Read Introduction to Galatians
“…idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies…”
heresies
“Heresy” is self–willed opinion in that stands in opposition to truth. We could translate this word “sects.” The word “heresies” means act of taking. This is a sin of one’s chosen selfish opinion.
In context, “heresy” is an opinion that varies from the truth of the Word. The idea is to choose doctrine that opposes Scripture. These people fall into heretical sects and parties causing dissension and factions with those who hold to truth (1 Corinthians 11:19).
Principle:
Heresy is the sin of forming doctrinal cliques.
Application:
Heresy is sin toward the Word of God. People love to separate others from their groups so that they follow their unique doctrines instead of constituted leadership of sound organizations.
Christianity is replete with people who develop their own unique doctrines and try to siphon others away from existing Bible-believing organizations. Anyone who holds opinions opposite to the Word is sectarian. We commit heresies when we hold viewpoints in opposition to the Word of God.
Cliques break up the unity of the church. They shut others out of their doctrinal circle. It is one thing to stand for truth but it is another thing to form novel doctrine because you think that you have come to an understanding of truth no one else has discovered yet. This is an area where we should carefully examine ourselves. We want to be true to truth, but truth should unite Christians, not divide them.
Read Introduction to Galatians
“…idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies…”
dissensions,
The word “dissensions” means standing apart, coming from two words apart and standing. The idea is division.
“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them” (Romans 16:17).
“For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:3).
“Dissension” tries to get people to think of each other as enemies. Those who fall into this sin want to get ahead of others by crawling over others and separating people.
Principle:
It is easy to confuse prejudice with principle.
Application:
“Dissension” is perversion of devotion to principle. When we engage in the sin of dissension, we violate living by principle. Some people will do anything as long as it “works.” Some politicians operate exclusively on polls. They have little core conviction of their own. Some Christians are this way as well. As long as they can advance, they care little about principle.
These Christians usually have great ignorance of the Word of God. Blindly, they charge ahead causing insurrection against stated authority in their organizations. This is the cause of divisions within Christian organizations and churches.
Carnality reigns when feuds flourish. It is sad to see Christians not meeting or speaking to one another. It is easy to confuse unreasonable stubbornness with unwavering resolution. Christians must examine themselves to determine which side is true for them. They should ask whether their opinions are separating them from others as a matter of principle or pride.
It is easy to incite discontent and rebellion in people. Some people naturally find reasons for insurrection in the church. “I am amazed that you took that from your pastor. Where is your sense of pride? I would not stand for that.”
Read Introduction to Galatians
“…idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies…”
selfish ambitions,
People who have “selfish ambitions” use intrigue to accomplish their means. They want to put themselves forward above everything else. In doing this, they foster a partisan and fractious spirit with others. Aristotle used this word in referring to the self-seeking pursuit of political office by the manipulation of unfair means.
Paul used “selfish ambitions” for resentment based on jealousy. Paul’s antagonists viewed him as a rival. They tried to exercise one-upmanship with Paul. They wanted to be seen as better and bigger than Paul. They were in ministry to aggrandize themselves. Of the seven occurrences of this word, Paul uses it three times for conflict within the church (2 Corinthians 12:20; Philippians 1:16; Philippians 2:3).
“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice” (Philippians 1:15-18).
Principle:
The sin of “selfish ambition” is the sin of personal ambition pursued at the cost of others.
Application:
We live in a self-oriented society. Everyone wants to put himself or herself forward. People desire distinction, even if it means manipulating others. They cannot bear the thought of being the same as someone else. They want people to rally around them at any cost.
“Selfish ambition” is the sin of schism for selfish purposes. People who commit this sin will organize factions by bringing in friends to back them up with an idea. People naturally take the position of their friends. This is group antagonism. Instead of two people standing in antagonism to each other now you have two groups in antagonism to each another.
This is another perversion of righteous indignation. As some politicians care for nothing but their own career, some Christians will do anything to advance their career, regardless of whether it may hurt others and shred their own integrity.
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).
Some people are in ministry for what they can get out of it. They do not stop at causing division in a church if it advances their interests. This is ambition at the cost of church unity. Rivalry is more important to them than the cause of Christ. Some people serve on boards simply to make a name. They serve for power. Jesus rarely blesses a ministry of manipulation.
As M. R. DeHaan, the founder of the Radio Bible Class, said, “You can explode a whole case of dynamite on top of a rock without doing much more damage than making a nose, but bore a hole into the heart of the rock and insert only one stick of dynamite, and you can blow that rock to ‘smithereens.’” Sin within the church causes far more damage than sin against the church.
Read Introduction to Galatians
“…idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies…”
outbursts of wrath,
“Outbursts” denotes violent moments and carries the force of wrath. The Greek Old Testament uses “outbursts of wrath” for wild animals full of rage. People with this sin always poise themselves on the razor’s edge of wrath.
“Outbursts of wrath” are very violent for a brief time, then die down. They blaze up and just as quickly die down. There is an element of fury in this sin, where passion boils up with the white heat of anger, wrath and rage. This sin carries a state of intense anger with passionate outbursts of fury and rage. The upside of this sin is that it quickly dies down.
There is a righteous wrath and an unrighteous wrath.
“For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults…” (2 Corinthians 12:20).
Principle:
Some forms of wrath are impulsive outbursts of violent anger.
Application:
People who commit impulsive wrath are undisciplined. They have no control of their rage. They blow their cork without a shred of information. Often they flash forth their anger then it flames out quickly. They are often embarrassed that they did not take the time to inform themselves of the situation before they blew their cork. Their anger flares up and dies down when they discover the truth after the fact. They make rash and harsh statements and then proceed to forget about what they said. This leaves open wounds that do not heal.
Impulsive wrath is a perversion of righteous indignation. Wrath is a manifestation of anger and hatred. When we allow hatred to bloom, it springs out in outbursts of wrath.
We cannot say, “I have just cause.” There is no good cause for impulsive wrath. God tells us to put it away. “Put your gun in its holster. Don’t leave your gun half-cocked. Put it on safety.”
“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth” (Colossians 3:8).
Read Introduction to Galatians
“…idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies…”
jealousies,
“Jealousies” is strong feeling of resentment against someone else’s success. People having such feelings resent their friends’ good fortune. They try to equal or surpass their friends. They view all others as rivals.
“But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul” (Acts 13:45).
“Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy” (Romans 13:13).
“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there” (James 3:14-16).
Principle:
Jealousy is the desire to outdo other people.
Application:
Jealousies develop between churches when one gets larger than the other. People develop jealousies when someone else has a success that they do not have. They want the success for themselves, but do not rejoice in the success of others.
Jealousy is the desire to outdo other people. It is a form of spiritual king of the mountain. You pull down others in order to lift yourself above them. It is an attempt to outdo others. If you envy the way someone dresses, you try to outdress her. If someone else can communicate, you try to outtalk him or her. If he or she has a wonderful personality, you want to develop better personality.
Some Christians believe that status symbols are more important than God. They hold greater concern about what others think of them than what God may think of them. They strive for a big house in the suburbs that shows their place above others.
“Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy as cruel as the grave;
Its flames are flames of fire,
A most vehement flame”
(Song of Solomon 8:6).
Jealousy is as cruel as the grave and we all know how cruel the grave is. The grave does not care if it swallows up a baby, a young person or mother. Jealousy will claim us just like the grave. It will strike out at people.
Do you recognize the symptoms in yourself? The very thing we hate in others, we permit in ourselves. We deceive ourselves and rename jealousy by some other name that sounds spiritual. We cannot see our own harshness and censoriousness, but we can see it clearly in other people.
Very few people are quick to admit that they operate in a jealous mode, that they do things and say things because of jealousy. They are afraid to admit that they bought a new car because the other guy in the office bought a new car. Jealousy is the attempt to surpass others for selfish gain. Sometimes this type of person pulls others down by petty faultfinding.
Read Introduction to Galatians
“…idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies…”
contentions,
The sin of contention is strife, quarrel, especially rivalry, debate, wrangling. This sin is an expression of enmity (Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 1:11; 3:3; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Philippians 1:15).
A person indulging in this sin loves to do battle with people and express antagonism with hostility. “Contentions” is conflict resulting from rivalry.Four out of the nine uses of the word “contentions” in the New Testament refer to life in the church. When we put priority on parties, slogans and personal issues over living for Jesus Christ, our relationships go bad.
“For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you” (1 Corinthians 1:11).
“…for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:3).
“For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults…” (2 Corinthians 12:20).
Principle:
When we think more of our rivalry and rights than we do of Jesus Christ, contentions always ensue.
Application:
People who commit the sin of “contentions” love to take sides in a dispute. They have no tolerance for any position but their own. The idea is “If you hate me, I’ll hate you.” This is the logic of personal antagonism and causes people to take the lid off their spiritual garbage can.
Some people are on the negative side of every positive issue and on the positive side of every negative issue. Right or wrong, win or lose, they want to fight. It makes little difference whether they are right or wrong. Strife among Christians is wrong if it comes from the “flesh.” We should not call our anger “righteous indignation.” That is hypocrisy. There is no justification for exercising our sin capacity.
Some of us get our feelings hurt very easily. When we fight people, whom we consider enemies, with our own subjective anger, we violate God. “If you hate me, I’ll hate you. Let’s choose sides and fight,” we think. Many of us live in this world. It is a life of strife, rivalry and discord.
Strife is a state of mind that brings a negative attitude of anger into actuality. Malignity produces debate, conflict and variance. Some people have no tolerance for anyone else’s position–their attitude is saying, “I don’t care what you think. I have my opinion.” Usually, highly opinionated people are insecure of their own positions. They are unsure of their own beliefs so they set their position by reacting against others.
“…being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers…” (Romans 1:29).
“Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy” (Romans 13:13).
“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill…” (Philippians 1:15).
“…he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions…” (1 Timothy 6:4).
Read Introduction to Galatians
“…idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies…”
Paul now lists sins toward others. Sins of faulty relationships flow naturally from the fallen nature of the sons of Adam. Non-believers may be cultured or refined, but they are unadulterated flesh. They cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). They do what comes naturally. They do not care whether it is right or wrong, religious or irreligious. Life is simple for non-believers, because all they have is flesh.
Every believer has the same potential as a lost person, if he or she allows the sin capacity to operate without the power of the Spirit. Victory comes to the believer, not by changing his or her overt behavior patterns, but by the counteracting power of the Spirit of God.
hatred,
“Hatred” is a state of enmity toward someone. This sin causes us to cast someone in the role of the enemy. This is a sin of animosity. It is the opposite of love, for love seeks the highest good in others. It does not put up barriers between people.
It is possible to be an enemy of God (James 4:4) as well as of people. Christians who want to live like they did before they became a Christian are enemies of God.
Principle:
Having an attitude of personal animosity toward others violates God.
Application:
The sin of hatred is closer to home than the sin of sorcery. Hatred never comes from God. It always comes from the flesh.
Christians may outwardly be respectful of others around them, but if they persist in personal animosity toward other Christians, they are out of fellowship with God.
People who hate are little people. They allow others to control them by reacting with negative attitudes. People who allow themselves to develop an attitude of hatred dedicate themselves to perpetual misery. Life is too short and the issues are too great to get caught up in the small world of hate. All of the king’s horses and all of the king’s men cannot put such people back together again unless they yield themselves to the Spirit of God. Such people dedicate themselves to perpetual misery, because hatred is an ineffective sin that cannot accomplish what it sets out to achieve.
“Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins” (Proverbs 10:12).
“Whoever hides hatred has lying lips,
And whoever spreads slander is a fool” (Proverbs 10:18)
“For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another” (Titus 3:3).
“But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:11).
“Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15).
“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20).
Christians who walk around with animosity toward others do not walk in the Spirit. They may command respect from other Christians, but they do not have God’s respect.
Read Introduction to Galatians
“…idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies…”
sorcery,
The Greek word for “sorcery” is pharmakia, from which we get our English word “pharmacy.” Priests in the ancient world administered medicine, drugs, and poison to exercise sorcery in their religion. They accompanied their use of drugs with incantations and cultic systems of potions, spells, charms and amulets.
Sorcery is the use of magical arts, often in connection with idolatry. This sin attempts to do something that normal means cannot accomplish. It steps into the domain of mysteries and exploits occult powers to enter the supernatural.
“Sorcery” may be “black” or “white” magic. Black magic tries to impose evil upon people through curses and spells. This frequently takes the shape of witchcraft. White magic attempts to undo curses and spells. All magicians try to manipulate the power of a god or demon to work on their behalf.
Sorcery was one of the sins that destroyed Babylon (Isaiah 47:9,12).
Principle:
At heart, sorcery is rebellion against God.
Application:
The essence of sorcery is rebellion against God by seeking to manipulate the supernatural. God pronounces judgment on magicians and magic because it is rebellion against His truth.
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He also has rejected you from being king” (1 Samuel 15:23).
Scripture always condemns sorcery in Scripture. God views it as opposed to His sovereign plan. People who wear charms violate that plan.
Some people think that their involvement with Ouija boards, palm readers and séances is innocent toying with the supernatural. From God viewpoint, reading one’s horoscope and the signs of the Zodiac is involvement with satanic powers. From God’s standpoint, necromancy and astrology are also sin, not fun.
Some folk have the idea that sorcery is old-fashioned yet there are people today who would not consummate a business deal without consulting the zodiac. Others will not marry unless their signs are right.
“You shall not permit a sorceress to live” (Exodus 22:18).
“When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practises witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you” (Deuteronomy 18:9-14).
“Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger” (2 Chronicles 33:6).
Fortune-tellers supposedly tell the future. Everyone wants to know the future. We want to know what tomorrow holds. But God has our future in His hand and wants us to trust him
Sorcerers and spiritists are in the same crowd. The Bible condemns contact with the spirit world because it is not all hokum or fake. Not all of it is quackery. Much of it is pure trickery, but not all. Contact with your ancestors may put you into contact with demons. Many mediums that contact the spirit world are demon-possessed. That is why the Bible condemns it.
Astrology has taken the place of psychology for many today as their personality decoder. Even a well-known Episcopal bishop supposedly contacted his dead son a half dozen times through séances. Many seek career guidance through the charting of their horoscopes or tarot cards. Movie stars wear zodiacal signs embroidered on their clothing. High Schools and universities offer courses in witchcraft. Preoccupation with UFOs leads many into exploring the world of sorcery.
All of this is sin against God’s revelation. It is amazing that some Christians buy into this.
Read Introduction to Galatians
“…idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies…”
Now we come to the category of religious sins. Paul lists two. These sins come from the same source – the “flesh.”
idolatry,
Idolatry is the worship of something or someone other than the true God (1 Corinthians 10:14; Colossians 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3). Pagans often sacrificed to demons (1 Corinthians 10:19). Originally, a physical idol helped visualize the god it represented then later people worshipped the physical object itself (Romans 1:19-23).
The New Testament uses idolatry four times both in the literal sense of bowing before a physical idol and in the metaphorical sense of worship of something other than God. The Bible views covetousness as idolatry.
“Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).
Principle:
Idolatry is anything that we put before the Lord Jesus in our lives.
Application:
Christians commit idolatry when they put anything ahead of God. When we put our careers, business or family before God, we commit idolatry. Some people make money their god. Anything that we put in the principal place of our lives other than God Himself is idolatry.
Some idolaters fall down before statues. Others fall down before their careers, wife, family, possessions and bank accounts.
“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen” (1 John 5:21).
Read Introduction to Galatians
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness…”
uncleanness,
“Uncleanness” is moral defilement whether in the form of lust or profligate living. It is a state of moral impurity related to thought, action or speech, and can be sexual. (Romans 1:24).
lewdness
“Lewdness” is licentiousness or lasciviousness. This word denotes excess or absence of restraint. Lewd people have unbridled lusts and little sense of shame. They are outrageous in their shamelessness and give themselves to debauchery in a brazen way (Ephesians 4:19; 1 Peter 4:3).
“Lewdness” is reckless sinning. It does not care what God or people think. It shocks public civility. This sin has no regard for society or self-respect.
“Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy” (Romans 13:13).
“…lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced” (2 Corinthians 12:21).
Principle:
Some people reach a stage of utter shamelessness.
Application:
People do what “comes naturally.” We can squirt religious perfume on people, but it will not change their hearts. Immorality appeals to people in every walk of life.
The media encourage us to accept perversion. However, God views perversion as a subject for judgment. When people reach the place where they do not respect themselves and lose their sense of shame, they are ready for judgment.
