Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
God does not leave people confused. The devil is famous for confusion. God is a God of order. He directed the apostle Paul to list the works of the flesh. He listed categories of sin. Paul pointed out that the works of the flesh are manifest. They cannot be hid. Those who are saved will see the works of the flesh for what they are. The deceived will try to justify themselves, but in reality, there is no justification for the works of the flesh.
Adultery was a common problem in Paul’s day. We know the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus in Matthew 19 with the question on marriage and divorce. The man who divorces his wife and marries another is committing adultery. That is clear from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In Genesis 2 God declared that is not good for the man to be alone. That is a fact of God’s creation. He did not design man to be alone. Jesus pointed out that some men are eunuchs. Some of those were forced into that position and some chose to remain single. The apostle Paul stated that it is natural for a man to want to be married. If the man is not able to remain single it is not sin to marry. It is better to marry than to burn. However, a marriage that fails needs to be fixed, not destroyed. Any failed marriage can be fixed if the couple submits to God’s will. If the marriage is not fixed it is due to unrepentant individuals in the marriage. While it is God’s design for a man to be married, when the marriage fails, He will help the man to remain pure and not commit adultery. Those who listen to false teachers who suggest that there are legitimate reasons for divorced people to marry someone else, have chosen to reject God’s Word and they do not have His blessing in that adulterous affair. It does not matter if some person claims to be a pastor and officiates at that marriage. God says it is adultery. Paul tells us that adultery is a work of the flesh.
Fornication is mentioned in Matthew 19. Fornication is immorality between an unmarried man and woman. It is quite common today, and was also a problem in Bible times. God gave commandment on how to deal with that sin as part of His teaching to the nation of Israel. In Matthew 19 Jesus gave that as the only reason for a divorce. In Bible times, a betrothal or espousal was much more involved than our engagement period. The way a couple would break off their espousal/betrothal was to write a bill of divorcement. The perversions have taken liberty and changed the wording of Matthew 19 to allow for divorce after a marriage. Jesus stated that Moses had allowed for that in the Old Testament, but it was not God’s design. Those who are saved do not live by exception clauses. They live by God’s Word.
Uncleanness and lasciviousness also have to do with moral failure. Again these are listed as works of the flesh, not the fruit of the Spirit. In verse 20 more works of the flesh are listed. Idolatry is not just the worship of an image.
Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Witchcraft was also practiced in Bible times. God commanded the nation of Israel not to allow a witch to live. King Saul had tried to look like a morally upstanding king and had chased all witches out of Israel during his reign. He did that, not because he was against witches, but to demonstrate his power. Prior to his final battle, when he could not get an answer from God, he sought out a witch to give him counsel prior to that battle. That was not a good choice for him, and his life, as well as that of two of his sons and many other Israelite men, was taken in that battle. It was a shameful situation for the nation of Israel.
Hatred is something we all need to be aware of. We need to hate sin, but we need to love our enemies. Our country of Canada has developed its own definition of hatred and they are quite oppressive in their enforcement of their corrupt laws. Jesus warned that hatred is the same as murder. Hatred will destroy the person who has it but it is also damaging to those hated.
Variance has to do with contentions. Disagreement can happen. Disagreements where doctrine is concerned will be there. This is not talking about that. It is talking of strife that should be avoided. The world is known for strife, but it cannot be the mark of a true child of God. Emulations has to do with jealousy. Being jealous for the truth is a good thing, but being jealous of what others have is not a good thing. Again, God is speaking of the works of the flesh here. Wrath, strife, seditions, heresies are all common among the lost. In verse 21 there are further examples of works of the flesh. The taking of an unborn life is murder. That is not a “fetus” in the womb of the mother. That may be the technical term, but it is a baby, a human being. To take that life is murder. We now have our governments pushing the MAID program which is also murder. There are many other murders taking place as well. This too is the work of the flesh. Drunkenness starts with the first taste of the liquor. A person does not need to consume much liquor to be drunk. Liquor takes hold of the person when it is first ingested. Christians do not drink alcohol. Revellings is also associated with drunkenness. It is a “letting loose”. Get some liquor in the gut and the nature of the person changes. It is not good.
God warned that those who partake in the works of the flesh shall not inherit the kingdom of God. We need to understand this is not man’s idea. This is God’s Word. There are many careless people who are deliberately tempting God and they will be shocked one day, unless they repent and are saved.
God is speaking to people who were called saints in chapter 1. Some of those may have been frauds. The saints needed to be reminded that the works of the flesh do not fit with a true saint. Due to their carelessness, they were weak and were caught up in things that ought not to be. They needed to address this and be sure that they were truly God’s children.
God makes His standard very clear and He also tells us that His children can live pure lives. We cannot live according to the works of the flesh. The loving thing is to tell people the truth and help them to see there is a better way.
John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Pastor Bartel