Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
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BethanyLutheran Worship, 7PM Central
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Video of service for Luther's Galatians 5.
Hymn #649 Jesus Savior Pilot Me
The Order of
Vespers
p. 41
The Psalmody
Psalm 4
p. 123
The Lection
The Passion History
Sermon
Hymn #151 Christ the Life of All the
Living
The Sermon – Chapter 5 of Luther’s Galatians – The Fruit
of the Spirit
The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Grace
p. 45
The
Hymn #653 Now the Light Has Gone Away
The Works of the Flesh, The Fruit of the Spirit,
Galatians 5 of Luther’s Galatians
19. Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are these.
Paul is saying: “That none of you may hide behind
the plea of ignorance I will enumerate first the works of the flesh, and then
also the works of the Spirit.”
There were many hypocrites among the Galatians, as
there are also among us, who pretend to be Christians and talk much about the
Spirit, but they walk not according to the Spirit; rather according to the
flesh. Paul is out to show them that they are not as holy as they like to have
others think they are.
Every period of life has its own peculiar
temptations. Not one true believer whom the flesh does not again and again
incite to impatience, anger, pride. But it is one thing to be tempted by the
flesh, and another thing to yield to the flesh, to do its bidding without fear
or remorse, and to continue in sin.
Christians also fall and perform the lusts of the
flesh. David fell horribly into adultery. Peter also fell grievously when he
denied Christ. However great these sins were, they were not committed to spite
God, but from weakness. When their sins were brought to their attention these
men did not obstinately continue in their sin, but repented. Those who sin
through weakness are not denied pardon as long as they rise again and cease to
sin. There is nothing worse than to continue in sin. If they do not repent, but
obstinately continue to fulfill the desires of the flesh, it is a sure sign
that they are not sincere.
No person is free from temptations. Some are tempted
in one way, others in another way. One person is more easily tempted to
bitterness and sorrow of spirit, blasphemy, distrust, and despair. Another is
more easily tempted to carnal lust, anger, envy, covetousness. But no matter to
which sins we are disposed; we are to walk in the Spirit and resist the flesh.
Those who are Christ’s own crucify their flesh.
Some of the old saints labored so hard to attain
perfection that they lost the capacity to feel anything. When I was a monk, I
often wished I could see a saint. I pictured him as living in the wilderness,
abstaining from meat and drink and living on roots and herbs and cold water.
This weird conception of those awesome saints I had gained out of the books of
the scholastics and church fathers. But we know now from the Scriptures who the
true saints are. Not those who live a single life, or make a fetish of days,
meats, clothes, and such things. The true saints are those who believe that
they are justified by the death of Christ. Whenever Paul writes to the
Christians here and there he calls them the holy children and heirs of God. All
who believe in Christ, whether male or female, bond or free, are saints; not in
view of their own works, but in view of the merits of God which they
appropriate by faith. Their holiness is a gift and not their own personal
achievement.
Ministers of the Gospel, public officials, parents,
children, masters, servants, etc., are true saints when they take Christ for
their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, and when they
fulfill the duties of their several vocations according to the standard of
God’s Word and repress the lust and desires of the flesh by the Spirit. Not
everybody can resist temptations with equal facility. Imperfections are bound
to show up. But this does not prevent them from being holy. Their unintentional
lapses are forgiven if they pull themselves together by faith in Christ. God
forbid that we should sit in hasty judgment on those who are weak in faith and
life, as long as they love the Word of God and make use of the supper of the
Lord.
I thank God that He has permitted me to see (what as
a monk I so earnestly desired to see) not one but many saints, whole multitudes
of true saints. Not the kind of saints the papists admire, but the kind of
saints Christ wants. I am sure I am one of Christ’s true saints. I am baptized.
I believe that Christ my Lord has redeemed me from all my sins, and invested me
with His own eternal righteousness and holiness. To hide in caves and dens, to
have a bony body, to wear the hair long in the mistaken idea that such
departures from normalcy will obtain some special regard in heaven is not the
holy life. A holy life is to be baptized and to believe in Christ, and to
subdue the flesh with the Spirit.
To feel the lusts of the flesh is not without profit
to us. It prevents us from being vain and from being puffed up with the wicked
opinion of our own work-righteousness. The monks were so inflated with the
opinion of their own righteousness, they thought they had so much holiness that
they could afford to sell some of it to others, although their own hearts
convinced them of unholiness. The Christian feels the unholy condition of his
heart, and it makes him feel so low that he cannot trust in his good works. He
therefore goes to Christ to find perfect righteousness. This keeps a Christian
humble.
19, 20. Now the works of the flesh are manifest,
which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,
witchcraft…
Paul does not enumerate all the works of the flesh,
but only certain ones. First, he mentions various kinds of carnal lusts, as
adultery, fornication, wantonness, etc. But carnal lust is not the only work of
the flesh, and so he counts among the works of the flesh also idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, and the like. These terms are so familiar that they do not
require lengthy explanations.
Idolatry
The best
religion, the most fervent devotion without Christ is plain idolatry. It has
been considered a holy act when the monks in their cells meditate upon God and
His works, and in a religious frenzy kneel down to pray and to weep for joy.
Yet Paul calls it simply idolatry. Every religion which worships God in
ignorance or neglect of His Word and will is idolatry.
They may
think about God, Christ, and heavenly things, but they do it after their own
fashion and not after the Word of God. They have an idea that their clothing,
their mode of living, and their conduct are holy and pleasing to Christ. They
not only expect to pacify Christ by the strictness of their life, but also
expect to be rewarded by Him for their good deeds. Hence their best “spiritual”
thoughts are wicked thoughts. Any worship of God, any religion without Christ
is idolatry. In Christ alone is God well pleased.
I have said
before that the works of the flesh are manifest. But idolatry puts on such a
good front and acts so spiritual that the sham of it is recognized only by true
believers.
Witchcraft
This sin was very common before the light of the
Gospel appeared. When I was a child there were many witches and sorcerers
around who “bewitched” cattle, and people, particularly children, and did much
harm. But now that the Gospel is here you do not hear so much about it because
the Gospel drives the devil away. Now he bewitches people in a worse way with
spiritual sorcery.
Witchcraft is a brand of idolatry. As witches used
to bewitch cattle and men, so idolaters, i.e., all the self-righteous, go
around to bewitch God and to make Him out as one who justifies men not by grace
through faith in Christ but by the works of men’s own choosing. They bewitch
and deceive themselves. If they continue in their wicked thoughts of God they
will die in their idolatry.
Sects
Under sects Paul here understands heresies. Heresies
have always been found in the church. What unity of faith can exist among all
the different monks and the different orders? None whatever. There is no unity
of spirit, no agreement of minds, but great dissension in the papacy. There is
no conformity in doctrine, faith, and life. On the other hand, among
evangelical Christians the Word, faith, religion, sacraments, service, Christ,
God, heart, and mind are common to all. This unity is not disturbed by outward
differences of station or of occupation.
Drunkenness, Gluttony
Paul does not say that eating and drinking are works
of the flesh, but intemperance in eating and drinking, which is a common vice
nowadays, is a work of the flesh. Those who are given to excess are to know
that they are not spiritual but carnal. Sentence is pronounced upon them that
they shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Paul desires that Christians
avoid drunkenness and gluttony, that they live temperate and sober lives, in
order that the body may not grow soft and sensual.
21. Of the
which I tell you before, as I have also told you in the past, that they which
do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
This is a hard saying, but very necessary for those
false Christians and hypocrites who speak much about the Gospel, about faith,
and the Spirit, yet live after the flesh. But this hard sentence is directed
chiefly at the heretics who are large with their own self-importance, that they
may be frightened into taking up the fight of the Spirit against the flesh.
22, 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
The Apostle does not speak of the works of the
Spirit as he spoke of the works of the flesh, but he attaches to these
Christian virtues a better name. He calls them the fruits of the Spirit.
Love
It would have been enough to mention only the single
fruit of love, for love embraces all the fruits of the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians
13, Paul attributes to love all the fruits of the Spirit: “Charity suffereth
long, and is kind,” etc. Here he lets love stand by itself among other fruits
of the Spirit to remind the Christians to love one another, “in honor
preferring one another,” to esteem others more than themselves because they
have Christ and the Holy Ghost within them.
Joy
Joy means sweet thoughts of Christ, melodious hymns
and psalms, praises and thanksgiving, with which Christians instruct, inspire,
and refresh themselves. God does not like doubt and dejection. He hates dreary
doctrine, gloomy and melancholy thought. God likes cheerful hearts. He did not
send His Son to fill us with sadness, but to gladden our hearts. For this
reason the prophets, apostles, and Christ Himself urge, yes, command us to
rejoice and be glad. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee.” (Zech. 9:9.) In the Psalms we
are repeatedly told to be “joyful in the Lord.” Paul says: “Rejoice in the Lord
always.” Christ says: “Rejoice, for your names are written in heaven.”
Peace
Peace towards God and men. Christians are to be
peaceful and quiet. Not argumentative, not hateful, but thoughtful and patient.
There can be no peace without longsuffering, and therefore Paul lists this
virtue next.
Longsuffering
Longsuffering is that quality which enables a person
to bear adversity, injury, reproach, and makes them patient to wait for the
improvement of those who have done him wrong. When the devil finds that he
cannot overcome certain persons by force he tries to overcome them in the long
run. He knows that we are weak and cannot stand anything long. Therefore, he
repeats his temptation time and again until he succeeds. To withstand his
continued assaults, we must be longsuffering and patiently wait for the devil
to get tired of his game.
Gentleness
Gentleness in conduct and life. True followers of
the Gospel must not be sharp and bitter, but gentle, mild, courteous, and
soft-spoken, which should encourage others to seek their company. Gentleness
can overlook other people’s faults and cover them up. Gentleness is always glad
to give in to others. Gentleness can get along with forward and difficult
persons, according to the old pagan saying: “You must know the manners of your
friends, but you must not hate them.” Such a gentle person was our Savior Jesus
Christ, as the Gospel portrays Him. Of Peter it is recorded that he wept
whenever he remembered the sweet gentleness of Christ in His daily contact with
people. Gentleness is an excellent virtue and very useful in every walk of
life.
Goodness
A person is good when he is willing to help others
in their need.
Faith
In listing faith among the fruits of the Spirit,
Paul obviously does not mean faith in Christ, but faith in men. Such faith is
not suspicious of people but believes the best. Naturally the possessor of such
faith will be deceived, but he lets it pass. He is ready to believe all men,
but he will not trust all men. Where this virtue is lacking men are suspicious,
forward, and wayward and will believe nothing nor yield to anybody. No matter how
well a person says or does anything, they will find fault with it, and if you
do not humor them you can never please them. It is quite impossible to get
along with them. Such faith in people therefore, is quite necessary. What kind
of life would this be if one person could not believe another person?
Meekness
A person is meek when he is not quick to get angry.
Many things occur in daily life to provoke a person’s anger, but the Christian
gets over his anger by meekness.
Temperance
Christians are to lead sober and chaste lives. They
should not be adulterers, fornicators, or sensualists. They should not be
quarrelers or drunkards. In the first and second chapters of the Epistle to
Titus, the Apostle admonishes bishops, young women, and married folks to be chaste
and pure.
23. Against
such there is no law.
There is a law, of course, but it does not apply to
those who bear these fruits of the Spirit. The Law is not given for the
righteous man. A true Christian conducts himself in such a way that he does not
need any law to warn or to restrain him. He obeys the Law without compulsion.
The Law does not concern him. As far as he is concerned there would not have to
be any Law.
24. And they
that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
True believers are no hypocrites. They crucify the
flesh with its evil desires and lusts. Inasmuch as they have not altogether put
off the sinful flesh they are inclined to sin. They do not fear or love God as
they should. They are likely to be provoked to anger, to envy, to impatience,
to carnal lust, and other emotions. But they will not do the things to which
the flesh incites them. They crucify the flesh with its evil desires and lusts
by fasting and exercise and, above all, by a walk in the Spirit.
To resist the flesh in this manner is to nail it to
the Cross. Although the flesh is still alive it cannot very well act upon its
desires because it is bound and nailed to the Cross.
25. If we
live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
A little
while ago the Apostle had condemned those who are envious and start heresies
and schisms. As if he had forgotten that he had already berated them, the
Apostle once more reproves those who provoke and envy others. Was not one
reference to them sufficient? He repeats his admonition in order to emphasize
the viciousness of pride that had caused all the trouble in the churches of
Galatia, and has always caused the Church of Christ no end of difficulties. In
his Epistle to Titus the Apostle states that a vainglorious man should not be
ordained as a minister, for pride, as St. Augustine points out, is the mother
of all heresies.
Now vainglory has always been a common poison in the world.
There is no village too small to contain someone who wants to be considered
wiser or better than the rest. Those who have been bitten by pride usually
stand upon the reputation for learning and wisdom. Vainglory is not nearly so
bad in a private person or even in an official as it is in a minister.
When the poison of vainglory gets into the Church you have
no idea what havoc it can cause. You may argue about knowledge, art, money,
countries, and the like without doing particular harm. But you cannot quarrel
about salvation or damnation, about eternal life and eternal death without
grave damage to the Church. No wonder Paul exhorts all ministers of the Word to
guard against this poison. He writes: “If we live in the Spirit.” Where the
Spirit is, men gain new attitudes. Where formerly they were vainglorious,
spiteful and envious, they now become humble, gentle and patient. Such men seek
not their own glory, but the glory of God. They do not provoke each other to
wrath or envy, but prefer others to themselves.
As dangerous to the Church as this abominable pride is, yet
there is nothing more common. The trouble with the ministers of Satan is that
they look upon the ministry as a stepping-stone to fame and glory, and right
there you have the seed for all sorts of dissensions.
Because Paul knew that the vainglory of the false Apostles
had caused the churches of Galatia endless trouble, he makes it his business to
suppress this abominable vice. In his absence the false apostles went to work
in Galatia. They pretended that they had been on intimate terms with the
apostles, while Paul had never seen Christ in person or had much contact with
the rest of the apostles. Because of this they delivered him, rejected his
doctrine, and boosted their own. In this way they troubled the Galatians and
caused quarrels among them until they provoked and envied each other; which
goes to show that neither the false apostles nor the Galatians walked after the
Spirit, but after the flesh.
The Gospel is not there for us to aggrandize ourselves. The
Gospel is to aggrandize Christ and the mercy of God. It holds out to men eternal
gifts that are not gifts of our own manufacture. What right have we to receive
praise and glory for gifts that are not of our own making?
No wonder that God in His special grace subjects the
ministers of the Gospel to all kinds of afflictions, otherwise they could not
cope with this ugly beast called vainglory. If no persecution, no cross, or
reproach trailed the doctrine of the Gospel, but only praise and reputation,
the ministers of the Gospel would choke with pride. Paul had the Spirit of
Christ. Nevertheless there was given unto him the messenger of Satan to buffet
him in order that he should not come to exalt himself, because of the grandeur
of his revelations. St. Augustine’s opinion is well taken: “If a minister of
the Gospel is praised, he is in danger; if he is despised, he is also in
danger.”
