The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 319

Apostle John, we only properly love our Father-God, whom we do not see, when we love our brother-man whom we see. (3) There is disaster at the opposite pokfromlove. "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." The languag@ is ta.ken from wild beasts. The fact of the Galatians being thus warned may be explained partly by their excitable Celtic temperament. They are warned of what they might expect the consequences to be. None would come off victors, but they would be consumed one of another. In such biting and devouring there is a large con- sumption of. time. • There is distraction from useful work. There is sometimes the consumption of mea11s in litigation. There may be the consumption of life in brawls. There is always• the consumption of good feeling, and, along with that, there is the consumption of the richer elements of the spiritual life. II. 'l'HE FLESH AND THE SPIRI'I'. 1. The Ohristianruleis walking by the Spirit. "But I say, Walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." 'l'he apostle calls attention to a point to which he advances in the subject he has in hand. This jg laying down the Christian rule as between the flesh and the Spirit. In the flesh, or our depraved nature, there is lust or desire for sinful gratification in some form or another. How.are we to be delivered from this, so that it shall not be ful6lled? The way is positively to follow the leading of the Spirit. The idea. is not that we are to follow t.he·tendencies of our renewed nature. That is missing the personal aspect of the leading. The Spirit, indeed, renews the nature, and excites within it holy desires which seek for gratification. But the Spirit gives personal guiding, especially in and by.the reason and conscience in connection with the Word. And as a Guide he is all- sufficient. He is an internal Guide. He throws all the light that we need upon the character of desires and actions, upon the path of duty. And he affords timeous guid- ance. For whenever we are disposed to turn from the straight path to the right hand or to the left, it is then that we hear his voice behind us, saying," This is the way, walk ye in it." 2. The Ohristian rule isfounded on a contrariety between the flesh and the Spirit. "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would." 'l'he lust ~xcited within the flesh is against the desire excited by the Spirit; the desiro excited by the Spirit is against the lust excited within the flesh. This conflict of desires is necessary. For the flesh and the Spirit are contraries. They represent depraved self and God. 'rhey are as far apart as light and darkness. What is true of the one, then, cannot be true of the other. What the one moves toward in desire, the other necessarily moves against. Of this conflict 'of desires we are conscious in our own experience. When the Spirit impels to good, the flesh opposes ; when the flesh impels to evil, the Spirit opposes. Thus in two ways we cannot do the things that we would. And we have in this conflict of desires, e.s free beings, to determine whether the Spirit or the flesh shall have the dominion of our .hearts. 3. The ahristian rule excludes regulation by the Law. "But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the Law." The Spirit is an all- sufficient Guide. His regulation renders unnecessary all other regulation. He regulates within, and that is bett_er than outward regulation. He regulates in cor.nection with all circumstances that a.rise, e.nd that is better than having the rule to apply for our- selves. Heis a timeous monitor, warning when the danger arises, and that is better than being dependent on memory. 4. There is contrast in the manifestations of the flesh and the Spirit. (1) The works of the flesh. We are to understand manifestations of depravity, e.nd concrete manifestations e.s distinguished from abstraci qualities. Eveu when. the abstract word is used, it is in the plural, with the effect of giving it a concrete character; not the feeling of wrath, but separate exhibitions of wrath; not the feeling ofjealousy, but acts or workings of jealousy. (a) What they are. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these." Before enumerating them the apostle describes them as manifest, i.e. easily distinguishable or glaring. It me.y be pointed to as a proof of depravity that vocabularies have more words descriptive of forms of sin than words descriptive of forms of holiness. Under the fruit of the Spirit he gives e. list of nine. But under the works of the flesh his list extends to fifteen, properly sixteen. And the word translated" which" implies that he did not profess to give an exhaustive list-it. wonld have been easy for him to have added other instances. This comparison is con- firmed by the relative number of words for sins and graces employed in Scripture. (a) Sina of uncleannesa. "Fornication. uncleanness, lasciviousne.s.'' The second i~ th@  28(> 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. [oH, V, 1-26.,