April 2, 2025

Galatians 5:16: Interpretive Key

Galatians 5:16: Interpretive Key

I spend time working on how Galatians 2:19-20 is the key to Galatians 5:16

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I spend time working on how Galatians 2:19-20 is the key to Galatians 5:16

WEBVTT

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Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is

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the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. Well well, well,

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here I sit once again in front of a microphone,

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and once again I am not happy with what I

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did the last time I was in front of this microphone.

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In fact, I was very frustrated by it. I went

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way too long. Oh man, I could have organized it better.

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I'm bothered by it. But at the same time, even

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though I'm not happy with it, I still think what

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I was trying to do is of the utmost importance

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because I'm trying to correct how people constantly misuse and

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I'm going to go so far to say abuse people

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with how they use Galatians chapter five, verse sixteen. So

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what I'm going to do, what I'm going to try

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to do in this epid So don't know if I'll

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do any better. In fact, I may do worse. I'm

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going to try to somehow justify what I was attempting

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to do with Galatians five sixteen through seventeen. Bye, I

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think providing what may be the interpretive key, the key

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to interpretation. Maybe if I give you the key, you'll

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then maybe go you know what I think? Maybe you're right,

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or you may still think I'm wrong. I don't know

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either way. We're gonna try this. We're going to do

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our very best. I don't know why I'm saying we

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or we're going to do our best. It's just to me.

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It's just me sitting in an empty room in the

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middle of nowhere, Texas. I'm going to try. I hope

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you're a part of it, like I'm going to pretend

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that you are working with me. But here we go.

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All right, So let's go ahead and start this way.

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Good evening everyone. It is Wednesday, April second, twenty twenty five.

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It is currently six eighteen pm Central Time, and I'm

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coming to you live from the Theology Central Studio located

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right here in Abilene, Texas. Now, I said earlier today

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when I did the seventy minute plus broadcast that Galatians

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five sixteen and seventeen to me Galatians five sixteen through seventeen.

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In fact, let me just read it, Galatians five sixteen

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through seventeen. This I say, then, walk in the spirit,

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and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh,

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For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit

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against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to

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the other, so that you cannot do the things that

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ye would. All right, I said it earlier, and I'll

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say it again that verse sixteen, verse seventeen. Put them together.

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Just look at verse sixteen alone, these verses, that verse.

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It is a massive migrain, it is an aneurysm, it

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is five hundred seizures, it is it is strokes, it's

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a heart attack, it's high blood pressure, it's premature death,

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all rolled up into one verse. And I know you're saying, no,

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it's not. It's beautiful. It's an amazing verse. It's so encouraging.

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I think you can only be encouraged by it if

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you are just absolutely living in complete denial. Or maybe

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it's encouraging if my interpretive hypotheses is even remotely correct.

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If it's not, there's nothing encouraging about it in any way,

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shape or form, because it denies reality. So let me

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try to once again remind you of kind of what

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we attempted to do, or what I attempted to do

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with Galatians five sixteen through seventeen earlier. And then we're

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gonna look, I'm gonna try to you know, just let's

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try to pretend I was out searching and I was digging,

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and I'm like, wait, wait, what is this. It's the key,

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It's the key. I found the key to Galatians five.

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So maybe that will work. I don't know, but here

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we go. I believe that one of the most common,

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one of the most confusing, possibly one of the most

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maybe the verse not the most maybe theverse that is

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used to I believe, in some ways actually abuse Christians

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is Galatians chapter five, verse sixteen. Walk in the spirit,

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and you shall not fulfill the luss of the flesh. Now,

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at first glance, I'm willing to admit this to everyone.

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It seems simple. It seems very simple. It seems extremely simple.

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If I can get their correct words, tonight, I agree

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with you. I don't disagree with that, And I don't

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like when a verse appears to be simple to go

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and make it more complicated. But if simple flies in

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the face of every known reality that you and I

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experience twenty four hours a day, seven days a week,

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then we have to do something or we're left with

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some very unpleasant choices. And I went through those unpleasant

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choices in the last episode, like either the verse is

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just not true, or maybe none of us are saved.

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Those don't work very well. So it seems very simple, right, Hey,

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just walk in the spirit and you will not sin.

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But what happens when you do sin? What happens when

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you realize that you are in a perpetual state of

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sin twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Again,

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you know what I'm going to say. The Bible says,

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be holy as God is holy. You're never going to

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do that. You're never going to be that, the Bible says.

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The Bible says, be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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You're never going to do that. You're never going to

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be that. The Bible says to love your enemy, turn

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the other cheek, love God with all your heart, mind, body,

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and soul. You are constantly in sin, you constantly fall short.

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What happens when you still feel envy, pride, lust, fear,

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or selfishness? I mean, am I the only one who

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feels any of those things? Am I the only one?

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Does that mean I'm not walking in the spirit ever?

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I mean if I because even if you say, well,

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you stopped that sin for that minute. But even though

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I stopped, maybe one sin, I'm still in a perpetual

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state of sin. And remember, if I'm guilty at one

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point of the law, im guilty of all. So even

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if you say that I did not sin there, I'm

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still guilty of that sin, because I'm guilty of all sin,

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of breaking all the law. If I'm if it, it

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just becomes a meaningless statement. So does that mean that

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the promise just failed? Does that mean that I'm not

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even saved? Well, that we mean nobody is saved. This

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verse is typically turned into a kind of a spiritual transaction.

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If I do my part walk in the spirit, then

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the Spirit will make me victorious. If I do my part,

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then the spirit will give me the ability to no

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longer sin. But I've got to do my part. But

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if I'm doing my part without the spirit, if I've

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got to do my part to walk in the spirit,

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then the spirit gives me the victory. Then how am

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I doing all those things without the spirit in the

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first place? And what did we reviewed a sermon very

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from a very famous pastor that I got to do

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five things if I want to walk in the spirit. Remember,

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I got to read, read, read, and study the Bible, read, read, read,

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and study the Bible. Have to pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray.

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But no, not only just reading and studying. Not just praying.

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I've got to spend time meditating, meditating deeply on scripture.

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Oh not, what else do I have to do? I

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have to take heed, I have to obey, I have

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to listen to the spirit. I have to follow the spirit.

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And then I have to plan. I have to have

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a purpose, have to have kind of a strategy. I've

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got to do all of that stuff. And if I

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do all of those things, we not really told how

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much of these things I have to do to what percentage.

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But if I can reach the level of Okay, boob,

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you did it, You're now walking in the spirit, then boom,

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Now I don't sin. But I got to do all

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of this stuff without walking in the spirit. See, I've

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got to do this in order to walk in the spirit.

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That means I'm doing these things without walking in the spirit,

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because this is the step to get to walking in

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the spirit. So how can I be doing all of

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these things without walking in the spirit. And if I

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can do all of these things without walking in the spirit,

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then why do I even need to walk in the Spirit.

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It just it's sins. But you see, here's the problem

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with all of this. Every honest Christian knows they continue

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to fulfill the loss of the flesh and thought word desire. Indeed,

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and they do so daily. And if this verse is

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about achieving behavioral victory, then we're failing and the Gospel

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becomes just another form of law. Do this, do this,

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do this. But I don't believe that's what Paul is teaching.

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As I try to outline, not in a very good way,

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not in a very succinct way, not in a not

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in a very good way from a speaking perspective, or

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even in a presentation. I mean, I should not have

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gone seventy minutes. I know I went too long. I'm

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mad at myself for I didn't even realize I'd gone

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seventy minutes until I look down. I'm like, oh man,

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I went way too long. This was I could have

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cleaned this up so much, but I was trying to

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take everyone through the struggle, through the process. But I

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feel that as I try to outline, Paul is describing

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a gospel promise, not a spiritual technique. Walking in the

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Spirit is not about moral success it's about living by

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faith in Christ. It's about my positional standing. It's not

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about my performance. It's a declaration that the Spirit opposes

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the flesh in me, not to remove sin entirely, but

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to ensure positionally that I, positionally I don't sin. It

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doesn't rain over me, it doesn't define my identity, it

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does not condemn me. So then the key question is

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is that a correct way of understanding it? Is that

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consistent with what Paul has said earlier? And where did

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Paul get this idea originally? Or where did he put

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forth this idea originally? I think the answer is found

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earlier in the letter of Galatians to the letter to

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the Church at Galatia, and what I think. This is

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what I believe and one of the most profound I

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think it's one. I think it is maybe the most

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profound Gospel summaries and all of scripture. Galatians two nineteen

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through twenty. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live.

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That's the beginning of it. Galatians two nineteen through twenty.

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I believe Galatians Galatians nineteen through twenty may be the key.

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It may be the key to understanding everything because this

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is not just a personal testimony. I believe it's a

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doctrinal anchor. I think it's the philological engine that drives

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everything Paul says about the Spirit, the flesh, and the

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Christian life. And I believe if we miss Galatians two,

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then we will misread Galatians five. But if we understand it,

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we'll see that the Christian life isn't about striving towards victory,

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but living from the victory already won for us in Christ.

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So here we go. We're going to work on Galatians

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two nineteen through twenty, hopefully in a very clear, succinct way.

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I'm going to try to stay not deviate too far

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from what I worked on and putting these notes together,

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just as I always have to remind everyone I did

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utilize artificial intelligence a lot. And putting this together and

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shaping this all right, I believe that maybe the single

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most profound summary of a gospel centered positional understan standing

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of the Christian life is found in Galatians two nineteen

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through twenty. I think it's maybe the most profound summary

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of a gospel centered, not law centered, positional understanding, not

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practical understanding of the Christian life. So we're going to

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try to understand why Galatians two nineteen through twenty is

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critical for rightly interpreting Galatians five sixteen through seventeen, and

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why if you fail to root Galatians five in Galatians two,

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you end up with theological disaster. And I think that's

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what we have, theological disaster in church after church after

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church that sits there and tells everyone, if you'll just

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do this, you will stop sitting. And I guess the

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pastor preaching that doesn't ever bother to say, well, wait

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a minute, I don't do it either. But everyone in

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the church convinces themself that they're doing it, even though

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anyone who knows them knows they're not doing it, because

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you're in a perpetual status in I don't even need

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to know you to know you're not doing it, because

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I know you're not holy as God is holy. And

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that's just a simple command, simple as a in the

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sense it's just one command and it's easily understood, not

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easy to do, obviously. So I'm going to go with

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Galatians two nineteen through twenty, and I'm going to try

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to show that this is the heart of Paul's entire framework. Right,

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are you ready, Let's read Galatians two nineteen through twenty.

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All right, make sure you have it there so for

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though the law, or make sure you have it open

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if you can, for thrill, not though the law. For

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through the law I die, Eric Meanka. Let me read

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this here? Yes, okay? Well, for I let you read

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it from the king James. I got multiple translations here.

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For I through the law am dead to the law

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that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,

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I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me

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and the life which I now live in the flesh.

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I live by the faith of the Son of God,

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who loved me and gave himself for me. Let me

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read that together. Now, I know there's context here. Context

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goes back to Galatians two eleven, when Peter and Paul

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has to confront Peter, and I would like to get

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more into that, but for now, I'm just trying to

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give you the specific key, and then we could expand

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on this maybe at a later time. Well, let's go

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again through verse nineteen. For I through the law am

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dead to the law that I might live Under God.

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I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live yet not I,

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but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I

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now live in the flesh, I'll live by the faith

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of the Son of God, who loved me and gave

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himself for me. Now, this, in my opinion, it's not

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about behavior. It's not about personal growth. This is about

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our identity. It's about what is true of every believer.

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Right now, it's just true. It has nothing to do

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with any supposed transformation or if any transformation will take place.

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So let's try to break this down into philological pieces.

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Through the law, I died to the law. The law

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condemns me. The law condemns me, and in Christ I

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died to it. The law no longer defines my relationship

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with God. I am dead to a performance based righteousness. Right,

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in a sense, I'm dead. You can say it this way.

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I'm dead to the I'm dead because the law kills me,

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it condemns me. Right. But then in Christ I died

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to the law. Maybe an oversimplification. We probably could expand

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that on a little bit more, but you get the idea,

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because through the law I died to the law. Well,

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you can look at it a couple of ways through

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the law. I died to the law because the law

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condemns me. The law declares me for the wages of sin.

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Is death. I'm dead. I'm condemned. I'm spiritually dead, so

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you could go it that way. But also and in Christ,

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I'm dead to the law because while I've been crucified,

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I no longer live. I'm dead. So either way the

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law kills me and my union with Christ, I'm dead.

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Either way, I'm dead. When it comes to the law,

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I guess we could look at it a couple of

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different ways, so that I might live to God. This

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living is not about what you do, but who you

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are in Christ. You live to God because you're united

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to Christ, not because you're improved. So that I might

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live to God. Is I get to live well because

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of my union with Christ? In Christ? In my position?

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Now this has become more clear as we break this down.

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Here becomes the key phrase right verse twenty, I am

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crucified with Christ past tense complete action. I have been

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the King James, or it says I am crucified, so

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it's past tense completed action. So I am presently I

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have been. Now again we can get into an argument.

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Is it do we make it past this? Do we

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make it present tense? Either way, I'm crucified with Christ.

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My sinful identity, my old self has already been judged

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and executed. I'm crucified. I'm dead. I'm dead, right, the

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old me is gone. Now this is obviously positional death. Right,

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It's not that I'm physically dead, but I'm dead. I

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am crucified with Christ. I'm crucified. I'm dead. That's just

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that's a reality. That's a positional reality. Obviously, it's not

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talking about me practically. It is no longer I who live,

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but Christ lives in me. This is the source of

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the Christian life. Not your effort, but Christ in you.

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You're not living a better version of your old self.

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You are dead and Christ is your life. So I

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am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live yet not I,

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but Christ liveth in me. I'm living, but it's no

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longer me, it's Christ living in me. Now, what some

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people think is that's the key to power. See your dad,

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Christ lives in you, so now you can do something.

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You can do something. No, this is speaking of yet

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I live all right? That Uh, hang on, I'm cristified

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with Christ. Nevertheless I live. I am alive, but not I,

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but Christ liveth in me. I'm still alive, me cinner,

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that's me, But but it's Christ liveth in me. This

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is the starting to draw the distinction between the practical

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reality and the positional reality. Practically I'm alive. Positionally I'm dead,

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and it's no longer me. It's Christ who's living. Because

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I've been removed, I've been buried, I've been crucified, I've

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been raised in Christ. It's all that Christ now is

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my life. It's not mine positionally, Obviously it's not true.

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Practically I am not living a better version of my

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old self because I'm dead and Christ lives in me.

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Now the life I now live. Look at verse twenty,

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and the life which I now live in the flesh,

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it's acknowledging the Fleshly, it's acknowledging that I'm still living

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in the flesh. It's still acknowledging that the life that

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I now live in the flesh, that's my practical life

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right And the life I now live in the flesh

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I live by faith. Ongoing life is by faith, not

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by walking in obedience or having daily victory. The faith

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is in the Son of God, not in my sanctification process.

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Even my Christian living is entirely dependent on someone else's

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work Christ. So uh uh. And the life that which

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I now live in the flesh, I live by the

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faith of the Son of God, who loved me and

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gave himself for me. I'm alive in the flesh in practice,

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But that life, it's about Christ. It's about the faith.

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It's about faith in the reality that I I'm putting

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my faith in what reality that I'm dead, I'm dead

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to the condemnation of the law. I am in Christ,

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I am crucified with Him, and that He he is

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now my life. That is that is what, That's the

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what I'm living. I'm living on the I'm living a

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life of believing that that I'm dead, I'm crucified in Christ,

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and that the life that I'm now living here in

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the flesh I'm living in the in in Christ I'm living.

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I'm living in I'm living believing that reality that I'm

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dead and that Christ is my life. I'm living that

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in faith. Now, how does this then become the key

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or we could call this in hermonutics the hermeneutical control Galatians.

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Galatians two nineteen through twenty becomes the hermeneutical control for

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Galatians five sixteen through seventy. All right, So if we

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read Galatians five sixteen through seventeen apart from the framework

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we just tried to explain as fast as I could,

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then we're gonna conclude that walking in the spirit will

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just simply give me now supernatural ability to avoid sin.

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And we know that that doesn't work out practically. If

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we don't have Galatians two nineteen through twenty, we're gonna

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think that victory over the flesh is a practical achievement,

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that you can do it in your can you can

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literally have victory over the flesh and your life practically.

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That we're going to see that growth and holiness is

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the true measure of whether the spirit is active. Hey,

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if you're sinning, then you're not walking in the spirit,

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so the spirit is not active, So that possibly means

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you're not saved. If we read Galatians five sixteen through

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seventeen without Galatians two in mind, those are the conclusions

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we'll come to. But Galatians two nineteen nineteen through twenty

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should shut all of that down. Why, Because you're already dead.

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Your flesh is no longer the core of your identity.

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Christ lives in you. So your righteousness is in a

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sense external, or it's imputed, it's not internal. So I'm

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righteous externally. I'm righteous because of an imputed righteousness, not internally.

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I live by faith, not by moral management or trying

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to accomplish something morally. And all of this is because

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of what Christ has done, not what I'm becoming. So,

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in other words, Galatians five sixteen through seventeen must be

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read through the lens of Galatians two nineteen through twenty.

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Otherwise we're not walking in the spirit. We're walking in

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a spiritualized law. See, if you read it the way

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other people read it, then I'm not really walking in

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the spirit. I'm walking in a new Hey, here's basically

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a new law. We're just gonna spiritualize the law. I've

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got to do eight. I gotta do this, I gotta

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do this, I gotta do this, I gotta do this.

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I gotta do this. And if I do this, then

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I get to stop sinning. It's just more law. Well

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that if walking in the spirit is just obeying a

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new law. Well, then everything in Galatians seems to fall apart. See,

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if you miss Galatians two, you miss the gospel in

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Galatians five. Without Galatians two, Galatians five becomes a spiritual

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growth technique, a test of whether you surrender enough, a

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performance metric disguised as a promise. But when you look

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at Galatians two through twenty, then it becomes a positional truth.

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You are in Christ. It is a gospel promise. Right,

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I'm walking in the spirit. I'm not going to fulfill this.

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How am I not going to fulfill it? I'm not

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going to fulfill the luss of the flesh and my

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identity and my position. I'm not going to fulfill it

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in the sense of it's no longer going to condemn me.

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It's a declaration of freedom that I'm not under law

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because Christ already fulfilled it. So if we stay, if

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I want to try to summarize it, we could say

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this Galatians two nineteen through twenty is the interpretive key

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to the entire Christian life. It declares that righteousness, life,

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and identity are found in the union with Christ by faith,

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not in sanctification or sin management without it, Galatians five

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sixteen through seventeen is an inevitably misread as a behavioral

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command rather than a gospel promise. So I think it's

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the key, but not only that. I just want I'm

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going to kind of just now double down here. I'm

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trying to go as fast as I can because I

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don't want to go seventy minutes. I'm gonna double down here.

407
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I believe Galatians two twenty draws a crucial distinction. I

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already tried to point this out, but I'm gonna really

409
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now emphasize this, the distinction between position and practice, And

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it's that distinction that becomes critical for interpreting Galatians five

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sixteen through seventeen. I think it's not only appropriate, but

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exogetically and philologically necessary to connect that language, especially the

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phrase the life I now live in the flesh, I

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live by the faith of the Son of God. To

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walk in the spirit in chapter five, I think it's appropriate.

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I think it's appropriate, not only exegetically but philologically. I

417
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believe it's necessary to connect that language. The life I

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now live, I live in the flesh, I live by

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the faith of the Son of God, is connected to

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walk and the spirit. If you don't connect those two,

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it all falls apart. So let me break this down. Then,

422
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I live yet not I. This is the position practical distinction.

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I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I yet live yet

424
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not I, but Christ liveth in me. Paul is expressing

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two realities that exist at the same time. Positionally, I've

426
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been crucified with Christ. My old self, my flesh, my

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status under the law all dead, all dead right. My

428
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old self, my flesh, my what I was under the law,

429
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that's all dead right. I have been crucified with Christ.

430
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It's a done deal. It's done. I have been and

431
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I am crucified with Christ. I am in a position

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of death. I have to see that. I have to

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recognize that this is true. Positionally, it's not true of you. Practically,

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practically you're still living, You're still walking around. But positionally

435
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I'm crucified. I'm dead. I'm dead. There's it's it's all done.

436
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This is a fixed, unchanging truth. It's grounded in your

437
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union with Christ. That's your positional reality. But wait a minute. Practically,

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so I have been crucified with Christ. Most translations says

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I have been the King James. I am either way,

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it's past present, it's a reality, it's a it's a

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past reality with ongoing implications. And we could go with

442
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that idea that I'm still dead. I'm still but practically

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nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth than me.

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Paul is saying, Hey, I'm still physically alive. I still sin,

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but even his ongoing life is not sourced in him.

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It's Christ living through him. See. I'm alive physically, but

447
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positionally my life is in Christ. It's Christ living. My

448
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positional life is Christ perfect forgiven? I mean, well, I'm perfect,

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all my sins are gone. It's Christ. I'm not saying

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that Christ needed to be forgiven, but you're saying that

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in Christ. My life is now Christ. I'm perfect, holy, righteous,

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all my sins are gone. This distinction between who I

453
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am in Christ and how I now live is central

454
00:28:54.920 --> 00:28:58.440
to understanding the Christian life. You've got to know that distinction.

455
00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:03.000
Who you are, you're crucified, you're dead, you're not condemned.

456
00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:06.079
Your identity is now Christ. And how do you live practice?

457
00:29:06.119 --> 00:29:09.920
You're still living in the flesh, but that practical life

458
00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:12.960
I'm to see, I'm to understand that even though I'm

459
00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:16.839
living in the flesh and I sin, I'm still I'm

460
00:29:16.839 --> 00:29:23.799
still crucified, dead, buried, no longer condemned. I still see Christ.

461
00:29:24.599 --> 00:29:28.599
Now this Paul tries our attempts to resolve the tension

462
00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:32.119
by saying, the life which I now live in the flesh,

463
00:29:32.200 --> 00:29:34.119
I live by the faith of the Son of God.

464
00:29:34.759 --> 00:29:37.480
That is, I'm not living by law. I'm not living

465
00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:43.119
by moral effort. I'm not living by behavioral perfection. But

466
00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:46.960
I'm living by faith in the Son of God, even

467
00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:51.799
while still in the flesh. Living I'm in the flesh,

468
00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:57.160
but i am living by faith in the Son of God. Now,

469
00:29:57.200 --> 00:30:00.440
depending on your translation, is by the faith of the

470
00:30:00.480 --> 00:30:03.079
Son of God. And this could go with the idea

471
00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:05.200
that faith is given to me by God. God. My

472
00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:08.480
faith is given to me by God. I'm living that's

473
00:30:08.519 --> 00:30:11.720
the faith. I've been given God's faith and a sense

474
00:30:11.799 --> 00:30:14.160
has been given to me. It's a gift. It's a

475
00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:16.920
gift that's not of myself. I've been given a and

476
00:30:16.920 --> 00:30:20.039
it says, a divine faith. That is well, it will

477
00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:22.680
persevere to the end. I will continue to believe because

478
00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:30.960
God gave me that faith. But that's how I'm living now,

479
00:30:31.079 --> 00:30:33.720
live by the faith of the Son of God. Now,

480
00:30:33.759 --> 00:30:36.519
this is the core of walking in the spirit. Now,

481
00:30:36.559 --> 00:30:40.240
if we connect this to Galatians five sixteen, walk in

482
00:30:40.279 --> 00:30:42.119
the flesh and you shall not fulfill the lust of

483
00:30:42.160 --> 00:30:45.119
the flesh. If Galatians two twenty tells us that the

484
00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:48.400
life that you're now living is by the faith in Christ,

485
00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:51.480
not it's not based on anything you do. You're living

486
00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:55.480
your life on your faith in Christ, well, then Galatians

487
00:30:55.480 --> 00:30:58.839
five sixteen must be read in the same light. Walking

488
00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:02.000
in the spirit equals living by faith in the Son

489
00:31:02.039 --> 00:31:05.480
of God, not fulfilling the flesh. Is not being ruled

490
00:31:05.519 --> 00:31:10.799
by sin positionally, even while it still exists practically I'm

491
00:31:10.799 --> 00:31:13.119
walking in the spirit. I do not fulfill the luss

492
00:31:13.119 --> 00:31:19.079
of the flesh positionally, just like positionally I have been

493
00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:25.119
crucified positionally, I am dead positionally. I don't sin positionally,

494
00:31:25.359 --> 00:31:28.160
but practically I'm still living in the flesh, meaning I'm

495
00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:36.319
still going to sin and fall. Why is this connection valid? Well,

496
00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:41.200
I believe Paul uses spirit and faith interchangeably. Galatians three

497
00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:43.920
to two. Do you receive the spirit by the works

498
00:31:43.920 --> 00:31:46.920
of the law or by the hearing of faith? Faith

499
00:31:46.960 --> 00:31:50.039
and spirit are connected Galatians three. Three. Are you so

500
00:31:50.039 --> 00:31:53.920
foolish having begun in the spirit? Right, begun in the spirit,

501
00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:57.759
begun by faith Galatians five to five. For we through

502
00:31:57.759 --> 00:32:00.440
the spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by fe faith.

503
00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:04.839
That there's a correlation, I think to some level. So

504
00:32:04.880 --> 00:32:07.480
to walk in the spirit equals to live by faith

505
00:32:07.799 --> 00:32:09.759
and the life I now live by the faith and

506
00:32:09.799 --> 00:32:12.440
the Son of God. They are two different models of

507
00:32:12.480 --> 00:32:15.559
the Christian life. They are not two different models of

508
00:32:15.559 --> 00:32:18.119
the Christian life. They are identical. So to walk in

509
00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:20.759
the spirit equals to live by faith and the life

510
00:32:20.839 --> 00:32:23.640
I now live by the faith and the Son of God.

511
00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:27.200
These are not different models. They're the same. They're identical.

512
00:32:27.880 --> 00:32:31.119
Walk by faith the life I now I live, I

513
00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:33.279
live by the faith of the in the Son of God.

514
00:32:33.359 --> 00:32:36.400
It's walk in the spirit. It's to live by faith

515
00:32:36.519 --> 00:32:38.240
the life I now live by faith in the Son

516
00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:43.279
of God. It's the same concept. Now, why why does

517
00:32:43.319 --> 00:32:47.599
this matter? Well, this connection protects us from misreading Galatians

518
00:32:47.640 --> 00:32:51.240
five p. Sixteen. See, if we don't have this connection,

519
00:32:51.279 --> 00:32:53.799
we're going to end up reading Galatians five sixteen as

520
00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:57.799
a performance command, as a method to stop sinning or

521
00:32:57.960 --> 00:33:04.720
somehow a sanctification technique. Instead. Galatians two twenty grounds our

522
00:33:04.759 --> 00:33:09.119
interpretation of Galatians five sixteen through seventeen and the following

523
00:33:09.400 --> 00:33:13.319
and Christ's death and life on our behalf the ongoing

524
00:33:13.400 --> 00:33:17.400
presence of the spirit and a posture of continual dependence.

525
00:33:17.880 --> 00:33:23.079
Not that I have arrived without this connection. We risk

526
00:33:23.160 --> 00:33:26.880
treating Galatians five as a how to manual rather than

527
00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:30.400
the gospel implications of our crucifixion and resurrection in Christ.

528
00:33:32.839 --> 00:33:38.119
So Galatians two twenty makes an essential distinction between positional

529
00:33:38.240 --> 00:33:41.559
death to the law and practical life in the body,

530
00:33:42.759 --> 00:33:46.480
And that very distinction, living by faith in Christ, not

531
00:33:46.599 --> 00:33:50.359
by effort, is the philological backbone of what it means

532
00:33:50.359 --> 00:33:53.200
to walk in the spirit and Galatians five. So let

533
00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:56.440
me read that again. Galatians two twenty makes an essential

534
00:33:56.440 --> 00:34:01.119
distinction between positional death to the law and practical life

535
00:34:01.240 --> 00:34:07.319
in our body. And it's that distinction living by faith

536
00:34:07.359 --> 00:34:12.599
in Christ, not by effort, that's the theological backbone for

537
00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:15.119
what it means to walk in the spirit in Galatians

538
00:34:15.159 --> 00:34:19.119
five sixteen through seventeen. All right, so let's draw a

539
00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:24.239
side by side comparison of Galatians two twenty and Galatians

540
00:34:24.280 --> 00:34:28.760
five sixteen through twenty. All right, so let's first consider

541
00:34:29.159 --> 00:34:34.280
the primary command or statement Galatians two twenty. I am

542
00:34:34.440 --> 00:34:38.199
crucified with Christ. I live by the faith of the

543
00:34:38.239 --> 00:34:43.199
Son of God. Galatians five sixteen through seventeen. Walk in

544
00:34:43.239 --> 00:34:45.400
the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of

545
00:34:45.400 --> 00:34:48.519
the flesh. I'm crucified with Christ. I live by the

546
00:34:48.519 --> 00:34:50.599
faith and the Son of God. That's the same thing

547
00:34:50.599 --> 00:34:54.159
as walking in the spirit. Right, and guess what now,

548
00:34:54.320 --> 00:34:56.639
I shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh, and

549
00:34:56.760 --> 00:35:01.679
that positional reality right the core I y statement, crucified

550
00:35:01.719 --> 00:35:05.360
with Christ. My old self is dead. Flesh still exists,

551
00:35:05.639 --> 00:35:08.199
but the spirit wars against it. I will say, the

552
00:35:08.199 --> 00:35:13.599
flesh still exit, the flesh still exists. The spirit, or

553
00:35:13.679 --> 00:35:16.800
walking in the spirit or putting my faith in Christ,

554
00:35:17.440 --> 00:35:21.000
wars against it against in a positional perspective, because I'm

555
00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:23.920
not ever going to be condemned. I'm not going to

556
00:35:24.119 --> 00:35:28.039
ever be dominated by it in a positional in a

557
00:35:28.079 --> 00:35:32.000
practical way. You see, the minute you say the spirit

558
00:35:32.119 --> 00:35:37.320
wars against the sin in a practical way, then it

559
00:35:37.360 --> 00:35:40.800
becomes confusing because if the spirit is warring against sin

560
00:35:40.960 --> 00:35:44.679
or your flesh in a practical way, Well, then why

561
00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:48.280
can't you be perfect? The spirit, then, is is not

562
00:35:48.400 --> 00:35:50.480
raging much of a war if I'm going to continue

563
00:35:50.519 --> 00:35:53.559
to sin? Is it so then that? See it falls

564
00:35:53.559 --> 00:35:59.760
apart once you move it into a practical realm. Christ

565
00:36:00.440 --> 00:36:05.639
in me, not my doing, but Christ's presence. Walk in

566
00:36:05.679 --> 00:36:08.920
the Spirit. Basically, it's the same thing. Not effort, but

567
00:36:09.079 --> 00:36:12.840
spirit led faith. Christ liveth in me. Not my doing,

568
00:36:12.880 --> 00:36:15.519
but Christ's presence. Walk in the Spirit. It's the same thing.

569
00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:18.880
It's it's his presence, it's the spirit. It's not effort.

570
00:36:20.199 --> 00:36:23.559
I live by the faith of the Son of God.

571
00:36:24.000 --> 00:36:26.880
Walk in the spirit, living by faith, not law. It's

572
00:36:26.920 --> 00:36:28.599
the same thing. I live by the faith of the

573
00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:31.079
Son of God. Walking in the spirit. It's the same

574
00:36:31.239 --> 00:36:36.000
concept the life. I now live in the flesh, honest

575
00:36:36.039 --> 00:36:39.400
about our mortal condition I live. I still live in

576
00:36:39.400 --> 00:36:41.920
the flesh. It's being honest with that. The flesh and

577
00:36:41.960 --> 00:36:47.840
the spirit are in conflict. Sin remains present right now.

578
00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:50.639
I think Galatians five is more about if I walk

579
00:36:50.679 --> 00:36:53.679
in the spirit, then I don't fulfill the lust of

580
00:36:53.679 --> 00:36:58.360
the flesh. Has to be in a positional sense. Right,

581
00:37:01.559 --> 00:37:04.840
life is lived by faith, not effort or sanctified behavior.

582
00:37:05.159 --> 00:37:10.400
Spirit led life is not lawkeeping but faith driven. All right,

583
00:37:11.320 --> 00:37:14.480
Walking in the spirit, it's not about me keeping law.

584
00:37:14.880 --> 00:37:18.000
It's about it's Walking in the spirit is about faith.

585
00:37:18.039 --> 00:37:24.199
It's about believing dead in Christ positionally, though still present

586
00:37:24.280 --> 00:37:31.199
in the flesh practically. All right, again the flesh and

587
00:37:31.280 --> 00:37:34.880
Galatians five, the flesh is still there, but again, I'm

588
00:37:34.880 --> 00:37:37.800
not going to fulfill the lust of the flesh positionally.

589
00:37:38.280 --> 00:37:43.559
All right, Christ died for me. I live in his righteousness.

590
00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:47.800
And again, some people will try to say the spirit

591
00:37:48.199 --> 00:37:51.719
in Galatians five is opposing the flesh, and sin's rule

592
00:37:51.800 --> 00:37:55.639
is broken, but not sin's presence. I disagree with that.

593
00:37:57.639 --> 00:38:01.599
Galatians five is the spirit. The spirit is there, and

594
00:38:01.599 --> 00:38:03.679
because I'm walking in the spirit, I do not fulfill

595
00:38:03.719 --> 00:38:06.559
the lust of the flesh. It's not saying sins rule

596
00:38:06.800 --> 00:38:12.719
is broken practically. It's broken positionally. It's not broken practically.

597
00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:16.280
How do I know this? If sins rule is broken practically,

598
00:38:16.519 --> 00:38:19.800
then I can stop sinning. Since I can't stop sinning,

599
00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:22.280
then sins rule is not broken. You can't tell me

600
00:38:22.320 --> 00:38:25.679
it's not. In dominion and it's broken when I can't

601
00:38:25.679 --> 00:38:34.599
be perfect. I am justified. This is what's basically implied

602
00:38:34.599 --> 00:38:38.159
in Galatians too. I'm justified because Christ lives in me. Well,

603
00:38:38.280 --> 00:38:42.199
basically the same concept, because I walk in the spirit. Well,

604
00:38:42.239 --> 00:38:44.519
then guess what. Then, I'm not going to fulfill the

605
00:38:44.599 --> 00:38:48.119
lust of the flesh. I am positionally perfect and obedient.

606
00:38:50.599 --> 00:38:53.280
Galatians five sixteen must be read through the lens of

607
00:38:53.360 --> 00:38:57.719
union with Christ and living by faith five p. Sixteen

608
00:38:57.760 --> 00:39:10.320
becomes a positional promise. It's a moral technique. So again,

609
00:39:10.920 --> 00:39:16.000
there's no way. So let's let's look at it all right.

610
00:39:20.039 --> 00:39:22.599
So I'm dead to the law. That's just, that's the

611
00:39:22.599 --> 00:39:25.320
positional reality. I'm dead to the law. I'm not condemned

612
00:39:25.400 --> 00:39:29.079
by it. Right. The law is not the means to sanctification.

613
00:39:29.239 --> 00:39:32.960
The law is not the means to anything. I'm dead.

614
00:39:33.199 --> 00:39:35.840
I'm dead to the law right now. The law still

615
00:39:35.840 --> 00:39:38.719
serves a purpose to constantly show me my disobedience. But

616
00:39:38.800 --> 00:39:41.639
I'm dead to the law. It doesn't save me. It's

617
00:39:41.760 --> 00:39:45.199
not my identity. It's not the way to sanctification. The

618
00:39:45.320 --> 00:39:48.880
law is there just to continue to condemn, right, and

619
00:39:48.920 --> 00:39:52.239
I'm dead so that I may live under God. Right now,

620
00:39:52.360 --> 00:39:54.519
what do I How do I live under God? I

621
00:39:54.519 --> 00:39:57.039
live unto God by faith. I live under God by

622
00:39:57.119 --> 00:39:59.360
faith and by putting my faith in God. Then what

623
00:39:59.519 --> 00:40:02.360
happens that all of it? Then the righteousness of the

624
00:40:02.440 --> 00:40:05.519
obedience of Christ is imputed to my account. So I

625
00:40:05.599 --> 00:40:11.880
live unto God by faith, and then the law is

626
00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:16.159
completely fulfilled perfectly for me. You say, well, the law

627
00:40:16.239 --> 00:40:18.199
is still there for you to do. Christ did it

628
00:40:18.320 --> 00:40:22.480
for me because I can't do it. I am crucified

629
00:40:22.519 --> 00:40:27.920
with Christ. I am. I am. I'm dead. I no

630
00:40:27.960 --> 00:40:32.239
longer the old me, no longer exist. Nevertheless, I live,

631
00:40:32.400 --> 00:40:36.199
yet I still live. I'm crucified. I've been killed, I've

632
00:40:36.239 --> 00:40:40.360
been murdered, but I'm still alive. That's the positional. I'm practical.

633
00:40:41.280 --> 00:40:49.039
I'm crucified, but here I am, but not I. I'm alive,

634
00:40:49.119 --> 00:40:52.719
but not I because even though in my how I

635
00:40:52.760 --> 00:40:55.599
have to understand, I am living. But it is Christ

636
00:40:55.639 --> 00:40:59.559
that lives in me and the life which I now

637
00:40:59.639 --> 00:41:01.599
live in the flesh. I live by the faith and

638
00:41:01.599 --> 00:41:03.880
the Son of God who loved me and gave himself

639
00:41:03.920 --> 00:41:08.280
for me. I am living a life in the flesh,

640
00:41:08.320 --> 00:41:14.039
but I'm living that life in faith. Meaning then spiritually speaking,

641
00:41:14.400 --> 00:41:17.400
my position is my identity. That's where where I think

642
00:41:17.440 --> 00:41:19.639
of it. This way, I'm living in the flesh and

643
00:41:19.679 --> 00:41:23.400
I sin, But in my position, I'm a new creature.

644
00:41:23.440 --> 00:41:26.239
Old things have passed away, all things have become new.

645
00:41:26.639 --> 00:41:30.960
That is the positional reality. And then I take that. Okay, two,

646
00:41:31.280 --> 00:41:33.880
I've been crucified, and the life I live I live

647
00:41:33.960 --> 00:41:36.159
by the faith and the Son of God. That is

648
00:41:36.239 --> 00:41:39.480
walking in the spirit. I'm walking in the spirit. I'm

649
00:41:39.480 --> 00:41:42.800
walking a life of faith, believing that I am crucified,

650
00:41:43.079 --> 00:41:46.519
believing that I'm dead, that believing Christ has kept the

651
00:41:46.599 --> 00:41:49.320
law for me, believing His righteousness is imputed to me.

652
00:41:49.559 --> 00:41:52.960
And then therefore I now no longer fulfill the lust

653
00:41:52.960 --> 00:41:59.880
of the flesh in that positional reality. Now, some people say, no, no, no,

654
00:42:00.159 --> 00:42:02.320
that means you'll You'll now that life you live in

655
00:42:02.360 --> 00:42:04.079
the flesh, So you're now going to be able to

656
00:42:04.199 --> 00:42:07.199
no longer keep you You're now going to no longer

657
00:42:07.360 --> 00:42:09.800
fulfill the lust of the flesh because Christ is living

658
00:42:09.840 --> 00:42:12.280
through you. So now you have power. But that just

659
00:42:12.360 --> 00:42:15.480
does not make any sense because it's not true. Practically,

660
00:42:15.519 --> 00:42:18.679
it's not true. We just know it's not true. I

661
00:42:18.760 --> 00:42:21.079
wish it was true. That's see, that's the way I

662
00:42:21.119 --> 00:42:25.280
always understood it. Oh see I've been crucified. Now Christ

663
00:42:25.360 --> 00:42:27.960
lives in me. Done dunt to done? And so then

664
00:42:28.039 --> 00:42:30.280
what do you hear in sermons? Hey guys, The key

665
00:42:30.280 --> 00:42:33.119
to the Christian life is not you doing anything, it's

666
00:42:33.239 --> 00:42:36.000
Christ doing it through me. Okay, well then so you

667
00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:37.559
don't need to do anything. Well, if I don't need

668
00:42:37.599 --> 00:42:39.679
to do anything, then why can't I be perfect? If

669
00:42:39.719 --> 00:42:43.360
Christ is living through me, perfection should be the the

670
00:42:43.360 --> 00:42:47.559
the norm. But it's not. So. That means that Christ

671
00:42:47.639 --> 00:42:52.719
living in me is That's that's my positional reality, that

672
00:42:52.719 --> 00:42:56.320
that I'm in Christ. Christ is in me, and that

673
00:42:56.440 --> 00:42:59.719
Christ being in me, even though I still sin practically

674
00:43:00.159 --> 00:43:06.280
is the ultimate guarantee of my glorification. But see, pastors

675
00:43:06.280 --> 00:43:08.719
want to turn this into no, no, no. Now it

676
00:43:08.760 --> 00:43:10.280
means you can do this, and you can do this,

677
00:43:10.320 --> 00:43:11.679
and you can do this, and you can do this,

678
00:43:11.760 --> 00:43:14.079
and you can do this and you can do this. No.

679
00:43:15.199 --> 00:43:18.280
But again, I can destroy all of that in five seconds.

680
00:43:20.519 --> 00:43:25.079
So the connection to Galatians five, or the answer to Galatians,

681
00:43:25.239 --> 00:43:26.719
or let me say it this way, The key to

682
00:43:26.760 --> 00:43:36.320
Galatians five is Galatians two. That you say, well, it

683
00:43:36.360 --> 00:43:39.119
doesn't make sense. I'll be the first to acknowledge it

684
00:43:39.400 --> 00:43:41.840
doesn't make a lot of sense. But the other way

685
00:43:42.039 --> 00:43:44.639
just doesn't work practically. And if the other way is

686
00:43:44.679 --> 00:43:46.719
the way that works, then I'm sorry. You're not saved.

687
00:43:46.719 --> 00:43:54.280
I'm not saved. No one is saved. There's a positional

688
00:43:54.679 --> 00:44:05.079
and practical, positionally perfect. I'm dead, I'm crucified. I've been resurrected.

689
00:44:06.000 --> 00:44:07.880
I walk a new life, but I'm walking that new

690
00:44:07.920 --> 00:44:17.400
life positionally. In practice, I'm still the same ciner. All right,

691
00:44:19.360 --> 00:44:22.000
I don't have any better answers. It's forty four minutes.

692
00:44:22.360 --> 00:44:29.320
My head's now. My head is really pounding now, so yeah,

693
00:44:29.360 --> 00:44:38.440
we'll just stop there. Yeah, we'll just stop there. Yeah.

694
00:44:38.519 --> 00:44:40.199
I don't know what else to say. I'm not going

695
00:44:40.239 --> 00:44:42.639
to say anything else now. Yeah, because I'm having all

696
00:44:42.719 --> 00:44:48.800
kinds of of negative thoughts, Like, you know, this is maddening,

697
00:44:49.320 --> 00:44:55.320
this is crazy. I'm having all kinds of negative thoughts. Yeah, yeah,

698
00:44:57.400 --> 00:45:01.320
nothing I can do about it now. But the day

699
00:45:01.360 --> 00:45:06.639
will come when I can just say I quit and

700
00:45:06.760 --> 00:45:11.199
I can just be done, like I just man, Yeah,

701
00:45:12.119 --> 00:45:14.840
it's just maddening because I can go listen to fifty

702
00:45:14.880 --> 00:45:18.039
sermons right now in Galatians five or Galatians two, and

703
00:45:18.079 --> 00:45:21.519
it would just be it would just be like, it

704
00:45:21.559 --> 00:45:24.960
would be insanity. It would be insanity. It would be

705
00:45:25.039 --> 00:45:27.199
like trying to unpack it would be it would be

706
00:45:27.239 --> 00:45:36.039
a nightmare. So I won't get too dark and won't

707
00:45:36.039 --> 00:45:39.280
get too negative. I'll save a pot when when the

708
00:45:39.360 --> 00:45:43.280
time comes that's appropriate. Then I can just say, all right, guys,

709
00:45:43.360 --> 00:45:48.280
I gave it my best. I'm done, goodbye the end.

710
00:45:48.480 --> 00:45:51.519
But I can't do that now. All right, I won't

711
00:45:51.559 --> 00:45:54.840
do that now, But the time is coming. I guarantee you.

712
00:45:54.960 --> 00:45:57.239
I always say the day is gonna come, You're gonna

713
00:45:57.239 --> 00:46:00.000
go Wait, what happened to theology centric? It's just gonna

714
00:46:00.159 --> 00:46:02.159
all be gone. It's just all going to be gone.

715
00:46:02.280 --> 00:46:07.920
I don't know when, but I'm telling you someday, someday.

716
00:46:09.159 --> 00:46:13.760
But in the meantime, I'll keep trying my best. And again,

717
00:46:14.000 --> 00:46:16.400
I just feel like people get abused. With Galatians five,

718
00:46:17.719 --> 00:46:20.679
even with Galatians two twenty. I mean I was told

719
00:46:20.679 --> 00:46:22.719
them my whole life. See you're dead. So now Christ

720
00:46:22.760 --> 00:46:24.760
lives in new So now you can do it. You

721
00:46:24.800 --> 00:46:27.840
can do it. No, Christ lives in me. That's my

722
00:46:27.960 --> 00:46:31.719
positional reality, my practical reality. I'll still live in the flesh.

723
00:46:31.840 --> 00:46:33.880
How do I live then in the flesh? Do I

724
00:46:33.920 --> 00:46:36.039
live in the flesh with some secret so that I

725
00:46:36.079 --> 00:46:37.840
can now do all the right things? No, I live

726
00:46:37.880 --> 00:46:40.039
in the flesh. By putting my faith in Jesus Christ,

727
00:46:40.119 --> 00:46:42.400
I live. I walk in the spirit. I live in

728
00:46:42.480 --> 00:46:45.920
the flesh by faith. I live in the flesh. By faith,

729
00:46:46.079 --> 00:46:48.599
I walk in the spirit. It's the same concept. What

730
00:46:48.760 --> 00:46:54.519
is then the results that? Then in Christ? I'm perfect, holy, righteous, dead.

731
00:46:54.880 --> 00:46:57.719
Positionally everything is perfect, and I no longer fulfill the

732
00:46:57.760 --> 00:47:00.440
loss of the flesh in my position, this is shit.

733
00:47:02.239 --> 00:47:04.519
The only thing that makes any sense. All right, thanks

734
00:47:04.559 --> 00:47:09.119
for listening. I give up God, bless h