In chapter 4 of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he talks about two competing ways of life. The way of the flesh and the way of the spirit. He uses an example from Abram’s life found in Genesis 16. You’ll remember that years after God promised him a son, his wife was still barren. So this is where Abram and his wife Sarai decide to step in and help God do what God promised He would do.
As we are told, Abram and Sarai decide that he would have a son with Sarai’s servant, Hagar. And he did. They bore a son and named him Ishmael. The problem is that while they did indeed have a son, it was not the fulfillment of God’s promise. Abram simply took over for God and did what he thought was best in the timing he thought was best. Abram and Sarai became impatient with God. They wanted results when they wanted results. They lacked faith.
The way of the flesh is a very limited, self-referential mindset that can’t comprehend the ways of God. It is easy for us to take matters into our own hands instead of waiting on God. When God doesn’t do things as fast as we think they should be done, when he doesn’t intervene or provide answers as fast as we think He should, we become impatient with Him. We take over for God and try to do things by our own strength. Paul says that is the way of the flesh.
The way of the Spirit is to put 100% confidence in God. But the human heart is a confusing place. We struggle between what we have been taught through God’s Word and how we think that should play out in our lives. We too easily get caught up in our own thinking. We allow ourselves to determine what is right for us. We too often hedge our bet and put a little bit of confidence on ourselves—in our own thinking, in our own strength. And when we do we create a kind of hybrid spirituality that looks like we have faith in God when we really don’t. As Paul wrote in Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” These two ways of thinking are opposed to each other. So that if you are dabbling in the flesh you are rejecting the Spirit. There is no neutral ground here.
For example, as God’s people we want more people to understand what He has shown us. And that’s a good thing. So we devise ways to do for God what He clearly states is His responsibility. And that is operating in the flesh. And again as Paul states, if it is powered by the flesh even with good intentions, it is still of the flesh. There is no in-between. Everything we do must be a Spirit-led activity.
God provides us with instructions on how to live our life. And we can carry those instructions out powered by the flesh or by the Spirit. But as Paul is trying to convey to the church in Galatia, if it is even 1% of the flesh, it is against the Spirit.
Are we motivated by the Spirit or by the flesh? It is a choice we have to make as we confront each thought and behavior we encounter every day. It is a battle that is won or lost inside of us over and over again each and every day.
God eventually gave Abram a son as promised in His timing and through His power. And it strengthened Abram’s faith in God. God will do for us what He promised He will do. He will bless us with the knowledge we need, the understanding we need, the action we need to take, when He is certain that we are relying on Him and not trying to do something on our own with His help. What He wants to know is whether we will take it by our own strength or wait for Him to give it to us when it is best for us.
Michael McKinney
