongest language for those who are preaching that circumcision is necessary for salvation - he wishes that they would go all the way and cut their junk off! And I thought Paul was supposed to be a saint!
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (v. 6b). This has been the main message of Paul and it is what I am slowly learning. God doesn't need me to impress him - he already loves me and is already pleased by me simply because he is God and I am his child. I can grow in my experience and expression of that love by reading my Bible, going to church, praying, serving, observing lent, etc. but those disciplines aren't the goal (growing in my experience of Jesus and his love are) and they don't make me any more special in God's eyes. To say that I can earn God's favour is nothing more than superstition - saying that if I perform the rituals properly, God will respond favourably to me (isn't that manipulation?).