Holy Martyrs Mamas. Venerable Father John the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople.
Galatians 4:28-5:10. Mark 6:54-7:8.
Read Galatians 4:28-5:10
What does it mean to be born of the flesh and born of the Spirit? To begin with, to be born of the flesh means to be conceived and born in the natural order, in the womb of our mothers. We were all born of the flesh. If we are to make sense of Paul and of Christian teaching in general, it is critical to remember that when we were born of the flesh, we belonged to the world of the flesh and to its master and lord, the enemy. Those who are subject to the enemy are slaves, sons of the bondwoman.
When we are baptized, we are born of the Spirit. Our slavery to the enemy ends and we become children, not of the flesh, but of God. We are freed! We are liberated from the bonds and lusts of the flesh.
It should come as no surprise that who are still shackled to the flesh will persecute those freed in Christ. Such persons are under the jurisdiction and lordship of the enemy of God.
And for us who are free in Christ, it is critical to keep far from our hearts all hints of the lusts of the flesh. The enemy will use any and every means possible to rip us back to his slavery. In the context of this letter to the Galatians, it was a faction in the Church trying to force believers to accept circumcision and the Jewish law—a law which cannot save. In our context today, indifferentism, pornography, relativism, and deviant sexual ideologies are all extremely influential and lead many a Christian astray.
Stand guard! Be watchful of your thoughts, your heart, and your passions—there is so much out there to take us from Christ. If you sin, confess! And the freedom the Lord brings about will liberate you.