Passage: Galatians 5:19-21
The Big Idea
We’re free from legalism, and we’re free from license. Both come from the flesh: our humanity, our own resources, in rebellion against God. Paul lists what the flesh produces so we can recognize it when we’re drawing on our own resources, and run to Jesus for His Spirit instead. These works never please God, never heal, and never lead to life. But the Spirit can.
Where We’ve Been
- We’re free from the Law, free from legalism. There’s no law over our lives anymore. We’re as free as a son. We can’t break a law that no longer applies to us as God’s children.
- We’re free from license. No cheap grace that says we can just keep on sinning. We’ve been given the ability to walk in the Spirit and do what pleases God, fulfilling the Law without our own human effort. Fruit instead of works.
- License is never right, and neither is legalism. One ditch is on the right, the other on the left. Both proceed from the flesh.
The flesh is our humanity: what we were born with, our inner resources, the thoughts, efforts and ideas of human nature. And it’s in rebellion against God. As the old hymn says, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.”
Do you want to live in the flesh?
Today we’ll learn to recognize when we’re drawing on the flesh, so we can ask Jesus for help, for His Spirit to lead us when our flesh wants something else.
The Works of the Flesh Are Evident (Galatians 5:19)
The works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, divisions, envy, murders, drunkenness, wild partying and things like these. Paul warns, as he had before, that those who practice such things won’t inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).
“Evident.” What our natural human resources produce becomes obvious sooner or later. You can’t hide it. That’s why there’s no faking being a Christian. The truth comes out.
A man once went into a fried chicken restaurant late one afternoon and bought a couple of chicken dinners for himself and his date. The young woman at the counter accidentally handed him the bag holding the day’s cash instead of the chicken. When the couple sat down at their picnic spot and opened it, they found over eight hundred dollars. The man put the money back, drove all the way back to the restaurant, and returned it.
The manager was thrilled. “Let me call the newspaper! I’ll get your picture in the paper. You’re the most honest man I’ve ever heard of!”
“Oh no, no, don’t do that!” the man said. Then he leaned in and whispered, “You see, the woman I’m with isn’t my wife. She’s somebody else’s wife.”
The works of the flesh are evident.
- These works are the enemy, and they’re the result of us being us, or us depending on us.
- They come from setting our minds on ourselves.
Setting the Mind (Romans 8:5-8)
Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. The mind set on the flesh is hostile to God; it doesn’t submit to God’s law, and can’t. Those in the flesh can’t please God.
Many people struggle with sin, and when you talk with them it sounds like this: “I did this, I did that. It’s so hard not to do this. I think this. If I just did that. I wanted this. I needed that. That’s more comfortable for me.”
- They think the answer is internal, some puzzle about themselves they need to solve in order to please God or fix themselves.
- So their plan of attack comes from the flesh.
- “If I’m doing something wrong, I need to try harder. Or put a chain on my wrist so I can’t do it.”
- Or, “I need to figure out what happened to me years ago that makes me act this way.” Understanding our past can have its place, but it can’t give us new life.
- The flesh’s answer is self-improvement or self-healing, instead of repentance and trusting Jesus.
All those efforts “cannot please God,” because they aren’t sourced in His Spirit. He would love to bring healing and grace into your life through His Spirit. You just have to ask! That’s what pleases Him.
So let’s look at this list. These works come from the flesh. They never please God, never bring healing to us or anyone around us, and never lead to life. They always lead to death. And they can be deceptive; our flesh sometimes convinces us they’re the right way to go.
The List
Adultery and sexual immorality
Adultery is sexual sin that breaks a marriage. Sexual immorality (porneia) covers sexual sin outside of marriage. Both are the resources and plans of the flesh.
When sexual sin is a temptation, set your mind on the things of the Spirit. Get in the Word. Think about Jesus. Pray and fast. Let your spirit contemplate Jesus. Engage with Him. Pray and wait. Read and listen. Ask, beg, sing, whisper, shout.
Think about where the world is headed. Revelation repeatedly pictures “Babylon,” the world system, intoxicating the nations with the wine of her immorality, until God finally judges her (Revelation 14:8; 17:2-4; 18:3, 9; 19:2).
Impurity
Impurity is a broad word for sexual impropriety in general, the opposite of purity. If it isn’t pure before God, it’s impurity.
- Many people excuse themselves: “We did this and that, but we didn’t go all the way.” Others say, “My pornography habit isn’t wrong, because I’m not actually with another person.” But this word is broad enough to show that all of these are works of the flesh.
- Impurity also covers impure speech: suggestive talk full of double meanings.
- The Holy Spirit has never led anyone into impurity.
Sensuality
Also translated “lewdness” or “licentiousness”: unrestrained, shameless living. Jude warns about ungodly people who slipped into the church unnoticed and turned the grace of our God into a license for immorality (Jude 4).
Some people talk about grace but are really teaching license. Warn them, and they’ll say, “Oh, grace will cover this sin I’m about to commit.” That isn’t grace.
Idolatry
Paul says to put to death what is earthly in us, including greed, which is idolatry (Colossians 3:5).
The greatest idol of this age is self. In the last days people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud and ungrateful (2 Timothy 3:1-2).
Sorcery
The Greek word is pharmakeia, from which we get “pharmacy.” It was associated with drugs and potions used in occult practices. Revelation mentions people who refuse to repent of their sorceries (Revelation 9:21), and says the nations were deceived by Babylon’s sorcery (Revelation 18:23).
Abusing drugs is a work of the flesh. People don’t have what it takes, so they’re always looking for something that does, and many put their hope in mind-altering substances. This isn’t about aspirin or medicine your doctor prescribes. It’s about where you put your hope.
Hatred
Hostility, wanting the worst for someone. Laws can punish the evil people do to each other, but no law can fix the hatred that motivates it.
Strife
Arguing. “I’m right and you’re wrong.” A combative, quarrelsome spirit. The Holy Spirit has never led anyone into strife!
Jealousy
Wanting what belongs to someone else; a wrong desire for what isn’t meant for us.
Fits of anger
Outbursts of rage; losing your temper and being unable to control your anger. There are things worth being angry about. But even then, we take them to the Lord and turn them into prayer. If the anger is about self, it’s the flesh.
Selfish ambition
The Greek word eritheia has an interesting history. It began as a respectable word meaning “to work for pay.” Over time it came to mean work done only for money. Then it described politicians who campaigned not to serve the people, but only for their own glory and benefit. It ended up meaning ambition with no thought of service, aimed only at profit and power. It’s the heart that always asks first, “What’s in it for me?” The Holy Spirit has never led anyone into selfish ambition.
- Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves (Philippians 2:3).
- Where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. That kind of “wisdom” isn’t from above; it’s earthly, unspiritual and demonic (James 3:14-16).
Dissensions
“We’re better than them,” or, “I’m better than you.” It never accomplishes God’s will in your life.
Heresies
Departures from the simple truth of God’s Word. Peter warns that false teachers will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them (2 Peter 2:1). Heresy is always tied to the flesh one way or another, often to teaching that puts self at the center and tells God what to do.
William Barclay made a helpful distinction: there’s a world of difference between believing we’re right and believing everyone else is wrong. Unshakable conviction is a Christian virtue; unyielding intolerance is a sin.
Envy
The Greek word phthonos isn’t so much wanting what someone else has (that’s jealousy) as being bitter simply because they have it and we don’t. The ancient Stoics called it grief at someone else’s good. Euripides called it the greatest of all diseases among people.
Murders
The unjust taking of life. And Jesus traced murder back to the heart: anyone who is angry with his brother, or insults him with contempt, is liable to judgment (Matthew 5:21-22).
Drunkenness
With alcohol or anything else. Paul describes drunkenness as “dissipation,” which means wastefulness (Ephesians 5:18). Getting drunk is a waste.
Whatever label someone wears in their struggle, it isn’t their deepest identity. In Christ, you’re a saint learning to walk in the fullness of the Spirit.
Wild partying
“Revelries”: the party-animal life. Barclay described it as revelry that degrades a person and makes him a nuisance to others.
And things like these
This list isn’t exhaustive. The flesh produces more than what’s named here.
Those Who Practice Such Things (Galatians 5:21)
Paul warns, as he had before, that those who practice such things won’t inherit the kingdom of God.
- Who’s in danger? Those who practice these things.
- That means more than someone who has ever committed one of these sins. It speaks of people who continue in them as a way of life, ignoring the Holy Spirit’s voice telling them to stop.
- Commentators like Boice, Morris and Stott all point out that the verb describes habitual, ongoing practice, not an isolated fall. Those who continually live this way show they’ve never received God’s Spirit.
- This isn’t the Law talking. It’s a description of the flesh, and of where it leads.
Scripture never gives us peace about living in license, or in legalism.
Paul gives a similar list to the Corinthians, warning that the unrighteous won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Then he adds these beautiful words: such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
That’s the gospel. Whatever was on your list, it isn’t who you are anymore.
Walk in the Spirit
As we saw in verses 16-18, the way not to walk in the flesh but in the Spirit is to depend desperately and humbly on Him, and Him alone, to change you and produce fruit in your life as you call on His name.
Call out to Him for His grace, His resources, His Holy Spirit.
Walk by the Spirit, and you won’t carry out the desires of the flesh!
Grace Takeaway
The works of the flesh are obvious, and none of them can be fixed by trying harder or looking deeper into yourself. The flesh can’t please God. But you’ve been washed, sanctified and justified in Jesus’ name. When you see the flesh at work, don’t despair and don’t strive. Run to Jesus, ask for His Spirit, and let Him lead you into life.
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