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This past weekend, my wife and I got our fall décor out and put the plethora of fall-related items throughout the house (okay, it was mainly my wife while I watched football...). One thing becomes evident when you look at the stereotypical fall décor — the emphasis is on provision, thankfulness, praise for the changes that are to come, and traditionally, the bountiful harvest that is celebrated.
Yet, as the leaves begin to change and the air grows crisp, we are reminded that this changing season, even with all its beauty, also speaks of decline and dormancy. In our spiritual lives, we see something similar through what Paul highlights in Galatians 5: though we ought to be growing in the Fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control — it is too often the works of the flesh that are “evident.”
When you look at the works of the flesh, notice that these aren't just random vices; they are perversions of what should be growing in us, and yet despite our best efforts, they still exist. Luther even acknowledges their presence in his commentary on Galatians, saying, "Do not despair if you feel the flesh battling against the Spirit or if you cannot make it behave. For you to follow the guidance of the Spirit in all things without interference on the part of the flesh is impossible. You are doing all you can if you resist the flesh and do not fulfill its demands."
See, it is so often the work of the flesh that is evident in our lives, in our minds, and in our hearts. So often we can be battered and bruised by their impact, but the Fruit of the Spirit truly belongs to the believer — not always evidentially, but certainly eternally. Luther would also add to this section of his Galatians commentary, "Christ alone can supply us with perfect righteousness. Therefore we must always believe and always hope in Christ. 'Whosoever believeth shall not be ashamed (Romans 9:33).' "
As we are joined to Him through faith, His Spirit will transform us, but that doesn’t mean it is always evident in how that flesh tries to work within us. Yet as the well-known Thanksgiving hymn states, it is when those "evident" trials and perils occur — those that seemingly overwhelm us — that our Redeemer and Creator does not forsake us but guides, blesses, and keeps us in that hope of faith. The work of the flesh may be evident, but the victory of Christ is permanent. “Through trial and tempest our guide You have been. When perils o’ertake us, You will not forsake us, And with Your help, O Lord our struggles we win” (Hymn 785). A victory now and to eternity.
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