40 Days Pondering the Fruit of the Spirit
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 21 | NO LAW AGAINST THESE THINGS
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 21 | NO LAW AGAINST THESE THINGS
NO LAW AGAINST THESE THINGS
Galatians 5:22-23
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (NLT)
“There is no law against these things!”
It’s an interesting tag to put on this list of FRUIT that the Holy Spirit produces in the life of the Believer. Why do you think Paul added this?
If you read the verses just preceding these (verses 19-21), you read a list of unhealthy, sinful – NOT Spirit-led – behaviors. They are: “…sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.”
Many of the behaviors on this list are those which hurt peaceful societies… especially when they get out of control. Thus, apartment complexes, HOAs, local municipalities, and more… have laws AGAINST these things.
On the other hand, if everyone were a Believer and were filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit, AND living lives full of “…this kind of fruit in our lives…” there would be NO NEED for all the thousands and thousands of laws we have on the books in our society.
Paul’s statement “There is no law against these things” was probably a purposeful UNDERSTATEMENT used for effect. The Law – both in the Scripture and in our communities – is given to restrain evil. But these qualities – the FRUIT of the Spirit – do not need to be controlled or limited. In fact, if EVERYONE lived lives full of the fruit of the Spirit (which is NOT possible without the infilling of the Holy Spirit), our communities would be crime-free.
Do you want a safer and better community in which to live? Do what you can to bring more people to Christ!
Prayer: LORD, our lives, our country, and the world would be SO MUCH better if everyone lived lives full of the Holy Spirit and the FRUIT of the Spirit. Please help me to help others see this and come to Jesus. Amen.
Galatians 5:22-23
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (NLT)
“There is no law against these things!”
It’s an interesting tag to put on this list of FRUIT that the Holy Spirit produces in the life of the Believer. Why do you think Paul added this?
If you read the verses just preceding these (verses 19-21), you read a list of unhealthy, sinful – NOT Spirit-led – behaviors. They are: “…sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.”
Many of the behaviors on this list are those which hurt peaceful societies… especially when they get out of control. Thus, apartment complexes, HOAs, local municipalities, and more… have laws AGAINST these things.
On the other hand, if everyone were a Believer and were filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit, AND living lives full of “…this kind of fruit in our lives…” there would be NO NEED for all the thousands and thousands of laws we have on the books in our society.
Paul’s statement “There is no law against these things” was probably a purposeful UNDERSTATEMENT used for effect. The Law – both in the Scripture and in our communities – is given to restrain evil. But these qualities – the FRUIT of the Spirit – do not need to be controlled or limited. In fact, if EVERYONE lived lives full of the fruit of the Spirit (which is NOT possible without the infilling of the Holy Spirit), our communities would be crime-free.
Do you want a safer and better community in which to live? Do what you can to bring more people to Christ!
Prayer: LORD, our lives, our country, and the world would be SO MUCH better if everyone lived lives full of the Holy Spirit and the FRUIT of the Spirit. Please help me to help others see this and come to Jesus. Amen.