Galatians 5:19-21 – 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.
The works of the flesh are listed here Galatians 5. There are a total of 18. That can be compared to the nine fruits of the spirit later in the chapter. It is interesting to note that they are called works of the flesh as opposed to sins of the flesh. The definition of this kind of work would be.
Work – That which is made or done; Action; deed; feat; achievement; moral duties or external performances, as distinct from grace
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
A work is something produced externally or in the flesh. Fruit grows from the inside out on a tree. It is produced from within. Obviously a Christian could get mixed up in any of these works produced from the outside or the flesh. A work produced from the outside is a work of the flesh and falls within the works listed here. I believe these 18 works can be grouped into about six categories. They would be:
- The Works of False Purity – Adultery, Fornication, Uncleaness, and Lasciviousness
- The Works of False Worship – Idolatry and Witchcraft
- The Works of False Temper – Hatred, Variance, Emulations, Wrath, Strife and Murder
- The Works of False Doctrine – Seditions and Heresies
- The Works of False Desires – Envyings
- The Works of False Joy – Revellings and Such Like
0 Comments