How not to gratify the flesh – Law vs. Faith
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16 NKJV)
Usually, there have been three lines of thought on how not to gratify the flesh:
One: I must DO, DO, DO the Law, and obey God’s word to achieve and maintain a right standing before God. I have been saved; now I must obey, keep, and do the Law to stay in a right relationship with God to be sanctified.
"The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the LORD will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, (10) "if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 30:9-10 NKJV)
This was the position and teaching of the Pharisees: Notice how this thinking influenced the rich young ruler:
“Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (19) So, Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. (20) "You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' " (21) And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." (22) So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (23) But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.” (Luke 18:18-23 NKJV)
Jesus did not cover all Ten commandments – if he had – the answer from the ruler would have probably been different. 😊 But Jesus did address a covetous heart. He loved his riches more than willing to follow Jesus. The Law only brought one result: He was very sorrowful.
In the Sermon on the Mount – Jesus set the bar so high – it even included our thoughts breaking the Law.
We are unable to obey, keep, and do the Law perfectly. And that is the only standard that God will accept.
“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10 NKJV)
“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20 NKJV)
"knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:16 NKJV)
Oh, but the law is for our sanctification – not our justification. Is that what the Bible teaches? Paul quoted Jesus’ words to him in his testimony before King Agrippa.
“'I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, (18) 'to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'” (Acts 26:17-18 NKJV)
After a list of sinful behaviors that were predominate in the lives of the people in Corinth, Paul writes to the church and says:
“And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11 NKJV)
“Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.” (Hebrews 13:12 NKJV)
“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? (2) This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (3) Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3 NKJV)
(John 17:17, 19; Romans 15:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:13)
1. How have you tried to conquer your flesh by keeping the law in your own strength? How did that work for you?
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How did Jesus address this “legalism” of the Pharisees?
"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. (40) "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40 NKJV)