The Central Moment

The fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 are a description of the character of Jesus -- a character that God wants to reproduce in each of us. They are the result of the Spirit of Jesus growing within us. These fruits will affect every relationship that we have. They also mean that we will need to daily “keep in step with the Holy Spirit.”

If you want a commentary on contemporary culture, just read Galatians 5:19-21. If you are a humanist, it will be discouraging. If you are a cynic, it will confirm your worst suspicions. But if you are a follower of Jesus, it is the ‘do not enter’ sign for the pathway of our lives.

There are two reference-point words that the Apostle Paul frequently uses. They delineate the big issues in our lives. One is “flesh” and the other is “Spirit.” They are like locational code words referring to life without Jesus and life with Jesus. By which word are you living?

The vertical and the horizontal are always related in Jesus’ kingdom. Our relationship with God will affect our relationships with each other, and our relationships with each other will affect our relationship with God. God’s Spirit in us always has implications for the people around us, and vice versa.

If you bake frequently, you will understand the power of yeast. A little bit can affect everything in a disproportionate way. It’s also true of our moral lives -- a little compromise here or there can end up affecting the whole of our lives in destructive ways. And it’s the same for our response to truth.

The yoke of religious slavery can be very real. It replaces the freedom of life in Jesus. It puts all the pressure on us and causes in us a striving to measure up that becomes both frustrating and exhausting. But the simple gospel of Christ sets us free to live freely and with hope-filled joy.

Jesus said that no one can come to God except through him. There is a human arrogance that says we can reach God by paths of our own choosing. While it is true that there are many ways of accessing the spiritual world, only by the way of Jesus will we reach God. Jesus is and always will be the way, the truth and the life.

Divine healing powerfully marked the ministry of the Apostle Paul, and yet he himself struggled with illness in a way that ironically opened the Galatians to the gospel. This apparent paradox is not fully explained, but the love of God’s people shone through to Paul. Now, however, things were changing -- leaving Paul perplexed in a different way.

We are called to live out radical holiness in Christ. But, unfortunately, there is also a counterfeit that is rooted in external rituals and religious behaviors that do not set us free from sin’s power. So let’s renounce the religious spirit that too easily replaces true holiness and let’s experience transformed hearts in Christ.

As followers of Jesus, we are no longer slaves but sons and daughters of God himself. Our position is one of privilege, blessing, and hope as we humbly live out what it means to be adopted into God’s family. So now is the time to let go of the mindset of victimhood and slavery and take on the honor of calling God our Father.