I'll start with the good old King James version since it translates epithymian as lust. Side note: this Greek term often gets translated as desire, for example Jesus desired (or lusted) to eat passover in Luke 22:15.
Galatians 5:16 - 21 (KJV)
"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
OK, there is quite the list here of desires or lusts of the flesh - things that are contrary to the fruit of the Spirit that are listed next in the popular Gal 5:22 - 23.
I want to highlight one that often gets overlooked when we think about lusts of the flesh.
In the KJV list we see listed heresies - from the greek haireseis.
Other translations go with terms like factions, divisions, sects, or schools of opinion in Gal 5:20.
SECTS is a naughty lust of the flesh.
I dare you to speak this truth the next time you are with a bunch of Christians. Then spell it out because I'm pretty sure you'll be misunderstood. :)
We have a natural human tendency to be divisive. A simple look at church history and the 40,000+ Christian denominations, sects and factions is proof enough. This is not the work of the Spirit - it is contrary to the fruit of the Spirit which includes love, peace, patience, and meekness.
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1 comment:
What I've found is that people want to redefine what heresy actually means so that they don't have to deal with the implications. If heresy is a work of the flesh and those who practice such things won't interior the kingdom of God, them what does that mean for those who promote denominations?
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