While Paul has lofty expectations for the nature of the Christian life (Gal. 5:16), his counsel to the believers in Galatians 6:1 also is refreshingly realistic. Humans are not perfect, and even the most dedicated Christians are not immune from mistakes. In Greek, Paul’s words in Galatians 5:16 indicate that he is envisioning a situation that is likely to happen … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Gal. 6:1-10, Matt. 18:15-17, 1 Cor. 10:12, Rom. 15:1, John 13:34, Luke 22:3. Memory Text: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10, ESV). Some farmers decided to save the biggest vegetables for themselves and to plant the smaller ones as … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “The life of the Christian is not all smooth. He has stern conflicts to meet. Severe temptations assail him. ‘The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.’ The nearer we come to the close of this earth’s history, the more delusive and ensnaring will be the attacks of the … Continue reading –>
He was an innocent man condemned to die. To ensure his execution, on his last night of life he was locked deep within prison walls, chained between two guards. His crime? He was an ardent disciple of Christ. His name? Peter. His reaction to his impending death the next morning? He was sleeping like a … Continue reading –>
Although an inward conflict between the flesh and the Spirit always will rage in the heart of every believer, the Christian life does not have to be dominated by defeat, failure, and sin. According to Galatians 5:16-26, what is the key to living a life where the Spirit reigns over the flesh? Galatians 5:16-26 contains five key … Continue reading –>
You can view an in-depth discussion of “Living by the Spirit” in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. (Adobe Flash Player version.) A Youtube version of this week’s lesson at Hope Sabbath School is below. You can download the video, the MP3 audio, and the lesson outline from the HopeTV Sabbath … Continue reading –>
Living by the Spirit. Did you notice the introduction’s account of how the words of the Christian hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” by Robert Robinson were changed? I was relieved to see that in the Adventist church hymnal the author’s words in the third stanza remain intact: “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, … Continue reading –>
We open our singing time with Hymn 334, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” as is noted in the very first sentence of the lesson pamphlet this week. Sundays’ study of ‘Walking with the Spirit’ is unpacked in the following hymns: Hymn 315, “O for a Closer Walk!” Hymn 544, “O Let Me Walk With … Continue reading –>
(Gal. 5:22-24) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23, ESV). In what ways does obedience to the Ten Commandments reflect the fruit of the Spirit as it is expressed in these verses? (See also Matt. 5:21-22, Matt. 5:27-28; Matt. 22:35-40.) The … Continue reading –>
Having introduced the conflict that exists between the flesh and the Spirit, Paul in Galatians 5:18-26 elaborates on the nature of this contrast by means of a list of ethical vices and virtues. The catalog of vices or virtues was a well-established literary feature present in both Jewish and Greco-Roman literature. These lists identified behavior to be … Continue reading –>
