A Changed Life

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A Changed Life

Galatians 5:16-26,

“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

 

            We often focus upon what we are saved from and overlook what we are saved to.  In Galatian 4 Paul highlighted what we are saved from.  Because of Christ’s work on the cross, we are now free from our bondage to the law and the condemnation of the law.  The Law was given to show humanity the need for salvation, for the more the people tried the obey the law, the more they failed and came under the condemnation of the law.  By taking upon himself the guilt of our sin, we were liberated from the judgment of the law.  Of greater importance is that we were elevated to being a child of God so that we are free to enjoy the status of being God’s children.

            Today, there are many who state that because of God’s love for us, it no longer matters what we do; God will save everyone regardless of their sin or lifestyle.  However, this misses an essential aspect of our salvation that Paul now points out. Having looked at what we were saved from,  Paul now looks at what we are saved to.  We were set free from the law, not to live as we please, but to now live a new life of obedience to Christ. This new life, characterized by obedience to Christ, is a testament to our faith.  Before Christ, we were in bondage to sin and its judgment.  Christ redeemed us from this bondage.  However, if we continue in sin, then we again become enslaved to it.  Instead we are not to live by the Spirit so that we are no longer living according to our sinful desires.  

            In 3:16-26, Paul reminds us of what it means to live by the Spirit.  Before we accepted Christ, we “gave in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well” (CEV).  To live this way is to face the judgment of God and is opposed to how God desires us to live.  

When we accept Christ by faith, the Holy Spirit indwells us and changes our character, desires, actions, and motives.  Instead of desiring to live in sin, we now manifest a different lifestyle marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  In other words, when we belong to Christ, we reject the passions and desires of our sinful nature and begin to live to manifest the character of Christ.  We have a complete change of conduct and character.  This change is not the means of salvation but the inevitable result of our salvation, for if we accept Christ, we now desire to live in fellowship with Christ and be like Him.  The change is unavoidable because it is what God does within us.  As James points out, genuine faith inevitably leads to a changed life and this change in our life reveals the reality of our faith to the world.  So much so that the lack of change and to continue to live in sin is an indication that our faith is not genuine (James 2:14-26; 1 John 3:9).  If our lives are not changed, if we continue to live in sin willfully, then we need to examine our life and make sure that we have genuinely surrendered our life to Christ by faith. We are not just saved from sin, we are saved to now live a life that reveals the character of Christ. Today and every day, ask God to change you so that you are increasingly manifesting the fruits of the Spirit.  Christ is our identity, and changing to be like Him is our destiny.

 

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