14TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY-1
Text: Galatians 5:16-24
Source from Back to Luther with German archive reference. Back to Walther's Epistle Sermons.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.
Dear friends in Christ Jesus.
All the congregations in which God's Word is preached and the Sacraments administered and in which it is clear that there are not only true Christians but also false Christians and hypocrites are called Christian churches; such congregations composed of pious and godless are only improperly called churches. It has this name only because of the true Christians and pious people who are there, just as a field is called a wheat field only because of the wheat even though wheat and weeds both grow on it. The Christian Church is the kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth; it is really only all the people taken together who have accepted Christ as their King and let him rule them, who believe in him from their heart, hence are true Christians. It follows that in the real meaning of the word one cannot see the Church, that it is invisible. We read in the Third Article of our Christian faith: "I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints." What is believed is not seen; only the invisible is believed on.
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That fellowship of people which is called the Christian Church one can of course see; but the real Church of true Christians who are in it and for whose sake they are called churched one cannot see. Moreover, these true Christians who compose the Church are not invisible spirits but visible men; but who in a congregation belongs to it no one can know and see. No one can distinguish them from false Christians; and even if they could be pointed out, we would not be able to see that which makes them Christiane; that would remain invisible to us and we could only believe it. In love one considers everyone a Christian; but in full certainty it cannot be known and said that a single person In the world is a true reborn Christian.
However, every person by nature is of the' opinion that he would rather see than believe; even the Jews wanted to have nothing to do with an invisible kingdom of the Messiah. In Christendom the desire to have a visible church later led the founding of the papacy; and in our days the same wishes makes itself felt again even in the midst of the so-called Protestant Church; the teaching that Christ's Church in the real sense is invisible is considered enthusiasm and we are told: Away with your invisible dream church! No, no, it is visible ! See: "Here is Christ, there is Christ!"
However, my friends, though a person may in these last times be ever so wise and ingenious, he will never see Christ's Church with his eyes. To invent a magnifying glass to do this job is beyond the skill of man. The privilege of knowing and seeing those who belong to the Lord, the Lord has kept for himself who alone can examine the hearts and reins. As what the Lord said to Samuel will not be moved: "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart," 1 Sam 16:7 so also Paul's utterance will not be moved: "The Lord knoweth them that are his," 2 Tim 2:19; nor will Christ's statement: "I know whom I have chosen," Jn 13:18. No person or angel will ever be able to discover which among men are the elect, until finally on Judgment Day Christ as the Lord will reveal the Church to all men and angels, and will at the same time present his Church visibly prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
My friends, though it is impossible for a person to know with complete certainty whether another is a true Christian, it is, on the other hand, possible to know this of oneself; and as foolish and impertinent as it is if a person wants to discover who of others is one of God's elect children, so wise and necessary it is, on the other hand, for one to discover whether he himself is one. Now what that necessary as well as infallible sign of an elect child of God would be Paul tells us in our today's Epistle. Let us now try to learn to know this sign. May the Lord himself help us that we not only become acquainted with with the correct touchstone but also really examine ourselves according to it. We, therefore, will pray to him in silent player.
The text. Galatians 5:16-24.
" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things ye would. ” V.17. With these words the Apostle Paul describes in our text the innermost workings of the Christian's heart, namely, how a struggle of the flesh and spirit takes place, and at the same time gives us an infallible sign of a true Christian. Let the subject of our today's meditation be:
THE STRUGGLE OF THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT, A NECESSARY AND SURE SIGN OF A TRUE CHRISTIAN
We ponder
1. The Nature, and
2. The Result Of This Conflict.
Lord Jesus, you know that so many, alas perhaps many of us, truly want to belong to you and some day rule with you, but do not want to fight under your banner. They call themselves your servants but sin and not you rules over them. Oh, therefore, have mercy upon us all and let your Light fall into our dark hearts, that we learn to know ourselves, in order that all of us who will be yours will join you in the conflict here and be victorious through you and some day be perfectly blessed in your. Amen! Amen !
I.
My friends, by " flesh " when it is opposed to Spirit, Holy Scripture understand not the body of man or only fleshly unchaste desires but the sinful nature of the whole person as it is by nature, hence the corruption of original sin, the natural blindness of the understanding, the natural malice of the will, the natural disorder in the sensual inclination, or in short, the evil lust born in all men. By " spirit " the Scriptures then mean not man's soul or an alleged third portion of man's essence in addition to the body and soul, but the new godly life, which the Holy Spirit works in man, the new divine light, the new divine power, the new divine mind, the new divine nature, briefly, the new heart of a true, reborn Christian.
When in our text the apostle says of Christians: " The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh." we see in the first place that there are two things in a true Christian, flesh and spirit, that is, the old heart and a new heart, the old mind and a new mind, the old sinful lust and inclination and a new desire and inclination directed against everything sinful and directed toward everything good, the weakness of the old nature and the power of a new nature, briefly, the old inborn sinful corruption and a new work and being produced by the Holy Spirit in his heart, or as the Scriptures usually speak, the Old Man and the New Man.
Therefore, for a person readily to know whether he is a Christian or not he need only ask whether he consists only of the Old Man, does he have only the old nature, the old heart, the old mind with which he came into the world; if he has not once been converted by the Holy Spirit so that now, so to say, he consists of two persons and has a double heart and mind he still is not a Christian. In the Epistle of Jude they are called "sensual having not the Spirit," v.19, whilst Christians can be called spiritual who still have flesh.
My friends, the apostle does not only say in our text that Christians have both in themselves. flesh and spirit, but also that a conflict rages between the flesh and the spirit.
So that no one might deceive himself concerning this conflict, one must know that not every conflict in man against his flesh is a sign that he is a Christian; even in those who are not Christians a certain conflict against the flesh often takes place. In non-Christians either reason alone struggles against their flesh or only flesh against flesh, that is, sin against sin, for example, greed against extravagance, pride against disgraceful slander, indifference and laziness against avarice, and the like. If non-Christians are tempted they often reason within themselves: No, I cannot possibly let myself be moved to commit this sin; for what would people say when it would become known? I would stake my good reputation, my honor, my entire life's happiness if I were to do
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this ! Or they think: Should I do this, I would destroy my health; or, at best they think: God would punish me in time and in eternity! Hence, for God's sake alone they do not struggle against any sin. However, a clear sign that all such conflicts are only the conflict of reason against the flesh or flesh against flesh, sin against sin, is this, non-Christians do not struggle against all sins, not against their pet sins nor against the sins of their thoughts and mind; and secondly, they do not constantly but only now and then struggle against them.
On the other hand, when the apostle writes In our text: " The flesh lusteth against the Spirit. and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." he has an entirely different conflict between the flesh and the spirit in mind. The very moment a person is truly converted to God and becomes a true reborn Christian, he bears in his innermost being the spirit in addition to the old flesh. This is a new spiritual light and desire and power of the Holy Spirit. For from the moment this spirit enters into him, it is constantly alive day and night and shows itself as an irreconcilable foe of the flesh still remaining behind in the Christian. Every time a Christian is tempted by others to sin, his flesh desires to agree to sin, but immediately the spirit stirs itself and gives the Christian the impulse to resist sin. And if a Christian is not incited to sin by others but by his inner self, that is, by his naturally evil heart, even then the spirit dwelling in the Christian immediately stirs, makes the Christian restless and moves him to pray against it and use every means to conquer this incitement to sin.
In a Christian flesh and spirit are, as it were, two scales. As on the one side the scale immediately rises when the other sinks, so the spirit immediately rises when the flesh wants to draw the Christian down into sin. Yes, it often seems as though the spirit has left the Christian completely, or is seemingly asleep, but the moment a temptation to sin arises in the Christian, there it is as though the spirit were suddenly awakened from its sleep and immediately takes up arms; and because the flesh never completely ceases attacking the Christian, and if it were only with indolence, so the spirit in the Christian also never completely stops fighting against the flesh.
The spirit in the Christian makes no difference between sins. It reprimands even the most secret sinful thoughts, desires, and impulses of the heart; it battles against the pet sins of the Christian the more ceaselessly and earnestly the more dangerous they are. It happens not seldom that whilst a Christian is in happy company he is unnoticed by men inwardly in a vehement conflict and driven by the spirit; in the temptation of unchaste thoughts he secretly prays with David: "Create in me a clean heart, oh God!" or in temptation to anger: "Oh Lord, grant me gentleness!" or in temptation to envy or pride: "Oh Lord, grant me, oh give me love and humility!" or in violent temptations to other serious sins: "Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death, oh my God?" A Christian is engaged in this conflict against all sins not only because he fears only the results of sin but because he hates sin itself, every sin, and hates it because he loves his God and Savior; therefore in every temptation he thinks as Joseph did: "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" Gen 39:9.
Let everyone examine himself accordingly. Can you, my dear hearer, say with Paul: "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit,and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would"? Do you experience not only how the flesh still remaining in you continually lusts against the spirit but also how the newly created spirit constantly lusts against the flesh? Even if it sometimes is greater, sometimes less, is there a continual earnest conflict within you against the constant impulses of sin, the constant secret sighing for help whenever your corrupt heart assails you
from within or the world from without and incites you to sin? Can you in this mind say with Job: "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?" Job 7:1. Blessed are you’, then you have an Irrefutable sign that you are a true Christian; for only true faith brings the spirit into man's heart which struggles victoriously.
Or, do you still fight only with your reason and your natural conscience, and not with a new spirit dwelling within you, one created by God? Do you indeed struggle against many but not against all sins? Do you indeed fight now and then, namely when you are especially awakened but not always? Then you are still not a true Christian.
II.
In order that this might become still clearer, let us in the second place ponder the result of this conflict of the flesh and the spirit in Christians.
The first thing which the apostle says in our text is this: " This I say then. Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the Law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." Vv.16.18.24.
We see from this: When this conflict of the flesh and the spirit takes place, the spirit shows that it is stronger than the flesh, the flesh as the weaker of those that fight; the flesh does not then rule man but the spirit does; the spirit wields the scepter and far from the lusts of the flesh ruling over him they are· the rather his subjects; true, they continually rebel against the rule of the spirit but daily they are conquered, captured, and nailed to the cross by the spirit. True, in the conflict of the flesh and the spirit the Christian often receives many a wound, yes, as one might say, he often lies bleeding on the ground having been overtaken by sin; the final results of his conflict, however, is always victory over flesh, world, and devil.
The apostle, therefore, continues in our text thus: " Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations. wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Vv.19-21.
We see from this: Even though Christians are and remain sinners,there are certain sins, certain known works of the flesh, certain mortal sins in connection with which Christianity and the state of grace is absolutely impossible.
Therefore, do not think, my dear hearers, you who calmly let yourselves be ruled by anyone of these sins named by the apostle, do not think that you are engaged in a true Christian's conflict of the flesh and spirit. If you live in one of these sins which are mentioned and still imagine you are fighting against it, your conflict is merely the shadow boxing of your reason, or only your flesh against your flesh. The result of your conflict will simply be an ignominious defeat; for to the degree that you fall into manifest sins and vice which rule over you, to that degree you have a master and you are their subject, their servant, their slave. And alas, as the result of your struggle here is temporal captivity, so in the hereafter there is nothing but eternal captivity; for with great earnestness the apostle says: " Of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past." hence it is forever true, " that they which do such
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things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." V.21b. The apostle likewise says in the Epistle to the Romans: "For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the Law, but under grace." Rom 6:4. If sin still rules, one is under the Law and then also under the curse.
The apostle, however, has this to add: " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsufferine, gentleness. goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no Law." Vv.22.23. We see from this: In the conflict of the flesh and the spirit in which true Christians are engaged, they not only conquer sin but they also carry away all kinds of virtues as the booty of their strife. The longer the fight the more general, upright, and their love will be, the purer their joy, the firmer their peace, the more enduring their patience, the more sincere their friendliness, the richer their goodness, the more constant their faith or faithfulness, the more invincible their gentleness, the more unspotted their purity. In short, the result of the true conflict of the flesh and the spirit is continued progress in sanctification.
True, this sanctification following the conflict of the flesh and the spirit is as little perfect as the victory of the spirit over the flesh is a complete one. In reference to both, every Christian must confess with the Apostle Paul: "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect." Phil 3:12a. However, if that conflict is actually being waged, the fighter without lying must also be able to say with Paul: "But I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." Paul closes our text with the words: " They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."
Thus, my friends, we have seen: What God's Word says of the conflict of the flesh and the spirit in the true Christian is in part a reprimand, in part comforting; it condemns those who have experienced nothing of this conflict or are still Ignominiously defeated and remain prisoners of sin; it, on the other hand, comforts those who are engaged in this strife and, even if at times they are wounded, they will finally come forth the victor.
Oh, may God grant that all of us become, be, and remain true soldiers. Rut above all, whenever we become tired, yes, stumble and fall, may he not withdraw his hand but forgive us our sins, set us on our feet, and finally help us into his heavenly kingdom. Yes, may Jesus Christ, our eternal Prince of Victory, grant this to us all for the sake of his conflict unto death. Amen.