The verse lists idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies as manifest works of the flesh that come from letting sensual appetites rule and walking after the course of the world. They stand directly opposite the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, against which there is no law. Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God, for hatred, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies are just as truly works of the flesh as lasciviousness, adultery, drunkenness and murder and will just as surely close heaven against the guilty. They spring from selfishness seeking personal benefit and supremacy, which Satan himself sows to ruin souls, break up families and churches, and poison the heart with envy, jealousy and evil surmising. All who have the light must therefore mortify the deeds of the body through the Spirit, having crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts, and walk in the Spirit in meekness, unity and love.
Words and Fleshly Life
The idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies named here are manifest works of the flesh. In other renderings the same works appear as discord, jealousy, fits of anger, selfish conflict, division, false teaching, quarrels and anger. They come from living after the flesh by letting sensual appetites rule the being and walking according to the course of the world. They stand opposite a Spirit-led life and show the absence of a changed life bearing fruit through fellowship with Christ. Those who continue in them cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, so that the two are contrary to each other and those who do not walk in the Spirit cannot do the things they would. Those who walk in the Spirit and are led by the Spirit do not fulfill the lust of the flesh and are not under the condemnation of the law. Walking after the flesh is self-indulgence of appetite and passion at the expense of health and life. That course destroys consecration to God and prevents sanctification of soul, body and spirit in conformity to the divine law.
Hostile and divisive attitudes here are the unholy fruit of a heart not in harmony with Christ and the evil fruit of an evil tree. They show what controls the heart, bearing corrupt fruit rather than the good works produced by divine truth. When carnal passions rule, skepticism about Christian realities is encouraged and the expressing of doubts can be treated as a virtue. Separation from Christ and loss of His love from the heart is proved by such variance, strife, envy and jealousy.
Every form of fanaticism belongs to these works of the flesh, produced when Satan's power bears upon the carnal mind. It is his imperfect mimicry of God's work, clothed as far as possible to resemble truth and righteousness yet coming infinitely short of the work of high heaven, blinding undiscerning eyes but plain to the experienced observer. When carried out and ripened its bitter fruit stands opposite the fruit of God's Spirit as wide as Beelzebub stands from Christ and perdition with its terror and black despair from the glories of the kingdom. The road to life and the road to death lie in opposite directions, not side by side, so fanaticism must never be mixed with God's work as if the compound all came from heaven, nor God's pure work denounced as Satan's because fanaticism appeared beside it. To make God the author of fanaticism and confusion insults God, and to attribute His marred work to Satan pleases the devil.
Witchcraft here stands among works opposed to Christ. Envy, jealousy, bitterness and dissension are also condemned as yielding to Satan, so that even those who reject belief in witchcraft are in communion with an evil spirit when they show such traits. Alienation between relatives, such as between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, is included among these works of the flesh that come from natural ways and habits. The grace of God is needed to change those natural ways and to let the Spirit of God rule in the heart instead.
Contrast with the Spirit
Galatians 5:20 stands directly opposite the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, against which there is no law. The works named there reveal the absence of a changed life bearing fruit through fellowship with Christ. The love set against them is pure and unadulterated, proceeding from the heart of Christ, not love-sick sentimentalism and not a beastly defiling lust that destroys all that is pure in mind and body and is death to soul and body.
Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts, and if they live in the Spirit they must also walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit keeps a person from fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, including the idolatry and kindred sins named in the verse. That walk leaves behind vain glory, provoking one another, and envying one another. It requires regulated habits that preserve full vigor for service, temperance as a fruit of the Spirit, and freedom from condemnation through conformity to the divine law and consecration of soul, body, and spirit.
Union with Christ is the secret of unity, for when His Spirit rules the heart it creates harmony, peace, love, and unity. Those truly connected with God cannot be at variance with one another, but approach one another as they approach the Center. Variance and disaffection are fruits of a divided heart, the unholy fruit of a heart not in harmony with Christ, stirred up by Satan to sow dissension. Closer union with Christ therefore brings closer union with one another, marked by the meekness of Christ and by benevolence, kindness, mercy, and love originating from infinite wisdom, so that the fruit borne shows whether the life reflects God's Spirit.
Shut Out from Heaven
Those who practice idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies will not inherit the kingdom of God, for these are manifest works of the flesh that come from living after the flesh by letting sensual appetites rule the being and walking according to the course of the world. The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh so that they are contrary to each other, but those who walk in the Spirit and are led by the Spirit do not fulfill the lust of the flesh and are not under the condemnation of the law. These fleshly works stand opposite the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, against which there is no law, and they show the absence of a changed life bearing fruit through fellowship with Christ. Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts, and if they live in the Spirit they must also walk in the Spirit, not being desirous of vain glory, provoking one another or envying one another. Those who practice these fleshly works dishonor Christ who bought soul, mind and body and corrupt mind and body, so all who have the light of truth must wake up, mortify the deeds of the body through the Spirit in order to live, purify the mind by obedience to the truth, and receive the life-giving power of the gospel, the help of the Great Physician, and all the quickening power of the Holy Spirit to remedy souls enfeebled by selfish passions and restore the moral image of God.
Hatred, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies and envyings are works of the flesh just as truly as lasciviousness, adultery, drunkenness and murder. They are equally great sins and will just as surely close the gate of heaven against the guilty and shut them out of heaven. Those who try to correct the faults of others must beware lest they commit these equally great sins themselves while doing so.
Evil natures bar people from God's kingdom, and no untruthful, impure or unrighteous person can enter heaven. Jealousy of one another and emulations shut people out of heaven and must be put away, for nothing of that kind will exist there, but must be replaced by the similitude of Christ in the heart and tenderness for one another at home so that a little heaven can be had on earth now. A great price was paid for human redemption, and each person must make Christ his personal Saviour and become true and pure and holy. If he does not, the Lord has only one course, to destroy the sinner, for sin if not destroyed will destroy the sinner just as Satan designed, while letting the spirit rise up against another when hearing of his errors crushes the plant of love.
Emulation, strife, envy, hatred, jealousy, evil surmising and bitterness are fruits of cherishing evil and turning away from God, proving separation from God, going astray and guilt with corrupting of ways before Him. They show forsaking Him the Fountain of living waters for hewed-out broken cisterns that can hold no water. Those who persist in these ways and refuse reproof do not see their wrong or their perverse ways and will not heed the testimony sent to them. They will not turn back and be converted that God should heal them.
Selfish Satanic Source
Hatred, emulation, strife and sedition are evils Satan himself sows to ruin men, women and children in soul and body and to break up families and communities, and they are not conditions appointed by God to exist and be endured. He stays on the track of men every moment while they are ignorant of his devices, intruding into every department of the household, every street of the cities, the churches, the national councils and the courts of justice to perplex, deceive and seduce. Variance, emulation and strife spring from selfishness seeking personal benefit and carrying out personal thoughts, plans and ideas while crucifying others instead of crucifying self. They are an unholy desire for supremacy at work, appearing as love to be flattered, jealous watching for slights or neglect, and a hard, unforgiving spirit that must be replaced by a self-abasing, unpretending spirit. They are vainglory seeking the esteem and applause of men rather than self-examination about sanctification in the love of God, wanting to stand first in every calling and work, and feeling dissatisfied, slighted and inferior when self-glory and due respect are not received.
That selfishness is a hateful, poisonous root, even when admitted under pretense of necessity, which displeases God and reveals the human ruling instead of the divine. Satan crowds such vainglory into the heart to steal away humility and meekness, love and patience, and to put another spirit in their place. That spirit poisons the heart with envy, jealousy and evil surmisings, leading to demeriting the one envied, magnifying any fault that can be found, and seeking to injure his reputation, which is hateful in the sight of a holy God and pleasing to the devil and his angels who suggest the tempting thoughts. It spreads through the family into the church like leaven until it corrupts the whole lump, stirring dissension, wounding, marring and bruising the cause of God, hurting souls, revealing an unconverted heart where selfishness is excused as conscientiousness, and preventing prosperity and growth. When nourished in institutions and publishing establishments it corrupts experience, dims discernment, defiles the whole person, and corrupts the work, for these are principles God hates.
Those opposed to God's will and truth may appear united, but their harmony is deceptive and hides lasting discord, for apart from that opposition they are divided by hatred, emulation, jealousy and strife. Hatred, anger and disagreement lead people to take sides and consume one another, damaging both physical and spiritual strength and weakening their influence for good. Anyone continuing to indulge in idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, quarrels, jealousy, anger, strife, division and false teaching cannot inherit God's kingdom, while walking by the Spirit and bearing the Spirit's fruit stands against such conduct.
Division in Church and Home
Jealousies and differences named as hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies are manifest works of the flesh and the greatest detriment to churches, bringing them into weakness and disfavor with God. They wound, mar and bruise the cause of God and hurt souls, and they reveal an unconverted heart in which selfishness seeking personal benefit and carrying out personal thoughts, plans and ideas is excused as conscientiousness while others are crucified instead of self being crucified. Because those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God, every soul must examine himself to see if he is approaching the committal of any such sins. That selfish spirit poisons the heart with envy, jealousy and evil surmisings and spreads through the family into the church like leaven until it corrupts the whole, stirring dissension and preventing prosperity and growth.
In the church they appear as divisions and discord, contentions, prejudice of brother against brother, and provoking one another and envying one another, weakening witness by revealing lack of love and respect. They include discord and rivalry between believers, with anger and selfish conduct undermining unity and trust among those working together. Disunion and division are not fruits of righteousness but of the evil one, and selfishness prevents believers from having true fellowship with one another.
The same envy, estrangement, emulation and strife are found in households, even in professedly Christian ones. They belong to a wider pattern of corruption described as idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, rivalry, anger, strife, division and false teaching, spreading through society and through Christian homes. That spread flourishes where people are taught that they need not obey God's requirements.
Call to Overcome
All who have the light of truth must wake up, put to death the deeds of the body through the Spirit in order to live, purify the mind by obedience to the truth, and receive the life-giving power of the gospel, the help of the Great Physician, and all the quickening power of the Holy Spirit to remedy souls enfeebled by selfish degrading passions and restore the moral image of God in man. The evil tendencies, habits, appetites and passions of the lower nature are not to enslave those who trust in Christ, for instead of remaining in bondage to hereditary or cultivated tendencies to wrong they are to rule every appetite and passion and overcome through the power God is ready to impart, not by battling evil in finite human strength. God's people must remain untainted by corruption, with holy bodies and pure spirits, under the Spirit's control, because the works named stand opposed to purity of character and growth in grace.
Every soul must examine himself to see if he is approaching the committal of any such sins, since those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God and since these jealousies and differences bring churches into weakness and disfavor with God. Variance, strife, envy and jealousy are the unholy fruit of a heart not in harmony with Christ, while those truly connected with God will not be at variance with one another because His Spirit working in their hearts creates harmony, peace, love and unity, with meekness, benevolence, kindness, mercy and love marking the Christian. Envy, strife and jealousy are stirred up by Satan and are opposed to God's Spirit, so those who profess to follow Christ must consider what fruit they bear, for the fruit shows whether the life reflects God's Spirit.
The remedy is to seek the Lord for a renewed heart by the Holy Spirit, to walk in the Spirit, to restore the erring in meekness, and to bear one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ, giving no occasion for differences. Deliverance from selfishness seeking personal benefit and carrying out personal thoughts, plans and ideas while crucifying others instead of crucifying self is hiding self in Jesus, understanding the heart and motives, learning meekness and lowliness of heart, creating harmony, and becoming a peacemaker instead of stirring up strife. Christians are called to reject discord and rivalry between believers, think the best of one another, and address suspected mistakes in faith and brotherly love. Union with Christ is the secret of unity, for those who approach the Center approach one another, and those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts and instead bear love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
Those who try to correct the faults of others must beware lest they commit equally great sins themselves while doing so, for hatred, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies and envyings are works of the flesh just as truly as lasciviousness, adultery, drunkenness and murder. They are equally great sins and will just as surely close the gate of heaven against the guilty and shut them out of heaven.
Emulation, strife and envy are an unholy desire for supremacy appearing as love to be flattered, jealous watching for slights or neglect, and a hard unforgiving spirit, and they stand condemned as unholy and must be replaced by a self-abasing unpretending spirit. Emulations must be put away and replaced by the similitude of Christ in the heart at home, with tenderness for one another, so a little heaven can be had on earth now, for letting the spirit rise up against another when hearing of his errors crushes the plant of love, and jealousy of one another shuts people out of heaven since nothing of that kind will exist there. Alienation between relatives, such as between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, comes from natural ways and habits, and the grace of God is needed to change those natural ways and habits and to let the Spirit of God rule in the heart instead.
Students must make the Bible the great lesson book, become thorough students of the Bible and doers of the Word, dig deep and lay a sure foundation through obedience to all the requirements of God, so that they leave the works of the flesh, bear the fruit of the Spirit, and are prepared to graduate to the higher school. Fulfilling the lusts of the flesh is walking after the flesh through self-indulgence of appetite and passion at the expense of health and life, which destroys consecration to God and prevents sanctification of soul, body and spirit in conformity to the divine law, so the warning sounding down to the present time requires regulated habits that preserve the full vigor of every faculty for service, temperance as a fruit of the Spirit, and crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts in order to walk in the Spirit and enjoy freedom from condemnation. Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts, and if they live in the Spirit they must also walk in the Spirit, not being desirous of vain glory, provoking one another or envying one another.
The verse lists idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies as manifest works of the flesh that come from letting sensual appetites rule and walking after the course of the world. They stand directly opposite the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, against which there is no law. Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God, for hatred, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies are just as truly works of the flesh as lasciviousness, adultery, drunkenness and murder and will just as surely close heaven against the guilty. They spring from selfishness seeking personal benefit and supremacy, which Satan himself sows to ruin souls, break up families and churches, and poison the heart with envy, jealousy and evil surmising. All who have the light must therefore mortify the deeds of the body through the Spirit, having crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts, and walk in the Spirit in meekness, unity and love.
Words and Fleshly Life
The idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies named here are manifest works of the flesh. In other renderings the same works appear as discord, jealousy, fits of anger, selfish conflict, division, false teaching, quarrels and anger. They come from living after the flesh by letting sensual appetites rule the being and walking according to the course of the world. They stand opposite a Spirit-led life and show the absence of a changed life bearing fruit through fellowship with Christ. Those who continue in them cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, so that the two are contrary to each other and those who do not walk in the Spirit cannot do the things they would. Those who walk in the Spirit and are led by the Spirit do not fulfill the lust of the flesh and are not under the condemnation of the law. Walking after the flesh is self-indulgence of appetite and passion at the expense of health and life. That course destroys consecration to God and prevents sanctification of soul, body and spirit in conformity to the divine law.
Hostile and divisive attitudes here are the unholy fruit of a heart not in harmony with Christ and the evil fruit of an evil tree. They show what controls the heart, bearing corrupt fruit rather than the good works produced by divine truth. When carnal passions rule, skepticism about Christian realities is encouraged and the expressing of doubts can be treated as a virtue. Separation from Christ and loss of His love from the heart is proved by such variance, strife, envy and jealousy.
Every form of fanaticism belongs to these works of the flesh, produced when Satan's power bears upon the carnal mind. It is his imperfect mimicry of God's work, clothed as far as possible to resemble truth and righteousness yet coming infinitely short of the work of high heaven, blinding undiscerning eyes but plain to the experienced observer. When carried out and ripened its bitter fruit stands opposite the fruit of God's Spirit as wide as Beelzebub stands from Christ and perdition with its terror and black despair from the glories of the kingdom. The road to life and the road to death lie in opposite directions, not side by side, so fanaticism must never be mixed with God's work as if the compound all came from heaven, nor God's pure work denounced as Satan's because fanaticism appeared beside it. To make God the author of fanaticism and confusion insults God, and to attribute His marred work to Satan pleases the devil.
Witchcraft here stands among works opposed to Christ. Envy, jealousy, bitterness and dissension are also condemned as yielding to Satan, so that even those who reject belief in witchcraft are in communion with an evil spirit when they show such traits. Alienation between relatives, such as between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, is included among these works of the flesh that come from natural ways and habits. The grace of God is needed to change those natural ways and to let the Spirit of God rule in the heart instead.
Contrast with the Spirit
Galatians 5:20 stands directly opposite the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, against which there is no law. The works named there reveal the absence of a changed life bearing fruit through fellowship with Christ. The love set against them is pure and unadulterated, proceeding from the heart of Christ, not love-sick sentimentalism and not a beastly defiling lust that destroys all that is pure in mind and body and is death to soul and body.
Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts, and if they live in the Spirit they must also walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit keeps a person from fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, including the idolatry and kindred sins named in the verse. That walk leaves behind vain glory, provoking one another, and envying one another. It requires regulated habits that preserve full vigor for service, temperance as a fruit of the Spirit, and freedom from condemnation through conformity to the divine law and consecration of soul, body, and spirit.
Union with Christ is the secret of unity, for when His Spirit rules the heart it creates harmony, peace, love, and unity. Those truly connected with God cannot be at variance with one another, but approach one another as they approach the Center. Variance and disaffection are fruits of a divided heart, the unholy fruit of a heart not in harmony with Christ, stirred up by Satan to sow dissension. Closer union with Christ therefore brings closer union with one another, marked by the meekness of Christ and by benevolence, kindness, mercy, and love originating from infinite wisdom, so that the fruit borne shows whether the life reflects God's Spirit.
Shut Out from Heaven
Those who practice idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies will not inherit the kingdom of God, for these are manifest works of the flesh that come from living after the flesh by letting sensual appetites rule the being and walking according to the course of the world. The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh so that they are contrary to each other, but those who walk in the Spirit and are led by the Spirit do not fulfill the lust of the flesh and are not under the condemnation of the law. These fleshly works stand opposite the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, against which there is no law, and they show the absence of a changed life bearing fruit through fellowship with Christ. Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts, and if they live in the Spirit they must also walk in the Spirit, not being desirous of vain glory, provoking one another or envying one another. Those who practice these fleshly works dishonor Christ who bought soul, mind and body and corrupt mind and body, so all who have the light of truth must wake up, mortify the deeds of the body through the Spirit in order to live, purify the mind by obedience to the truth, and receive the life-giving power of the gospel, the help of the Great Physician, and all the quickening power of the Holy Spirit to remedy souls enfeebled by selfish passions and restore the moral image of God.
Hatred, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies and envyings are works of the flesh just as truly as lasciviousness, adultery, drunkenness and murder. They are equally great sins and will just as surely close the gate of heaven against the guilty and shut them out of heaven. Those who try to correct the faults of others must beware lest they commit these equally great sins themselves while doing so.
Evil natures bar people from God's kingdom, and no untruthful, impure or unrighteous person can enter heaven. Jealousy of one another and emulations shut people out of heaven and must be put away, for nothing of that kind will exist there, but must be replaced by the similitude of Christ in the heart and tenderness for one another at home so that a little heaven can be had on earth now. A great price was paid for human redemption, and each person must make Christ his personal Saviour and become true and pure and holy. If he does not, the Lord has only one course, to destroy the sinner, for sin if not destroyed will destroy the sinner just as Satan designed, while letting the spirit rise up against another when hearing of his errors crushes the plant of love.
Emulation, strife, envy, hatred, jealousy, evil surmising and bitterness are fruits of cherishing evil and turning away from God, proving separation from God, going astray and guilt with corrupting of ways before Him. They show forsaking Him the Fountain of living waters for hewed-out broken cisterns that can hold no water. Those who persist in these ways and refuse reproof do not see their wrong or their perverse ways and will not heed the testimony sent to them. They will not turn back and be converted that God should heal them.
Selfish Satanic Source
Hatred, emulation, strife and sedition are evils Satan himself sows to ruin men, women and children in soul and body and to break up families and communities, and they are not conditions appointed by God to exist and be endured. He stays on the track of men every moment while they are ignorant of his devices, intruding into every department of the household, every street of the cities, the churches, the national councils and the courts of justice to perplex, deceive and seduce. Variance, emulation and strife spring from selfishness seeking personal benefit and carrying out personal thoughts, plans and ideas while crucifying others instead of crucifying self. They are an unholy desire for supremacy at work, appearing as love to be flattered, jealous watching for slights or neglect, and a hard, unforgiving spirit that must be replaced by a self-abasing, unpretending spirit. They are vainglory seeking the esteem and applause of men rather than self-examination about sanctification in the love of God, wanting to stand first in every calling and work, and feeling dissatisfied, slighted and inferior when self-glory and due respect are not received.
That selfishness is a hateful, poisonous root, even when admitted under pretense of necessity, which displeases God and reveals the human ruling instead of the divine. Satan crowds such vainglory into the heart to steal away humility and meekness, love and patience, and to put another spirit in their place. That spirit poisons the heart with envy, jealousy and evil surmisings, leading to demeriting the one envied, magnifying any fault that can be found, and seeking to injure his reputation, which is hateful in the sight of a holy God and pleasing to the devil and his angels who suggest the tempting thoughts. It spreads through the family into the church like leaven until it corrupts the whole lump, stirring dissension, wounding, marring and bruising the cause of God, hurting souls, revealing an unconverted heart where selfishness is excused as conscientiousness, and preventing prosperity and growth. When nourished in institutions and publishing establishments it corrupts experience, dims discernment, defiles the whole person, and corrupts the work, for these are principles God hates.
Those opposed to God's will and truth may appear united, but their harmony is deceptive and hides lasting discord, for apart from that opposition they are divided by hatred, emulation, jealousy and strife. Hatred, anger and disagreement lead people to take sides and consume one another, damaging both physical and spiritual strength and weakening their influence for good. Anyone continuing to indulge in idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, quarrels, jealousy, anger, strife, division and false teaching cannot inherit God's kingdom, while walking by the Spirit and bearing the Spirit's fruit stands against such conduct.
Division in Church and Home
Jealousies and differences named as hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies are manifest works of the flesh and the greatest detriment to churches, bringing them into weakness and disfavor with God. They wound, mar and bruise the cause of God and hurt souls, and they reveal an unconverted heart in which selfishness seeking personal benefit and carrying out personal thoughts, plans and ideas is excused as conscientiousness while others are crucified instead of self being crucified. Because those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God, every soul must examine himself to see if he is approaching the committal of any such sins. That selfish spirit poisons the heart with envy, jealousy and evil surmisings and spreads through the family into the church like leaven until it corrupts the whole, stirring dissension and preventing prosperity and growth.
In the church they appear as divisions and discord, contentions, prejudice of brother against brother, and provoking one another and envying one another, weakening witness by revealing lack of love and respect. They include discord and rivalry between believers, with anger and selfish conduct undermining unity and trust among those working together. Disunion and division are not fruits of righteousness but of the evil one, and selfishness prevents believers from having true fellowship with one another.
The same envy, estrangement, emulation and strife are found in households, even in professedly Christian ones. They belong to a wider pattern of corruption described as idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, rivalry, anger, strife, division and false teaching, spreading through society and through Christian homes. That spread flourishes where people are taught that they need not obey God's requirements.
Call to Overcome
All who have the light of truth must wake up, put to death the deeds of the body through the Spirit in order to live, purify the mind by obedience to the truth, and receive the life-giving power of the gospel, the help of the Great Physician, and all the quickening power of the Holy Spirit to remedy souls enfeebled by selfish degrading passions and restore the moral image of God in man. The evil tendencies, habits, appetites and passions of the lower nature are not to enslave those who trust in Christ, for instead of remaining in bondage to hereditary or cultivated tendencies to wrong they are to rule every appetite and passion and overcome through the power God is ready to impart, not by battling evil in finite human strength. God's people must remain untainted by corruption, with holy bodies and pure spirits, under the Spirit's control, because the works named stand opposed to purity of character and growth in grace.
Every soul must examine himself to see if he is approaching the committal of any such sins, since those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God and since these jealousies and differences bring churches into weakness and disfavor with God. Variance, strife, envy and jealousy are the unholy fruit of a heart not in harmony with Christ, while those truly connected with God will not be at variance with one another because His Spirit working in their hearts creates harmony, peace, love and unity, with meekness, benevolence, kindness, mercy and love marking the Christian. Envy, strife and jealousy are stirred up by Satan and are opposed to God's Spirit, so those who profess to follow Christ must consider what fruit they bear, for the fruit shows whether the life reflects God's Spirit.
The remedy is to seek the Lord for a renewed heart by the Holy Spirit, to walk in the Spirit, to restore the erring in meekness, and to bear one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ, giving no occasion for differences. Deliverance from selfishness seeking personal benefit and carrying out personal thoughts, plans and ideas while crucifying others instead of crucifying self is hiding self in Jesus, understanding the heart and motives, learning meekness and lowliness of heart, creating harmony, and becoming a peacemaker instead of stirring up strife. Christians are called to reject discord and rivalry between believers, think the best of one another, and address suspected mistakes in faith and brotherly love. Union with Christ is the secret of unity, for those who approach the Center approach one another, and those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts and instead bear love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
Those who try to correct the faults of others must beware lest they commit equally great sins themselves while doing so, for hatred, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies and envyings are works of the flesh just as truly as lasciviousness, adultery, drunkenness and murder. They are equally great sins and will just as surely close the gate of heaven against the guilty and shut them out of heaven.
Emulation, strife and envy are an unholy desire for supremacy appearing as love to be flattered, jealous watching for slights or neglect, and a hard unforgiving spirit, and they stand condemned as unholy and must be replaced by a self-abasing unpretending spirit. Emulations must be put away and replaced by the similitude of Christ in the heart at home, with tenderness for one another, so a little heaven can be had on earth now, for letting the spirit rise up against another when hearing of his errors crushes the plant of love, and jealousy of one another shuts people out of heaven since nothing of that kind will exist there. Alienation between relatives, such as between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, comes from natural ways and habits, and the grace of God is needed to change those natural ways and habits and to let the Spirit of God rule in the heart instead.
Students must make the Bible the great lesson book, become thorough students of the Bible and doers of the Word, dig deep and lay a sure foundation through obedience to all the requirements of God, so that they leave the works of the flesh, bear the fruit of the Spirit, and are prepared to graduate to the higher school. Fulfilling the lusts of the flesh is walking after the flesh through self-indulgence of appetite and passion at the expense of health and life, which destroys consecration to God and prevents sanctification of soul, body and spirit in conformity to the divine law, so the warning sounding down to the present time requires regulated habits that preserve the full vigor of every faculty for service, temperance as a fruit of the Spirit, and crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts in order to walk in the Spirit and enjoy freedom from condemnation. Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts, and if they live in the Spirit they must also walk in the Spirit, not being desirous of vain glory, provoking one another or envying one another.