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Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. — Galatians 5:19-21
Think how often you are left standing there asking yourself, “Why did I do that? What was I thinking when I said that?” Words escape your lips, and thirty seconds later you regret what you said. Yes, this is the war of desires that roars within us. This is how sin stays alive within us our whole life long. In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul writes:
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. (Gal. 5:17)
And it doesn’t get easier the longer you are a Christian and the more mature you grow. As Luther pointed out, the more godly a man is, the more he feels the battle. And Calvin put it this way: we don’t even perceive our full depravity until we mature like a tree. Our growth in sanctification is not a realization of how holy we are, but it is humiliation at how often the flesh gets its way.
Yes, the war between the flesh and the Spirit wages throughout our lives. This side of heaven, there is no armistice in this conflict—no peace treaty. Yet, this truth of our life, our ever struggle with sin, should not cause us to despair. At first glance, this battle is fairly discouraging: the flesh will get its sinful way until we die.
The guidance of the Spirit is greater than the flesh.
Yet, the unceasing hostilities don’t mean that the flesh and the Spirit are equally matched. The score doesn’t remain tied. Rather, Paul writes,
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Gal. 5:18)
The Spirit is our general, our tour guide, our master. The guidance of the Spirit is greater than the flesh, for the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ.
The Spirit gets the better of the flesh not merely by getting us to do the good, but by making us forsake our works to trust only in the works of Christ. The Spirit leads us to the once and forever victory over sin and the flesh—the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Spirit enables us to recognize that even our better works are still tainted with sin. The Spirit leads us to Jesus and reminds us of our justification, all of grace and through faith alone. Our best moments of obedience and love still fall very short of perfection. As we fail to do, the Spirit sets before our hearts that Christ did it all for us. This is the beauty and sweet comfort of the Spirit of Christ.
Though, in our battle with the flesh, Paul does want to remind us what are the deeds of the flesh. Even if we still stumble, the Spirit calls us to resist the flesh, to put to death the fleshly deeds. We need to know what deeds and desires must be killed off by the Spirit working in us. So, Paul gives us a list of the flesh’s works, which he says are evident. Having the Spirit, it isn’t hard to recognize the flesh. Yet, he does give us a list of 15 vices to deepen our perception of the ways of the flesh and to give us a more profound discernment so that we resist the flesh better and not be blind to its sophistication. Now, this list of 15 can be grouped into roughly 4 categories.
SEXUAL PERVERSITY
Sexual Immorality (1), Impurity (2), and Sensuality (3)
The first three vices fall into the first category of sexual sins: sexual immorality, impurity and sensuality. These cover transgressions such as premarital sex, adultery, pornography, homosexuality, prostitutes, strip clubs, and so on. And it is fitting that Paul puts this category first, for sexual sin is one of humanity’s deepest flaws.
The created good of sex in marriage is perverted most often. Thus, we need to remain vigilant against these desires and not be complacent—but for the grace of God there we go as well. This is especially the case as our culture is constantly sticking in our faces sexual temptations. In fact, sensuality to which Paul is referring here particularly has the sense of losing all self-control and restraint.
Exercising this self-control isn’t just about our will toughing it out; rather, it is built into our life structure, into our community. We avoid tawdry places, we block perverse websites, and we help each other by keeping one another accountable. Paul’s command—not to fulfill the desire of the flesh—is helpful here.
Sexual lusts can just pop up in our minds with little provocation. If God hadn’t made humans so beautiful, this would be a lot easier. But that handsome fellow or pretty lass walks by, and the lust appears. Such lusts may always be with us, but by the Spirit we do not complete such a desire; rather, we confess it and replace it with a pure desire. When it comes to fighting and controlling sexual desires, thank God we are led by the Spirit and that we are not under law, but under the mercy of Christ.
OTHER RELIGIONS
Idolatry (4) and Sorcery (5)
The second category of vice here takes up the next two items: idolatry and sorcery. The temptation of other religions or unbelief belongs to the flesh, and this includes both overt idolatry as well as perverse worship outside of Christ. If we worship Christ in any way not commanded in his word, we fall into this sin. As church history makes clear, we are ever prone to worship God how we want to and not how God wants us to. Along with idolatry, Paul tacks on sorcery or magic—the dark arts of the occult.
This isn’t about fun tricks of making things disappear; rather, magic is about tapping into a power that is outside of or independent of God. And it is using this power to harm others, protect yourself, and gain success for yourself. Sorcery is about you controlling your fate, your destiny. Magic is a sort of self-idolatry, as you seek to gain powers that only belong to God. As superstitions and spirituality becomes more prevalent in our culture, we should not play with such things as if they are just a bit of fun.
ANTI-SOCIAL SINS
Moving on to the third category of vices, Paul makes this one the largest with 8 vices, which can be grouped as anti-social sins—those that destroy community and relationship, especially the church. These are the anti-social 8.
Enmity (6) and Strife (7)
The first two are a pair: enmity and strife. Enmity refers to hatred that will kill. It is loathing another and desiring his or her harm. Enmity was the tension between Eve and the serpent; the history of the two seeds was written with enmity. Enmity is what made killing in the Old Testament first-degree murder.
Strife, however, is better thought of as rivalry, which is hostile competition with a friend or neighbor. Rivalry promotes itself by pushing others down. Rivalry doesn’t earn its progress, but it swells itself by shrinking everyone else. Rivalry likes to feud in order to come out on top. Enmity prefers to kill and destroy; rivalry wants to shame and disgrace.
Jealousy (8), Anger (9), Self-Ambition (10), and Envy (11)
The next four vices team up well, which include jealousy, anger, self-ambition, and envy. Jealously and envy, of course, lust for what others have—either their possessions or position. The first ingredient in envy is discontentment with what God has given you. The discontentment develops resentment and bitterness, and the resentment matures into a need to possess. You have to have their house, their wife, their job. Thus, jealousy doesn’t go anywhere without its friend, wrath. Indeed, we often can trace a person’s anger to a hidden jealousy. Fits of fury spew forth from envy; we are upset that we have less and they have more.
This mention of anger is also an important reminder for us. Wrath, which is a holy perfection of God, is something we cannot properly handle. With the flesh, we cannot imitate the fury of God.
The last teammate with jealousy, envy, and wrath is selfish ambition (rivalries)—this is self-promotion in all its sophistication. Powered by envy, selfish ambition just has to be better than the other; it thirsts for the praise, hungers for the compliment. Selfish ambition fights to be in the front of every picture. Selfish ambition is what has made Instagram so rich.
Factions (12) and Sects (13)
There is one more pair within the anti-social 8, which is made up of dissensions and divisions, or better, factions and sects. These include heresies and schism, and false doctrines that divide the church into splinter groups and denominations. Why? Because the flesh desires to make its own truth; the flesh loves to twist God’s word into its own doctrine. The Judaizers that Paul is dealing with here are drowning in this very vice.
Their flesh whipped up another gospel. Indeed, the key DNA of heresies and sects is the narcissism of small differences. We are so narcissistic that we demand our doctrine—our truth—to be uniquely ours. It tolerates input from no one other than self. Many heresies and cults are built on elaborate academic structures, which are mere covers for narcissism and pride. Such divisions slice and dice up the body of Christ; and the flesh does this while wearing the costume of holy orders or pious martyr.
DEBAUCHERY
Drunkenness (14) and Orgies (15)
There are two more vices left in this list of 15, which can be paired under the festival of Mardi Gras: drunkenness and orgies. This is excessive drinking, revelry, and debauchery.
The raunchy feast for Dionysus was the epitome of this in the first century, but for us today it is basically club life—partying all night with sex, alcohol, drugs, and whatever one’s perverse imagination can conger up. The flesh can dress up as a monk in a sect, or it can undress to party in Vegas.
Galatians 5:21 is a warning—and one we should take to heart.
The flesh is hardly contained in these fifteen vices but expresses itself in all such perversions. Yet, Paul makes clear that all who practice the ways of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21). Heaven is not the inheritance of the flesh, but the destiny of the flesh is hell. This verse is a warning and one we should take to heart.
Yet, this warning is not meant to shake your assurance in Christ. First, Paul’s words “those who do such things” refer to habitual, regular practice of them. Practicing the desires of the flesh is to be without struggle, repentance, and the Spirit. This vice list basically describes the world without the Spirit, so it receives everlasting condemnation.
The Spirit will always bring back God’s children to Christ and his forgiveness.
Remember that Paul headed this list by saying, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Gal. 5:18). Having the Spirit, you regularly overcome the desires of the flesh. The Spirit works humility and repentance in you. The Spirit works grace and faith in you. The Spirit spurs you on to please the Lord.
Yes, believers will be guilty of these sins, and they will fight the flesh their whole lives. Yet, the Spirit will always bring back God’s children to Christ and his forgiveness. The Spirit will speak to you, especially in your moments of failure, that you are not under law. There is no condemnation for you, for your entrance into the kingdom of God depends not on your good deeds or your fleshly deeds.
Rather, your eternal life rests exclusively on the righteousness of Christ. Jesus already merited resurrection for you. You are saved all of grace, and the flesh has nothing to do with it. As long as you live in your mortal body, the struggle will continue between your flesh and the Spirit, but the victory stays the same—Jesus died and rose for you.
This is the leading of the Spirit, a leading us in Christ and back to Christ each and every day, until our hope of righteousness becomes sight in the resurrection. Praise the Lord for the sweet gospel of Christ and power of the Spirit living in our hearts.
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