“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

In contrast to the works of the flesh are the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. The word fruit (καρπὸς; karpos) means in this context a spiritual harvest or obedient deeds. It is important to note that the word fruit is singular, meaning that the fruit of the Holy Spirit should be viewed as a collective whole. These nine spiritual qualities are a unity which should be found in each believer in Christ.  

The nine qualities listed are also sourced and originated solely by the Holy Spirit. This fruit is not produced by the believer, but rather by the Holy Spirit working in and through the believer who is in union with Christ (John 15:1-8).

Dr. John MacArthur writes that the fruit of the Spirit are, “Godly attitudes that characterize the lives of only those who belong to God by faith in Christ and possess the Spirit of God. The Spirit produces fruit, which consists of nine characteristics or attitudes that are inextricably linked with each and are commanded of believers throughout the NT.”

The mortification of sin is not just about abolishing the works of the flesh, but also manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. Both disciplines are necessary. A believer who just eliminates the negative, without pursuing the positive, fails to understand what true spirituality is in Christ.

The list may be divided into three specific categories. The first three virtues address habits of the mind, or one’s thinking, rooted and grounded in the Lord and His Word.

Please notice that the fruit are all in total prefaced by the present, active state of being verb “is.” This is what the believer in Christ is to be along what he/she are to do.

The first fruit is love (ἀγάπη; agape). This is a self-sacrificial love of the will. It is willful kindness. This is the same type of love God has for fallen sinners (John 3:16) and that believers are to have towards one another (I John 4:7-11).

The character of agape love is found in the I Corinthians 13:1-8a. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

Dr. MacArthur adds that, “One of several Greek words for love, agape is the love of choice, referring not to an emotional affection, physical attraction, or a familial bond, but to respect, devotion, and affection that leads to willing, self-sacrificial service (John 15:13; Rom. 5:8; 1 John 3:16–17).”

 Self-sacrificial agape love is the foundation for all the remaining fruit. If agape love is absent from the believer’s life, there is no possible way the other eight fruit will be evidenced by the believer. In fact, the absence of agape love may be an indication the individual in question is not a believer in Christ at all.

Is agape love evident in your life as a believer in union with Christ? Can you think of any circumstances, or people, of which you find it difficult to demonstrate self-sacrificial love of the will? If so, ask God to give you the discipline and determination to demonstrate such a love in the places, and toward the people, who need it most.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

“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 only righteousness that meets the requirements of the Law is the righteousness of Christ. It is only by imputation of that righteousness that the sinner can ever possess the righteousness of the Law. This is critical for our understanding in this day where the imputation of the righteousness of Christ is so widely under attack. If we abandon the notion of the righteousness of Christ, we have no hope, because the Law is never negotiated by God. As long as the Law exists, we are exposed to its judgment unless our sin is covered by the righteousness of the Law. The only covering that we can possess of that righteousness is that which comes to us from the active obedience of Christ, who Himself fulfilled every jot and tittle of the Law. His fulfilling of the Law in Himself is a vicarious activity by which He achieves the reward that comes with such obedience. He does this not for Himself but for His people. It is the background of this imputed righteousness, this rescue from the condemnation of the Law, this salvation from the ravages of sin that is the backdrop for the Christian’s sanctification, in which we are to mortify that sin that remains in us, since Christ has died for our sin.” Dr. R. C. Sproul

We continue our study of the works of the flesh from Galatians 5:19-21. The Apostle Paul divides these mentioned works into three categories. The first category concerns sexual immorality. The second category addresses false worship. Paul mentions two specific examples: idolatry and sorcery.

Idolatry (εἰδωλολατρία; eidoloatria) is worship offered to anything or anyone other than the One, True God of the Bible. Idolatry is synonymous with adoration, adulation, devotion and obsession. The Greek word refers to a copy whether artificially made, self-reproduced or simply present.

Idolatry can be offered to a person, place or thing, such as an inanimate object. The LORD specifically prohibits the worship of anything, or anyone, other than Himself (Exodus 20:3-6). The Word of God expresses the futility and idiocy of worship of objects other than God (Isaiah 46). The depravity of a nation, or its people, originates with idolatry (Romans 1:18-23).

The second word Paul uses is the word sorcery (φαρμακεία; pharmakeia). It means to practice magic and to cast spells upon people. How many of my generation can recall watching the weekly network television comedies featuring Elizabeth Montgomery in Bewitched and Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie. These two programs featured, respectively, a modern day witch and genie who routinely cast spells upon people by their magical powers. What television lauded as entertainment the Bible condemns as sin.

Revelation 9:20-21 says, “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

Revelation 18:23 says, “and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.”

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “The Greek word pharmakeia, from which the English word “pharmacy” comes, originally referred to medicines in general, but eventually only to mood- and mind-altering drugs, as well as the occult, witchcraft, and magic. Many pagan religious practices required the use of these drugs to aid in the communication with deities.”

Idolatry not only is replacing God as the sole object of worship but also to worship other objects at the same time God is worshipped. The LORD will not share the honor of worship with anything or anyone else. We must worship Him alone.

Do you find yourself tempted to honor other objects other than just the LORD? I’m sure you do because we all do. We must continually repent of this sin in order to be obedient to the command to mortify our sin (Romans 8:13-14). Idolatry included.

We must also be on our guard to not allow items intended as forms of entertainment to capture our attention and affection. This is especially true when those items feature the casting of spells, sorcery and magic.

May the LORD’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)

As previously noted, confession is more than just verbally acknowledging that we have done something wrong or failed to do something right in the sight of God. Confession also means to acknowledge our sin to God and to have the same perspective towards it as God. Confession means to see our sin as cosmic treason against God. We are to confess our sin to God while at the same time seeking to live lives which glorify Him. In other words, confession involves not only acknowledgment of sin but also a turning away, or repentance, of it.  

Dr. Sinclair Ferguson explains that confession involves four basic disciplines.

First, admit sin for what it really is. “Call a spade a spade — call it “sexual immorality,” not “I’m being tempted a little”; call it “impurity,” not “I’m struggling with my thought life”; call it “evil desire, which is idolatry,” not “I think I need to order my priorities a bit better. How powerfully this unmasks self-deceit — and helps us to unmask sin lurking in the hidden corners of our hearts!”

Second, see sin for what your sin really is in God’s presence. “My sin leads to — not lasting pleasure — but holy divine displeasure. See the true nature of your sin in the light of its punishment. Too easily do we think that sin is less serious in Christians than it is in non-believers: “It’s forgiven, isn’t it?” Not if we continue in it (1 John 3:9)! Take a heaven’s-eye view of sin and feel the shame of that in which you once walked (Col. 3:7; see also Rom. 6:21).”

Third, recognize the inconsistency of your sin. “You put off the “old man,” and have put on the “new man” (3:9–10). You are no longer the “old man.” The identity you had “in Adam” is gone. The old man was “crucified with him [Christ] in order that the body of sin [probably “life in the body dominated by sin”] might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Rom. 6:6). New men live new lives. Anything less than this is a contradiction of who I am “in Christ.”

Fourth, put sin to death (Col. 3:5). “It is as “simple” as that. Refuse it, starve it, and reject it. You cannot “mortify” sin without the pain of the kill. There is no other way!”

Dr. Ferguson concludes by saying, “The negative task of putting sin to death will not be accomplished in isolation from the positive call of the Gospel to “put on” the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14). Paul spells this out in Colossians 3:12–17. Sweeping the house clean simply leaves us open to a further invasion of sin. But when we understand the “glorious exchange” principle of the Gospel of grace, then we will begin to make some real advance in holiness. As sinful desires and habits are not only rejected, but exchanged for Christ-like graces (3:12) and actions (3:13); as we are clothed in Christ’s character and His graces are held together by love (v. 14), not only in our private life but also in the church fellowship (vv. 12–16), Christ’s name and glory are manifested and exalted in and among us (3:17).”

This is the discipline required in mortifying sin. May the LORD’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. ³² Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. ³⁵ So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:31–35 (ESV)

“Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” ― John Newton, Amazing Grace.

For the most part, believers in Christ acknowledge that Jesus Christ is a great Savior. Individuals have written songs and books, and preached great sermons testifying to the great love of God in sending His Son, Jesus Christ, as both Savior and Lord. The familiarity of John 3:16, even in a superficial understanding, underscores this biblical truth.

A disconnection arises when believers in Christ fail to acknowledge that prior to their conversion, and after God’s great salvation, they were/are great sinners. There is a tendency to minimize our own sin, while at the same time maximize the sins of others; especially when they sin against us. We must never forget the greatness of God’s salvation, as compared to the greatness of our sin. John Newton never did.

Unfortunately the first servant, in the context of Matthew 18:23-30, forgot God’s mercy and forgiveness for his unpayable debt. He displayed this callousness by his cruel treatment of a fellow servant, who owed the former a comparatively smaller, payable debt.

When other servants heard about this situation, they were greatly distressed or saddened. They reported what had happened to the master of them all; including the unforgiving servant.

What did the master say? ^32 “Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ Mercy received should result in mercy given. How soon we forget the greatness of our sin with respect to the greatness of God’s forgiveness. I’m ashamed to say that I often have.

What did the master do? ^34 “And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. ³⁵ So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

“The point of the parable is not that God’s forgiveness, once granted, will be revoked if a follower of Jesus refuses to forgive his brother or sister. Rather, refusal to forgive is symptomatic of a person who fails to grasp the impossible depth of his debt and the infinite magnitude of God’s mercy and therefore has no reason to presume that he has received God’s forgiveness in the first place,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

Do you identify with John Newton’s sentiment? Do you acknowledge that you are a great sinner and that Jesus Christ is a great Savior? Ask God to forgive you of your unforgiving spirit. Ask God to constantly remind you that mercy received should result in mercy given.

Soli deo Gloria!

^28 “But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.” (Matthew 18:28–35 (ESV)

“With great power there must also come great responsibility.” – Stan Lee

“With great power there must also come great responsibility” is a proverb popularized by Spider-Man in Marvel comics, films, and related media. Introduced by Stan Lee, it originally appeared as a closing narration in the 1962 Amazing Fantasy #15, and was later attributed to Uncle Ben as advice to his young nephew, Peter Parker (aka. Spider-Man).

A similar proverb is, “With great grace received comes great graciousness given.” When an individual receives God’s amazing and gracious forgiveness for sin, the same individual should be willing, ready and able to forgive others of their sin.

Matthew 6:14–15 (ESV) says, “¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Ephesians 4:31–32 (ESV) says, “³¹ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³² Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

The servant who received forgiveness of his unpayable debt to his master (Matt. 18:23-27), was unwilling to forgive a comparatively smaller debt a fellow servant owed him.  One hundred denarii was not an insubstantial sum. However, the debt owed by the second servant was nothing compared to the debt owed by the first servant.

“One hundred denarii represented one hundred days of a common worker’s wages, which would be a small sum for his fellow tax farmer, after he had finished his accounting with the king (18:23). It was also a ridiculously minuscule sum compared to what the first servant had owed the king. But apparently the forgiven slave, instead of internalizing the principle of grace, had decided to become ruthlessly efficient in his exacting of debts henceforth. Such extreme actions as choking are reported of angry creditors elsewhere in antiquity as well,” explains commentator Craig Keener.

The first servant displayed his calloused heart by his physical and verbal abuse of his fellow servant. When the second servant pleaded for patience to pay the debt, the first servant would not hear of it. The text says, “He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.”  

This action was not only hard-hearted, but also ridiculous because how could the imprisoned servant pay off his debt while in jail? “Someone in prison could not pay back what he owed (v. 34), unless friends came to his aid with the requisite funds,” says Keener.

“Because of the smallness of the debt he was not legally permitted to sell his fellow servant into slavery, but was legally permitted to have him sentenced to prison and forced labor, to work off his debt,” explains R. William Hendriksen.

“The foundation for a forgiving spirit is the experience of divine grace. It is by grace that we are saved. It is by grace that we live. It is by grace that we have been forgiven. Therefore, the why of forgiving is to manifest our own gratitude for the grace that we have received,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.    

Are you grateful for how much God has forgiven you? Are you willing to forgive others because of God’s forgiveness? Remember, with great grace received comes great graciousness given.

Soli deo Gloria!

²³ “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.” (Matthew 18:23–27 (ESV)

Regarding the subject of forgiveness (Matt. 18:21-22), Jesus taught a parable about the extent of God’s unimaginable forgiveness of sinners and how this should provoke believers in Christ to an eager readiness to forgive others.

The kingdom of heaven, which is God’s rule and reign in the believer’s soul, may be compared to a king seeking to settle accounts with his servants. “Servants probably refers to free provincial satraps, who functioned as the ruler’s tax farmers in various regions; they too were vassals of the king. The ruler would allow them to collect taxes for him at a profit, but he demanded efficiency; this was the time of year when he was going to settle their accounts with him,” explains commentator Craig Keener.

As the king was settling his accounts, there was one servant who owed the master ten thousand talents. Jesus gave no reason as to why the master allowed the servant to accrue so much debt. A talent was the highest monetary unit of currency in first century Judea. It was equal to six thousand denarii. A denarii was a day’s wages. Ten thousand talents was equivalent to sixty million days wages. In other words, the servant owed an unpayable amount.

“Such a debt was practically unpayable, and a debt of this amount would not be repayable over many lifetimes,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

In response, the master ordered the servant to be sold, along with his wife and children and all his possessions. This was so repayment could be made. Selling insolvent debtors into slavery was nothing unusual in the first century, as mentioned in Scripture (Exod. 22:3; Lev. 25:39, 47; 2 Kings 4:1; Neh. 5:5; Isa. 50:1; Amos 2:6; 8:6).

“Outside of the country of the Israelites the practice of selling those who were unable to pay their debts was common, and it is to this that the parable refers. So by royal decree this official, his family, and all his possessions are ordered to be sold. The proceeds must go toward paying the debt. The words used in the original (pay, payment) indicates that the debtor must “give back” what he owes: he must “pay off” his obligation in full. Of course, this was actually impossible. The amount that was to be placed in the king’s treasury, the full proceeds of the sale, would be but a drop in the bucket. So huge was the debt,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

What was the servant to do? His sinful irresponsibility resulted not only in his own punishment, but also the punishment of his family. They too bore the consequences of his sin. He faced an unpayable amount of debt and an unfortunate future of regret.

What could the servant do? He begged the master to have patience with him. He promised to repay what he owed. He must have known, as would the master that such a promise was virtually impossible to fulfill.

“The servant is completely crushed by the realization of the severity of his impending punishment. He does not deny that he owes the huge amount, neither does he try to explain how he got into this terrible predicament. He was probably well aware of the fact that excuses would have been useless. It is important to note also that he does not offer to make at least a down-payment on his debt. The implication is clearly this: he makes no such offer for the simple reason that he has nothing! Having prostrated himself, he begged,” states Dr. Hendriksen.

The master was under no obligation to forgive the servant’s debt. There was no one greater than the master who could pressure him to forgive the debt. Yet, that is what master chooses to do. He forgives the debt. Such behavior was not because the servant deserved to be forgiven. It was because the master had pity upon the servant. The master felt love and compassion for an unworthy servant. He forgave him the debt he owed.

“It was out of sheer compassion that the master granted this servant far more than he had asked, completely canceling his huge debt and releasing him from punishment,” concludes Dr. Hendriksen.

Matthew 5:3 (ESV) says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Like the servant in today’s parable, we faced the Lord God with an unpayable debt. We were beggar poor facing a debt we could not pay. We deserved to be punished The Lord would have been just in doing so. However, the Lord Jesus Christ paid our debt of sin on the cross (Rom. 3:21-26). Our debt is paid in full (John 19:30).

1. I will sing of my Redeemer,
   And His wondrous love to me;
   On the cruel cross He suffered,
   From the curse to set me free.
2. Refrain:
   Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer,
   With His blood He purchased me;
   On the cross He sealed my pardon,
   Paid the debt, and made me free.
3. I will tell the wondrous story,
   How my lost estate to save,
   In His boundless love and mercy,
   He the ransom freely gave.
4. I will praise my dear Redeemer,
   His triumphant pow’r I’ll tell,
   How the victory He giveth
   Over sin, and death, and hell.
5. I will sing of my Redeemer,
   And His heav’nly love to me;
   He from death to life hath brought me,
   Son of God with Him to be.

Soli deo Gloria!