Category Archives: Bible Study Serialized

You need to sort out burdens and loads… Galatians 6:1-5

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Galatians 6:1 Dear brothers and sisters, if one of you is caught in sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help restore that person. And watch yourself, that you don’t fall. Here’s the practical instruction alluding to the troubles I’m guessing at. Love and restoration are the solution to bad incidents. This is what we should try to do. The perp’s response is not your problem. All you can do is try gently to help … Continue reading →

Christian maturity does not happen by default

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Believers tend to assume that growing up is the norm Actually, if you look at the world or the kingdom, you inevitably come to the conclusion that most people never mature. In fact, it is rare for a person to even desire maturity. If you look at entertainment, you can almost use that dogmatic word never. All you find in the movies or on TV is people led around by their physical desires: lust, rage, greed, and … Continue reading →

Adding the character of Jesus to who you are: Fruit

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Verse 5:22–23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. The tendency here is to dissect these fruits one by one like we did with the works of the flesh. I could do that [& I might a little], but it misses the point. The works of the flesh are all about division, separation, and the like. The fruit of the spirit … Continue reading →

The works of the flesh have overtaken our culture Galatians 5:19-21

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Verse 5:19–21 Now the deeds resulting from the flesh pursuing its desires are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery [drug use], enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, orgies [unrestrained parties], and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Let’s start with a few word definitions: Sexual immortality: In many of the translations … Continue reading →

Walk by the spirit, you’re freed from the power of the flesh Galatians 5: 15-18

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Looking for freedom? You need the Holy Spirit for that Verse 5:15 If you fight and squabble, be careful that you do not end up consuming one another. This love thing is key. If you let the flesh get involved and you start biting and devouring each other [the terms used in the NASB], you can end up destroying each other. Verse 5:16–17 My instruction is: walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires … Continue reading →

It’s all about love. Agape Love Galatians 5: 13 & 14

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Verse 5:13 My dear family, you were called to freedom; however, do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Here we start getting into the area that has caused so much confusion in the church for the past decades, centuries, and millennia. If we are free from the law, why do we bother to obey its precepts at all? Paul acknowledges that we are free, but we must … Continue reading →

Be careful whom you listen to! Galatians 5:7-9

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Galatians 5:7–8 You were doing so well until someone talked you out of obeying the truth. This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. We must always be careful who we listen to. Over the years my wife and I have spent countless hours correcting strange beliefs held by immature Christians. Note carefully, I do not see any hint here that Paul is calling these people heathens. What he is saying is that the result … Continue reading →

Symbolism or ceremony? Galatians 5:6

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Galatians 5:6 For in the Messiah it doesn’t matter whether you are circumcised or not. The one thing that counts is faith working through love. Outward signs do not matter any more. This seems to be the message. However, we need to be careful not to toss the baby with the bath water. Symbols and symbolic actions still have great benefit to humans. It’s just the way we are made. It is also one of the ways … Continue reading →