Saturday, May 26, 2018
Passions and desires
Galatians 5:24
And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
A recently baptised young man called me today to ask some questions about what he could and could not do with his girlfriend now that he has been baptised. You may be surprised but I didn’t give any direct answers to the very specific questions that he asked. I opted to meet with him to go back over the fundamentals, to ensure that a walk with God was not down to a list of dos and don’ts but a relationship in the Spirit.
The crux of this youngster’s problem was a set of passions and desires that were accustomed to being fulfilled and now things looked like they were going to have to change.
If we are honest we will admit that we are each driven by our passions and desires. Now, let us agree at the outset that, generally, passions and desires are not necessarily negative. The things we accomplish are often as a result of the passion we have for the thing. The deep desire that keeps our pursuit and commitment alive. Often when working with young people I try to focus on the things that they are passionate about to serve as a driver of change and accomplishment.
However, used in the context of this passage in Galatians chapter 4, passions and desires are cast in a very negative light. It is negative because Paul is referring to what we would describe as the issues of the flesh, another term that is used in a very specific sense.
The term, ‘flesh,’ used here refers not merely to the human body, rather, it refers to our fallen human nature. In that sense, it means more than flesh, it means our body soul and mind, the repository of our sinful nature.
This is why Paul is able to put the flesh and spirit in opposition to each other. This is made very clear in verse 17 of this chapter, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
We, Christians, can make the choice to live in the Spirit, and so overcome the negative passions and desires of the flesh. This is the point that the Apostle continues to make, that we have a choice and we need to make it and then be deliberate about how we live.
In a different context, writing to the church at Rome, Paul urged that a careful look be taken at our baptism, at what it symbolises and what it represents and then to take action. This is the passage for my young friend, “we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4.
Paul then goes on to explain the meaning and implications of the crucifixion of Jesus, “the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” Romans 6:10. On this basis then, we are challenged to make the moral and ethical choices before us, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:11.
Paul then gives specifics, “do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” Romans 6:12,13.
In our passage today, the apostle used the strongest language and a core Christian concept to describe what we are required to do with our sinful fleshly nature in order that Christ might be formed in us. In our key verse, he challenges us to “crucify” the flesh.
This is not about blood and gore although crucifixion is not to be taken lightly. In our Gospel, Jesus was crucified for our sin. It was brutal, and it was painful, and it resulted in death. That death was required in order that He might make new life available to us. We must, with the same passion, put to death our flesh in order that the character of Christ might be formed in us.
This all starts with how we see ourselves in Christ. Paul was consistent throughout his writing and teaching about this. If we don’t recognise the inherent tendencies driven by our passions and desires, and if we understand what Jesus has done for us. We won’t be able to make the leap. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.
We must make no excuses to hold on to the ways and actions and thought processes of the flesh but give ourselves wholly to God’s Holy Spirit.
Think on these things:
- How did your approach to life change when you became a Christian?
- Was your baptism a particularly significant moment for you in your walk with God?
- What are your particular challenges in the area of passions and desires and how are you coping with them?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would both live and walk in the Spirit and avoid giving in to the desires and passions of our flesh.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex
