Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, MURDERS, DRUNKENNESS, REVELRIES, and THE LIKE; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21, NKJV).
I Have Seen the Enemy and He is Us - Final Installment
Bloodshed figures prominently in Scripture, and blood is mentioned at least 358 separate times. The Old Testament covenant itself floated upon an endless sea of innocent animal blood, foreshadowing the ultimate shedding of Christ's blood on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. For, "without shedding of blood there is no remission (payment)". But there's more, since in brutal, unvarnished honesty, the Bible repeatedly characterizes fallen human behavior as "bloody". Humans, having life bestowed upon them as a gracious gift of God, have a long history of savagely taking that life away from each other.
MURDERS. This is that act of slaughter not sanctioned by a governing body through due process (see Genesis 9). In other words, it is the unjustified, personal, as opposed to corporate, taking of another life. It does not refer to capital punishment or self-defense, regardless of your views on those subjects. First point then, God will forgive murderers if they come to sincere faith in Christ. This includes suicide, which is self-murder. This HAS to be the case, else Christ's substitutionary atoning death on the Cross is not SUFFICIENT to take away our sin. To think or believe otherwise would be blasphemy.
Secondly, Jesus expands this definition in the Sermon on the Mount to include being angry at someone without a cause, so even if you are not guilty of actual, physical murder, based on Jesus' definition, no one is innocent of this sin. Thirdly, abortion is murder, It is the unjustified slaughter of a living human being in the most helpless of states. Christ's death atones for that, as well.
I think our modern society's problem with these absolutist declarations of truth stem from unmitigated pride. We think we know what life is, when it starts, and who owns it. We are so dead wrong about so many things, but in this our modern error, particularly in regard to abortion, is more brutal than any judgment the Old Testament might depict. And our "evolved" sensibilities are blatantly inconsistent. Outcries over a polar bear on a melting iceberg, or a Spotted Owl's potential extinction far exceed in crescendo and intensity any public outcry against tax-payer funded abortions-on-demand. Yet each year in this country, millions of unborn infants are slaughtered in the most merciless fashion. Yet Christ procured forgiveness even for this wholesale slaughter, as well. They key to open that door of forgiveness is repentance and belief.
DRUNKENNESS. From the context this includes any activity that through consumption or imbibing, renders us even more senseless than we are naturally when sober. It is the purposeful lusting after, and attaining, of a state of mind where God-given inhibitions are bypassed, and we become fully enslaved to our flesh. It is the regular casting off of conscience and judgement through alcohol or drugs. Although glorified in so many ways in our Western culture, it is an ugly and despicable practice. Ask any child who is subjected to seeing the adults around him or her lose self-control through intoxication.
REVELRIES. These are hedonistic, no holds barred, night-long parties modeled after the ancient worship of Bacchanalia, the Greek God of wine (a.k.a. drunkenness). These are boisterous and disruptive festivities that have no regard for anyone or anything except those who are involved in the revelry, and even that is completely self-serving. Want proof of that last statement, observe what happens when a reveler suddenly, for whatever reason, stops partying. He or she is either instantly marginalized, ignored, or discarded. In worst case scenarios, verbal and physical abuse is the result, especially after whatever drunken attempts at persuasion to re-engage fail. Mob mentality at its most selfish, pleasure-seeking worst is the key characteristic. Destruction of property, and injury or death are common results. All in the name of celebration.
Now, in anticipation of the human tendency to split hairs and discover loopholes, so that we can superficially comply with the letter and not the spirit of the law, and to obstruct our tendency to obtain through obfuscation and legalism that which has been declared as wrong, Paul includes this last catch-all phrase, "and THE LIKE". It is a blanket statement that covers EVERY work of the flesh highlighted in Paul's long list of evils in this passage.
But, and this is very important, this catalog of sin isn't presented so that we can fill out a long checklist of do's and don't, and when we get good at checking off the right things and crossing out the wrong things, we can pat ourselves on the back and confirm our reservations for Heaven. IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY AT ALL.
The only remedy, the only prescription for living an obedient Christian life is detailed beginning in verse 22 of this passage (the subject of the next post). And if we do not read and understand Paul's instruction to the Galatian church beyond verse 21, then no matter how facile we become at keeping that checklist, we "will not inherit the kingdom of God."
So take heed. If you've read and comprehended this far, you can no longer hide behind the veil of ignorance, and you are accountable whether you want to be or not.
I Have Seen the Enemy and He is Us - Final Installment
Bloodshed figures prominently in Scripture, and blood is mentioned at least 358 separate times. The Old Testament covenant itself floated upon an endless sea of innocent animal blood, foreshadowing the ultimate shedding of Christ's blood on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. For, "without shedding of blood there is no remission (payment)". But there's more, since in brutal, unvarnished honesty, the Bible repeatedly characterizes fallen human behavior as "bloody". Humans, having life bestowed upon them as a gracious gift of God, have a long history of savagely taking that life away from each other.
MURDERS. This is that act of slaughter not sanctioned by a governing body through due process (see Genesis 9). In other words, it is the unjustified, personal, as opposed to corporate, taking of another life. It does not refer to capital punishment or self-defense, regardless of your views on those subjects. First point then, God will forgive murderers if they come to sincere faith in Christ. This includes suicide, which is self-murder. This HAS to be the case, else Christ's substitutionary atoning death on the Cross is not SUFFICIENT to take away our sin. To think or believe otherwise would be blasphemy.
Secondly, Jesus expands this definition in the Sermon on the Mount to include being angry at someone without a cause, so even if you are not guilty of actual, physical murder, based on Jesus' definition, no one is innocent of this sin. Thirdly, abortion is murder, It is the unjustified slaughter of a living human being in the most helpless of states. Christ's death atones for that, as well.
I think our modern society's problem with these absolutist declarations of truth stem from unmitigated pride. We think we know what life is, when it starts, and who owns it. We are so dead wrong about so many things, but in this our modern error, particularly in regard to abortion, is more brutal than any judgment the Old Testament might depict. And our "evolved" sensibilities are blatantly inconsistent. Outcries over a polar bear on a melting iceberg, or a Spotted Owl's potential extinction far exceed in crescendo and intensity any public outcry against tax-payer funded abortions-on-demand. Yet each year in this country, millions of unborn infants are slaughtered in the most merciless fashion. Yet Christ procured forgiveness even for this wholesale slaughter, as well. They key to open that door of forgiveness is repentance and belief.
DRUNKENNESS. From the context this includes any activity that through consumption or imbibing, renders us even more senseless than we are naturally when sober. It is the purposeful lusting after, and attaining, of a state of mind where God-given inhibitions are bypassed, and we become fully enslaved to our flesh. It is the regular casting off of conscience and judgement through alcohol or drugs. Although glorified in so many ways in our Western culture, it is an ugly and despicable practice. Ask any child who is subjected to seeing the adults around him or her lose self-control through intoxication.
REVELRIES. These are hedonistic, no holds barred, night-long parties modeled after the ancient worship of Bacchanalia, the Greek God of wine (a.k.a. drunkenness). These are boisterous and disruptive festivities that have no regard for anyone or anything except those who are involved in the revelry, and even that is completely self-serving. Want proof of that last statement, observe what happens when a reveler suddenly, for whatever reason, stops partying. He or she is either instantly marginalized, ignored, or discarded. In worst case scenarios, verbal and physical abuse is the result, especially after whatever drunken attempts at persuasion to re-engage fail. Mob mentality at its most selfish, pleasure-seeking worst is the key characteristic. Destruction of property, and injury or death are common results. All in the name of celebration.
Now, in anticipation of the human tendency to split hairs and discover loopholes, so that we can superficially comply with the letter and not the spirit of the law, and to obstruct our tendency to obtain through obfuscation and legalism that which has been declared as wrong, Paul includes this last catch-all phrase, "and THE LIKE". It is a blanket statement that covers EVERY work of the flesh highlighted in Paul's long list of evils in this passage.
But, and this is very important, this catalog of sin isn't presented so that we can fill out a long checklist of do's and don't, and when we get good at checking off the right things and crossing out the wrong things, we can pat ourselves on the back and confirm our reservations for Heaven. IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY AT ALL.
The only remedy, the only prescription for living an obedient Christian life is detailed beginning in verse 22 of this passage (the subject of the next post). And if we do not read and understand Paul's instruction to the Galatian church beyond verse 21, then no matter how facile we become at keeping that checklist, we "will not inherit the kingdom of God."
So take heed. If you've read and comprehended this far, you can no longer hide behind the veil of ignorance, and you are accountable whether you want to be or not.
