Monday, January 17, 2011

Against These, There is No Law

So it's been a week since my last entry; I'm four (4) entries behind my vow. However, this is due to some awful news about my wife's health. I'll do a simple post about the nine (9) manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit and we'll call it even. Deal? Deal.

  • LOVE
  • JOY
  • PEACE
  • LONGSUFFERING
  • GENTLENESS
  • GOODNESS
  • FAITH
  • MEEKNESS
  • TEMPERANCE
(Gal 5:22-23)

There's really no surprises on this list. These are the characteristics that are expected to appear when the influence of God is on someone's life. It's important to understand what is implied in the scripture. You don't prove to God that you love him by acting this way. Instead, you become this way, on a pseudo-subconscious level, as a result of seeking God. It's the fruit of the Spirit, not the sowing of the Spirit. It is the product of your labor.

The opposite of this list is the "works of the flesh". It's a much longer list, so I won't waste your time here. You can read about it yourself, but basically it's the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit (with an emphasis on things that literally please your flesh).

I've spent a lot of time mulling over these things. Mostly because I feel like a walking paradox when I consider them. They are opposites. Logically, you should only be able to represent one or the other. And it's not even as simple as some days I embody the fruits of the Spirit and some days I work in the flesh; there are times when I'm simultaneously faithful and envious, meek and lascivious (not in action), or longsuffering and hating.

What conclusion can be made from this? I suppose being human implies imperfection. Perhaps this is just more evidence supporting the duality of man. The constant struggle between goodness and malice inside ourselves. Maybe what's more important to look at is the ratio between fruit of the Spirit and works of the flesh- making sure that the scale keeps tipping in the right direction.

French composer, Claude Debussy, once wrote asking why compositions must be long and focus on one emotion at a time when incidences of human emotion are often brief and encompass an argument of overlapping emotions...

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