In today's theology class I was challenged to consider how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. My professor made a claim that the works of the Spirit never oppress the believer, but liberate them. That really struck me, because as I am trying to live into the calling on my life, I often feel like the Christianity that I was raised in had nothing to do with liberation, and was pretty much bound up in oppression. Not that I was oppressed by the church, far from it, but I never felt like I was raised to feel free to live a life whole in Christ. I think the main emphasis of my spiritual upbringing was that we have to live a certain way in order to be in communion with Christ. It felt like, at the time, that our whole spiritual life was based on "sin management." Don't drink or do drugs, Don't fornicate, Don't lie, Don't steal, Don't gossip, don't, don't, don't. I am not saying that being alive in Christ gives us carte-blanche to practice immorality, but what I am saying is that living in the life of fear (oppression) hinders us from living in the Spirit, who's ultimate goal is to liberate and free us from our sin.
As we see in Galatians 5, there is a dichotomy between how humans act in the flesh: [Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. v.19-21] and the things that are of the Spirit [But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. v. 22-23] Granted, it is clear that the apostle Paul is not condoning the acts of the flesh, in fact, he plainly says, those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God, but what he doesn't say is to manage your life against these things. He is saying that the things we should be looking for in your lives are the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are not Guilt, Shame, Blame, Culpability, Embarrassment, Dishonor, Humiliation, and Disgrace. These are the results of living a life of sin management. Always looking over your shoulder at the last thing you did wrong, consumed by what is coming up that you cannot see the love, joy, peace, etc. that comes from living in the Spirit. Often when we read this passage in Galatians, we stop at the fruit of the Spirit. We say, "that is nice," and close the bible, but Paul goes on to say "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit." If we claim to be believers, we have had our sinfulness (guilt, shame) and our lusts destroyed. (Not by us, because humans cannot overcome sin by their will alone, but by the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells our hearts.) Through the Holy Spirit, we are no longer slaves to the human desires and imperfections, but we can live out the fruits of our union with Christ. Remembering that living by the Spirit means to keep in step with the Spirit. (some translations say to walk with the spirit.)
Keeping "in step" with the Spirit draws to mind a dance. Where the partners are joined and moving together around the dance floor. Not in arm in arm down the yellow brick road, but bonded together in one union, one motion. Sin does not merely disappear. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) But if we are dancing with the Spirit we do not let go, we do not break the union. We confess to God and one another (James 5:16), get over it, and keep on dancing. The problem comes when we are just holding hands with the Spirit, walking down the road, and when we sin, we let go, and start walking down a side trail of guilt and shame. We are lost, and apart from God because we try to manage that sin one our own, and continue to walk further and further away from the road that we were on. While we are on our side excursion, we cannot see the fruits of being in the Spirit, because we have walked away. The Spirit never leaves us because of our sin.
I am not sure if this resonates with you, or if you even agree with me. I am still trying to work all this stuff out for myself too, but please feel free to comment, disagree, push back, constructive thought's are welcome. All I know is that I am going to stop trying to oppress those around me and in my ministry, and start being a conduit that Christ and the Holy Spirit can do their redemptive, healing, and liberating work through.
Scripture quotes from: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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