“Life in the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:16-26
Has anyone ever told you that you “don’t look like a Christian?” I have been told several times that I “don’t look like a pastor.” In fact, I have been told that more than I can count. Every single time I have been told I “Don’t look like a pastor” the person telling me that was basing it on one thing alone: what I was wearing. Most of the time, the person didn’t know me at all. They knew nothing about me, except that I told them I was a pastor. My response to almost every one of them was, “What does a pastor look like?” Almost every time I asked this question, the person couldn’t articulate an answer. Every now and then the answer would be, “A pastor is supposed to be older and wearing a suit.”
The fact is that we often judge a person by what they wear or how they look. This isn’t always wrong. For example, if I need help and I see someone dressed like a police officer, I will most likely go to them for help. After all, that is what our police officers are for. In that example, I assume based on outside appearance. Police officers wear uniforms so that they can be easily identified. People in many professions wear uniforms so that they may be easily identified.
But can we say the same thing about Christians? Can you find a single description of what a Christian is supposed to look like or wear? You won’t find that kind of description in the Bible. You won’t find a dress code in the Scripture because Christianity is meant for people of all cultures. Christians around the world in different countries will not dress the same.
What you will find in the Bible is that Christians are to live in a certain way. So, the question really isn’t, “Do you look like a Christian?” but rather, “Do you act like a Christian?” God isn’t concerned with how you look. God is after your heart. God is in the business of transforming our hearts. God does so through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Scripture from Galatians compares two ways of living. Living “in the flesh,” or “living in the Spirit.” When Paul says “in the flesh” he is talking about living life according to sinful desires. This lifestyle is obvious, and Paul points out some of the ways that a sinful life manifests itself. The sinful life is marked by sexual immorality, sins that disrupt the social order (hatred, strife, etc.), and lives full of substance abuse (drunkenness). This is not a full list of sins that mark the sinful life. But they are a representation of what living a sinful life looks like.
A Christian, however, will not act like this. A Christian’s life will be marked by other things. This is what Paul calls the “fruit of the Spirit.” It is not an optional list of characteristics and attitudes that we as Christians can pick from. Paul says that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will be visible in the life of a believer. The Holy Spirit will work in the life of a believer to transform the way they live. These aren’t attitudes that are kept secret either. Every single one of these attributes that Paul lists will be obvious and visible to others.
Are you living a life marked by the fruit of the Spirit? Or are you living a life marked by the selfish ambition of sin? Go to God in prayer and ask for His guidance to help you discern ways that you can grow in your faith. Pray that God helps encourage you to live in a way that bears good fruit. If your life is marked by any of the sinful behaviors that Paul lists, go to God in repentance and ask Him to help you cut those parts of your life out. God is eager to forgive you. He will not turn His back on those who believe in Him, even when they slip up and sin. Don’t let your life be marked by sinful behavior. Seek God and seek to live life according the leading of the Holy Spirit.
