Friday September 15
Further Thought: “The life of the Christian is not all smooth. He has stern conflicts to meet. Severe temptations assail him. ‘The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.’ The nearer we come to the close of this earth’s history, the more delusive and ensnaring will be the attacks of the enemy. His attacks will grow fiercer and more frequent. Those who resist light and truth will become more hardened and unimpressible, and more bitter against those who love God and keep His commandments (MS 33, 1911).” — Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1111.
Amen. The life of the converted Christian will be full of love, joy, and peace, yet all will not be smooth. Neither was the life of Christ smooth. God allows temptations to come, but if we will abide in Christ (fully surrendered), then we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear. The peace that comes to all who love Jesus supremely will be a peace that passes all understanding, And, the life will reflect the character of our God.
“The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul. We do not see Christ and speak to Him, but His Holy Spirit is just as near us in one place as in another. It works in and through every one who receives Christ. Those who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the fruits of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith (MS 41, 1897).” — Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1112.
Amen! The Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of all who are fully surrendered to Christ. When He takes possession of the heart, He brings with Him every one of the fruits of the Spirit, not one is missing. If one is missing, then they are all missing. Like the Pharisee who has not the Spirit, none of the real fruits are in the life. They only come when self is laid in the dust and we are partakers of God's divine nature. Without Christ in the heart, we can do no good thing. With Christ we can do all things He asks of us!
Discussion Questions:
Dwell more on the idea of crucifying the desires of the flesh. What does that mean? How do we do it? How often do we have to do it? Why would Paul use such a strong verb? What does his use of the word crucify tell us about just how hard the battle with self is?
The battle with self is the greatest battle we shall ever have to fight. But, when self is crucified, what does that mean? Is self dead? Is the flesh the same as self? If the flesh is crucified, then does it war with the Spirit? How do we crucify the flesh? "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." Galatians 5:24. When this has happened, who wins the battle, the flesh or the Spirit? And, since the Spirit wins, then do not they then walk in the Spirit? Then, the key is how do we crucify the flesh? The Bible says that if we are Christ's then the flesh has been crucified. Then, we must become Christs. How do then become Christ's? This is the all important question. Does the Bible tell us how to become Christ's?
What role, if any, does human effort play in producing the fruit of the Spirit? What does your own experience tell you about this role?
Can humanity produce the fruit of the Spirit? Absolutely not! Do we play a part in being able to manifest the fruit of the Spirit? Absolutely, else all of humanity would reveal the fruit of the Spirit, and we know this is not so. So, what must I do in order to reveal the fruit of the Spirit in my life?
Paul says that those who practice the works of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God.
He actually says "they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Do you think the wording is important? Do you see how by changing the word from "do" to "practice" can change the meaning? If you listen to Evangelicals you will understand if you understand that sin is sin, even if you do not practice it. Practice is interpreted as doing it over and over, not just once. Eating the fruit from the tree just once brought sin and woe in the world. But, many professing Christians think this too narrow, that one little sin does not have to be repented of to regain salvation. Take a look at what your Bible says in 1 John 3:9. Some new bibles have changed the word from "commit" sin to "practice" sin. Does it make a difference in theology? It sure does.
How do you reconcile this statement with the fact that Paul says we are saved by faith and not by works?
Those who love Jesus supremely have salvation, and obedience to the law is a fruit of that salvation. When we see Christians reflecting Christ, is because they are filled with the Holy Spirit being partakers of God's divine nature. It is impossible for those who are fully surrendered to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit since the Spirit is not in the heart of the unconverted heart.
In your own walk with the Lord, what’s the biggest struggle you face? Is it not sin and what sin does to your relationship with God? What Christian hasn’t felt alienation, doubt, and disappointment as a result of the sin in his or her life, especially because we have the promise of victory over that sin? Given this fact in the context of victory over sin, why must we always remember that our salvation rests totally upon what Jesus has done for us?
No, if that were so, then all would be saved. Totally means all, does it not? Then we have no part in our salvation? That is not so. We have a part to play, but is not in manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. It is learning of Jesus. If we do not learn of Him, then we will not make a full surrender to Him. If we want salvation, then we must have more faith. Our faith must believe with the whole heart, not part of it. We must learn to trust Jesus with all we are and all we have. Otherwise we will not be saved. Those who do not take time to learn of Him who gave all for us, will not be saved, even though Christ did enough to save them.
Summary: Although in the life of all believers a conflict exists between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit, the Christian life does not have to be doomed to failure. Because Christ has conquered the power of sin and death, the Christian life can be a life where the Spirit reigns, bringing a daily supply of God’s grace that enables us to keep the desires of the flesh at bay.
Amen! Let us be very clear. The converted Christian who is filled with the Spirit will keep the flesh under. Those who do not keep the flesh under (the Word used by Paul), do not have the Spirit in their hearts, thus they will not manifest the fruit of the Spirit, nor will they keep the commandments of God, and therefore do not have salvation. This converted state must be maintained by receiving a "daily supply of God's grace". Grace is the transforming power. The author has this correct. Grace is more than a word, it is the power that insures the repentant sinner will be transformed into a saint.