Paul anticipates a potential objection. Didn’t he once persecute Christians? Didn’t he once engage in a mission to hunt down Hebrew Christians to force them to turn back to Judaism? Didn’t he stand by as an observer who approved of Stephen being stoned to death? Isn’t he like one of the very people who he has just being describing – one strongly opposed to Christian teaching? So he goes on to say, ‘I have thankfulness for the [one] having strengthened me, Jesus the Messiah, our Lord, that he led me faithfully, having placed me into service, 13 formerly being a blasphemer, a persecutor and damaging insulter’. (I Timothy 1 v 12 – 13a). Paul admits that this is exactly what he was like. But then he adds, ‘But I was shown mercy, because being ignorant I constructed within lack of faith, 14 and the graciousness of our Lord exceedingly abounded, in company with entrustment and beneficial love within the Messiah, Jesus’, (I Timothy 1 v 13b – 14). In effect, one of the things he is saying is that Christians do not act in the kind of ways that he has just been describing. He says, ‘Yes, its is true. I did act in that way, as persecutor and blasphemer, but I was acting in ignorance, within lack of knowledge and perception, and what I was doing was in the sphere of lack of entrustment and persuasion. This was how I was before I became a Christian.’ He then says that despite his excessive opposition, the free gift and mercy of God and His Messiah ‘exceedingly abounded’ – it was superabundant, it went beyond his self-forfeiture and was super-plentiful. God’s graciousness came in company with persuasion and entrustment – faith – and practical beneficial love within God’s anointed the Messiah.
I Timothy 1 v 9c – 11 - The principles and aims of divine law
The law is ‘for those threshing fathers, and threshing mothers, for murderers of man, 10 male prostitutes, men in bed with another man, those bringing men to his feet, liars, perjurers or false witnesses’, (I Timothy 1 v 9c – 10a).
Some commentators propose that Paul is indeed following the Ten Commandments here in verses 9 - 11. But Paul is not quoting divine law or the Ten Commandments. What we need to note is this, the law is good and its moral principles and aims remain in place. Jesus does not introduce permissive licentiousness but a transfer of the principles and aims of divine law away from external written codes to these principles being written on the Christian’s heart, borne witness to by the Breath of God and union with the Messiah. Thus Paul does not make direct reference to the external written codes of the Ten Commandments when it comes to the righteous – Christians. Law, and divine law especially, is for those who are not righteous, for the type of individual who has deliberate irreverence, who is an ill-user of their father and mother. The Greek word means to ‘thresh’. ‘Thresh’ literally means to separate the edible grain from the straw or husks of a harvested plant, typically by beating, hence physical abuse, beating or hitting of parents. Law is for murderers, those who dominate other people and bring them under their feet, and deceitful liars.
Indeed, divine law is for ‘anyone else if opposing the healthy teaching 11 down from the good news of the honour and praiseworthiness of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted’, (I Timothy 1 v 10b – 11). There we have the general principle with regard to divine law.
Divine law is for anyone setting him or herself in full opposition to, as irreconcilable to, or contrary to and adversarial to healthy teaching down from the gospel
I Timothy 1 v 9a - Christian legalist objections
'....law is not lying outstretched for the equitable and righteous’, (I Timothy 1 v 9a).
‘Aha!’ says the legalist, ‘What the Apostle means is that Christians are not under the ‘Ceremonial Law’. But Christians do remain under the ‘Moral Law’ such as the Ten Commandments’. I have argued that this division into two different aspects or facets of divine law is not entirely incorrect, but if pressed too far it negates the unity of Covenant law as a comprehensive integrated whole, a unified arrangement. But in any case, it is very clear from what follows that Paul is not talking about the Ceremonial aspects of divine law but its Moral aspects, because he goes on to talk about murderers, liars and prostitutes who clearly come under the Moral aspects or facets of divine law.
‘Ah! But,’ says the legalist, ‘It is true that Christians are indeed ultimately acquitted as judicially approved within the Messiah because of their union in him. But at the moment, even though the Breath of God is dwelling in their deepest inner core, Christians do not always walk around within the Breath, they do not always follow the leading of the Breath. They don’t always think things through to a correct conclusion and then act appropriately and consistently. Sometimes they are overtaken by fleshly impulses and that is when they need to be directed to divine law in order to drive them to the Messiah seeking forgiveness’.
‘By no means’, says Paul. ‘For Christians, the reference point is no longer the external codes written in stone, instead their locus is the Messiah, and the principles of law are written on their hearts - the Ground of their thoughts, faculty of choice and affections. The Messiah fulfils the requirements of the law on their behalf, he has paid the price for their self-forfeiture, and as they entrust the Messiah, their self-forfeiture is removed as far as the east is from the west. As they perceive the practical, beneficial, love of the Messiah shown to them, and as they emulate it by carrying it across into their speech and behaviour, they bring forth the Fruit of the Breath. In this way the Messiah is made complete and they are being changed into his image. The dynamic is from within, it is not on the basis of the imposition of external written codes. This is the dynamic of the New Covenant of the blood of the Messiah, and the new royal priesthood into which Christians have been placed. Christians are not under the authority of external written codes of Levitical law, but under the free gift of God by means of His only begotten son.
Law is for the unrighteous
That is the basic principle when it comes to using law legitimately. And if we are in any doubt, Paul lists the type of individual that he has in mind. Law is not for the righteous ‘but for the lawless and those not subject to rule, for those without reverence, self-forfeiting, for those without reverence or regard for what should be set apart, crossing the threshold, gaining improper entrance’, (I Timothy 1 v 9b). Law is for those without law, for the unruly and insubordinate, and divine law is for those without respect, self-forfeiting in their contempt for that which should be set apart and clean. The word usually translated into English as ‘profane’ means ‘crossing the threshold, gaining improper entrance’. In literal terms it is like a brutish individual entering a set-apart place of godly devotion without having any respect or reverence. Paul goes on to explain in a little more detail.
The law is ‘for those threshing fathers, and threshing mothers, for murderers of man, 10 male prostitutes, men in bed with another man, those bringing men to his feet, liars, perjurers or false witnesses’, (I Timothy 1 v 9c – 10a).
I Timothy 1 v 8, 9a - Law is good, but not set out for the righteous
‘Now we appreciate that the law is good, provided someone is making use of it lawfully’, (I Timothy 1 v 8). Paul makes a similar statement to the one recorded in chapter seven of his letter to the Romans. He counters any idea that he is suggesting that divine law is bad in and of itself. Not at all, the law is good. But he adds a qualification. Divine law is good ‘provided someone is making use of it lawfully’. He says that the problem is that good divine law can be made use of unlawfully, it can be used in a way that is not according to the rules. It can be used in inappropriate circumstances, and he goes on to explain what he means.
‘Appreciating this, that law is not lying outstretched for the equitable and righteous’, (I Timothy 1 v 9a). He states an important principle that Christians have to appreciate with regard law in general. Law is not set out for the righteous, for the morally upright. Now we have understand what Paul is saying here. Paul is making one of his general statements, stating a general principle. Law – any law, civil law, religious law and so on – is not laid out for the righteous – for the innocent, morally upright or judicially approved. The context in which Paul makes this statement is that of Sinai Covenant law and Christians. Christians are righteous, not because of their own speech and labours towards godly behaviour, but because they are placed in union with the Messiah who fulfils all the requirements of Covenant law on their behalf. Christians are not placed under the written codes of Covenant law but under God’s free gift, they are not placed under the Levitical system but into a royal priesthood.
I Timothy 1 v 6, 7 Missing the mark and law
‘Which some, having missed the mark, have turned away into empty talk, 7 wishing to be teachers of the law, not exercising their minds neither to understand what they are saying nor around which they emphatically assert’, (I Timothy 1 v 6, 7).
Already, some of the teachers in the Ephesian assembly had missed the mark. They had turned away from the essence of the gospel message into unprofitable ‘empty talk’, into babbling. They desired to be teachers of Covenant law. Today, Christian legalists do not usually go this far. Although insisting on using divine law as a ‘spur’ to urge wayward Christians to turn back to the Messiah, Christian legalists do not usually become teachers, experts or consultants specialising in Covenant or Levitical law. Rather, they tend to constantly refer to the ‘Moral law’ and use ‘proof texts’ to ‘prod’ wayward Christians to turn to the Messiah in repentance. In public prayers they often talk about how Christians have fallen short of the standards and ideals of God’s ‘Moral law’, and about how unworthy Christians are in their day-to-day lives. If someone is persuaded of the importance and relevance of divine law to living a godly life, then becoming a teacher of law is a logical and consistent step to take, since they regard the law as being essential to godliness. But Paul objects to such reasoning and says that those wishing to be teachers of the law were ‘not exercising their minds’. There it is again, Paul’s emphasis on the Christian’s mind such that they think and reason things through to a conclusion in the light of the gospel. Paul says that those Christian teachers wishing to be teachers of the law are not making the effort to use their minds in order to come to the right conclusion. Furthermore, these Ephesian teachers were emphatically asserting their opinions. They were making bold, confident statements about the law as they sought to impose Levitical law on Christians at Ephesus. But Paul says that they don’t understand what they are saying. He goes on to explain what he means.
I Timothy 1 v 3 – 5 - Christian teachers missing the mark
Paul makes reference to law in his first letter to Timothy. At the start of his letter Paul reminds Timothy of the instructions that he had given to him before Paul left for a journey to Macedonia.
‘Just as I was travelling to Macedonia, I called you near to remain in place in Ephesus so that you might give instruction from close beside to any one not to teach differently. 4 Nor to hold their mind towards fables and endless genealogies which hold near searching questions and disputes, rather than administration of God’s household which is within entrustment’, (I Timothy 1 v 3 – 4).
Paul and Timothy were both at Ephesus and as Paul was about to make a journey to Macedonia he had some concerns about the teachers in the Ephesian assembly, so he called Timothy close beside. He instructed him to remain in Ephesus because he was concerned that some in the Ephesian assembly were beginning to teach ideas and principles that were contrary to, or hindering the good news that Paul had announced to the Ephesians. The problem was similar to what Paul had faced with the Galatians – some of the Ephesian teachers were drifting away from the gospel. So he called Timothy aside and instructed him not to allow any one to teach differently from the teaching Paul had already declared. Some in the Ephesian assembly were allowing themselves to be ‘side-tracked’, to be ‘knocked off course’ because they were paying attention to myths and fables. There were many such false stories circling in society and some of these Christian teachers were paying too much attention to them in their teaching. Other Christian teachers were focussing their minds on endless genealogies, going into deep examination of them and engaging in the different opinions and disputes that arose from them. The problem was that such interests were drawing attention away from the administration of God’s household, of Christians, which does not reside in such disputes, but within faith.
‘But the aim of the instruction is practical benevolent love from out of a clean heart, good conscience and sincere entrustment’, (I Timothy 1 v 5). Paul was not trying to be negatively critical, nor was he being divisive or merely protecting his own opinions. Rather, his aim in giving this instruction to Timothy was that the Ephesian Christians would mature into practical benevolent love from out of a deep inner core that was clean, and had a good conscience and sincere persuasion and entrustment. His concern was that some were already missing the mark.
Romans 6 – 8 and Galatians – The case against Christian legalism
I have presented these posts on Romans 6 - 8 and Galatians because I wanted to look at how the Apostle Paul exhorted Christians to live a godly life day-by-day. It soon became clear that Paul was no advocate of Christian legalism. Although he may have the ultimate aims and purposes of Divine law in mind – righteousness and cleanliness - he does not refer Christians to Covenant law as a means of living a godly life, just the opposite in fact. He argues that the law reveals our self-forfeiture and that the fleshly impulses within the Christian’s physical body take hold of the law and use it’s written codes as a springboard to bring themselves to completion in speech and behaviour. The law is good – it is our flesh that is the problem. Thus there is nothing good in our flesh and he calls our physical body ‘a body of death’ from which Christians will ultimately be released. Legalism leads to ‘deadness’, to criticism and judgement of other Christians, and potentially to a denial of the gospel. It leads to discouragement and a sense of failure.
Paul argues that we cannot deliver ourselves from divine judicial condemnation. Salvation is a free gift of God from start to finish. Whilst we are helpless God brings forth those He has selected by means of the Messiah and the set-apart Breath. As part of this process, the Christian’s ‘old formation’ or ‘old self’ or ‘natural earthy, sensuous self’ is crucified with the Messiah and they become a ‘new formation’ or ‘new self’, which Christians are encouraged to ‘put on’ or clothe themselves with. Possessing the indwelling of the set-apart Breath they are exhorted to walk around within the sphere of Breath. Paul’s emphasis is on Christians using their enlightened and illuminated mind that is enabled to perceive and embrace unseen realities, to reason things through to their proper conclusion. In other words he uses theological teaching. Then he says, exercise enlightened self-control and live life day-by-day in a way that is consistent with God’s calling and their enlightened understanding. The locus or ‘pivot’ of action is away from external written codes and towards the leading of the set-apart Breath.
Paul is quite consistent when it comes to practical matters of living a godly life day-by-day. So, for example, if we were to look at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we would see that it is a letter of two halves. The first half, chapters 1 – 3, is about God’s glorious free gift of deliverance by means of Jesus. The second half is about what this means in practice. If you read chapters 4 - 6 through for yourself you find no appeals to Covenant law. Rather you find appeals to imitate and emulate the love of the Messiah, and to reflect different aspects of the relationship that the Messiah has with those whom God has selected.
But I don’t want to spend time on these chapters because instead I now want to turn to chapter 1 of Paul’s first letter to Timothy, because once gain Paul looks at Christians who miss the mark because they want to become teachers of law.
Galatians 6 v 11 – 16 - Paul’s concluding remarks
‘See what large letters I have written to you with my own hand. 12 As many as wish to have a good appearance within flesh, these are compelling you to be circumcised, but only in order that they are not pursued and persecuted for the cross of Jesus the anointed one. 13 Because not even the circumcised themselves are observing law, but they desire you to be circumcised in order that they may boast within your flesh. 14 But for me, may it never happen to be boasting if not within the cross of our Lord Jesus the anointed one, by means of which the worldly arrangement has been crucified to me, and I to the worldly order and arrangement. 15 Neither circumcision nor foreskin is anything – on the contrary, a new original formation. 16 And as many as will walk within and follow this principle, on this basis, and on the basis of the God of Israel, their peace and compassion’, (Galatians 6 v 11 – 16).
Paul obviously had someone else to actually write his letters, but here he writes this last section with his own hand, as if to emphasise his concluding remarks. He once again criticises the Judaizers who have come in to cause so much trouble. He says that those insisting on male Gentile Christians being circumcised wanted to look good within the flesh. They wanted to obtain a reputation for religiousness, like the hypocrites who ‘love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, so that they may be seen of men’ (Matthew 6 v 5). Appearing outwardly righteous in front of others, they wanted to be accounted in this way by them; and therefore they did all they could to be seen of them, and gain applause from them. They wanted by this means to keep in with their countrymen, the Jews, and to gain favour amongst them by seeming to win over proselytes to Covenant law.
They were acting in this way in case they should suffer pursuit and persecution from fellow Jews for the cross. It is well known that the Jewish chief priests and elders were great persecutors of the disciples of Jesus, and began their persecution very early on. These Judaizers did not act from any true love for God. They escaped the bitterness that fellow Jews had against Christianity and the offence of the cross of the Messiah by making the Mosaic law a necessary preliminary for Christians. In fact, they were making Christian converts into Jewish proselytes. ‘Not even the circumcised themselves are observing law, but they desire you to be circumcised in order that they may boast within your flesh’. These Jews who were insisting on circumcision did not observe Covenant law themselves. Rather, they wanted to boast about how many Christians they had turned into Jewish proselytes.
Paul concludes by saying that he does not want to boast about anything except the cross. By means of the cross ‘the worldly arrangement has been crucified to me, and I to the worldly order and arrangement’. Worldly values, methods and principles mean nothing to Paul and he regards the worldly arrangement as dying away so as to be superseded at the time of the harvest. (An event that he thought was quite imminent).
His concluding remarks about circumcision? ‘Neither circumcision nor foreskin is anything – on the contrary, a new original formation’. What matters for Paul is being brought forth by God, or born again, and the Christian’s new formation or new self. ‘As many as will walk within and follow this principle, on this basis, and on the basis of the God of Israel, their peace and compassion’.
Galatians 6 v 9, 10 - An apportioned share of the divine inheritance
‘And we should not grow weary in doing good, because not growing faint, in our season we will reap a harvest. 10 So then, in the manner that we have opportunity, we should be working good toward all, and especially toward those belonging to the family of faith’, (Galatians 6 v 9, 10).
Sometimes, teaching the word faithfully and having practical beneficial love towards fellow Christians can seem to be a laborious and unrewarding endeavour. It can make us feel weary and lacking in motivation. Thus Paul encourages Christians not to grow weary in doing good. The Christian’s deliverance away from divine judicial condemnation by means of the Messiah and the set-apart Breath is given as a free gift as a result of God’s promise, a promise that He has sworn on oath on His own name. No one will snatch those who have been given to him from out of the Messiah’s hand. As Paul declares in Romans 8, no one and nothing can separate us away from the love of God.
But for Christians, there is a prize to obtained and a harvest to reap. If Christians persist in wayward behaviour or become lazy, they will suffer ruin and loss. They will not lose their deliverance, but they will reap a smaller harvest. The ‘harvest’ is their allotted portion of the divine inheritance. It is his obtaining of the ‘harvest’ that is Paul’s motivation for persisting steadfastly in doing good. ‘…because not growing faint, in our season we will reap a harvest’. In our season, when the harvest comes, which will be at the advent of the Millennium Reign and the first rousing up from out of the dead so as to meet the Messiah in the air and enter into the unseen heavenly realms.
‘So then, in the manner that we have opportunity, we should be working good toward all’. Christians are not summoned to be antagonistic towards unbelievers, nor to negate them. Christians live in a world in which the majority of people are unbelievers. Christians are like wheat growing among weeds and wheat-like plants. So, while God continues life-breath to us and the season of sowing lasts, Christians are encouraged to live their lives as peaceably as they can. To be good marriage partners, family members, neighbours, employers, employees and work colleagues. But this is especially case when it comes to their relationships with fellow Christians, bearing in mind the primary injunction of the Messiah to show practical, beneficial love to one another.
Galatians 6 v 6 – 8 - Sharing teaching
‘Now let the one being taught within the word, share the teaching within all goodness, 7 not leading astray. God is absolutely not ridiculed, because whatever a man is sowing, this also he will harvest. 8 Because sowing towards his flesh, from the flesh he will reap decay from within. But sowing towards the Breath, away from the Breath he will reap perpetual life’, (Galatians 6 v 6 – 8).
The Judaizers had come in to the Galatian assemblies with teaching. They were assertively teaching, instructing and exhorting that Christians had to follow Sinai Covenant law as the means of obtaining and maintaining divine judicial approval. So Paul goes ‘back to basics’ and says that Christians who have been taught within the word and who are sharing teaching should do so ‘within all goodness, not leading astray’. Such an individual should share the teaching honestly and faithfully. They should not twist the teaching in order to gain a good reputation, or to gain the advantages of status, material wealth or comfort.
Paul says, ‘Make no mistake. God is not ridiculed’. Why? ‘Because whatever a man is sowing, this also he will harvest’. Those who teach using malicious, deceitful motives are described as ‘sowing towards their flesh’, and the result of this is that ‘from the flesh he will reap decay from within’. Elsewhere Paul describes the physical body and a ‘body of death’. This is because the impulses and raw passions inherent in our flesh are in opposition to God, and following these impulses – such as twisting the gospel message to obtain a good reputation – leads to withering away, to insensitivity and unresponsiveness to God and ultimately to divine disapproval and judicial condemnation.
This is contrasted with the teacher who shares the word and the teaching accurately and faithfully. ‘… sowing towards the Breath, away from the Breath he will reap perpetual life’. The opposite of ruin, loss, withering away and death is ‘life’ – abundant life, life with a capital ‘L’, perpetual life.
Galatians 6 v 3 – 5 – Restoring fellow Christians - Personal accountability, not self-superiority compared with others
‘For if someone is thinking they are someone, being nothing he is deluding himself. 4 But each one be testing his own work and action, and at that time he will hold the ground of boasting only towards himself, and absolutely not towards another, 5 for each one will bear his own burden’, (Galatians 6 v 3 - 5).
One of the dangers when Christians help to restore others is that they may see themselves as ‘superior’, as ‘rising above’ the wayward self-forfeiture that other Christians have fallen into. But ‘if someone is thinking they are someone, being nothing he is deluding himself’. No Christian is immune from wayward behaviour or from the impulses of their own flesh. No Christian is able to take the role of ‘superior judge’ over other Christians. Rather than criticising the behaviour of fellow Christians, the principle is that ‘each one be testing his own work and action, and at that time he will hold the ground of boasting only towards himself, and absolutely not towards another, 5 for each one will bear his own burden’.
Within the context of the situation that Paul has been writing about – Judaizers insisting that male Gentile Christians be circumcised in agreement with Covenant law – I suggest that Paul is primarily referring to the view that these Jews had of themselves. They thought that they had cause for self-praise arising from their self-righteous comparison of themselves with others, (Galatians 2 v 12, 13; and verses 12 and 13 below). No, says Paul. If you are about the business of adjusting and restoring fellow Christians, then don’t fall into the trap that these Judaizers have fallen into of being self-righteous and over-assertive, causing people to shrink back in fear. Rather, let a Christian judge their own work, not by comparing themselves with others, but by the ideal standard of the Messiah, then they will see what their work is worth and how much they have to boast of. Each individual will be judged by their own actions and not by any fancied superiority or inferiority to others. They will not be able to excuse themselves by drawing attention to their neighbour’s weaknesses.
In verse 2 Christians are exhorted to ‘bear the burdens’ of others in the sense of sympathising and being of practical assistance to them in their troubles. Here Christians are told that they must ‘bear their own load’ in the sense that they must answer directly to God for their own actions. Their responsibility cannot be shifted on to others. Each will bear their own ‘load’. The Greek word is different from that in verse 2. Here, self-examination will make an individual consider that he has enough to do with their own load of self-forfeiture, without comparing themselves boastfully with their neighbour.
Galatians 6 v 1, 2 - Wayward behaviour and restoring fellow Christians
‘Brothers, even if a man has been overtaken within some falling away from close beside, you relating to the realm of breath, properly adjust and restore this one within a breath [pneuma] of gentleness, taking heed yourself in case you also are tested. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and in this manner you will complete the law of the anointed one’, (Galatians 6 v 1, 2).
Paul has been explaining the opposing currents and energies that exist within Christians. There is an impetus arising from their fleshly constitution, and in opposition to this, there is the movement and impetus of the Breath of God dwelling in their deep inner core. It is clear from all that Paul has been saying that Christians are not ‘perfect’. They are not fully complete within cleanliness and godliness. Most of Paul’s letter to the Galatians has been taken up with Christians in danger of falling into wayward behaviour by turning back to observing Covenant law as a means of obtaining and maintaining divine judicial approval. And here, in verse 1, Paul turns to the problem of a Christian being ‘overtaken within some falling away from close beside’. As Paul says in his letter to the Romans, Christians are sometimes taken captive, or ‘overtaken’ by impulses arising from within their fleshly constitution. The word ‘overtaken’ suggests that some self-forfeiture springs upon an individual and overpowers them by the suddenness of the assault.
So what happens in such a situation? Paul says that those Christians walking in and relating to the realm of breath are to ‘properly adjust and restore this one within a breath [pneuma] of gentleness’. This would be an act of practical, beneficial love. ‘Properly adjusting’ includes knowledge, understanding and reasoning within what is true to the facts. It is what Paul has been doing throughout the course of this letter to the Galatians – seeking to promote consistent behaviour within correct, enlightened understanding. This ‘adjustment’ is to be done with care and gentleness. Christians are exhorted to assist and carry each other’s burdens with care so as to avoid falling into error themselves. In seeking to support and restore a fellow Christian, they may be tested themselves.
‘…in this manner you will complete the law of the anointed one’. There is a very biting sarcasm and grave irony in Paul’s use of the word ‘law’ here. The whole of this letter has been directed against the Judaizing teachers who were cramming the written codes of Covenant law down Galatian Christian throats. This letter is addressed to their victims who had fallen into their trap. They have turned things upside down, (Galatians 5 v 12), but Paul turns this back round on them and says, ‘You want law, do you? Well, if you will have it, here it is - the law of the Messiah’. The Messiah’s life is our law, our principle of speech and behaviour. Practical Christianity is founded on emulating the Messiah, and the primary principle of the Messiah is that Christians show practical beneficial love to one another, as he has shown love to them. In this way the Messiah is brought to completion. The dynamic process is to co-work with God to bring forth the Fruit of the Breath. There is no reference to external written codes, but rather, that Christians co-work with God by walking around within the set-apart Breath, within truth, so as to carry across the Fruit of the Breath from within into speech and behaviour, mutually supporting one another.
Galatians 5 v 23b – 26 – Law and the Fruit of the Breath
‘…down opposing that of this sort, there is absolutely no law that exists, 24 and those of Jesus the anointed have crucified their own flesh together with the strong emotions and lustful desires. 25 If we are alive by Breath, we should also be walking by Breath, 26 not becoming boastful, provoking one another, envying one another’, (Galatians 5 v 23b - 26).
There is no law in existence, including divine law, that comes down to oppose and condemn practical benevolent love, joy, wholeness, forbearance, useful kindness, goodness, entrustment, mildness and enlightened self-control. By co-working with God and carrying across these qualities from within into their speech and behaviour as a result of the indwelling of the set-apart Breath of God, Christians walk around in the Breath and bring the Messiah to completion, being transformed into his image or likeness. And those that are of Jesus, the anointed of God, by being immersed in union with the Messiah by means of the set-apart Breath, have crucified the flesh. They do not look to their natural, fleshly ability or strength to try to observe the written codes and regulations of Sinai Covenant law as means to obtaining or maintaining divine judicial approval. Nor do they willingly follow or submit to the raw passions, energies and impulses within their fleshly constitution in the way that they did before God brought them forth.
Paul appeals once again to logical consistency. Christians have not been brought to a position of divine approval by means of their human nature, natural ability, or their attempts to observe the written codes of Sinai Covenant law. They have been brought forth by the work of the set-apart Breath leading them to perceive and entrust the Messiah, immersing them in union with God’s anointed deliverer. So Paul says, ‘Be consistent. If we are brought to Life by means of the set-apart Breath, then we should also be walking around by means of Breath. It is inconsistent for us to turn back to rely on our own ability – our flesh - to observe the injunctions of divine law in order to maintain divine judicial approval’.
Finally he adds a few more practical considerations. Walking around within the sphere of the set-apart Breath not only means that Christians begin to display the qualities – the fruit – that he has listed over the previous few verses, but also it means that Christian do not do not happily indulge in certain other behaviours. The Breath is in opposition to the flesh, so if Christians are walking in the Breath then they are ‘not becoming boastful, provoking one another, envying one another’, (verse 26). This is a similar point to one that he makes in I Corinthians. There is indeed a desire for excellence in Christians, a desire for godliness, but such an aim must not lead to divisions, schisms, or to Christians boasting or provoking one another. Christians who are ambitious for honour may indeed provoke other Christians, whom they regard as inferiors, by a having a proud and contemptuous manner toward them. They may look on some other Christians with contempt, pass by some other Christians with disdain, as if they are beneath their notice, and this provokes hard feelings and even hatred. This was the problem at Corinth.
Sometimes the opposite happens. Christians don’t celebrate the good of others, either desiring their portion, or being troubled that they fare so well. Both errors are traceable to one and the same root - the excessive wish to be thought well of by others.
Galatians 5 v 22, 23a - Defining the qualities of the Fruit of the Breath [4] - Goodness, Mildness, Entrustment, Self-control
‘But the fruit of the Breath is practical beneficial love, joy, peace, patient forbearance, useful kindness, goodness, entrustment, 23 mildness, self-control…’ (Galatians 5 v 22, 23a).
Paul continues to list the various aspects of the Fruit of the Breath.
Goodness A disposition to do good to others. The word refers to a very wide description of human goodness, apparently in the sense of active benevolence. It stands in opposition to maliciousness or ‘badness’.
Entrustment This does not mean that Christians fail to discriminate between what is to be believed and what is to be rejected. Nor that Christians are naively prone to believe falsehood as being the truth, or make no effort to inquire what is true and what is false, what is right and what is wrong. Rather, Paul means that they have a disposition to put the best construction on someone else’s speech, behaviour and attitude. They entrust that a fellow Christian has good motives and that they intend no injury. In other words, Christians are not walking around with a pessimistic, distrustful, suspicious or accusatory attitude. The word may also be used in the sense of ‘fidelity’, denoting that a Christian will be faithful to his or her word and promises, who can be trusted or confided in.
Mildness A forbearance of passion, rash anger and hastiness of emotions. Mildness is humble submissiveness to the teachings of Divine revelation, to which this term probably points, and stands in contrast to self-reliant, headstrong impetuosity.
Illuminated self-control The Greek word ‘egkrateia’ implies self-restraint that arises from the perception and persuasion of unseen realities, self-regulation when it comes to the Christian’s fleshly desires and impulses. It has reference to the power that Christians have over all kinds of fleshly impulses and energies. The sense here is that the movement and current of the set-apart Breath within the deep inner core of the Christian helps them to self-moderate and self-regulate indulgent speech and behaviour, to restrain passions, and govern themselves as a result of their enlightened perception and persuasion.
Galatians 5 v 22 - Defining the qualities of the Fruit of the Breath [3] – Forbearance and Useful Kindness
‘But the fruit of the Breath is practical beneficial love, joy, peace, patient forbearance, useful kindness,’ (Galatians 5 v 22).
‘Benevolent, practical love is forbearing, usefully kind and gentle’, (I Corinthians 13 v 4a).
In both I Corinthians and Galatians Paul presents two more aspects of the practical beneficial love that Christians show to one another as members of one body bringing forth the Fruit of the Breath.
Forbearance Paul uses the Greek word ‘makrothumeó’, which means the opposite of ‘short-tempered’. It means waiting for a sufficient time so as to avoid premature displays of passion, frustration or retribution that often arise from out of a quick temper, or from intolerant impatience. Forbearance is patient longsuffering, it is enlightened self-restraint that does not hastily retaliate in response to wrongfulness. We all know that we can annoy and irritate ourselves about other people at times, including fellow Christians, especially when we are passionate, eager or ambitious for something or other. Sometimes we consider that fellow Christians are being unfair to us, but having the quality of forbearance means that we do not hastily react against such perceived injustice from fellow Christians. When exercising forbearance, a Christian bringing forth the Fruit of the Breath does not launch into malicious gossip, insults, criticism or arguments with them by way of response.
Gentle useful kindness In Corinthians the Greek word that Paul uses is ‘chrésteuomai’, a verb meaning ‘to be usefully kind, mild and gentle’. In Galatians it is used as a noun. It is not just a kindly attitude or the expression of kindly sentiments, but rather it means to be of useful, suitable or appropriate service in contrast to being burdensome. It is from the adjective ‘chréstos’ which appears seven times in the New Testament. When Christians display love to one another it means that they are courteous and gentle. They have a desire to do good so as to be of practical service and help to fellow Christians, accommodating his or herself to the weaknesses, capacities, manners and circumstances of other Christians in everything that they can.
I ask again whether we can see these distinctive practical qualities in our own daily life when it comes to our relationship to with fellow Christians.
Galatians 5 v 22 - Defining the qualities of the Fruit of the Breath [2] – Joy and Peace
‘But the fruit of the Breath is practical beneficial love, joy, peace, patient forbearance, useful kindness,’ (Galatians 5 v 22).
The first three qualities of the Fruit of the Breath are love, joy and peace. The source of all three of these lies in the Christian’s relation to God and they are the result of union with the Messiah by means of the Breath. The free gift of the practical, beneficial love of the Messiah is the source of these other aspects of the Fruit of the Breath. Having looked at ‘love’ in the previous section, I now move on to look at these other qualities.
Joy, gladness, delight The objects of this joy, gladness and delight are God the Father and His only-begotten Son. God is the God of deliverance, clothing the Christian with the robe of his Son's righteousness, pardoning their self-forfeiture, with full atonement being made by the sacrifice of the Messiah. The foundation of this joy and delight lies in these spiritual realities, and arises from the Christian’s apprehension and persuasion of their interest in them, resulting in divine judicial approval, pardon, peace, adoption, and eternal praise. This joy and gladness also extends to a joy in fellow Christians as those brought forth by God, and these affections to God, the Messiah and fellow Christians are unique to those who possess the Breath and shared between them.
Peace. Meaning ‘wholeness when all essential parts are joined together’. The Breath of God produces wholeness in consequence of the enlightenment and persuasion of the reconciliation being made by the spilt lifeblood of the Messiah. The lifeblood of the Messiah is applied to Christians for the sending away of their self-forfeiture. The set-apart Breath establishes union with the Messiah, applying divine judicial approval to the Christian. The result is peace – wholeness – down from reconciliation with God. This wholeness is once again unique to those who possess the Breath – Christians - and it is shared between them.
Galatians 5 v 22 - Defining practical, beneficial love [1]
‘But the fruit of the Breath is practical beneficial love, joy, peace, patient forbearance, useful kindness,’ (Galatians 5 v 22).
Paul famously defines love in I Corinthians 13. He is not talking about sentiment. He is not talking about romantic or poetic notions of love, nor about merely ‘wishing people well’, nor about making expressions of affection of the kind that we see in Valentine’s Day cards, or in marriage ceremonies, or showing superficial cursory displays of affection. Instead, he is talking about practical speech, attitudes and behaviours in day-by-day Christian life.
The practical love that he is describing is distinctive in that it is -
Primarily directed toward fellow Christians, and
Arises from enlightened perception and knowledge that is unveiled by the Breath of God
As John explains in his first letter, ‘outsiders’ or unbelievers do not love the Messiah, nor do they love those who are persuaded of him to the point of obedience. The Messiah and the Gospel are absurd foolishness to unbelievers. They reject and separate themselves away from the spiritual base – the enlightened perception and persuasion of unseen realities – that underpins and provides the exemplars for the practical love that Paul is talking about. Instead, ‘unbelievers’ prefer darkness to light such that their affections are centred on fleshly impulses and sensations. Possession of the love that Paul is talking about – a practical beneficial love that imitates the love of the Messiah and is directed toward fellow Christians – is therefore a distinctive mark of Christian assurance. This is because such love is beyond the ability of unbelievers. It is a primary Fruit of the Breath of God and His Messiah. This practical love ‘identifies with and rejoices in truth’.
‘Benevolent, practical love is forbearing, usefully kind and gentle’, (I Corinthians 13 v 4a).
In I Corinthians 12 v 31 Paul says ‘I show you a way superlatively beyond measure in excellence’. This way of excellence is the way of love, and without it, Paul says that Christians are nothing but a distracting noise. The Greek word that he uses is ‘agape’, which means ‘love’, ‘benevolence’ or ‘good will’. It also contains the aspect of having a preference for these qualities. These are very practical qualities in the Christian’s day-to-day life, so I translate the word as ‘practical beneficial love’. Its fullest meaning is ‘having a preference for practical beneficial love’.
But the word ‘love’ is still somewhat vague, so Paul defines what he means in more detail. In both Galatians and I Corinthians he presents two over-arching qualities of love – forbearance and useful gentle kindness.
The ‘love’ that Paul is talking about serves as a distinctive mark that reveals that an individual is selected by God, it is also mark of Christian assurance, because possession and use of this love is beyond the ability of ‘outsiders’. We probably all know of ‘outsiders’ who are forbearing, usefully kind and gentle. It may well be that we know of some ‘outsiders’ who possess forbearance and useful gentle kindness to a greater degree than we do as Christians. So in what way do these qualities constitute a distinctive Fruit of the Breath of God and His Messiah?
In I Corinthians, Paul’s teaching about ‘love’ is an aspect of the principle of ‘diversity within union in the Messiah’. Christians are diverse members of the one body of the Messiah, and the primary instruction is that Christians show practical beneficial love to one another as members of this body. By contrast, unbelievers reject enlightened persuasion of the unseen realities that underpin and provide exemplars for the practical love that Paul is talking about, preferring darkness to light such that their affections, goals and ambitions lie elsewhere. So the love that Paul is talking about is distinctively Christian. It is beyond the ability of unbelievers in this respect – it is love expressed towards fellow Christians. The qualities of forbearance and useful gentle kindness shown towards Christians constitute distinctive aspects of the Fruit of the Breath of God and His Messiah coming to completion by being displayed toward fellow Christians. ‘If anyone is saying, ‘I love God’ but is hating and detesting his brother, he is a deceiver, because the one not loving his brother whom he sees is not able to love God whom he has not seen. 21 This is the end result of the instruction that we have away from Him - that the one loving God should also be loving his brother. Everyone believing that Jesus is the Messiah of God has been brought forth; and everyone loving the One who brings forth also loves him who is brought forth from out of Him’, (I John 4 v 20, 21; 5 v 1).
Galatians 5 v 22 – 24 - The Fruit of the Breath
‘But the fruit of the Breath is practical beneficial love, joy, peace, patient forbearance, useful kindness, goodness, entrustment, 23 mildness, self-control; down opposing that of this sort there is absolutely no law that exists, 24 and those of Jesus the anointed have crucified the flesh together with the strong emotions and lustful desires’, (Galatians 5 v 22 - 24).
The Breath [Pneuma] dwells within the Christian’s heart or deep inner core, and inclines and leads them to speech and behaviour that is pleasing and acceptable to God. As Christians co-operate with the inner movement, current or impetus of the Breath of God, godly speech and behaviour is thoroughly carried across from within into practical speech and action. Paul terms these behaviours as ‘fruit’, the ‘produce’ and ‘outworking’ of the Breath. When he lists the fruit he places love first. Love is the primary Fruit of the Breath, (Galatians 5 v 22). But of course the ‘labours’ and raw passions inherent in the Christian’s flesh, in their physical constitution, work in opposition to the impetus that is away from the Breath of God, (I John 4 v 16). These fleshly energies mean that the impetus of the Breath does not always come to fruition in the Christian’s speech and behaviour. There is a ‘warfare’ arising from this conflict of energies within the Christian.
The exercising of practical beneficial love towards fellow Christians is the primary injunction of the Lord Jesus, (John 13 v 34, 35; 15 v 12, I John 3 v 23, 4 v 21; II John 1 v 5). The Apostles support this injunction, (Ephesians 5 v 1, 2, 25, 28, Philippians 1 v 9; 2 v 1, 2; Colossians 2 v 2, 3 v 14; I Thessalonians 4 v 9, Hebrews 10 v 24; I Peter 4 v 8, I John 2 v 10, 3 v 11). Exercising practical beneficial love fulfils the greatest, the most important injunctions within Covenant law, (Mark 12 v 30, 31). The exercise of practical beneficial love brings the Law to completion, (Romans 13 v 8 – 10; Galatians 5 v 14; James 2 v 8). The Christian’s faith or inner persuasion with regard to unseen realities expresses itself through the Christian exercising practical beneficial love, (Galatians 5 v 6). Love is made complete by means of obedience to the word of God and His Messiah, (I John 2 v 5). ‘Within this, love is completed and consummated with us…just as that one over there is, also we are within this orderly arrangement’, (I John 4 v 17). ‘If we [Christians] are loving one another, God remains within us and His love is completed and consummated within us’, (I John 4 v 12). The body of fellow Christians is built up and edified by means of Christians exercising practical beneficial love, (Ephesians 4 v 15, 16).
Given the prominence ascribed to practical beneficial love, as I come to define and describe what practical beneficial love is, Christians might ask themselves to what degree they see evidence of these qualities of love in their own lives. Many Christians measure themselves in terms of what they believe. This is of course important, but knowledge – even theological knowledge - can lead to arrogance and pride. Knowledge has to be accompanied with practical, beneficial love if the body is to be built up and divisiveness is to be reduced.
Paul exhorts Christians to ‘walk around within the sphere of the Breath’, (Galatians 5 v 16). He does not mean that they become ‘mystics’ or become detached from everyday life by being lost in contemplation or transcendent experiences. Rather he means that Christians walk around paying attention to the movement of the Breath within them in the light of Truth. ‘Walking around in the Breath’ means that the Christian brings forth the Fruit of the Breath in their speech and behaviour, the primary fruit being practical, beneficial love toward fellow Christians, as they look to the love of God and His Messiah as their primary exemplars.
Finally, I want to note that because love is the Fruit of the Breath, then this means that the practical beneficial love that Paul is talking about is unique to Christians, because only Christians are indwelt by the Breath.
The love that Paul is talking about and about to define is distinctive and beyond the ability of ‘outsiders’.
Galatians 5 v 19 – 21 - The working energies of the flesh
‘And the energies and workings of the flesh are clear. Whatever is selling off sexual purity, uncleanness, brutal rejection of restraint, 20 idol worship and service, drug-related enchantments, hostility, contentions, passionate jealousy, outbursts of hot passion, mercenary self-seeking, division and standing apart, strong personal opinions, 21 jealous grudges, intoxications, revelries and similar to these, which I am forewarning you, just as I warned before, that the doing of such things will not acquire the Kingdom of God’, (Galatians 5 v 19 – 21).
The energies of the flesh and what the flesh labours to produce in terms of our speech and behaviour is, says Paul, obvious and clear. But if we are in any doubt, he lists what the flesh leads us to construct. Briefly, since they are mostly self-explicit, there is ‘selling off sexual purity’ – by which he means prostitution, adultery, sexual permissiveness, sodomy and lesbianism. ‘Uncleanness’, which covers a wider range of sensual behaviour, as well as impure motivations. The kind of behaviour that leads us to call someone ‘dirty’. ‘Brutal rejection of restraint’. A strong rejection of the idea of thoughtful self-moderation, such that instead, the preference is for following instincts, emotions, ‘gut feelings’, lusts and desires. Acting like wild animals. ‘Idol worship and service’, compliance with idolatrous customs, taking part in idol feasts, or eating food offered to idols. Worshipping and serving other gods, or carved or moulded images. ‘Drug-related enchantments’. Using drugs to create ecstatic or mystical religious experiences. ‘Hostility, contentions, passionate jealousy, outbursts of hot passion’. Quarrelling, being contradictory or displaying angry emotional outbursts. ‘Mercenary self-seeking, division and standing apart, strong personal opinions’. Acting out of personal ambition, working for personal gain, being divisive, schisms, partisanship, cliques, elite groups, having intolerant strong opinions. ‘Jealous grudges, intoxications, revelries and similar to these’. Being governed by envy, ‘marking other people’s cards’, seeking revenge, drunkenness, partying, night time drinking, dancing, singing, sexual permissiveness, wantonness and excessive behaviour.
Concerning these kinds of behaviours, Paul says, ‘I am forewarning you just as I warned before, that the doing of such things will not acquire the Kingdom of God’. These are the kinds of behaviours that God disapproves of and that oppose God. They are not the behaviours that admit entry into the Kingdom of God or lead to an allotted share in the divine inheritance. Those who happily and unconcernedly regularly engage in these kinds of behaviours will not inherit the Kingdom. For Christians to behave in these kinds of ways without worry or concern is quite inconsistent with their calling by God, and certainly not examples of being led to by the Breath of God. Rather, such behaviours risk ruination, loss and death.