live above the law, legally
No matter where in the world we live, we all have one of three relationships with the laws of our respective land.
Observe that the passage does not simply list, it starts by saying, now the works of the flesh are evident. That means that no matter how careful you think you are when you are committing any of these works of the flesh, it will be discovered. sooner or later. Even if your work of the flesh is in the dead of night, where you think no one will know about it, it is evident – first to God and eventually to the world. It might be a month, a year or more, but it will become evident someday.
No doubt a lot of prominent people who have pretended to live above the law had thought that money could buy them safety and silence, but they discovered that not one word of scripture can be broken, so as the bible says it is evident, so it is – out in the open for people to wonder why a priest would pillage a church treasury or why a coach would prey on young boys. Of course, practitioners of such works of the flesh have been warned before and are now being warned again in the second part that they should not even expect to inherit the kingdom of God. Of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:22).
Then, there is another, even more select group of people, believers who walk in the Spirit, and therefore do not fulfill the lust of the flesh I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh, (Gal 5:16). The bible says of these select ones, But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law, (Gal 5:18). It is clear that by allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God, they have a special relationship with the law, first with the Law of God and then with the law of the land.
If they are not outside the law and are not under the law, can it be that they are legally above the law? Yes! Of these Divine elites, the bibles says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23). Because they have the fruit of the Spirit, no law on any land can touch them. They live above the law - legally.
It may be that you are a believer and desire to legally live above the law by manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, but you often find yourself struggling and might have failed on occasion. Don’t give up because the fruit of the Spirit is not like the gifts, which can be imparted instantly. The fruit of the Spirit, like any other fruit, takes time to grow and mature. You have to plant it, nurture it and remove weeds from around it before it will mature. That is the essence of Paul’s instruction in verse 16, walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Do the positive things and avoid the negative. When you feel the urge to say an unkind word, restrain yourself and do not fulfill that particular lust of your flesh.
Living in a way that manifests the fruit of the Spirit sounds like the straight and narrow; so Paul had to remind them of the benefit of such a lifestyle - against such, there is no law. If you exhibit love, joy and peace, even if a cop stops you on the road, he will soon let you go, after apologizing because the quality of long-suffering will preclude you from losing your temper. These children of God, who walk by the Spirit, who are led by the Spirit, are truly and legally above the law.
I pray you will receive grace to begin to live above the law soon, Amen.
- Some people choose to live outside the law and are known as outlaws, also referred to as common criminals.
- Most of us choose to live within the law and are known as law-abiding citizens. Fortunately for human society, a vast majority of us are law-abiding and therefore humanity has generally avoided anarchy.
- A third group tries to live above the law, as though the law cannot touch them and they are usually prominent people, the elites; they exist in all walks of life, politics, movies, church, sports and others. Their attitude says 'catch me if you can'; unfortunately for them, they soon discover that nobody is above the law. They have learned, usually the hard way, that it is not possible to avoid disgrace, whether in or out of prison if you insist on practicing the works of the flesh, Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21, New King James Version).
Observe that the passage does not simply list, it starts by saying, now the works of the flesh are evident. That means that no matter how careful you think you are when you are committing any of these works of the flesh, it will be discovered. sooner or later. Even if your work of the flesh is in the dead of night, where you think no one will know about it, it is evident – first to God and eventually to the world. It might be a month, a year or more, but it will become evident someday.
No doubt a lot of prominent people who have pretended to live above the law had thought that money could buy them safety and silence, but they discovered that not one word of scripture can be broken, so as the bible says it is evident, so it is – out in the open for people to wonder why a priest would pillage a church treasury or why a coach would prey on young boys. Of course, practitioners of such works of the flesh have been warned before and are now being warned again in the second part that they should not even expect to inherit the kingdom of God. Of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:22).
Then, there is another, even more select group of people, believers who walk in the Spirit, and therefore do not fulfill the lust of the flesh I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh, (Gal 5:16). The bible says of these select ones, But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law, (Gal 5:18). It is clear that by allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God, they have a special relationship with the law, first with the Law of God and then with the law of the land.
If they are not outside the law and are not under the law, can it be that they are legally above the law? Yes! Of these Divine elites, the bibles says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23). Because they have the fruit of the Spirit, no law on any land can touch them. They live above the law - legally.
It may be that you are a believer and desire to legally live above the law by manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, but you often find yourself struggling and might have failed on occasion. Don’t give up because the fruit of the Spirit is not like the gifts, which can be imparted instantly. The fruit of the Spirit, like any other fruit, takes time to grow and mature. You have to plant it, nurture it and remove weeds from around it before it will mature. That is the essence of Paul’s instruction in verse 16, walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Do the positive things and avoid the negative. When you feel the urge to say an unkind word, restrain yourself and do not fulfill that particular lust of your flesh.
Living in a way that manifests the fruit of the Spirit sounds like the straight and narrow; so Paul had to remind them of the benefit of such a lifestyle - against such, there is no law. If you exhibit love, joy and peace, even if a cop stops you on the road, he will soon let you go, after apologizing because the quality of long-suffering will preclude you from losing your temper. These children of God, who walk by the Spirit, who are led by the Spirit, are truly and legally above the law.
I pray you will receive grace to begin to live above the law soon, Amen.
