“…envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”
of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past,
The Boy Scout motto is, “To be forewarned is to be forearmed.” Paul forewarned the Galatians that the inevitable consequence of those who practice this list of sins is that they would not inherit the kingdom of God. They still had not caught the idea.
Principle:
To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Application:
Sexual promiscuity in our day is less shocking than it once was. Homosexual sins are less outrageous. This is because sexual looseness has become pandemic through television and other forms of media. Most everyone in our culture grows immune to this deterioration of standards because of the sheer weight of non-Christian information and communication in our society.
Some Christians “practice” some of these sins at least mentally every day. There will be a great shock at the judgment seat of Christ when Jesus hands out very few rewards because they allowed themselves to fall prey to the deterioration of morality. We can hardly distinguish between the standards of believers and non-believers today.
So if a Christian ends up practicing some of these sins of the flesh then does that mean he actually wasnt truly saved ? Cant any christian fall into these sins and habitually practice these sins? Lordship Salvation preachers teach that if you habitually sin then your probably not saved. I heard a baptist minister say that if anyone is practicing any of these sins then he’s going to hell because a good tree doesnt bare bad fruit and a bad tree doesnt bare good fruit. Thank you
Scott, did you read studies Galatians 5:21f and 5:21g? This verse shows what characterizes the non-Christian; it does not deny that Christians can practice these sins. There must be some countervailing evidence that a person who does these things is a Christian. This is the point of this section of Galatians. The context shows Christians who live their lives characteristic of unbelievers (sins of the flesh) and those who live dynamically producing the fruit of the Spirit. If a Christian regularly practices these sins then he or she will lose reward/s at the Judgment Seat of Christ (only for Christians and only to receive reward, not punishment).