A whole-of-life check-up, based on Galatians 5:16-26

Paul ¢â‚¬â„¢s lists of  ¢â‚¬Ëœworks of the flesh ¢â‚¬â„¢ vs.  ¢â‚¬Ëœfruits of the Spirit ¢â‚¬â„¢ have guided Christ-followers for 2000+ years. The Evangelical leader John Stott, one of my mentors, used to pray through the  ¢â‚¬Ëœfruits of the Spirit ¢â‚¬â„¢ list every day.

When Paul uses the term  ¢â‚¬Ëœflesh ¢â‚¬â„¢ he could be unpacking one of five meanings according to New Testament scholar F F Bruce (or six, writes the author of the excellent article in the three-volume  New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology). [1]    Sarx  can mean bodily flesh, or humankind ( ¢â‚¬Ëœall flesh ¢â‚¬â„¢), or human vs. divine thinking ( ¢â‚¬Ëœwise after the flesh ¢â‚¬â„¢ =  ¢â‚¬Ëœthe wisdom of this age ¢â‚¬â„¢), or human efforts at self-justification (kata sarka   ¢â‚¬“  ¢â‚¬Ëœaccording to the flesh ¢â‚¬â„¢), or human nature apart from God ( ¢â‚¬Ëœthe works of the flesh ¢â‚¬â„¢), or, by extension, the battle between  ¢â‚¬Ëœliving in the flesh ¢â‚¬â„¢ vs.  ¢â‚¬Ëœno longer living in the flesh ¢â‚¬â„¢ (a seeming contradiction resolved in Philippians 1: 22-24).

1 Peter 2:11 speaks of  ¢â‚¬Ëœfleshly (sarkikos) desires which wage war against the soul ¢â‚¬â„¢: or as Paul puts it, we can choose to trust our human instincts, which can be noble  ¢â‚¬“ like  ¢â‚¬Ëœpursuing righteousness trusting in the law [of Moses] rather than through faith in Christ ¢â‚¬â„¢, Philippians 3:6  ¢â‚¬“ or ignoble, like these negative life-habits listed in Galatians 5.

Here are his lists, from the NRSV of Galatians 5:19-23, with alternative renderings from the NIV, The Message (TM), Revised English Bible (REB):

• Fornication (sexual immorality NIV, repetitive, loveless cheap sex TM)
• Impurity (a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage TM, indecency REB)
• Licentiousness (debauchery NIV, REB, frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness TM)
• Idolatry (trinket gods TM)
• Sorcery (witchcraft NIV, magic-show religion TM)
• Enmities (hatred NIV, paranoid loneliness TM, quarrels REB)
• Strife (discord NIV, cutthroat competition TM, a contentious temper REB)
• Jealousy (all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants TM, envy REB)
• Anger (fits of rage NIV, REB, a brutal temper TM)
• Quarrels (selfish ambition NIV, REB, an impotence to love or be loved TM)
• Dissensions (divided homes and divided lives TM)
• Factions (small-minded and lopsided pursuits TM, party intrigues REB)
• Envy (the vicious habit of depersonalizing everything into a rival TM, jealousies REB)
• Drunkenness (uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions TM, drinking bouts REB)
• Carousing (orgies NIV, REB, ugly parodies of community TM)

Not pretty!

By contrast, the  ¢â‚¬Ëœfruits of the Spirit ¢â‚¬â„¢ are

• Love (affection for others TM)
• Joy (exuberance about life TM)
• Peace (serenity TM)
• Patience (a willingness to stick with things TM)
• Kindness (a sense of compassion in the heart TM)
• Generosity (goodness NIV, REB, a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people TM)
• Faithfulness (finding ourselves involved in loyal commitments TM, fidelity REB)
• Gentleness (not needing to force our way in life TM)
• Self-control (able to marshal and direct our energies wisely TM)

How do you rate? Watch this space for some probing questions for a personal  examen  on each of these ¢â‚¬ ¦

~~~

[1] Colin Brown ed.,  The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Paternoster, 1975, Vol. 1, pp. 671 ff.)