Saturday, October 09, 2010

I Have Seen the Enemy and He is Us - Part 4

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 - Part 4

Sometimes the Word of God is an electron microscope in a mirror, reflecting back to us with devastating clarity what we really are like and making it impossible for us to hide behind some pleasant-looking facade. No amount of outward remediation alters the image. No amount of human-to-human comparison eases the pain of seeing what we are in undisguised truth.

I believe even in this stark list of human characteristics there is mercy, if only in the providing of the list itself so that we can see ourselves from God's perfect perspective and know what He has redeemed us from, even while we were yet sinners. No wonder Jesus warns so emphatically about judging one another in the Sermon on the Mount, and Paul reiterates that warning in Romans 14. More mercifully yet, there is encouragement in 1 Corinthians 4:3 to not even judge ourselves once we are in Christ. But the greatest encouragement is in Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Nevertheless, it behooves us to fully understand these works of the flesh for our own self-defense, as well as a defense from and for those around us, both in and outside of the family of God.

When you are not walking according to the Spirit, you are under the control of your flesh. There's really no middle ground or fence-straddling available to you. Understand that this internal war is being waged in the heart and mind of each and every Christian, and when the old nature is ascendant, within its arsenal are the four weapons of destruction highlighted above.

HATRED is the blinding, unreasoning enmity of Fallen man toward anyone or anything that is perceived as a threat to self and/or self-aggrandizement. It is uncaused, implacable and never-ending. It is fueled by rebellion and pride and is mostly misdirected toward God, the things of God, and the people of God. In a Christian, the old hatreds can still rear their ugly heads in moments of weakness or stress. In non-Christians, this kind of hatred underlies every relationship and is covered only by the thinnest veneer of civility that is ripped to shreds at the first sign of serious provocation, real or imagined. For proof, look at statistics of crime, domestic violence, and the current shrieking discord of political discourse in this country. Hatred is a fuel that burns white-hot, and can only be quenched by the agape love that is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Do not be surprised, beloved, at the intensity with which this weapon is aimed at your heart, even from those within your own household or family.

CONTENTIONS is the whiny, self-serving strife that comes from a deluded sense of self-importance. It is the perpetual attempt of the flesh to weaponize human interaction. It can be overt or covert, but its purpose is the same: to destroy peace and keep the perceived enemy in a constant state of vigilant defense. It is exhausting and enervating, robbing the intended target of rest and destroying hope. The antidote against this perilous strategy is to understand who you REALLY are, as opposed to who you mistakenly believe yourself to be. And to look at the attacks of the flesh, your own or others, as that of a belligerent child demanding that his or her wishes be acceded to no matter what the cost. By recognizing that we deserve NOTHING and ARE NOTHING without Christ, it becomes very easy not to be offended. This in turn, enables us to let down our natural defenses and allow the Spirit of God to work in and through us. The arrows of contention bounce harmlessly off our shield of humility and true self-awarenesss.

JEALOUSIES are that which is wrought by a fierce, undeniable sense of entitlement. We WANT. We DESERVE. We HAVE NOT and others HAVE and that is simply intolerable. Again, if we knew and believed what we REALLY deserve and what we have been freely given in Christ instead, we come to the same unmistakable conclusion that Paul did in Philippians: we have all and abound. We are full.

OUTBURSTS OF WRATH are the last pitiful resort of a deluded soul in desperate straits. These are vile worldly weapons to obtain through sheer force of emotion and intimidation that which is otherwise rightly beyond our reach. It is the uniquely human evil brought about by frustrated lust of one kind or another and can result in utter devastation. It is no accident that Proverbs 15:1 declares that a soft answer turns away wrath, but that a harsh word stirs up anger. For a Christian, the best defense against launching this weapon towards someone else is again to remember what and who we REALLY are, and that God is our shield and our exceedingly great reward. What can man do to us?

The Bible declares that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, but it is not the first cause. Self-worship is.