Sermon, June 29, 2025, Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Busby

Scripture: Paul’s Letter to the Galations, Chapter 5: 1, 13-25

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

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Some words and expressions in this section of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians may need some clarification for you. So, to help you understand what Paul means in using them, I have added words to the section of the letter without modifying or deleting any of the original wording.

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For freedom, Christ through his death upon the Cross, has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery, or have to bear the burden of all of the commandments, or laws, in the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

For you were called to freedom of life in the Christian faith, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, or seeking pleasure for yourself, but through love become slaves or fully committed to loving one another. For I must remind you that the whole law in the Torah is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But I should say that adherence even to this commandment can be a problem If, however, you bite and devour, or openly disagree, with one another; so, take care that you are not consumed, or angered, by one another to the degree of destroying one another’s freedom.

Live by the Spirit of God, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh, that is, your physical selves. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit of God, and what the Spirit of God desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want to do in fulfilling your lives a Christians. But you should also understand that if you are led by the Spirit of God, you are not subject to the law of the Hebrew faith.

Now the works of the flesh that are unacceptable to God are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissentions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Now, By contrast to the works of the flesh, the fruit of the Spirit of God given to each of us is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things in Christian faith.

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified, or put to death, the works of the flesh with its passions and desires. And If we live by the Spirit of God, let us also be guided by the Spirit of God.

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In the previous section of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galations, he scolds the early churches that he helped to form in the historically Celtic Roman province of Galatia, located in Central Turkey. He has heard that Hebrew Christians who were visiting these churches to teach about Jesus Christ were telling the members of their congregations that to be authentic or true Christians, they must obey the 613 commandments of the Torah, including the need for men to be circumcised and for everyone to follow certain dietary restrictions.

In this section of his letter, Paul says having to obey all of these commandments is a form of slavery, which I might add, is certainly a reflection of Jesus’ negative attitude towards them. In fact, Jesus and in this letter Paul summed all of them up in a commandment given by God through Moses and recorded in the book of Leviticus (19:18) in the Hebrew Bible. God had said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which we call the “Golden Rule,” or “principle of reciprocity,” and interestingly, is found in the belief systems of all of the world’s major religious faiths. But surprisingly, Paul says that he has reservations about practicing the Golden Rule because adherence to it can lead to disagreement rising to the point of destructive anger. I ask, has this not become a prominent problem with the functioning of our political system?

Paul goes on to inform the Galations that they have a better way to live than having to adhere to the commandments of the Hebrew faith. He says that the way to live is to be “led by the Spirit (of God),” contrasting it to self-indulgence or gratifying the desires of the flesh, or our physical body. For this better way of living, Paul names a number of gifts, or “fruit of the Spirit,” that God has given us through God’s Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And Paul adds that none of these gifts of God’s Spirit are controlled by any law.

The gifts of God’s Spirit that are listed in Paul’s letter to the Galations are for our having controlled, peaceful and righteous behavior. They can be combined with the abilities that we have as gifts of the Spirit that Paul listed in his letter to the Corinthians, which included teaching, leading, healing, prophesying, interpreting, and even speaking in tongues. These gifts for our behavior and of our abilities enable us to function effectively as human beings. Moreover, as Paul indicates, they open our minds to our being led by the Spirit of God.

How are we led by the Spirit of God? Throughout the ages, Christians have received guidance in what they are thinking and doing, which they have attributed to God’s speaking to them through God’s Spirit. This guidance has been requested through prayer and meditation, or has been spontaneous. It has come as an intuition or advice. Its various ways of being communicated by God’s Spirit have been as an unexpected thought or inner voice, and as an uncontrolled action for the protection of self or others. Actual conversations with God have been described. And divine guidance has occurred in dreams.

From my experience in spiritual healing, I believe that the same ways should be used for asking God’s Spirit to lead us as to heal us. We should use prayer or meditation with a quiet, open mind, express our faith in God, and be humble and never demanding of God. After a request of God’s Spirit is made, and whether or not a reply from God has been received, sincere gratitude should be expressed to God for the presence of the Spirit. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a response from God can be unpredictable in both time and place, so listen quietly and patiently.

Amen.