BIBLE STUDY OUTLINE
by Lloyd T. Anderson
GALATIANS 5 - 6
Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” The flesh is still in the believer, and “the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” The Holy Spir it is received by faith, and the believ er is now to allow that Spirit to rule in his life. As He is allowed to rule He sets the believer free from the law of sin and death, which is in him, and which would constrain him to do the works of the flesh. There is no hint here of the eradication of the old na ture, but the overcoming of it by a higher law — the law of the Spirit (see Romans 8:2-4). There is no de liverance from the old nature by any thing the believer can do. The more he struggles the less victory he has. The victory cannot be attained until he recognizes that in himself (that is, in the flesh) there dwells no good thing. In himself, therefore, is no power to give victory. He must cease all his struggling and simply trust the Holy Spirit to do in and for him what he cannot do himself. In the measure he yields himself to the indwelling Spirit of God, in that measure he finds deliv erance from the victory over the law of sin and death in his members. When a man weighing 180 pounds steps into an elevator he weighs no less than he did before. It is the law of gravity which gives him weight, and that law never ceases to act, wher ever he is. But when the elevator is started the law of gravity is entirely overcome, even though it continues working in full vigor, and the man is set free from it. He does not aid the elevator by trying to go up, but mere ly relaxes and allows the elevator to do all the work of taking him up. Just so the believer needs to learn to relax in the Holy Spirit and allow Him to perform His office-work; namely, de livering from the law of sin and death. 31
I T i s t h e gospel of the grace of God which guards against license (5: 13-15). “Ye have been called unto lib erty; only use not liberty for an occa sion to the flesh.” It is sometimes said by those to whom the grace of God seems insufficient, that preaching pure grace apart from the law is like preaching that men may “live as they like and do as they like.” This is exactly what the gospel of grace does for the believer. It is grace, not law, that frees from doing wrong and al lows one to do right. Grace does not set free to sin but from sin. The believer who wholly trusts the grace of God desires to please God, not because he must, like a slave, but because he will, like a son. He does what God wants, not because he fears to do otherwise, like an enemy, but because he wants to do it, like a friend. He serves God not because of any pressure from without, like the law, but because of a principle within, even the life of Christ. He says with Paul, “I am crucified with Christ; neverthe less I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in. me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Vine, “Slavishly refraining from do ing what one desires to do is as far as the law can take one in being pleas ing to God. It is wholly a negative goodness and consists in not doing certain prohibited things because of the fear of punishment. It never rises to the sphere of positive goodness where one does things to please God for the very love of pleasing Him, find ing the service thus rendered to be in itself a delight and a joy. This latter is what the gospel of the grace of God works in the believer’s heart, and thus guards him from license.” It is the gospel of the grace of God which guards against the desires of the flesh (5:16-26). “Walk in the
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