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The Work of the Loved | 1 John 4:14-16

We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1Jn 4:14-16

The indelible mark on the heart of every Christian is God’s love. In our depravity, we were undone, lost, and spiritually dead, yet God loved us, justifying us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His love defined Apostle John’s identity- the disciple whom Jesus loved- and it was His love in Christ that compelled Paul to give up his life to preach the gospel to the gentile nations. (Jn 21:7, 1Tim 1:12) Christians are loved by God- and this love stimulates both the understanding and the mimicking of this love. Christians love as God loves. As we continue our series in 1 John, we will look at the unique responsibilities of those who are deeply loved by God.

The beloved testify about Christ. To testify is to bear witness about what is true and absolute. In this portion of John’s letter, we see what compelled John to testify about Christ- they have seen Jesus Christ, who was sent by the Father to be the Savior of the world. This is no passing glance of the Savior- the apostles were engraved with the love of Christ, and they testified about this love with full conviction of the gospel. (1Jn 1:1-3, 2Pet 1:16-18, Acts 4:20) If evangelism is natural for one who has seen the love of God in Christ, why then do we lack the desire to testify? We must see Christ as the apostles saw Christ by preaching the gospel to ourselves daily. We sin every day, and we need Jesus in every moment of guilt and hopelessness that comes from realizing our sins and facing our sinful nature. The gospel reminds us that in love God gave His only Son to die on the cross for our sins, so that we might have forgiveness and eternal life in Christ Jesus. Grace abounds in the gospel, and every moment becomes an opportunity to see Jesus.

What did the apostles testify about? What do we testify about?

– We testify Jesus Christ as the only Savior. None are righteous before God. The penalty for our sins is eternal death, but God provides the way of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus alone is the eternal God and sinless Savior, the source of life, who can save those who cannot save themselves. (1Jn 5:12, Acts 4:12)

– We testify Jesus as Lord. Jesus is not only the Savior, but He is and Lord of all. His is truly man, but is also truly God. His authority was never diminished in His incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. All things- mankind and otherwise -are subject to the authority of Jesus. We testify not only of salvation in Christ, but His lordship over all. (Col 2:9, Phil 2:9-12)

– We testify of and for salvation. We tell the world the truth concerning Jesus’ offer of salvation, that whoever confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes Jesus is the Son of God will be saved. After this, we lead them to the body of Christ. Saving faith is public, and this public life of faith is to be lived together with the body of Christ, the church. (Rom 10:9)

– We testify of our blessing. In Christ, we live with every spiritual blessing as children of God- salvation, joy, security, spiritual fruit, answered prayer, and countless more. We testify of how God has blessed us in Christ, and how He is ready to bless those who come to Him with repentance of sins and faith in Christ.

The beloved remains in God’s love in all circumstances. Beloved, we must know that Jesus Christ is always with us. As we come to know God through a deeper relationship and knowledge of Jesus Christ, a deeper faith and trust in Him is established. (Heb 13:8) Sin indeed separates us from God, but we trust in Jesus for our forgiveness. The throne of grace is wide open for those that draw near to God with repentant hearts. We become convinced of our forgiveness, we are reminded that we are the children of God. Everything in this fallen world will try to lead us away from God’s love, but it will be unable to separate us from the love of God in Christ. (Rom 8:38-39) We must strive against circumstance to keep this biblical perspective on God’s steadfast love for us in any situation that arises in our lives.

The blessing of experiencing God’s love every day enables us to take on this great privilege of doing the work of God. The world must know of this love- we have seen the love that God has for us in Jesus Christ, and we share this love by sharing the gospel with all those around us.
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What Love Can Do | 1 John 4:11-13

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 1Jn 4:11-13

While most things in life can be appraised by their monetary worth, there is no price that can be ascribed to love. There are many accounts in Scripture that shows love, particularly God’s love, overcoming impossible barriers. Love is indeed powerful and significant. (Matt 15:22, 1Cor 13:7) As we have seen in our ongoing study of 1 John, God has loved us with an everlasting love, even while we were yet undeserving sinners. Having received God’s prevailing love, what can our mutual love for God and for one another do?

We can love like God. When we were saved, God gave us a new nature. He gave us the freedom to love like Himself – in essence, he enabled us to partake in His divine nature as we love one another. (2Pet 1:4, 2Cor 5:17) Apostle John repeatedly addresses the church as “beloved,” emphasizing that God’s love for us is no different from His love for Jesus, Whom the Father called “beloved” upon His baptism. Since God so loved us, we must respond as His beloved to His beloved; we are compelled by God’s love to love one another with the same intensity. God is love, therefore, we must love. (Lk 6:36, 1Pet 1:15) We can love like God in these ways:

Sacrificially- Sacrificial love withholds nothing. (1Jn 3:16) Even if we receive nothing in return, we give; in offense, we forgive; in spite of our own loss; we love. Sacrifice is a foolish thing to the world, but it is the essence of God’s love. (Jn 12:24)

Practically- Love is an activity, not an attitude. In love, God met our greatest need- life and forgiveness. He showed His love perfectly by meeting our needs through Jesus Christ. In order to love practically, we must be involved in each other’s’ lives, always interceding for one another in prayer and striving to provide any aid for them.

Unconditionally- God’s love is not contingent on our good works. Even when everything we did was an offense to His holiness, God loved us and sent his Son to die for us on the cross. (Rom 5:8) We must likewise love – not because they prove that they deserve our loves, but because we are compelled by God’s love to love.

Imperatively- God’s love is not passive, nor is it administered only when needed. God loves us decidedly and purposefully at every moment of our lives. Our love for one another must also be active. The ability to love like this is a display of God’s grace – the unsaved man, in his depravity, cannot truly love, but when he receives Christ, his nature is changed so that he can love according to the Biblical standards of love.

Personally- God’s love is not aimless. It is always focused and targeted. We must also love in an unambiguous way to our brothers and sisters, in both giving and receiving in love. The church is a body of love- we are those who are loved by God, who love God and practice the love they have received from God by loving God’s people.

Mutual love makes God’s presence evident. No man has seen God – because He is Spirit – but as we love one another, we are able to see God operating through the Holy Spirit within us. Godliness always results in love. In a sense, God abides in us as we love, and this enables us to bear the fruit of His Spirit. We are sanctified as God’s love takes root in us. This is a happy cycle – Through our continual practice of loving one another, we can learn more of God’s love, which emboldens us to love one another all the more.

Mutual love assures us of our salvation. All children of God experience seasons of doubt regarding their own salvation. How can we recover from doubt? We can over doubt by the love of the church and God. In practicing and receiving love in the body of Christ, we can know that we are loved God, as He loves us. (v.13) This is because love and faith are inseparable- as you practice love, faith expresses itself through that act of love. (Gal 5:6) Conversely, if you stop practicing love, faith cannot grow. How does this work? The Holy Spirit intertwines our love and faith, making them both real and effective. The first fruit of the Spirit is love, and we are able to love one another by the Spirit’s power. He is the One who assures our hearts of our adoption as sons. (Rom 8:15)

Beloved, let us love one another as God has loved us. We can never exhaust the riches of His love; it has been poured into our hearts through His Spirit. Let us therefore strive toward new heights of the effective power of God’s love in our lives by passionately and faithfully loving each other.
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An Unprecedented Love | 1 John 4:7-10

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 Jn 4:7-10

In the midst of all the hostility and violent attacks on the early church, Apostle John’s single charge to all believers is to love one another. Above all else, love must be the hallmark of every disciple of Christ. For us to love as God loved, we must study the love that God showed to us. God’s display of love in Christ was something truly unprecedented in history and is even now unknowable to the unbelievers. As the church continues to endure and stand against false teachers of this age, it is by this unprecedented and unknowable love of God that we will be set apart as true children of God.

Why is God’s love unprecedented?

God’s love is divine. Love is from God, because God is love. Though love is often spoken and written, the world does not know what love truly is, because ever since the Fall, man is born unable to love. Just like Cain, our nature is murderous because of our total depravity. True love comes from God- we can only love one another by knowing the love of God first. (Mk 12:28-30) The Pharisees thought they knew God, but they killed the source of true love because from the beginning, they didn’t know God’s love, Apostle Paul on the other hand, was once a persecutor of the church, but upon knowing God’s love, he was transformed to give up his own life because of his love for Jesus and the church. (Acts 8:1, Acts 20:31)

God shows His love by showing compassion and mercy on the undeserving. (Jon 4:10-11) The display of His love brings divine consequences. It is by His love that we are born of God as children of God, calling Him ‘Abba, Father’. We reflect the nature of our Father as we obey His commandment to love one another. As we grow in the knowledge of God, we strengthen an enduring faith of Him Who is always with us, and we treasure Him in our hearts above all else. (2Tim 1:12, Matt 13:44) This is why those who know God are unceasing in prayer – because as they draw near to God in prayer, their hearts are strengthened by His intimate love. (Lk 18:1)

The practice of this love can show whether you are saved. The purpose of Apostle John’s letter is for the readers to have joy through the assurance of their salvation. This assurance is made sure by your love – if you don’t practice love, you are not saved. Whether we love is the test of salvation, because love is from God. His will is for us to love one another. It is not enough to have knowledge and sound doctrine- without love, you do not know God. (Rev 2:2-4) God is love- as we know Christ and experience the personal love of God, the whole person and love of God occupies our hearts, enabling us to love God and one another in return.

God’s example of love in Jesus was unprecedented. You cannot know the love of God without understanding the atonement, propitiation, and penal substitution of Jesus Christ. How do you explain God’s love? What is the source of your own love and joy? God’s love from heaven is found in Jesus Christ. We were born with enmity in our hearts against God. God had no reason to love us, yet He sent His Son to be born into a world that did not receive Him. Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness and love, and He died on a cross in our place to take away God’s wrath against sinners. (Jn 3:16) Jesus rose from the dead in victory against death so that we can live a life of love through Him. Our Christian life is a remarkable display of God’s love. He forgave us – not on the basis of deeds which we have done, but because of His great love. And because we are forgiven by God, we are now able to forgive one another in true love and grace. We can today ask God for His perfect grace and love at the cross. Let us therefore know the love of God, and love one another. It is by this selfless, self-sacrificing that love the world will know that we are the disciples of Christ Jesus.
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Are You From God? | 1 John 4:4-6

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 Jn 4:4-6

In the era before today’s age of individualism, a person’s identity was inherently linked to his lineage. The question ‘Who are you from?’ indicated who you were and where you were from. Spiritually speaking, knowing who we are from tells not only of our origin but also of our destination. Man is either from God or from Satan. In this ongoing series in the first book of John, the apostle outlines the marks of those who are from God- those whom God elected before the foundation of the world to be redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, kept in love by the power of His will, and separated from the passing world to belong to God alone. (Eph 1:4, Jn 1:12-13)

Those from God overcome. Satan has no dominion over the Christian, because Jesus’ crucifixion freed us from our bondage and will to sin. Jesus Himself declared, “It is finished” – ‘It’ refers to the atonement of our guilt before God. (Jn 19:30) How can you overcome? As you defend your faith with a deep conviction of the Word of God, you can overcome evil spirits. (Ps 119:42, 11:3) God’s Word is the foundation of our confession, and by it we can discern truth from error through the Holy Spirit who enlightens us. The gospel is our greatest offense and defense to overcome false teachers, and we must be resolved to give up our life rather than to compromise Biblical truth. We can do this only by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. He is our source of strength, and He is infinitely more powerful than he who is in the world. The Holy Spirit shows His power through the effecting work of Scripture, raising the dead to life both spiritually and physically. (2Tim 3:16, Jn 6:63, Rom 8:11) He is always with those who are from God, empowering them to overcome every evil spirit.

Those from God speak and act contrary to false teachers. In Apostle John’s day, the false teachers of pre-Gnosticism and Docetism denied Jesus’ humanity because they argued that since Jesus is good, and all flesh is evil, Jesus could not have truly manifested the flesh. False teachers today continue to deny the truth of Jesus Christ, while preaching a false and dispensable gospel. They despise the suffering and death of Jesus, and hate the narrow gate His disciples are called to go through to follow Him. They have a love for money, rather than God, and the heart of this fallen world is open wide for their soothing messages concerning their immediate, earthly problems. Those who are from God preach the gospel, honoring Christ as Lord. (Phil 3:7-9) We must exercise faith according to the solid truth that is the Word of God. Though our natural selves will desire to go against God’s Word, we can speak and act according to the Word of God in love with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Those from God listen to and obey God’s Word. As stated previously, those who belong to Christ pay attention to the Scripture and receive the whole Word as it is. Are you listening and obeying God’s Word? God has appointed leaders and pastors to shepherd His church and teach His Word. We must respect the speaker who handles accurately the Word of God, and we must constantly examine ourselves to avoid spiritual error. (Jn 10:4,27; Heb 13:7) If you attend church with a degrading view of God, salvation, and the seriousness of sin, it is alarming indication of teaching that cannot produce saving faith. You must resolve to flee such teaching and teachers and situate yourself under a good teacher who teaches unadulterated truth from the Word of God (Matt 7:21-24) If you find it difficult to understand and obey God’s word, ask yourself whether you have been truly saved – he who is not from God will not, or rather cannot comprehend the Word of God even while listening to the Word being preached.

As we examine ourselves under the light of Scripture, let us remember that the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, is with us. He is ready to help us as we repent of our sins and turn to Him. Let us therefore continually strive to maintain a biblical view that bears much spiritual fruit, which evidences that we are truly the children of God.
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Testing the Spirits | 1 John 4:1-3

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.  1Jn 4:1-3
 
There are best-selling books under the Christian genre whose writers deny the sufficiency of the Bible. These individuals claim to have unique experiences of hearing the voice of Christ, of which many Christians believe to be true and biblical. We live in a modern Dark Age- there is much information available to us, but many people are still in the darkness, unable to discern right from wrong. (2Tim 4:4) In a world laden with anxiety, fear, and confusion, as everyone seeks for something tangible that will provide comfort and peace, many false prophets have gone out to beguile masses with false teachings. Though we face constant calls towards wide ways that lead to hell, God fully equips His beloved church with His Word to discern what is of God, and what is not from God. In Apostle John’s letter to the church, three duties are outlined to help every believer remain faithful through the end times.
We must discern every spirit. Christians have the Spirit of God- we should not be deceived by believing every teaching, but rather, we must test every spirit with caution and discernment to see whether they are from God. Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples of false prophets, and throughout Scripture, men of God boldly confronted false teachers of their wicked ways. (Matt 7:15, 2Tim 4:14-15) We must likewise deliberately and carefully test every teaching we encounter, because while false prophets are all around us, it is often hard to detect whether they are from God. (2Cor 11:14)
We must examine by testing. Scripture is the foremost standard to determine what is wrong or right- it is the basis for biblical Christology along with every other doctrine of Christianity. We test every spirit by the Holy Spirit. (1Cor 12:3) Believing in Jesus Christ as Lord is impossible by man’s own understanding or will- it is a supernatural gift of God. How else can one explain the lives of martyrs, who willingly died for their faith in Christ? God puts His Spirit into man’s heart, where under any circumstance, he can not deny truth. The Holy Spirit’s only aim is to glorify Jesus, by opening the hearts of men to hear the voice of Christ through the Scriptures. (Jn 14:26) He continually compels us to go through the narrow gate of self-denying discipleship. Scripture is the only standard to discern any teaching by the Holy Spirit. (Jn 14:6, Matt 7:13-14)
We must know biblical Christology to discern whether a teaching is of God or of Satan. We must believe the God of the Old Testament was incarnated into the man of Jesus Christ. (Jn 20:28) He is the God-man who was crucified in our place for the law we had broken, and He is the only Savior who died and rose again as Lord of all. There is salvation in no other name, and while every other religion teaches salvation is by man’s works, God declares salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone. (Rom 10:9-10, Acts 25:19) All who deny Jesus’ humanity or deity will follow the antichrist. We must therefore stand firm, never ceasing to know Christ more.
We must stay vigilant. Apostle John declares that the spirit of the antichrist is now in the world. This fallen world is not a lasting home for the Christian. While we must be faithful in work, raising families, and daily dealings, the most important task is to remain vigilant in guarding ourselves against the evil one. (1Jn 5:19, 1Pet 5:8) Many great men and Christian institutions have fallen as they allowed false teachings to destroy the very foundation of their faith, leading them to deny the authority of Scripture. (Acts 20:29)
Today’s problems are not political, social, or cultural- they are all theological. The world has failed to test every spirit; it has turned away from the Lord. We are living in these end times, and Jesus has warned us that it will only get worse. Therefore, let us all the more be like the Bereans, examining the Scriptures daily to discern every spirit.(Acts 17:11) This is how we will remain faithful to the end.
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How to Cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit | Galatians 5:24-26

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. Gal 5:24-26

Upon conversion, we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to bear spiritual fruit. In our ongoing study in Galatians, we have seen that by the power of God’s grace, we can walk by the Spirit while killing off our fleshly desires. In contrast to God’s grace, the Law cannot help us bear spiritual fruit. The Law only leads to woe because its sole purpose is to convict us of sin so that we may turn to Christ. When it comes to working out our salvation and cultivating spiritual fruit in our lives, everything depends on our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Illumined by this blessed truth, we need to ask ourselves – how do we cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in our lives?

You must know how close you are to Christ to cultivate spiritual fruit. How do you view your relationship to Jesus? Only those who belong to Christ Jesus have the desire to crucify the flesh. All of us have gone astray- before our conversion, we had no interest or love for Christ. We were blinded and led by Satan with the rest of the unbelieving world. (1Jn 2:16) But when we received Christ as our Savior, God gave us new lives- He has transformed us to hate every kind of impurity and captivated us with the love of Jesus.

Do you belong to Christ Jesus? Those who belong to Jesus have surrendered their will to receive Christ on His terms. They hate and deny the self to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior, desiring to love Him by obeying His word. (Matt 6:24, Acts 20:19, 24) Jesus’ disciples abide in Him, for apart from Christ, they can do nothing. By remaining in the gospel, their relationship with Christ deepen, and they are steadfastly engaged in searching out and crucifying the flesh. Crucifixion was an agonizing and drawn-out way of execution int he Roman times, and crucifying the flesh is just as painful and slow. But we know that as we starve the flesh of its desires through godly habits, we weaken its influence in our lives. We must recognize Satan’s schemes, His temptations, and our own weaknesses in our lives in order to stand firm and resist him. (James 4:7) As we remove all that causes us to be tempted, we must renew our minds and remain in God’s Word continually. (Ps 101:2-3, Job 31:1) When temptations come our way, we are able to flee and depend fully on Christ through prayer. This is the work of cultivating spiritual fruit- removing the power of sin as we surrender to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Having received a new way of life, we are able to cultivate spiritual fruit. Is your life supported by the Holy Spirit? What makes this life worth living? If you live by the Spirit, with His power working in you, you will walk by the Spirit as an outward expression of your heart’s condition. We live by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Zech 4:6) We have been regenerated by Him- we were spiritually dead and depraved, but He has made us alive in Him. The Holy Spirit’s presence in our heart is the only thing that sets Christians apart from the rest of the world, but it is everything that we need. We have the Holy Spirit, and He sanctifies us through His work in us, producing saving faith in us despite our sinful disposition. (Jn 3:8)

Living by the Spirit is living by faith. We were dead, but the life of Christ is now in us. We were blind, but now it is by faith we see and believe. Faith gives us the desire and resilience to fight against sin and unbelief, and it is by faith we are able to go out to wherever God calls us, fully resting upon His Word. Faith assures us of God’s steadfast love for each of His children, and faith is an expression of our love for God. (Dan 3:17-18)

To live by the Spirit is also to live by the Word. A mark of true obedience to Christ is having a hunger and thirst for the Word of God. Furthermore, all Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit(2 Tim 3:16), and it is now the only instrument the Holy Spirit uses to speak to us. Therefore, meditating on God’s Word is essential to living by the Spirit. Mediation leads us to have the mind of God, a life saturated with Scripture, and a heart enlivened by His living and active Word.

As we live by the Holy Spirit, may we walk by Him, bearing the fruit of love for Christ and love for man. The fruit of the Spirit is a beautiful gift from God for His children- the world is constantly striving to have love, joy, and peace, but God has freely given it to us in Jesus Christ. Let us, therefore, with thankful hearts, live by the Spirit and walk by Him, testifying to others this free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Living Under the Holy Spirit | Galatians 5:22-26

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. Gal 5:22-26

What must I do to be saved? This is life’s deepest existential question, one that every religion attempts to answer to calm man’s restless and guilt-ridden soul. It is the question the jailer desperately asks Paul and Silas upon witnessing their steadfast faith despite dire circumstances, and it is fully answered with grace and power by the Spirit-filled apostles. (Acts 16:22-30) What makes Christianity distinctive? In a hopeless world ladened with sin and adversity, Christians are able to handle all circumstances in ways beyond the world’s expectations because of the Holy Spirit who dwells within them. We are united with Christ through His Spirit, who faithfully leads us with divine power. (Eph 5:18-19) As we continue forward in the book of Galatians, we examine the power of the Holy Spirit who sets apart believers to a miraculous, fruitful, and triumphant life before God.

Living under the Holy Spirit is miraculous. True spirituality is possessing the Holy Spirit of God as a result of receiving salvation through Jesus Christ. Before receiving Christ, all are dead in sin, without any hope of having a relationship with God. But God Himself, by His sovereign choice, regenerates the dead by imparting new life into the believer through the Holy Spirit. (Eph 2:1, 4-6) Regeneration is a miracle. We cannot save ourselves by our own efforts; it is purely by God’s grace. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin as we hear the gospel, turning us away from sin, and into Christ. (Jn 16:8-9) In the face of all temptations to fall away from God, we are kept in faith by the Holy Spirit. God’s love never falls short in dealing with our constant sin, for He alone is faithful to finish what He began. This is truly miraculous- though we are of man in our flesh, we are of God by the Holy Spirit, experiencing the riches and grace of God every day.

Living under the Holy Spirit is fruitful. Those under the Holy Spirit are in abundance- Christians always have something to give. The Bible likens every man to a tree that is able to bear fruit. (Matt 7:19) It is by the Holy Spirit we can be productive to praise God, win souls to Christ, and do good deeds. (Heb 13:15, Col 1:10) Bearing fruit is essential to spiritual life- it reveals the quality of your relationship with Jesus, and proves whether your salvation is genuine. (Jn 15:4, Matt 7:15-17)

Love- This is the most important fruit by which all other fruit grow. Agape love is possible only by God, for God is love. Only those who have experienced God’s love in Jesus Christ is able to practice this sacrificial love. Love gives at whatever cost, seeking the highest good for the one loved. If you do not love, you do not have the Holy Spirit within you. (1Jn 3:16)

Joy- Joy is not an emotion; it is being alive to the fact that God is alive and sovereign over all. It is complete submission to God, a fruit of communion with Him. (Phil 3:8) Christians must be joyful- it is our testimony to the world that God causes all things- Thy will be done. (Rom 14:17)

Peace- Man has no peace because God hates and will judge the sinner. If you have peace with God, you will have peace with yourself. (Rom 15:13)

Patience- Patience is another expression of love. Jesus entrusted Himself to the Father completely and remained quiet even under persecution. We must not supersede God by losing our patience with others.

Kindness- Christians act graciously for others’ well-being, especially towards their enemies.

Goodness- Christians are good to others, always beneficial and useful.

Faithfulness- Christians remain faithful to Christ in all things until death.

Gentleness- Gentleness is to be meek and humble. It is to keep a true view of oneself, to have poverty of spirit, and absence of pride. It is to think about ourselves before judging others, and handling all matters in love and truth. (Matt 7:3)

Self-control- Christians have been tamed, able to excise restraint in all things. (1Cor 9:27)

Living under the Holy Spirit is triumphant. “… Against such things there is no law.” As we bear the fruit of the Spirit, the law can not condemn us, because we are perfect and justified in the eyes of God. The law can not save, nor can it bear fruit of the Holy Spirit. Its purpose is to show you your sin to bring you to Christ. The fruit of the Spirit is your victory over sin, the law, and its condemnation.

We must be filled with the Holy Spirit as we aim to have the lordship of Christ in every area of our lives. As we continue to examine ourselves under God’s Word, the Holy Spirit will enable us to be faithful, triumphant, and fruitful in Christ.

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Living Under the Flesh | Galatians 5:19-21

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Galatians 5:19-21

The flesh is a cursed principle working unceasingly in every man to oppose the will of God. Its potency, powers, and passion are bent towards sin and Satan, and the fruit of its deeds are death and destruction. Unbelievers and believers alike have the flesh- unbelievers are completely and unknowingly under the flesh because they are spiritually dead, whereas the flesh is weakened, yet still active in believers. (Rom 8:8-9) As we examine why the deeds of the flesh are so deadly, we can gain a deeper understanding of why we must entrust our souls to God and walk by the Spirit daily.

The deeds of the flesh are evident. Sin is no secret- even though fallen man suppresses the truth of God’s existence, man knows his sin. (Rom 8:19) This is the basis of God’s final judgment . God sees every sin committed by man, and He can not forget or ignore it. (Lk 8:17) Every wrong is exposed to God, who perfectly knows even the thoughts and intentions of man’s heart. (Hos 7:2, Gen 6:5) This is why sin is deadly- every sin is accounted for by a just and holy God, who knows, sees, and  remembers every sin committed before Him. Furthermore, the deeds of the flesh are evident by our conscience, because we feel guilt when we sin. Our conscience is a gift from God. It is our innate ability to know what is wrong and right. As man lives in denial of truth in an attempt to suppress his guilt, he hardens his conscience, until his calloused conscience eventually feels altogether indifferent towards sin and righteousness. (Rom 1:18, 1 Tim 4:1-2)

What are the deeds of the flesh? Paul’s outline of the works of the flesh can be categorized into four groups- sexual, spiritual/religious, social, and physical.

– Sexual (immorality, impurity, sensuality) These sins include fornication, adultery, uncleanliness, evil thoughts, and unbridled sexual acts.
– Spiritual/Religious (idolatry, sorcery) No lordship of Christ, loving anything/anyone more than Christ; witchcraft, astrology, and drug use fall into this category of sins.
– Social (enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envy) hatred, harsh words, comparing yourself to others, sudden anger, wrath, selfish ambitions, disrupting peace, causing disunity, and jealousy leading to violence are deeds of the flesh.
– Physical (drunkenness, carousing) These sins refer to being drunk from alcohol, and losing all inhibitions as a result of being drunk.

These are the deeds of the flesh of which we are all guilty. They are warning signs of God’s sure judgment for those who practice them. (Mk 7:20-22, Rom 1:29-31)

God warns us of His sure judgment. God warns us of His judgment because His judgment is real and certain. We must not take God’s warnings lightly- as we recount what fell upon Adam and Eve, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the whole world during the Flood, we can know God’s judgment is severe and brutal. (Gal 6:7, 2 Pet 3:8-9) God warns us in order for His elect to be saved. Those who heed God’s warning can avoid calamity by repenting and placing their faith in Christ. Jesus is the only refuge from God’s impending judgment- by faith alone, you can abandon the deeds of the flesh and draw near to God as His reconciled child. (Heb 11:7)

The deeds of the flesh are detrimental to the hope of our salvation. If you are practicing the deeds of the flesh today, you are not saved. We must examine ourselves- salvation is present tense. If the impact of the gospel does not mark the pattern of your daily life, you may not have saving faith. Practicing the deeds of the flesh kills all hope of salvation- it steals all heavenly affections, renders you tasteless and worldly, and hinders all fellowship with the church. Sin will quench your passion for God, and will only increase your desire for the deeds of the flesh. How deadly are the deeds of the flesh! Believers must not simply deny the deeds of the flesh, but should bear fruit contrary to its works. We must therefore walk by the Spirit- as we walk in deep communion with God, meditating on His Word with our hearts fixed on Him, He will guide us into a path of righteousness that grows brighter and brighter until full day.
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The Power of Walking by the Spirit | Galatians 5:16-18

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other,, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.  Galatians 5:16-18
There is nothing that qualifies a believer’s life apart from the power of God’s indwelling Spirit. There is no exception- it is only by the Holy Spirit we can be what God planned for us to be. The apostles were mighty men of God- highly esteemed for their deeds of faith- but even they faltered when they failed to walk by the Spirit. (Gal 2:11-12) In this ongoing study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we examine three benefits of walking by the Holy Spirit daily.
As you walk by the Spirit, you can act as true believers. If we desire to walk like Christ, we must walk by the Spirit. Following Jesus is very simple and clear- we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to walk by Him every day. Christian life becomes complicated, burdensome, or dull when we carry out the desires of the flesh, but the Holy Spirit helps us in this time of need. He exposes the nature of our enemy– the flesh- showing us its corrupt desires and lusts that are meant to destroy us. He exposes the true nature of our depravity. There is nothing good in our flesh- it rejects the saving righteousness of God in Christ, with a sole aim to corrupt and condemn us before God. (2 Cor 5:21) It is always evil, always satanic, and it is deserving of God’s eternal punishment. (Gen 6:12)
Furthermore, the Holy Spirit exposes the flesh’s allies. The flesh is always stirred up by sin. It drives us to be enslaved under Satan’s power, delivering us into the hands of a fallen world. We can not underestimate the power of Satan and the world, nor overestimate our holiness and devotion to God. (1 Jn 2:15-16) We are sinners living with the flesh, and it is God’s grace alone that upholds us in faith and devotion. We must therefore all the more strive to mortify the flesh every day. (2 Tim 4:10) The Holy Spirit also exposes those who love the flesh, even among believers. He exposes the damages done by the flesh. In the case of Esau and Jacob, Esau was driven by the flesh- He ignored God’s order and sovereign Will, and forsook self-control to appease his appetite. He married non-believers, and disobeyed his parents. Esau’s disobedience caused his descendants to be cursed by the Lord, framing a devastating picture of the consequences of walking by the flesh.
As you walk by the Spirit, you can be obedient. Believers have a constant desire to be more like Christ, but face an equally constant result of failing to obey. We want to obey, but in reality, we don’t obey much. Why? Before our conversion, we were dead to the Spirit, and alive only to our flesh. There was no struggle. But as the Holy Spirit now dwells in us, the Spirit and the flesh continually strive against one another. (Rom 7:18-20) The flesh desires for us to die; the Spirit works so that we may live. There is enmity between the flesh and the Spirit, with no possibility of peace or reconciliation. This constant battle leaves no rest- when we sin, the Holy Spirit convicts us, and when we try to do good, we still see unending sin in all we do. Wretched men that we are! This is why we absolutely need the Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus unceasingly walked by the Spirit, using the Word to overcome Satan’s temptations in perfect obedience. (Matt 4:1-4) If we desire to follow after Christ, we must walk by the Spirit by going into Scripture. God knows all things, and He has prepared every answer for every circumstance in His Word. We must read, wrestle, understand and obey the Word to walk by the Spirit.
As you walk by the Spirit, you are not under the law, but under grace. Believers are no longer slaves to sin, for we now serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (Rom 6:17)  There is no grace in the law. The purpose of the law is to pinpoint our sin, so that we may turn to Jesus for salvation. As the law exposes our sin, the Holy Spirit leads and guides us into the grace of God in the gospel. If you fail to walk by the Spirit, you remain under the law. Putting yourself under the law by duty and performance may satisfy for a time being, but the law inevitably steals all hope and joy. If you are led by the Spirit, He will constantly carry you into the gospel of Jesus, in which everything is sweet under God’s freeing grace. This is the essence of Christian life- let us live in the grace of the gospel of Jesus, obeying Him, and resisting the flesh by walking in the Spirit.
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Unless You Walk by the Spirit | Galatians 5:16-18

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18

As we survey church history and recount the amazing works of godly men who labored to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ, no amount of intellect, status, knowledge or wealth could have ever enabled them to do what they did. Without the Holy Spirit, men are powerless to do the works of God. In this portion of Scripture, God commands us to walk- and to keep walking- by the Holy Spirit. To walk means to live– to live by the Spirit is to live under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit, as He directs us to do God’s will. (Rom 6:4) We walk by the Spirit as God’s will becomes our utmost desire, impelling us to live a life guided by Him.

Scripture uses different phrases to refer to walking by the Spirit:

Walking by God. The Holy Spirit is not a force; He is a Person in the Trinity. He is God. He directs us, speaks to us, and reveals His Will to us. The Holy Spirit is the One who unfailingly sanctifies all believers to present us perfect and complete before God. (Phil 1:6) He helps us understand truth in our hearts. We know we walk with God because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, securing us as He accomplishes the complete will of God. (1 Cor 3:16-17)

Walking by Jesus. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Jesus. (Rom 8:9) The Holy Spirit and Jesus are distinct persons, yet the Holy Spirit dwells in us to make Christ known, loved, honored, and praised in perfect accord. Jesus is no longer physically living on earth, but He remains with us always through the Holy Spirit. (Jn 15:26, Matt 28:20) The Holy Spirit came to fulfill the work of Christ to the end. (Jn 14:26) He enables us to receive, understand and believe the words of Jesus. He sustains us in saving faith as we believe in Jesus- not by our own effort, but only by the Holy Spirit who helps us believe in things unseen.

Walking by faith. Christians walk by faith. We have an assurance of things hoped for, and an understanding of reality that goes beyond circumstances and conditions. (2 Cor 5:7, Matt 4:4) Jesus does not require us to balance our physical and spiritual needs- He commands us to wholeheartedly pursue the kingdom of God, with the promise that He will provide all our physical needs to live. Faith is from the Holy Spirit- it results in obedience, as the Holy Spirit sustains us and leads us to see the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ. (Phil 3:4-6,8; 2 Tim 4:7-8)

As we examine the accounts of notable men of faith- Enoch, Abraham, and Noah- we see that it was by the voice of God these mere men were called out and enabled to walk by the Spirit. (Heb 11:5,7-8) God’s inerrant, infallible Word upholds the same power and quality throughout all generations of men. (2 Tim 3:16-17) Scripture alone is necessary to teach and guide us today, because Scripture is alive and active by the Holy Spirit who works in our hearts through His Word. We are to meditate on the Word of God until our hearts are full- this is the life of walking by the Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, we are empty and poor. No religious embellishment and self-effort can count for anything before a holy God. But our God has given us His Spirit and His Word, and as we walk by the Spirit of God, He will lead us to a truly victorious life through sanctification.

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