Galatians 5:19–21 (ESV) — 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Today, we’ll continue looking at Paul’s list of the works of the flesh after seeing the effects of the first category, sexual misalignment, last week. It’s important to pause on a list like this because we are all susceptible to them, with the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit warring against each other in every believer’s life. Let’s look at three more categories Paul mentioned.
2. Spiritual Misalignment (20)
After sexual misalignment, Paul next addresses two religious works of the flesh: idolatry and sorcery (20). Idolatry refers to making idols, substitutes for the true and living God. Sorcery includes magic and witchcraft but comes from the Greek word pharmakeia, which makes room for the medicinal or drug-induced ways people in the ancient world sought out religious experiences. To Paul, idolatry produced a weak imitation or substitute for God, while drug-induced sorcery faked the work of the Spirit. [1] In Paul’s mind, why would anyone want a cheap knock-off when, through the gospel, a real encounter with God is available?
These works of the flesh might seem distant to us, but at their base level, we often fall into them. We often make gods out of things that are much less than the true God. And we often try to control our lives, which is the essence of sorcery. Magic is an attempt—at its core—to control something.
This type of spiritual misalignment says, “I don’t need to trust God.” Instead of leaning not on their own understanding and trusting him, the spiritually misaligned person grabs control for themselves (Prov. 3:4-6). Instead of looking to the trusted, reliable, outside source of God’s word, the spiritually misaligned person creates their own ways of practicing spirituality.
One way to resist this work of the flesh is to worship God. So many of our problems in life stem from a worship problem. When we worship relationships, we put pressure on them that they aren’t made to handle, and we dry up because we will never get from them what God can give. When we worship success, experiences, or image, we become enslaved to them, and they become a vicious cycle of expectations for better and better. When we give our worship to education, career, possessions, beauty, intelligence, current events, or any other thing, we stand to be disappointed. Only God can handle our devotion and worship.
Another way to resist this work of the flesh is to pursue spiritual depth with God. Don’t tell yourself you can produce high-quality spiritual experiences without him. Turn to him in his word, press into the challenging but biblical spiritual disciplines, and engage with others in the church community seeking the same.
Another way to resist this work of the flesh is to encourage one another. Hebrews says we should not neglect to meet together and should encourage one another (Heb. 10:25 paraphrase). The flesh is always looking for something new and exciting, accessible and easy, so we should encourage each other to lean into prayer, Bible study, fasting, silence, solitude, gratitude, fellowship, and other biblical Christian practices.
3. Societal Misalignment (20-21)
Paul warned that the works of the flesh include enmity, which is hatred and an inward feeling of hostility towards another. He warned against strife, a type of discord the Galatian church was in danger of engaging in. He warned against jealousy of others—an obsession with what one doesn’t possess. He warned against fits of anger, rage-filled outbursts. He warned against rivalries, fueled by selfish ambition and a “me, me, me” mentality. He warned against dissensions and divisions, which unnecessarily divide people, create walls between camps, and form factions. And he warned against envy, an impure jealousy of others.
Remember, this list was meant for citizens within the church. Our flesh is alive and well, and we are capable of all these expressions of the old sinful nature. In fact, you could make a case that we are often most guilty or more tolerant of these sins within the church.
These works of the flesh show up in long, raging text messages and in those who refuse to work things out face-to-face but instead hide behind a deluge of angry and one-sided words. They show up in quiet slander and gossip about others, talking about them in disparaging ways when they aren’t around; when we are reluctant to celebrate wins and blessings in someone else’s life; when we throw temper tantrums in the privacy of our homes when we are exasperated or at our wit’s end; when we demean or bully someone because they disagree with our perspectives; when we bounce from church to church because we don’t like the people at our last one; when we embrace voices that are deliberately seeking a fight.
Attached to these forms of the flesh are various lies. One lie is that the most damaging sins are all in the other categories in the list. But this list levels all of us. Another lie is that “this is the real me” and “I have to be true to myself.” As a Christian, the real you is like Jesus, and he is none of these elements, so you must walk with the Spirit to see a decrease in these misalignments. The power of God is at our disposal! We should not minimize God’s rescue plan to our outward actions alone but also to our inner attitudes of the heart.
4. Substance Misalignment (21)
I will call the final category of Paul’s list of works of the flesh the “substance misalignment” portion of his list. We’ve already dealt a bit with drug abuse in the pharmakeia (sorcery) found earlier in the list. But he concludes with drunkenness and orgies, likely a reference to “drinking parties” (ragers).
All too often, we believers let our guard down in this final area Paul describes. But then the pressures of life mount, and we find ourselves medicating with alcohol or substances that dull our edge. Or perhaps the successes of life mount, and we find ourselves passing the time with excess and indulgence. Soon, we are drunk or high rather than filled with the Spirit.
Many among us experienced God’s radical deliverance in this area of life when we believed the gospel. But some of us, with time, slip back into private intoxication or public partying.
One weapon at our disposal against this work of the flesh is confessing to our brothers and sisters in Christ. It should be evident that this particular struggle can be arresting. Though you might be embarrassed to say you have gone a little (or a lot) further than you should, it is better than allowing this work of the flesh to quietly (and then loudly) destroy you.
A solid and supportive Christian community is a must. I’m not talking about highly permissive Christians who don’t live according to Scripture. Nor am I talking about legalistic Christians who ban far more than the Bible does. We should refuse to take the bait from those who say a Christian can never drink alcohol, for instance. That is sound advice for those with addictive tendencies, those who have struggled with addiction in the past, or those who work with people coming out of addiction. Though the Bible flies in the face of a mandate like that, it does condemn intoxication of any kind. A godly and supportive Christian community can help you avoid substance misalignment.
Engage in incarnational ministry in this area. Jesus became one of us, taking on the mess we created. And, if we are going to be the church, we will have to work hard to pick up the pieces that the works of the flesh leave behind. Broken families, bodies, and minds need care because of the damaging effects of sin. Like Jesus, we see the truth, so we don’t need to act as if all is well. Christians are meant to be like Christ, jumping in to help rather than standing back to condemn.
Finally, for those of you who have a loved one steeped in addiction, I encourage you to regularly and faithfully pray for a very long time. I have seen firsthand amazing answers to prayers for God to release someone from their addictions, but it has always taken much longer than I wanted. As you pray, I advise you to pray for more than release from addictions but for a revelation of Christ.
[1] Keller, Timothy. 2013. Galatians For You. New Malden, England: Good Book Company.
