Works of the Flesh

“The Works of the Flesh are Manifest…”

I would like our readers to consider  a serious study of the “ works of the flesh .” Please  take the time to examine carefully this ugly series of  sinful things. We need to realize the imminent danger of  these in our lives today, because the apostle Paul closes  Galatians 5:19-21 by saying that those who do such  things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. It cannot  be simpler to understand!

In the context, Paul has encouraged the churches  of Galatia to allow the gospel to influence their hearts  and minds so that they may control the fleshly part of life  (Gal. 5:16-18). He has warned them about the danger of  fulfilling the lust of the flesh and how that there was the  battle that is ongoing between the lust and our inward  man that has as its purpose and its intention to serve the  Lord. When we think about the pagan society that was  in existence in the first century, these were sins that were  prominent among them. Some of them were prevalent  even in relationship to idolatrous worship, which Paul  indicates within these “ works of the flesh .” Yet, when we  look at our society today in view of these things, then  we can see that society has not changed much. There is  not a great deal of difference in our world and the pagan  society in which Paul lived, which tells us that as these  things increase more and more, there is less and less  influence of the Bible in the hearts and the lives of the  people. Therefore, these things are very prominent today.

Thus, beginning in Galatians 5:19, Paul will begin  a list of the works of the flesh: “ Now the works of the  flesh are manifest, which are these ….” Notice carefully  some thoughts as we begin to consider these sins.

First, let us notice the term “ works .” Paul is  referencing certain things that come out of a fleshly life  by the way that he utilizes this word. We contrast “ works  of the flesh ” (Gal. 5:19-21) with “ the fruit of the Spirit ”  (Gal. 5:22-23), and while Paul engages two distinct  terms, he is still contrasting products in both scenarios.  For example, Jesus said, “ Beware of false prophets,  which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they  are ravening wolves ” (Matt. 7:15). In other words, these  men were teaching certain things, and out of that false  teaching, certain things would follow:

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather  grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every  good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree  bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring  forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth  good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good  fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore  by their fruits ye shall know them.  (Matt. 7:16-20)

Therefore, certain things are products of a fleshly  lifestyle, which Paul details, but please note that he has  not listed all of them, because he notes, “… and such  like .” These are only some of the works of the flesh that  Paul provides to give us an idea or portrait of what a  fleshly lifestyle indicates.

Second, as we examine the term “ flesh ” in view of  the greater context, we ought to see that the following list  of things is revolting to the child of God! There ought  not to be anything about any single one of these sins that  ought to appeal to us! In opposition to these horrific sins,  Paul will contrast with the beauty of spiritual things— “ the fruit of the Spirit ” (Gal. 5:22-23). It truly is “ flesh ”  versus “ spirit .” As we consider these various products of  a fleshly lifestyle, we can see how Paul will group these,  and we often see how these dovetail together. Avoiding  these fleshly works will not come automatically—we  must diligently work to avoid/remove these from our  lives, and as we remove these, we are to replace them  with the necessary attributes that describe “ the fruit of  the Spirit ,” which we will examine next month.

Third, Paul says that the works of the flesh “ are  manifest .” In other words, they show themselves. They  come out. The literal Greek word is  phaneros , which  really means that they are shining. Thus, we can see the  consequences, the outcome and the product of a fleshly  life. If these works are in our lives, then we can tell that  these are products and the harvest of the flesh.

Therefore, it is imperative that we need to get  these things out of our lives, and to prevent them from  developing in our lives. Please study carefully these  “ works of the flesh .”

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God Doesn’t Believe in Atheists

God does exist. All of the best-sellers in the world that espouse otherwise will not change that fact. But if we really expect our children to believe and follow the One True Living God, we must start thinking outside the box! Sadly, the atheists of this country are doing their job better than we Christian parents are. It’s time someone state the obvious: What we’ve done in the past hasn’t worked. If you do not believe this, just walk into a church building and inquire if anyone there has children who have abandoned the Faith. But be prepared—the line that forms before you may be much longer than you ever expected. Far too many young people are leaving the Church only to turn around and embrace secular humanism, or even worse, atheism.

Now think: How many of those children who have left the Church could name you most of the state capitals? How many of those children know the value for pi, or how to solve for x in an algebra problem? How many of those children can name bones of the body or could describe the water cycle? How many of those children know every word to their favorite songs or could tell you verbatim lines from their favorite movie? How many of those children have studied for hours to take tests over meaningless material? As you sit there considering how much time these young people have spent cramming for standardized tests, ask yourself this one simple question: How much time have they spent actually studying Christian evidences or logical arguments to prove God’s existence? If we are going to reverse this trend, we must start thinking outside the box as to what is “normal”. It’s time we expect more from ourselves and more from our children.

[Reader: “Is he actually suggesting that we test or quiz our children over Christian evidences or make them study biblical material outside of Bible class?”]

I guess my response would be: “Yes, whatever it takes.” After all, which “test” is ultimately more important? I’m not downplaying the importance of a good education—I’m just trying to remind parents that their children spend an enormous amount of time learning “things,” but too often they only spend a small fraction learning about God and His Word. It is no secret that during their educational years students spend a great deal of time studying evolution, humanism, other religious beliefs, and even the tenets of atheism. Why not counter this with a solid Christian foundation? As I mentioned before, what we’ve done in the past hasn’t worked. It’s time we get serious and combat the atheists’ propaganda with knowledge! Ask yourself this question: Can my children and grandchildren truly prove that God exists?

Our children are told that if you can not measure something using the scientific method (using your five senses), then it is an illusion. Where does that place God—a Spirit (John 4:24)? Anyone who has spent any time at all studying philosophy or logic understands that while a Supreme Being may not be proven in a laboratory using the scientific method, the laboratory’s very existence is proof for His existence.

Consider this simple logic: It is a self-evident truth that something cannot come from nothing. (If someone wants to argue this fact, I would love to sell them some “nothing.”) Since something now exists, this indicates that something has existed forever. That means something is eternal—meaning it has always been here. This is simple logic—something exists today, thus something has always existed. The question is what has eternal properties?

Atheists and evolutionists would have students believe that the Universe is eternal; however that does not fit the scientific data. We know today that the Universe is expanding, which is a clear indication it had a beginning. As evolutionist Robert Jastrow admitted: “The lingering decline predicted by astronomers for the end of the world differs from the explosive conditions they have calculated for its birth, but the impact is the same: modern science denies an eternal existence to the Universe, either in the past or the future” (1977, p. 30). The only logical conclusion is that God is eternal and He was responsible for the creation of the Universe. With a little time and a little study we can teach these Truths to our children and grandchildren.

I’ve heard it said many times that it takes more faith to be an atheist. Given the amount of evidence we have for God I would agree. Brad Stine once mused: “Who is more irrational? A man who believes in a God he doesn’t see, or a man who’s offended by a God he doesn’t believe in?” I would take that even one step further: “Who is more irrational? A Christian who believes in a God but doesn’t teach his child about Him, or an atheist who doesn’t believe in Him but takes the time to teach the child his beliefs?”

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Choosing Your Road

The Road Less Traveled Today

Many people are traveling a road of life without any serious concern for the after-life (i.e. that existence after physical death). I do not know very many people today that are seriously considering the possibility of a life after death. Most people live today as if they do not know anything about God or do not care anything about God. Perhaps this situation is partly due to the success that the Devil has had with the people of the past 75 years (i.e. the children and grandchildren of those born in the early 20th Century}.

Apparently the Bible is not read and consulted today as it was in past generations of American citizens. The condition of our elected officials conduct, the lack of helpful and healthy activities in our schools of learning from grade school through 4 years of college; is not what it was 50-60 years ago. Yes; the church is not as strong and as vocal with Biblical principle regarding marriage, chastity, cleanness, honesty, integrity, faithfulness, and other redeeming qualities as in past times. Indeed; the population of America and the world has grown considerably but wickedness and dishonesty in many ways has increased in a much larger percentage than in past ages. My friends and dear readers this condition in our country and around the word today will continue to become worse and worse if we do not return to the principles of our forefathers who considered the Bible a necessary source for ethics, morals, family life, and human interaction in all situations. What can we expect from a society that is taught by the get rich quick by whatever means works for you – “Do your own thing” –  “you only go around once” – “get all the gusto you can while it is there” – “join the “IN CROWD” – and other good time concepts that have for an ending nothing but sorrow, shame, and destruction.

CONSIDER THIS …

Indeed there is another way to live, raise a family, earn a living, take care of your family and develop lasting and delightful relationships with other people. This is the encouragement that I want to offer to those of you that have not thought about the life of a true Bible believing Christian. Some of the information that is contained in the Bible follows:

1 – God is forgiving and long suffering toward everyone – Rom. 9:22-26 –

22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. 25 as He says also in Hosea, “I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’ AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.'” 26 “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’ THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.” (NASU)

2 – God loves mankind and wants nothing but the best for us all – John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV)

John 13:34-35 – 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

John 15:12 – This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Rom. 8:37 – Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (KJV)

3 – God will forgive us of our trespasses {i.e. sins} if we will believe and obey His teaching – Mark 16:15-16 – 15 and he said unto them, Go ye into the entire world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (KJV)

Acts 2:38 – Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (KJV)

John 14:15 – If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:23 – Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me , he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (KJV)

4 – The New Testament of Jesus Christ teaches us how to be a happy family and to raise happy and healthy children …

Husband & wife relationship – Eph. 5:22-25 – 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husband, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (KJV)

Col. 3:18-19 – 18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Col. 3:19 – 19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. (KJV)

Titus 2:4 – That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

1 Peter 3:5-7 – 5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husband 6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. 7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (KJV)

Parents & Children relationship – Eph. 6:1-4 – 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise 😉 3 that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (KJV)

Col. 3:20-21 – 20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. 21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. (KJV)

1 John 2:12-13 – 12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. 13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

Consider this final thought …

God is good; we need to return to the standards that God has asked us to apply to our life and relationship to one another. Indeed we can have a better world, a better family relationship, a better society, a honest political system, etc. but only if we adapt ourselves and encourage others to follow the moral and ethical code that is found within the pages of the Holy Bible.

It is also true that if a person wishes to be a Christian one can find within the pages of the New Testament a process that will make it possible to be saved from past sin and be added to the Lord’s church by the Lord Himself (e.g. Acts 2:47).

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Let’s Do the Twist

Twisting the Easy Verses

The Bible clearly affirms that there are some things in the Bible which are difficult to understand. Peter obviously had read some of the epistles of Paul and described the wisdom which had been given to Paul. He then adds, “In all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16, English Standard Version). Note that Peter does not say they are impossible to understand, just hard to understand.

Note that Peter says that individuals come to the Scriptures and twist them. Read the rest of the verse where he says they even twist the things which are easy to understand. There are so many illustrations of this.

Years ago women hardly ever cut their hair and would wear it “bundled” up on the top of their heads. This bundle was called a top knot. There was one preacher who, wanting to gain notoriety, announced that in his next sermon he would show that God had specifically declared that women should not have this style of hair. Needless to say there were many who came and, sure enough, he read the proof from the Bible where God said that the top knot had to come down. His text was from Matthew 24:17. Jesus said, “Let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house.” Now you may have to read Jesus’ words again to see what the preacher did. He twisted the words of Jesus “ . . . housetop not come down” to fit his doctrine of “Top Knot Come Down.”  Talk about twisting the Scripture!

Others, wanting a verse to use to forbid the use of instrumental music, twist the words of Amos 6:1-5. “Woe to you who . . . Invent for yourselves musical instruments like David.” Now do not misunderstand me. The Bible forbids the use of instrumental music in our worship, but this passage is not discussing this topic. The fourth verse pronounces a woe on those who eat lamb or beef. Read Amos’ words carefully and you will see that he was condemning the complacency of Israel in their service of God. If we expect others to honestly use the Bible, then we must be just as honest. We must never twist any Scripture to prove any “truth.”

People have twisted the Scriptures to find prophecies of the automobiles (Nahum 2:4) and guided missiles (Rev. 9:19) and to forbid having long hair like the Beatles made popular (Rev. 9:8). There is no limit to which many will go in twisting the scriptures.

The Bible is our only source of authority. However, we must never twist any of its words. Not even the “easy” ones!

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Secret to Paul’s Success

The Secret to Paul’s Success.

Besides the Lord Himself, no man in Scripture better demonstrates the forward–‐looking faith with hope and with the strength in love that should be ours other than the apostle Paul. This man who described himself as the, “chiefest of sinners and unworthy to be called an apostle” we remember as the great apostle to the Gentiles.

So, here is an example for us in that if God could show His marvelous grace to Saul of Tarsus by forgiving his sins, he can surely forgive any sinner who repents. That is what Saul (Paul) told Timothy (1 Tim. 1:12-16). From God’s point of view, Paul is an example of the limitless extent of diving love.

Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee, the persecutor of the church, zealous beyond all his contemporaries, became the Apostle Paul. This man then suffered innumerable hardships and persecutions for Christ’s sake (2 Cor. 11:23-28), counted all his human achievements as refuse for Christ’s sake (Phil. 37-11) and forgave his enemies as the Lord has done and commanded (2 Tim. 4:14-18). From the human standpoint, Paul is an example of the power of God to change character and reshape human lives for good.

So, what was the key to Paul’s success as a Christian? Sometimes we have made the same mistake as the people of Lystra in thinking Paul was more than merely human (Acts 14:8-15). But, he was not. Sometime we think that his miraculous powers gave him an advantage along this life. But, those gifts brought him more trials and difficulties (Acts 16:16-24). So, what was the secret of his success? The answer is that he was totally convinced that Jesus was God’s Son and that judgment was coming and that God had forgiven his sins through Christ. His epistles mention these things over and over.

Paul believed fervently that Jesus was the Son of God. This meant that judgment was certain (Acts 17:30-31). But, Paul was ready to face the judgment. Though not perfect in his own life, Paul was ready to face God in the righteousness of Christ that, “Righteousness which is of God by faith” (Phil. 3:9).

Paul was committed to Jesus as God’s Son and sought to obey the Lord in all things. Because he knew the judgment was coming, he tried to tell every human being that did not know the facts.

So, are you totally convinced that Jesus is God’s Son? If not, you will never be an effective Christian. Do you really believe that Judgment is coming? Unless you do, your life will likely be careless in God’s service. Do you understand the good news that you are completely forgiven and accepted by God because of your relationship with Christ? The Key to all this is the new life (Rom. 6:3-4).

Paul was not superman. He was human. But, he was totally sincere in his Christian faith and was committed completely to Christ. Are you?

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