“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness … they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19,21).
TEXT — Galatians 5:19-21
Message
One of the simplest ways of describing and classifying a thing is by looking at its manifest characteristics. For instance, we can tell that something is a living thing if it exhibits most or all of the qualities of living things – respiration, growth, reproduction, feeding, dying, etc. When an object shows the clear distinctive of its group, there is no doubt in placing it rightly where it belongs.
In this context, Apostle Paul needed to make a clear distinction regarding those who are genuinely born again and those who are walking in the flesh. In the text, he gives an inexhaustible list of the evident characteristics of the flesh. The list leaves no one in doubt as to who is walking in the Spirit. Paul concluded that all those who show some or all of those traits will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.
The list here serves two explicit purposes for us. One, it makes us to know who we are and where we stand. It is impossible to claim to be a Christian walking in the Spirit and simultaneously manifest those traits of the flesh. Anyone who professes to be a Christian but still manifests works of the flesh is living in self delusion. Two, it helps us to verify the claims of others. While we do not set out to condemn others, we can rightly classify them within our congregations and other Christian folds, know how to relate with and help them.
True Christians do not walk in the flesh. If you still show those character traits of the flesh, you are not a genuine Christian. What you do in the church and what people think of you does not matter. What matters most is who God, through His word, says you are. But you can retrace your step and faithfully follow Christ from now on. His grace is abundant for everyone.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
