Acts and Attitudes

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE GALATIANS

ACTS AND ATTITUDES

Gal 5:19-21

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

NIV

Alright, it is time to deal with these acts of the sinful nature. First, we have to understand this is not an all-inclusive list because, at the end of those which are enumerated, Paul says, “and the like”. This means there are far more than he named specifically. So we have to be careful not to believe as long as we don’t do these listed, we are just fine. There are some, of course, we would never engage in, or at least agree are very sinful. But a few of them listed might not be as easy to forgo as some. Certainly we would make every effort to stay away from sexual immorality and impurity and even debauchery. But we might have some idols we do not think of as idols. Things we work so hard to achieve might just be a kind of idol. However, again we would never think of ever being involved in witchcraft. We don’t even look at our horoscope or glance at any of those phony prophetic magazines in the grocery store line. We stay away from that stuff as far as we can. But hatred can be one of those things we could miss we have if we are not carefully paying attention. Maybe, we do not outright hate someone, but there are people we could simply unlike intensely. That may not happen in our church, but we know a church where it does. (Thanks to Jeff). Discord is directly tied to gossip and we have already dealt with the issue of gossip and know that is easily overlooked as something we should not do, and to stop it before it starts. Jealously is another one of those attitudes we allow to creep in and what we have to remember is that it is in the same list as sexual immorality, which means it is just as nasty because it comes from our sinful nature. Of course, we never allow any fit of rage to overtake us, we are always carefully composed and watch our tongue every moment of the day. We never lose our temper over anything at all, not ever, well, maybe just a bit, but then again that is on the same list with all those others. When it comes to selfish ambition maybe we should define just what that entails. That might just be putting our own interests ahead of those of others. That could get a little dicey to explore fully, but it is from our sinful nature. Dissensions are simply speaking against others causing factions or little groups splintering off from the rest as well as gossip is again at the center of this, which may even include this envy thing. Oh, we would never allow ourselves to be considered drunks, in fact, even drinking is in that list of things not to do, and we would never get together in something anything like an orgy. What we do have to consider is that this list is something which is of the sinful nature which implies being a repeat offender of these acts. This goes back to doing what we do not want to do. This is not a single act or a one time or once in a while failure, an occasional sinful act. These acts of the sinful nature are a lifestyle, a life of repeatedly having these acts or attitudes in our life. This is especially disconcerting when it comes to envy or jealously or selfish ambitions or gossip which enters into discord and dissension and factions. The flesh has strong tendencies and wants what it wants when it wants it. So we have to be very watchful for those acts and attitudes.