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Hey guys,
Galatians 5:13-25 is Paul’s great “Declaration of Independence,” his statement from God on the nature and gift of freedom for the Christian. What is the biblical doctrine of freedom? Before answering that question, a working definition: Freedom is that state in which a child of God is accepted by God forever on the basis (the sole basis) of Christ’s finished work on the cross. It is always accompanied by God’s Spirit in the life of the child of God whereby the fear of failure is replaced by the desire to succeed in the obedient, godly life.
As preliminary teaching to our discovery of what freedom is, Paul contrasts the fruit of the Spirit and the works of the flesh. The works of the flesh are listed in Galatians 5:19-21, “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 . . .”
This list is not the only list Paul gives in his letters. While there are some similarities, the lists are different. In this list, Paul points out the particular sins of the Galatians. Paul, like a skilled surgeon, applies the scalpel to the cancer at its precise place.
And we all find ourselves in that list...
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