[Translated by Theodore Graebner (Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Zondervan Publishing House, 1949. This text was prepared by Laura J. Hoelter
for Project Wittenberg by Robert E. Smith and is in the public domain.
You may freely distribute, copy or print this text.]VERSE 16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall
not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
"I have not forgotten what I told you about faith in the first part
of my letter. Because I exhort you to mutual love you are not to think
that I have gone back on my teaching of justification by faith alone. I
am still of the same opinion. To remove every possibility for misunderstanding
I have added this explanatory note: 'Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not
fulfill the lust of the flesh.'"
With this verse Paul explains how he wants this sentence to be understood:
By love serve one another. When I bid you to love one another, this is
what I mean and require, 'Walk in the Spirit.' I know very well you will
not fulfill the Law, because you are sinners as long as you live. Nevertheless,
you should endeavor to walk in the spirit, i.e., fight against the flesh
and follow the leads of the Holy Ghost."
It is quite apparent that Paul had not forgotten the doctrine of justification,
for in bidding the Galatians to walk in the Spirit he at the same time
denies that good works can justify. "When I speak of the fulfilling of
the Law I do not mean to say that you are justified by the Law. All I mean
to say is that you should take the Spirit for your guide and resist the
flesh. That is the most you shall ever be able to do. Obey the Spirit and
fight against the flesh."
VERSE 16. And ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
The lust of the flesh is not altogether extinct in us. It rises up again
and again and wrestles with the Spirit. No flesh, not even that of the
true believer, is so completely under the influence of the Spirit that
it will not bite or devour, or at least neglect, the commandment of love.
At the slightest provocation it flares up, demands to be revenged, and
hates a neighbor like an enemy, or at least does not love him as much as
he ought to be loved.
Therefore the Apostle establishes this rule of love for the believers.
Serve one another in love. Bear the infirmities of your brother. Forgive
one another. Without such bearing and forbearing, giving and forgiving,
there can be no unity because to give and to take offense are unavoidably
human.
Whenever you are angry with your brother for any cause, repress your
violent emotions through the Spirit. Bear with his weakness and love him.
He does not cease to be your neighbor or brother because he offended you.
On the contrary, he now more than ever before requires your loving attention.
The scholastics take the lust of the flesh to mean carnal lust. True,
believers too are tempted with carnal lust. Even the married are not immune
to carnal lusts. Men set little value upon that which they have and covet
what they have not, as the poet says:
"The things most forbidden we always desire, And things most denied
we seek to acquire."
I do not deny that the lust of the flesh includes carnal lust. But it
takes in more. It takes in all the corrupt desires with which the believers
are more or less infected, as pride, hatred, covetousness, impatience.
Later on Paul enumerates among the works of the flesh even idolatry and
heresy. The apostle's meaning is clear. "I want you to love one another.
But you do not do it. In fact you cannot do it, because of your flesh.
Hence we cannot be justified by deeds of love. Do not for a moment think
that I am reversing myself on my stand concerning faith. Faith and hope
must continue. By faith we are justified, by hope we endure to the end.
In addition we serve each other in love because true faith is not idle.
Our love, however, is faulty. In bidding you to walk in the Spirit I indicate
to you that our love is not sufficient to justify us. Neither do I demand
that you should get rid of the flesh, but that you should control and subdue
it."
VERSE 17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit
against the flesh.
When Paul declares that "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh," he means to say that we are not to think, speak
or do the things to which the flesh incites us. "I know," he says, "that
the flesh courts sin. The thing for you to do is to resist the flesh by
the Spirit. But if you abandon the leadership of the Spirit for that of
the flesh, you are going to fulfill the lust of the flesh and die in your
sins."
VERSE 17. And these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye
cannot do the things that ye would.
These two leaders, the flesh and the Spirit, are bitter opponents. Of
this opposition the Apostle writes in the seventh chapter of the Epistle
to the Romans: "I see another law in my members, warring against the law
of my mind, and bringing me into the captivity to the law of sin which
is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?"
The scholastics are at a loss to understand this confession of Paul
and feel obliged to save his honor. That the chosen vessel of Christ should
have had the law of sin in his members seems to them incredible and absurd.
They circumvent the plain-spoken statement of the Apostle by saying that
he was speaking for the wicked. But the wicked never complain of inner
conflicts, or of the captivity of sin. Sin has its unrestricted way with
them. This is Paul's very own complaint and the identical complaint of
all believers.
Paul never denied that he felt the lust of the flesh. It is likely that
at times he felt even the stirrings of carnal lust, but there is no doubt
that he quickly suppressed them. And if at any time he felt angry or impatient,
he resisted these feelings by the Spirit. We are not going to stand by
idly and see such a comforting statement as this explained away. The scholastics,
monks, and others of their ilk fought only against carnal lust and were
proud of a victory which they never obtained. In the meanwhile they harbored
within their breasts pride, hatred, disdain, self-trust, contempt of the
Word of God, disloyalty, blasphemy, and other lusts of the flesh. Against
these sins they never fought because they never took them for sins.
Christ alone can supply us with perfect righteousness. Therefore we
must always believe and always hope in Christ. "Whosoever believeth shall
not be ashamed." (Rom. 9:33.)
Do not despair if you feel the flesh battling against the Spirit or
if you cannot make it behave. For you to follow the guidance of the Spirit
in all things without interference on the part of the flesh is impossible.
You are doing all you can if you resist the flesh and do not fulfill its
demands.
When I was a monk I thought I was lost forever whenever I felt an evil
emotion, carnal lust, wrath, hatred, or envy. I tried to quiet my conscience
in many ways, but it did not work, because lust would always come back
and give me no rest. I told myself: "You have permitted this and that sin,
envy, impatience, and the like. Your joining this holy order has been in
vain, and all your good works are good for nothing." If at that time I
had understood this passage, "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and
the Spirit against the flesh," I could have spared myself many a day of
self- torment. I would have said to myself: "Martin, you will never be
without sin, for you have flesh. Despair not, but resist the flesh."
I remember how Doctor Staupitz used to say to me: "I have promised God
a thousand times that I would become a better man, but I never kept my
promise. From now on I am not going to make any more vows. Experience has
taught me that I cannot keep them. Unless God is merciful to me for Christ's
sake and grants unto me a blessed departure, I shall not be able to stand
before Him." His was a God-pleasing despair. No true believer trusts in
his own righteousness, but says with David, "Enter not into judgment with
thy servant; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified." (Ps. 143:2)
Again, "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?"
(Ps. 130:3.)
No man is to despair of salvation just because he is aware of the lust
of the flesh. Let him be aware of it so long as he does not yield to it.
The passion of lust, wrath, and other vices may shake him, but they are
not to get him down. Sin may assail him, but he is not to welcome it. Yes,
the better Christian a man is, the more he will experience the heat of
the conflict. This explains the many expressions of regret in the Psalms
and in the entire Bible.
Everybody is to determine his peculiar weakness and guard against it.
Watch and wrestle in spirit against your weakness. Even if you cannot completely
overcome it, at least you ought to fight against it.
According to this description a saint is not one who is made of wood
and never feels any lusts or desires of the flesh. A true saint confesses
his righteousness and prays that his sins may be forgiven. The whole Church
prays for the forgiveness of sins and confesses that it believes in the
forgiveness of sins. If our antagonists would read the Scriptures they
would soon discover that they cannot judge rightly of anything, either
of sin or of holiness.
VERSE 18. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Here someone may object: "How come we are not under the law? You yourself
say, Paul, that we have the flesh which wars against the Spirit, and brings
us into subjection."
But Paul says not to let it trouble us. As long as we are led by the
Spirit, and are willing to obey the Spirit who resists the flesh, we are
not under the Law. True believers are not under the Law. The Law cannot
condemn them although they feel sin and confess it.
Great then is the power of the Spirit. Led by the Spirit, the Law cannot
condemn the believer though he commits real sin. For Christ in whom we
believe is our righteousness. He is without sin, and the Law cannot accuse
Him. As long as we cling to Him we are led by the Spirit and are free from
the Law. Even as he teaches good works, the Apostle does not lose sight
of the doctrine of justification, but shows at every turn that it is impossible
for us to be justified by works.
The words, "If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law," are
replete with comfort. It happens at times that anger, hatred, impatience,
carnal desire, fear, sorrow, or some other lust of the flesh so overwhelms
a man that he cannot shake them off, though he try ever so hard. What should
he do? Should he despair? God forbid. Let him say to himself: "My flesh
seems to be on a warpath against the Spirit again. Go to it, flesh, and
rage all you want to. But you are not going to have your way. I follow
the leading of the Spirit."
When the flesh begins to cut up the only remedy is to take the sword
of the Spirit, the word of salvation, and fight against the flesh. If you
set the Word out of sight, you are helpless against the flesh. I know this
to be a fact. I have been assailed by many violent passions, but as soon
as I took hold of some Scripture passage, my temptations left me. Without
the Word I could not have helped myself against the flesh.
VERSE 19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these.
Paul is saying: "That none of you may hide behind the plea of ignorance
I will enumerate first the works of the flesh, and then also the works
of the Spirit."
There were many hypocrites among the Galatians, as there are also among
us, who pretend to be Christians and talk much about the Spirit, but they
walk not according to the Spirit; rather according to the flesh. Paul is
out to show them that they are not as holy as they like to have others
think they are.
Every period of life has its own peculiar temptations. Not one true
believer whom the flesh does not again and again incite to impatience,
anger, pride. But it is one thing to be tempted by the flesh, and another
thing to yield to the flesh, to do its bidding without fear or remorse,
and to continue in sin.
Christians also fall and perform the lusts of the flesh. David fell
horribly into adultery. Peter also fell grievously when he denied Christ.
However great these sins were, they were not committed to spite God, but
from weakness. When their sins were brought to their attention these men
did not obstinately continue in their sin, but repented. Those who sin
through weakness are not denied pardon as long as they rise again and cease
to sin. There is nothing worse than to continue in sin. If they do not
repent, but obstinately continue to fulfill the desires of the flesh, it
is a sure sign that they are not sincere.
No person is free from temptations. Some are tempted in one way, others
in another way. One person is more easily tempted to bitterness and sorrow
of spirit, blasphemy, distrust, and despair. Another is more easily tempted
to carnal lust, anger, envy, covetousness. But no matter to which sins
we are disposed, we are to walk in the Spirit and resist the flesh. Those
who are Christ's own crucify their flesh.
Some of the old saints labored so hard to attain perfection that they
lost the capacity to feel anything. When I was a monk I often wished I
could see a saint. I pictured him as living in the wilderness, abstaining
from meat and drink and living on roots and herbs and cold water. This
weird conception of those awesome saints I had gained out of the books
of the scholastics and church fathers. But we know now from the Scriptures
who the true saints are. Not those who live a single life, or make a fetish
of days, meats, clothes, and such things. The true saints are those who
believe that they are justified by the death of Christ. Whenever Paul writes
to the Christians here and there he calls them the holy children and heirs
of God. All who believe in Christ, whether male or female, bond or free,
are saints; not in view of their own works, but in view of the merits of
God which they appropriate by faith. Their holiness is a gift and not their
own personal achievement.
Ministers of the Gospel, public officials, parents, children, masters,
servants, etc., are true saints when they take Christ for their wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, and when they fulfill the
duties of their several vocations according to the standard of God's Word
and repress the lust and desires of the flesh by the Spirit. Not everybody
can resist temptations with equal facilities. Imperfections are bound to
show up. But this does not prevent them from being holy. Their unintentional
lapses are forgiven if they pull themselves together by faith in Christ.
God forbid that we should sit in hasty judgment on those who are weak in
faith and life, as long as they love the Word of God and make use of the
supper of the Lord.
I thank God that He has permitted me to see (what as a monk I so earnestly
desired to see) not one but many saints, whole multitudes of true saints.
Not the kind of saints the papists admire, but the kind of saints Christ
wants. I am sure I am one of Christ's true saints. I am baptized. I believe
that Christ my Lord has redeemed me from all my sins, and invested me with
His own eternal righteousness and holiness. To hide in caves and dens,
to have a bony body, to wear the hair long in the mistaken idea that such
departures from normalcy will obtain some special regard in heaven is not
the holy life. A holy life is to be baptized and to believe in Christ,
and to subdue the flesh with the Spirit.
To feel the lusts of the flesh is not without profit to us. It prevents
us from being vain and from being puffed up with the wicked opinion of
our own work-righteousness. The monks were so inflated with the opinion
of their own righteousness, they thought they had so much holiness that
they could afford to sell some of it to others, although their own hearts
convinced them of unholiness. The Christian feels the unholy condition
of his heart, and it makes him feel so low that he cannot trust in his
good works. He therefore goes to Christ to find perfect righteousness.
This keeps a Christian humble.
VERSES 19, 20. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
these: adultery, fornification, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,
witchcraft ...
Paul does not enumerate all the works of the flesh, but only certain
ones. First, he mentions various kinds of carnal lusts, as adultery, fornication,
wantonness, etc. But carnal lust is not the only work of the flesh, and
so he counts among the works of the flesh also idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
and the like. These terms are so familiar that they do not require lengthy
explanations.
IDOLATRY
The best religion, the most fervent devotion without Christ is plain
idolatry. It has been considered a holy act when the monks in their cells
meditate upon God and His works, and in a religious frenzy kneel down to
pray and to weep for joy. Yet Paul calls it simply idolatry. Every religion
which worships God in ignorance or neglect of His Word and will is idolatry.
They may think about God, Christ, and heavenly things, but they do it
after their own fashion and not after the Word of God. They have an idea
that their clothing, their mode of living, and their conduct are holy and
pleasing to Christ. They not only expect to pacify Christ by the strictness
of their life, but also expect to be rewarded by Him for their good deeds.
Hence their best "spiritual" thoughts are wicked thoughts. Any worship
of God, any religion without Christ is idolatry. In Christ alone is God
well pleased.
I have said before that the works of the flesh are manifest. But idolatry
puts on such a good front and acts so spiritual that the sham of it is
recognized only by true believers.
WITCHCRAFT
This sin was very common before the light of the Gospel appeared. When
I was a child there were many witches and sorcerers around who "bewitched"
cattle, and people, particularly children, and did much harm. But now that
the Gospel is here you do not hear so much about it because the Gospel
drives the devil away. Now he bewitches people in a worse way with spiritual
sorcery.
Witchcraft is a brand of idolatry. As witches used to bewitch cattle
and men, so idolaters, i.e., all the self-righteous, go around to bewitch
God and to make Him out as one who justifies men not by grace through faith
in Christ but by the works of men's own choosing. They bewitch and deceive
themselves. If they continue in their wicked thoughts of God they will
die in their idolatry.
SECTS
Under sects Paul here understands heresies. Heresies have always been
found in the church. What unity of faith can exist among all the different
monks and the different orders? None whatever. There is no unity of spirit,
no agreement of minds, but great dissension in the papacy. There is no
conformity in doctrine, faith, and life. On the other hand, among evangelical
Christians the Word, faith, religion, sacraments, service, Christ, God,
heart, and mind are common to all. This unity is not disturbed by outward
differences of station or of occupation.
DRUNKENESS, GLUTTONY
Paul does not say that eating and drinking are works of the flesh,
but intemperance in eating and drinking, which is a common vice nowadays,
is a work of the flesh. Those who are given to excess are to know that
they are not spiritual but carnal. Sentence is pronounced upon them that
they shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Paul desires that Christians
avoid drunkenness and gluttony, that they live temperate and sober lives,
in order that the body may not grow soft and sensual.
VERSE 21. Of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you
in the past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom
of God.
This is a hard saying, but very necessary for those false Christians
and hypocrites who speak much about the Gospel, about faith, and the Spirit,
yet live after the flesh. But this hard sentence is directed chiefly at
the heretics who are large with their own self-importance, that they may
be frightened into taking up the fight of the Spirit against the flesh.
VERSES 22, 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
The Apostle does not speak of the works of the Spirit as he spoke of
the works of the flesh, but he attaches to these Christian virtues a better
name. He calls them the fruits of the Spirit.
LOVE
It would have been enough to mention only the single fruit of love,
for love embraces all the fruits of the Spirit. In I Corinthians 13, Paul
attributes to love all the fruits of the Spirit: "Charity suffereth long,
and is kind," etc. Here he lets love stand by itself among other fruits
of the Spirit to remind the Christians to love one another, "in honor preferring
one another," to esteem others more than themselves because they have Christ
and the Holy Ghost within them.
JOY
Joy means sweet thoughts of Christ, melodious hymns and psalms, praises
and thanksgiving, with which Christians instruct, inspire, and refresh
themselves. God does not like doubt and dejection. He hates dreary doctrine,
gloomy and melancholy thought. God likes cheerful hearts. He did not send
His Son to fill us with sadness, but to gladden our hearts. For this reason
the prophets, apostles, and Christ Himself urge, yes, command us to rejoice
and be glad. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee." (Zech. 9:9.) In the Psalms
we are repeatedly told to be "joyful in the Lord." Paul says: "Rejoice
in the Lord always." Christ says: "Rejoice, for your names are written
in heaven."
PEACE
Peace towards God and men. Christians are to be peaceful and quiet.
Not argumentative, not hateful, but thoughtful and patient. There can be
no peace without longsuffering, and therefore Paul lists this virtue next.
LONGSUFFERING
Longsuffering is that quality which enables a person to bear adversity,
injury, reproach, and makes them patient to wait for the improvement of
those who have done him wrong. When the devil finds that he cannot overcome
certain persons by force he tries to overcome them in the long run. He
knows that we are weak and cannot stand anything long. Therefore he repeats
his temptation time and again until he succeeds. To withstand his continued
assaults we must be longsuffering and patiently wait for the devil to get
tired of his game.
GENTLENESS
Gentleness in conduct and life. True followers of the Gospel must not
be sharp and bitter, but gentle, mild, courteous, and soft-spoken, which
should encourage others to seek their company. Gentleness can overlook
other people's faults and cover them up. Gentleness is always glad to give
in to others. Gentleness can get along with forward and difficult persons,
according to the old pagan saying: "You must know the manners of your friends,
but you must not hate them." Such a gentle person was our Savior Jesus
Christ, as the Gospel portrays Him. Of Peter it is recorded that he wept
whenever he remembered the sweet gentleness of Christ in His daily contact
with people. Gentleness is an excellent virtue and very useful in every
walk of life.
GOODNESS
A person is good when he is willing to help others in their need.
FAITH
In listing faith among the fruits of the Spirit, Paul obviously does
not mean faith in Christ, but faith in men. Such faith is not suspicious
of people but believes the best. Naturally the possessor of such faith
will be deceived, but he lets it pass. He is ready to believe all men,
but he will not trust all men. Where this virtue is lacking men are suspicious,
forward, and wayward and will believe nothing nor yield to anybody. No
matter how well a person says or does anything, they will find fault with
it, and if you do not humor them you can never please them. It is quite
impossible to get along with them. Such faith in people therefore, is quite
necessary. What kind of life would this be if one person could not believe
another person?
MEEKNESS
A person is meek when he is not quick to get angry. Many things occur
in daily life to provoke a person's anger, but the Christian gets over
his anger by meekness.
TEMPERANCE
Christians are to lead sober and chaste lives. They should not be adulterers,
fornicators, or sensualists. They should not be quarrelers or drunkards.
In the first and second chapters of the Epistle to Titus, the Apostle admonishes
bishops, young women, and married folks to be chaste and pure.
VERSE 23. Against such there is no law.
There is a law, of course, but it does not apply to those who bear these
fruits of the Spirit. The Law is not given for the righteous man. A true
Christian conducts himself in such a way that he does not need any law
to warn or to restrain him. He obeys the Law without compulsion. The Law
does not concern him. As far as he is concerned there would not have to
be any Law.
VERSE 24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with
the affections and lusts.
True believers are no hypocrites. They crucify the flesh with its evil
desires and lusts. Inasmuch as they have not altogether put off the sinful
flesh they are inclined to sin. They do not fear or love God as they should.
They are likely to be provoked to anger, to envy, to impatience, to carnal
lust, and other emotions. But they will not do the things to which the
flesh incites them. They crucify the flesh with its evil desires and lusts
by fasting and exercise and, above all, by a walk in the Spirit.
To resist the flesh in this manner is to nail it to the Cross. Although
the flesh is still alive it cannot very well act upon its desires because
it is bound and nailed to the Cross.
