Re:Verse passage – Galatians 5:16-26 (day seven)
those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. vs. 21b
Upon reading this list, I find myself in conviction of missteps in my own life where I succumbed to the desires of my flesh. What about you? Does that mean that we will not inherit the kingdom of God? It would seem as if the very legalism that Paul is attempting to extinguish is being fed kindling. We feel as if when we commit one of these sins we have committed an unpardonable offense… or that is what the enemy would want us to believe. When we think we are unredeemable, we lose our hope and will to endure. The game changer here comes down to “practice.” In this instance, practice does not make perfect but is the road to condemnation. The grace of God allows us to recognize that the flesh has not won the war and we can repent of our missteps. By the work of the Spirit and the evidence of His fruit, we can pull ourselves up out of the practice of sinning through the practice of praying.
Your sentence “It would seem as if the very legalism that Paul is attempting to extinguish is being fed kindling” is so well-put. And so is your rebuttal of that argument! Thanks for this thought-provoking post, Rick!
Sooo good! What a gr8 reminder! God does not want us to live in guilt, we only need to confess up!
Thank you for your wise words!