The final sentence in Galatians 5:23 conveyed by the Apostle Paul could possibly have been written this way — There is no law against such things — rather than “Against such things there is no law.”
That may seem inconsequential to you, but to many, reversing a few words helps to realize the emphasis needs to be on The Fruit rather than on The Law.
In this Age of Grace in which we presently live, followers of Christ are no longer under the Law of Moses.
The Fruit of the Spirit we’ve been examining in past commentaries have dealt with supernatural attributes available to those who have been filled with the Holy Spirit.
That’s not to say these attributes cannot be found in those who may not follow Christ, but the seed has apparently been planted in all who truly believe in Christ as the only Son of God.
Since the Day of Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago, we’ve witnessed the indwelling of the Spirit of God and a dramatic metamorphosis taking place in the lives of the many who truly believe.
That indwelling experience took place in this follower of Christ more than 39 years ago!
You may question that observation, but since I was a witness to the event and the change that took place, I can confidently speak to its reality.
And, through these many years, I’ve continued to witness the growth of the Holy Spirit in my life journey. Some of you reading this can relate while others may well question whether I’m hallucinating.
In Ezekiel 36:26-27, the Old Testament prophet speaks of this new covenant:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
As I understand this supernatural event prophesied by Ezekiel nearly 600 years before the birth of Christ, the Holy Spirit does the work within us to make us more like Jesus every day of our lives.
All we must do once we’ve allowed the Holy Spirit to enter our heart and very being is become obedient to His moment to moment leading.
That requires our constant awareness of our Lord as He orchestrates all that takes place in our midst. We must recognize that He leads the Orchestra and we are an integral part of the beautiful symphony set before Him with every breath we take.
Only the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will see the immense results of our participation, but we, too, will one day be in Heaven and know all that He has accomplished through our faithfulness.
For the remainder of our time here on this planet, we must simply remain obedient to His beckoning call.
So, there you have it: four essays on two verses of Scripture. To this follower of Christ, these verses are critical to my understanding what my Lord expects from me moving forward as I near that day when I’ll meet Him face to face.
In the meantime, I trust you will know this:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
— Galatians 5:22
There is no law against such things.