Brains and brawn are of the flesh. It is impossible to fight flesh with flesh and come out victoriously. You win by the positive act of walking in the Spirit and taking the offense by bearing fruit. Again, fruit-bearing is absolutely necessary rather than being an op tion for the ideal Christian life. The source of Christian fruit is walking in the Spirit. Basically, this is a picture of redemption along with a firm commitment to the One who has redeemed us. Christ makes us acceptable before a holy and just God. Christ reminds us that if we abide in Flim we will be able to bear fruit (John 15:4, 5). This also means consistency in our walk and control, not by self, but by the Saviour. Which army is going to be vic torious in a conflict? Obviously, it is the army with a committed group of men, with consistent effort and submission on the part of the sol diers to those in leadership. Paul reminds us to walk in the Spirit and let the natural by-product of that walk, which is the fruit of the Spirit, crowd out these other things which would hamper our spiritual growth. PHILEO All of the qualities expressed by "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22, 23) are attributes and char acteristics which need to be found in a Christian's life. Certainly the first aspect is definitely pronounced in those four letters, "love." This term needs to be defined carefully in the light of Scripture itself. Quite frankly, love is one of the most difficult qualities to describe. We know from some of the popular songs and concepts of the world
complete unit rather than as frag mented aspects of an individual's life. It is interesting in contrast to this singularity to see the plural works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19). The reason why the works of the flesh are plural is because it is quite easy, as an example, for an individual to commit adultery and still not be a murderer. It is pos sible to hate and yet not be a drunkard. A believer in Christ does not walk the Christian life by se lecting love and ignoring self-con trol, or by seeking peace without longsuffering. The entire list is com pletely inseparable. Fruit-bearing is absolutely nec essary for spiritual love. Paul urges us, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). The lust of the flesh is part of our normal life. Such is true of a one-dimensional man. The Spir it, however, adds a new dimension when a person is born anew through the shed blood of Christ. While he still has the flesh and desires to go with it, he also has the new birth in this second di mension which is spiritual. This is what adds the tremendous value to life. It is necessary to walk in the Spirit if we are going to be free from the desires or control of the flesh. The choice then is, "Do I struggle with my problems through the flesh, or do I turn my life over completely to the Lord?" If I walk in the Spirit, with the intended fruit as a by-product, I will not consis tently succumb to the old prob lems or irritating qualities that were found in my former life. For ex ample, the best way to stop hating individuals is to start loving them. You cannot defeat the flesh by us ing your head to fight defensively. Page 22
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