Paul was not dealing with sin in this chapter of Galatians, but
with the relation of the natural to the spiritual. The natural can be
turned into the spiritual only through sacrifice. Without this a person
will lead a divided life. Why did God demand that the natural must be
sacrificed? God did not demand it. It is not God’s perfect will, but His
permissive will. God’s perfect will was for the natural to be changed
into the spiritual through obedience. Sin is what made it necessary for
the natural to be sacrificed.
Abraham had to offer up Ishmael before he offered up Isaac (see Genesis 21:8-14).
Some of us are trying to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God before we
have sacrificed the natural. The only way we can offer a spiritual
sacrifice to God is to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice . . .” (Romans 12:1).
Sanctification means more than being freed from sin. It means the
deliberate commitment of myself to the God of my salvation, and being
willing to pay whatever it may cost.
If we do not sacrifice the natural to the spiritual, the natural life
will resist and defy the life of the Son of God in us and will produce
continual turmoil. This is always the result of an undisciplined
spiritual nature. We go wrong because we stubbornly refuse to discipline
ourselves physically, morally, or mentally. We excuse ourselves by
saying, “Well, I wasn’t taught to be disciplined when I was a child.”
Then discipline yourself now! If you don’t, you will ruin your entire
personal life for God.
God is not actively involved with our natural life as long as we
continue to pamper and gratify it. But once we are willing to put it out
in the desert and are determined to keep it under control, God will be
with it. He will then provide wells and oases and fulfill all His
promises for the natural (see Genesis 21:15-19).
No comments:
Post a Comment