Session 6: The Holy Spirit: Our Helper
This is the summary of Session 6 of Discovering Your Spiritual Gift series. We read the passage in Galatians 5:16-26. It looked at the conflict that Christians go through, why that is and how to deal with the conflict and we also looked at how Spiritual Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit help in relationships. Context of Galatians: Galatians is a book written to the Gentile Christians in Galatia, who are being coerced by Judaizers, an extremist Jewish faction within the church, who are teaching the Gentile Christians that they must summit to Jewish laws and traditions in addition to believing in Jesus. Paul wrote this letter to correct this wrong teaching, instructing the Gentile Christians that salvation comes from faith in Jesus Christ and nothing else. So through the book of Galatians he establishes the Gospel - that Jesus came to earth to die on our behalf and whoever believes in him has eternal life through faith - and how it is by the grace of God and not our works or efforts that brings us salvation. And since we are free from the law, which is based on human doing and effort to be righteous before God, we now live by grace, the undeserved favour of God, which is also the divine help to help us serve God and each other. Why do Christians still struggle? Two ways to look at this: The anthropological view - focussed on the human nature and the second the eschatological view - which deals with life after death and looks at the issue of the conflict of Kingdoms: the Spirit and the Self. In this passage in Galatians, Paul is referring to the second view more than the first. In this context, the word “flesh” does not refer to the physical body but more to the essence of the person. We do not have “flesh”, we are “flesh”. “Flesh is the whole person turned inward, existing apart from God, in the grip of self-centredness, finding justification in either licentiousness or legalism (both of which leave us with ourselves in the centre).” - from R. Paul Stevens, Spiritual Gifts Bible Study. So the reason why must identify the exact conflicts we experience is so that we are able to see it for what it is and then seek the appropriate action or person to help us deal with the situation. We are a fallen person and we have been saved by grace. But our natural inclination is to self and as we walk this path of righteousness we have help along the way. So we pick up our cross, crucifying our sinful desires daily and keep moving forward. The fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of the new nature a Christian receives from God. It grows and matures over time as fruit usually do and this in turn becomes the mark of the Christian community. Each quality/characteristic in the fruit (singular) feature aspects of being in relationship with others and I think to ourselves as well. A side note, if you have grown up with self-hate then maybe take time to consider why are you hating yourself when the creator has has said that you have been fearfully and wonderfully made. He sees you as a righteous child of God and he loves you. What gives you the right to criticise yourself, which means you are indirectly criticising the creator of the universe. On the flip side, if you think too highly of yourself, what makes you think you are better than everyone else? As we have looked at before, each of us play a part in the body of Christ regardless of what part that is. We all are needed. There is no Lone Ranger. Another way to look at fruit of the spirit is that this relates to us “being” a christian, and spiritual gifts are the “doing” the christian stuff. Simplified I know but hopefully it gives you an idea that both are important in our service to community, others and ourselves. The solution to the “works of the “flesh” which relates to the essence of a person, needs a spiritual remedy and we have it. The Holy Spirit is on hand to help us but at the same time we need to also play our part in working together with God in dealing with our issues and also relying on his Grace to get us through. This means daily recognising that we need God and at the same time relying on his help in doing our best in all the relationships that we are involved in from family, work, church to society at large. Also, it means that we help each other as a community. Not everyone is going to be your best friend in church but it does mean we don’t neglect each other and with your spiritual gifts you can help others see Christ at work through your lives and the service you provide for others. Key takeaway: We need the Holy Spirit’s help to deal with our conflicts and struggles.