Paul's belief in Christ and serving Him freely by accepting Jesus into his heart and learning to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct his life was challenged by other believers of the Jewish sect who demanded following of the Mosaic Law was imperative in the Christian walk.
One reason the "Mosaic-Law Believers" were adamant about this and came directly against Paul was they thought that new-found believers in Christ would be on a slippery slope to moral ruin and decay if the Law was not recognized and adhered to.
Paul urges the believers in Galatians to lean on the Holy Spirit for direction and guidance in life, for the power of Christ and the promise of the Holy Spirit would change lives within...something the Law was not able to do...
" For there is no doubt, my dear brothers and sisters, you have been given a true life of freedom, yet let this be known the freedom you now have in Christ Jesus does not issue you a license to satisfy your sinful nature simply because we are no longer bound to the Law.
Instead, the freedom we have in Christ Jesus takes us way beyond what the Law could ever accomplish, and enables us to love and serve one another with His love radiating from our hearts. In fact, if the writings of the whole Mosaic Law could be condensed into only one command, it would be this: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."
So, if we are given to backbiting one another, and hurting one another with words of disrespect, then our new found freedom in Christ Jesus will have ill effect on others.
Here is what I always say to do: Learn to walk daily in the power of the Holy Spirit, be responsive to His leading, and let Him have control in your life each day. Then, you will see your life is guided by the Holy Spirit from within, and the Scriptures will take hold in your hearts, something the Law is unable to achieve.
Our sinful nature, which is always opposing the direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives, can be overcome because the Greater One lives within you. You will not have to be obligated to merely following the Law, for the heart responds to the leading of the Spirit, and as I have mentioned many times before, the Law doesn't carry that kind of power...to compel us to obey God from within our hearts.
Now, with that being said, let me say this: when you follow the desires of our sinful nature, your desires change, and you are given to things that do not honor the Risen Christ. These types of passions are easily recognizable, here are but a few:
sexual immorality and sexual impurity as well, and you can throw in lustful pleasure too. These are three "big ticket" items when it comes to adhering to the sinful (lower) nature.
But there are many and numerous more: filthy thoughts, sorcery...beware of this one for it comes in a variety of "shades and colors", being hostile toward one another, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, dissension, division, and here's one to give thought to: selfish ambition.
And there is more: getting drunk that causes you to "carry on crazy" at parties that are wild and quite acceptable to all types of sexual cravings, carousing...or like the phrase goes "on the prowl" looking for someone to simply spend the night with....or how about "cougars"...older women wanting to teach the younger guys all about sex..because they hunger for it themselves, or just losing control of your senses (usually because of being so drunk)...did you ever in your former life wake-up and wonder where you were at, how you got there...and more importantly...who you are with?
Another thing concerning the lower nature having control in your life: don't go around telling other people stories and such that may not be of any truth....like how angels guide our lives and calling on angels to give us answers. Make no mistake, there are angels...but they are here to assist and protect...not guide or direct our lives from within..that is why God sent us His Holy Spirit. Stay away from stuff like that, along with opinions that are "saturated" in heresy. Anything that contradicts Scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives (which are always in agreement)...stay away and don't promote that kind of stuff.
After all, how do you expect to receive any part of the Kingdom of God when you are serving all these "attributes" of your selfish and lower nature. Remember the words of Christ Himself: "you cannot serve two masters...". Inheritance from the Kingdom Christ is not given to being faithful to our lower nature; our inheritance in Christ comes when we open our hearts and invite Him in and allow the Holy Spirit to be the One who directs our lives.
Here then, is the fruit of our "new nature", following the leading of Christ Himself: first, there is LOVE, the kind of love Jesus has and is the greatest of all virtues the fruit of the Spirit gives to us, and with that comes JOY, the very secret to our happiness that does not depend on any circumstances we might find ourselves in, and we have PEACE, which not only gives us a peace with our God, but adds to it an ability to be peacemakers among men. PATIENCE is another virtue from the fruit of the Spirit which gives us an understanding and acceptance of others, and KINDNESS, which brings a generosity toward one another, and GOODNESS, following Christ's leading, "He went about doing good", and FAITHFULNESS, being ever faithful to God as well as being faithful to others, remembering how God is always faithful to us. GENTLENESS is a most powerful virtue of this fruit for it carries this demand: you must be strong in order to be gentle, and SELF-CONTROL, which applies strength to our daily lives to overcome the various sin of our lower nature and consequences that result from it.
For I would say this to you my friends, when these virtues are beginning to manifest in your daily life as a fruit only the Holy Spirit can give us, there is no Law that can bring any charges against you!
The result of all this: those of us who truly give our hearts and lives to Christ Jesus, are already aware of passions and desires the sinful nature can bring, and yet we also know all of our sinful nature was nailed to a Cross, and was crucified then...and there!
Now, we have the Holy Spirit living within us, guiding us, and giving us insight on the heart of God, something the Law could never dictate! Let us complete this journey and allow the Holy Spirit to grant the very desires of our hearts...birthed in Christ...and Christ alone!
Don't let conceit, your own"pig-headed" ways direct your lives, nor let jealousy find a place in your midst with claims of "I know it all, you don't", and don't put down another so it can make you feel more important."
One reason the "Mosaic-Law Believers" were adamant about this and came directly against Paul was they thought that new-found believers in Christ would be on a slippery slope to moral ruin and decay if the Law was not recognized and adhered to.
Paul urges the believers in Galatians to lean on the Holy Spirit for direction and guidance in life, for the power of Christ and the promise of the Holy Spirit would change lives within...something the Law was not able to do...
" For there is no doubt, my dear brothers and sisters, you have been given a true life of freedom, yet let this be known the freedom you now have in Christ Jesus does not issue you a license to satisfy your sinful nature simply because we are no longer bound to the Law.
Instead, the freedom we have in Christ Jesus takes us way beyond what the Law could ever accomplish, and enables us to love and serve one another with His love radiating from our hearts. In fact, if the writings of the whole Mosaic Law could be condensed into only one command, it would be this: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."
So, if we are given to backbiting one another, and hurting one another with words of disrespect, then our new found freedom in Christ Jesus will have ill effect on others.
Here is what I always say to do: Learn to walk daily in the power of the Holy Spirit, be responsive to His leading, and let Him have control in your life each day. Then, you will see your life is guided by the Holy Spirit from within, and the Scriptures will take hold in your hearts, something the Law is unable to achieve.
Our sinful nature, which is always opposing the direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives, can be overcome because the Greater One lives within you. You will not have to be obligated to merely following the Law, for the heart responds to the leading of the Spirit, and as I have mentioned many times before, the Law doesn't carry that kind of power...to compel us to obey God from within our hearts.
Now, with that being said, let me say this: when you follow the desires of our sinful nature, your desires change, and you are given to things that do not honor the Risen Christ. These types of passions are easily recognizable, here are but a few:
sexual immorality and sexual impurity as well, and you can throw in lustful pleasure too. These are three "big ticket" items when it comes to adhering to the sinful (lower) nature.
But there are many and numerous more: filthy thoughts, sorcery...beware of this one for it comes in a variety of "shades and colors", being hostile toward one another, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, dissension, division, and here's one to give thought to: selfish ambition.
And there is more: getting drunk that causes you to "carry on crazy" at parties that are wild and quite acceptable to all types of sexual cravings, carousing...or like the phrase goes "on the prowl" looking for someone to simply spend the night with....or how about "cougars"...older women wanting to teach the younger guys all about sex..because they hunger for it themselves, or just losing control of your senses (usually because of being so drunk)...did you ever in your former life wake-up and wonder where you were at, how you got there...and more importantly...who you are with?
Another thing concerning the lower nature having control in your life: don't go around telling other people stories and such that may not be of any truth....like how angels guide our lives and calling on angels to give us answers. Make no mistake, there are angels...but they are here to assist and protect...not guide or direct our lives from within..that is why God sent us His Holy Spirit. Stay away from stuff like that, along with opinions that are "saturated" in heresy. Anything that contradicts Scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives (which are always in agreement)...stay away and don't promote that kind of stuff.
After all, how do you expect to receive any part of the Kingdom of God when you are serving all these "attributes" of your selfish and lower nature. Remember the words of Christ Himself: "you cannot serve two masters...". Inheritance from the Kingdom Christ is not given to being faithful to our lower nature; our inheritance in Christ comes when we open our hearts and invite Him in and allow the Holy Spirit to be the One who directs our lives.
Here then, is the fruit of our "new nature", following the leading of Christ Himself: first, there is LOVE, the kind of love Jesus has and is the greatest of all virtues the fruit of the Spirit gives to us, and with that comes JOY, the very secret to our happiness that does not depend on any circumstances we might find ourselves in, and we have PEACE, which not only gives us a peace with our God, but adds to it an ability to be peacemakers among men. PATIENCE is another virtue from the fruit of the Spirit which gives us an understanding and acceptance of others, and KINDNESS, which brings a generosity toward one another, and GOODNESS, following Christ's leading, "He went about doing good", and FAITHFULNESS, being ever faithful to God as well as being faithful to others, remembering how God is always faithful to us. GENTLENESS is a most powerful virtue of this fruit for it carries this demand: you must be strong in order to be gentle, and SELF-CONTROL, which applies strength to our daily lives to overcome the various sin of our lower nature and consequences that result from it.
For I would say this to you my friends, when these virtues are beginning to manifest in your daily life as a fruit only the Holy Spirit can give us, there is no Law that can bring any charges against you!
The result of all this: those of us who truly give our hearts and lives to Christ Jesus, are already aware of passions and desires the sinful nature can bring, and yet we also know all of our sinful nature was nailed to a Cross, and was crucified then...and there!
Now, we have the Holy Spirit living within us, guiding us, and giving us insight on the heart of God, something the Law could never dictate! Let us complete this journey and allow the Holy Spirit to grant the very desires of our hearts...birthed in Christ...and Christ alone!
Don't let conceit, your own"pig-headed" ways direct your lives, nor let jealousy find a place in your midst with claims of "I know it all, you don't", and don't put down another so it can make you feel more important."
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