The Rotten Fruit of Religion...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter in the Bible called the book of Galatians where a man named Paul was revealing the reality of spiritual warfare in the lives of followers of Jesus. Today, we are going to see Paul begin to reveal and contrast for us the fruit, or what is produced, from a life that is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit and a life that is influenced and controlled by our old nature apart from Jesus. So let’s look together beginning in Galatians 5:19:

 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,

When Paul uses the phrase the deeds of the flesh, he is referring to the fruit, or what is produced, by a lifestyle that is influenced and controlled by our old nature apart from Jesus that is dominated by the evil and destructive power of sin. And in Galatians 5:19-21, we see Paul provide a list of fifteen different fruit, or results, that are produced by a religious centered lifestyle that attempts to do things for God in order to be in a right relationship with God by keeping a list of rules. Now these fifteen different fruit or activities that are produced can be divided into four categories.

We see Paul reveal the first category in verse 19 when he refers to immorality, impurity, and sensuality. The word immorality describes any unlawful sexual intercourse, which would be any sexual activity that occurs outside of a marriage relationship, whether it is sex before marriage, sex in addition to marriage, which is adultery, homosexual activity, any sexual activity outside of God’s design for marriage, which is one man, one woman for one lifetime.

Paul then uses the word impurity to describe the state of moral corruption that surrounds sexual sin. Sensuality is a lack of self constraint that results in sexual behavior and conduct that violates all bounds of what is socially acceptable. This would be a girl’s gone wild type of licentiousness. And whether it is behavior that flows from embracing the religious lifestyle of license or rebelling from the religion of legalism, these three words aptly describe the rotten results that are produced when it comes to our sexuality by a religious centered lifestyle.

So here is a question to consider: Are you seeing these results in your life? Are you seeing a lack of self constraint when it comes to how you engage in sexuality? Are you being morally corrupted by pornography or sexual activity outside of God’s design for sexuality? Because, these results are the result of a lifestyle that is controlled and influenced by our old nature apart from Christ that is either embracing the religion of license or rebelling from the religion of legalism. Paul then reveals for us a second category of rotten fruit or results, in the beginning of verse 20:

            idolatry, sorcery,

Idolatry, simply put, is worshipping something other than God as God. When Paul refers to sorcery here, he is referring to the cultic practices of magic and sorcery that were used in the worship of false gods. Paul uses these words to describe the rotten results that are produced when it comes to our relationship with God by a religious centered lifestyle.

So here is a question to consider: Are you seeing these results in your life? Now almost immediately, you might respond by saying “well Dave I don’t worship idols?” Are you sure? Because we commit idolatry when we take good things and make them God things. We commit idolatry when we pursue position, possessions, pleasure, or pride more passionately then we pursue God. Idolatry is giving something other than God more attention, more honor, or more glory than God.

And when our performance for God becomes more important than God; When our pursuit of possessions and pleasure becomes more important than our pursuit of God; When our position in life becomes more important than God’s position in our life, we produce the rotten fruit of a religious centered lifestyle. Paul then reveals a third category of rotten fruit or results, in the rest of verse 20:

 enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying,

Enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, and envying all are the rotten results that are produced when it comes to our relationships with others by a religious centered lifestyle. When we have hostility toward one another; when we engage in rivalry regarding the positions taken by others; when we have negative feelings over another’s achievements or success; when we demonstrate intense displeasure or anger; when we have divisions and disputes that flow from selfishness or selfish agendas; when we want what others have or when we do not want others to have what they do have, we see what is produced by embracing the religious lifestyle of license or rebelling from the religion of legalism,

So here is a question to consider: Are you seeing these results in your life? Have I just described what your relationships with others look like? Because, these results are the result of a lifestyle that is controlled and influenced by our old nature apart from Jesus that is either embracing the religion of license or rebelling from the religion of legalism. Paul then reveals for us a final category of rotten fruit or results, in the second part of verse 21:

drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

When Paul refers to drunkenness and carousing, he is referring to excessive drinking and excessive feasting when it comes to eating. Here we see Paul revealing for us the rotten results that are produced when it comes to a lack of self control by a religious centered lifestyle. So are you seeing these results in your life? Are you unable to demonstrate any self control when it comes to how much you drink? Are you the type of person who is no longer welcome at any of the buffets in your area?

Now you may laugh and joke and think that I just made a funny, but here’s the thing: so often we will point a finger at others who display rotten results when it comes to their sexuality or their relationship with God or their relationship with others, but are totally unwilling to point our thumb at ourselves while they eat or drink themselves under the table to fulfill their selfish lack of self control. Because, a lack of self control is the result of a lifestyle that is controlled and influenced by our old nature apart from Christ that is either embracing the religion of license or rebelling from the religion of legalism.

Paul then hammers his point home by stating “and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” This statement, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded like this: “For those of you who consistently live a lifestyle that produces these rotten results because you are controlled and influenced by your old nature apart from Christ that is either embracing the religion of license or rebelling from the religion of legalism, here’s the thing? Your fruit, the rotten results that your lifestyle is producing, is revealing the reality that you have not come into possession of you place as part of the kingdom of Heaven. Your production is contradicting your profession. Your life does not produce a lifestyle that is consistent with someone who is living a gospel centered lifestyle that is led, influenced, and controlled by the Holy Spirit.”

Now you might be wondering “well Dave what does a gospel centered lifestyle that is led, influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit look like? What are the results that are produced by such a lifestyle?”

Friday, we will see Paul provide us the answer to these questions…