The Law As Standard

Bret McAtee / The Backwater Report:

"This I say then, walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16

"We ought to mark the word fulfill; by which he means, that, though the sons of God, so long as they groan under the burden of flesh, are liable to commit sin, they are not its subjects or slaves, but make habitual opposition to its power."

John Calvin
Commentary On The Epistle To The Galatians – pg.162

It is imperative to note that the Apostle writes this letter to a group of Christians. It is Christians who must be warned to not fulfill the 'lust of the flesh.' This reminds us that our eschatology must always retain a flavor of the 'not yet' about it. It is true that we are not what we once were but it also remains true that this necessity of contending against the lust of the flesh reminds us that we are not yet what we will one day be. While here, we have only entered heaven's vestibule and so must continue to seek to press in to the inner sanctum.

Posted by Editor at May 11, 2008 01:31 PM