The Desires of the Flesh and the Fruit of the Spirit

 The Desires of the Flesh and the Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:13-15 "Brothers and sisters, you were called to freedom, but do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another in love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word (Logo): ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If anyone bites and devours one another, take heed lest you be consumed by one another."

Freedom is freedom from the yoke of legalism. It does not mean that having been freed from legalism means one can live as one pleases; rather, it means not being bound by the letter of the law, but realizing God's love within the law and serving one another in love. This lies precisely in saving the spirit. It means practicing Agape love that saves the spirit.

Agape and reviving the spirit are interconnected. The death of Jesus on the cross ultimately lies in reviving the dead spirits of those who have turned away from God. When the dead spirit within the body awakens, that becomes loving God.

The law referred to here is not legalism, but the meaning of love (agape) contained within the law. To do as yourself means that just as you discovered Christ within the law, and through Him your spirit came alive in your dead heart to receive the Logos, you too should convey this to others in the same way.

Although the Law contains 613 provisions, it is fulfilled by the Gospel through a single commandment: to love your neighbor. If one does not understand this, it becomes legalism that clings to the provisions.

We can see that in the Galatian church, the Gospel and legalism were mixed and arguing with one another. This suggests that engaging in such arguments can lead everyone to degenerate into a legalistic faith.

Galatians 5:16-18: “I say to you, walk (peripatheite) by the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. For the desires (epithymei) of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the Spirit is against the flesh; for these two are opposed to one another, so that you cannot do what you want. If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Peripateite (περιπατεῖτε) means to walk. It is not to do things according to the Spirit, but to go according to the Spirit. The Korean Revised Version seems to imply that one should observe the actions of the Spirit and follow them. However, that is not the meaning; it means to act with the heart given by the Spirit.

Epithymei (ἐπιθυμεῖ) kata (κατὰ) means "to yearn to place something under." In other words, the desires of the flesh (the old self: the ego) seek to place the Holy Spirit beneath them. The Holy Spirit also yearns to place the desires of the flesh beneath itself. However, the desires of the flesh are strong and attempt to overcome the Holy Spirit.

This is precisely why Paul confessed, "I am a wretched man." That is why "I die daily" is necessary. We must remember once again that we are united with Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, and place the desires of the flesh in the place of the cross.

If one deviates from the gospel of the cross, one eventually falls into legalism. This is because legalism is based on the desires of the flesh. It is because one does not die to the desires of the flesh, but remains bound only by the regulations of the commandments in order to avoid committing sin.

Galatians 5:19-21 “The works of the flesh (sarcos) are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, anger, factions, divisions, heresies, envy, drunkenness, and debauchery, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Sarkos (σαρκός) refers to the carnal mind that seeks to achieve its own righteousness, originating from the flesh. Sexual immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry, sorcery, and enmity all refer to those who fall into legalism while claiming to follow the Holy Spirit. Enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, discord, and strife signify the conflicts that arise within the church due to legalists, while drunkenness and debauchery symbolize those who contradict themselves—speaking of the Gospel one moment and insisting that the Law must also be kept.

It is said that legalists will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:22-24: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and greed.”

Although the fruit of the Spirit is divided into nine categories in our language, the Greek Bible divides it into four groups. The first is love, joy, and delight; those who follow the Spirit are given the fruit of love, joy, and delight from God. As the spirit comes alive, joy comes, and one becomes one with God to enjoy peace.
The second is long-suffering. It concerns oneself and manifests as a fruit of the Spirit through a life of self-denial.

The third is mercy (kindness) and goodness (benefiting others), which involves preaching the gospel to neighbors and saving their spirits. In other words, it is the fruit that comes from relationships with neighbors. The fourth is faithfulness (faithful trust), gentleness, and self-control (self-restraint).

These three are the fruits that a saint offers to God. The fruits are manifested through faithful belief in God, humble gentleness, and self-restraint. Therefore, it is possible to judge whether a person follows the Holy Spirit through these fruits.

He nailed down three things. First is the flesh. It is a religious heart seeking to achieve its own righteousness. Lust refers to carnal lust, but it is the heart that loves the world. Greed is the desire to become like God. To summarize all of this in one word, it is the old self. In Romans 6:6, Paul states that our old self was nailed so that the body of sin might be destroyed and we might no longer be slaves to sin.

Galatians 5:25-26: "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit (stoikomen). Let us not seek vain glory, provoking one another or being jealous of one another."

Galatians 5:25-26: "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit (stoikomen). Let us not seek vain glory, provoking one another or being jealous of one another."