Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Galatians 5:24,25

"Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit let us also walk by the Spirit." (NASB)

Study notes on these two verses.
"In order to accept Christ as Savior, we need to turn from our sins and willingly nail our sinful nature to the cross. This doesn't mean, however, that we will never see traces of its evil desires again. As Christians we still have the capacity to sin, but we have been set free from sin's power over us, and no longer have to give in to it. We must daily commit our sinful tendencies to God's control, daily crucify them, and moment by moment draw on the Spirit's power to overcome them (see 2:20; 6:14).

God is interested in every part of our lives, not just the spiritual part. As we live by the Holy Spirit's power, we need to submit every aspect of our lives to God - emotional, physical, social, intellectual, vocational. Paul says that because we're saved, we should live like it! The Holy Spirit is the source of your new life, so keep in step with his leading. Don't let anything or anyone else determine your values and standards in any area of your life."

Galatians 6:14
"But may it never be that I would boast; except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (NASB)

Study notes on this verse.
"The world is full of enticements. Daily we are confronted with subtle cultural pressures and overt propaganda. The only way to escape these destructive influences is to ask God to help crucify our interest in them, just as Paul did. How much do the interests of this world matter to you? (See 2:20 and 5:24 for more on this concept.)"

Galatians 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (NASB)

Study notes on this verse.
"How have we been crucified with Christ? Legally. God looks at us as if we had died with Christ. Because our sins died with him, we are no longer condemned (Colossians 2:13-15). Relationally, we have become one with Christ, and his experiences are ours. Our Christian life began when, in unity with him, we died to our old life (See Romans6:5-11). In our daily life, we must regularly crucify sinful desires that keep us from following Christ. This too is a kind of dying with him (Luke 9:23-25).
And yet the focus of Christianity is not dying, but living. Because we have been crucified with Christ, we have also been raised with him (Romans 6:5). Legally, we have been reconciled with God (2 Corinthians 5:19) and are free to grow into Christ's likeness (Romans 8:29). And in our daily life, we have Christ's resurrection power as we continue to fight sin (Ephesians 1:19-20). We are no longer alone, for Christ lives in us - he is our power for living and our hope for the future (Colossians 1:27)."

Hmmm, someone lead me onto this train of thought yet once again. Commentaries on these passages of Scripture sometimes confuse the Truth....don't you think? It all must be read under the Holy Spirit's leading because otherwise we may take something away with us that is not there.

1 comment:

Walking Church said...

I also like Col 3.3-4 and '6-6-6' (romans , which is the 6th book nt, 6th chapter and 6th verse...well take it to 8).