The Sad Outcome of the "Law-approach" to Righteousness!

Galatians 5:19–21 (NIV),

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

This is not Paul's first reference to the flesh.  “Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh . . . You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love . . .  So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” (Galatians 3:3; 5:13 and 5:16–17, NIV)  

When the Galatians were trusting in keeping the Law they were living by the flesh.  Instead faith in Christ meant living by the Spirit.  The flesh and the Spirit war against one another.  Law-keeping for salvation is fleshly.  And we read here that fleshly behavior does not produce righteousness.  In fact it produces quite the opposite.  "“Flesh” sometimes refers to the physiological frame of man, as distinguished from the immaterial aspect of man, which is variously called “spirit” or “soul” (cf. Acts 2:17). More frequently the N.T. employs the term to designate the sinful tendencies that exist in man, most of which are related to bodily appetites and ambitions." [1] The interesting thing is that Paul says that these things are "obvious" or "plain".  He uses the word φανερός [fan·er·os/] which means to be plainly recognised or known. [2]

This is the irony: seeking to be justified by the Law actually produces more lawlessness. Paul wrote elsewhere: “But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.” (Romans 7:8–9, NIV). "Not only does the law reveal sin, but it provokes it as well. Law does not cause sin, but sin takes occasion by the commandment." [3]

"Paul doth not recite all the works of the flesh, but useth a certain number for a number uncertain . . . First, he reckoneth up the kinds of lusts, as adultery, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, &c . . . All the highest religions, the holiness and most fervent devotions of those which do reject Christ the Mediator, and worship God without his Word and commandment, are [nothing else but plain] idolatry . . . Paul reckoneth witchcraft among the works of the flesh, which notwithstanding, as all men know, is not a work of fleshly lust or lechery, but a kind of idolatry. For witchcraft covenanteth with the devils: superstition or idolatry covenanteth with God, albeit not with the true God, but with a counterfeit God . . . Heresies, that is to say, sects . . . Paul doth not say that to eat and drink be works of the flesh, but to be drunken and to surfeit . . .." [4]

“. . . and the like." Infers again, that this list is representative on exhaustive.   Then Paul goes on to warn:  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:21, NIV).  "This is a very hard and a terrible saying, but yet very necessary against false Christians and careless hypocrites, which brag of the Gospel, of faith and of the Spirit, and yet in all security they perform the works of the flesh." [5]  "The present participle (Gk. prassontes, translated here as “do”) refers to those who “make a practice of doing” such things, as a pattern of life. Their outward conduct indicates their inward spiritual status: that they are not born of God, do not have the Holy Spirit within, and are not God’s true children." [6]

Father, the fact that these sins are obvious does not make this topic any more acceptable. What is not obvious is the deceitful and pervasive culture of my flesh.  My flesh actually loves to be law-abiding. I take such pride in that.  It makes me better than others.  Sadly, looking at these sins actually incites something in me that wants them.  I see that in such reality when I decided I do not want to eat something.  How I long for it even more.  Help me Father, today to apply what I know is true: to kill sin by the Spirit and not the Law.  The Law-approach to righteousness just produces more unrighteousness.  Your grace, through Your Spirit is my only hope.  Grant me the will and the ability to do Your good pleasure today, not by works of the law, but to live by the Spirit.  Amen!

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1.  Believer’s Study Bible. 1991 (W. A. Criswell, P. Patterson, E. R. Clendenen, D. L. Akin, M. Chamberlin, D. K. Patterson & J. Pogue, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (Ga 5:13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

2. Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

3. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (2235). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

4. Luther, M. (1997). Commentary on Galatians. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

5. Luther, M. (1997). Commentary on Galatians (Ga 5:21). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 

6. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (2254). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Who Brings Back the Wanderer?

“My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19–20, ESV)

This is a fascinating word from James.  Here you have someone wandering from the truth such like if he or she is not restored his or her soul will die and a multitude of sins will remain uncovered.  That’s the jist of it. 

Some think that this is someone (a Christian) slipping away into doctrinal error … an error that if it persists could lead to physical death (e.g. 1 Cor 11:30).  Others think that this person is a professing Christian (recognized so by their persistent pursuit into error) who apostatizes.  The death in this latter case is spiritual death including the multitude of sins that accompany the unbeliever.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary gives this notation: “That this cannot be physical death may be inferred from the literal translation of the Greek text: it "shall save his soul from death." So it would seem that spiritual death is in view. Since Scripture teaches that once a person is regenerated he can never be lost, it may be assumed that his hypothetical wanderer is not a genuine believer. He would be one who had been among the believers and had made a profession of faith, but his profession had been superficial. To bring him to genuine faith in the truth is to save his soul from eternal death. The result of bringing the wanderer back is that "many sins" will be covered. Genuine faith brings full forgiveness of the wanderer's sins; and they are covered, never to be held against him again.”[1]

The context seems to favor the second option. “In v. 20, the wanderer is called “a sinner,” not a brother, and it is his “soul” which he is in danger of losing. “Soul” in this passage has the meaning of “life,” and more particularly, his “eternal life” that will forever continue in either heaven or hell. James may again be echoing the words of the Lord Jesus, who said in Matt. 16:26, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”^[2]

Many Christians have trouble with this type of issue because we don’t have a robust doctrine of apostasy.  The early church did.  We tend to see things in systems: Calvinism and Arminianism à eternal security and loss of salvation.  I doubt if the intended readers even wrestled with that idea.  One must leave the final outcome of the person with the Lord.  The point that James is making (whether this is a real or nominal Christian) is that it is a good thing for the church to be in the business of restoring “wanderers”.

The debate should not center on whether this person “lost their salvation”. The point of James is to call the Church, the people of God to reach out to the “wanderers”.  It is not simply the task of the pastor and elders; the deacons and leaders.  It is the Church’s responsibility to look around from time to time and see who is missing and make that call.  James makes it clear: “Brothers or brethren (ἀδελφός a fellow believer, united to another by the bond of affection^[3]) if any one of YOU wanders from the truth.”

Do we know a professing believer that has been absent from our fellowship and your assembly?  Are you waiting for someone else to reach out to them? Why do we not see this as our responsibility?  Will you make the call today?

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[1] Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:James/Exposition of James/XII. Miscellaneous Exhortations (5:7-20)/D. Concerning the Wanderer (5:19-20), Book Version: 4.0.2

^[2] Believer's Study Bible. 1997 (electronic ed.) (Jas 5:14). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

^[3] Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.