Idle musings by a once again bookseller, always bibliophile, current copyeditor and proofreader. Complete with ramblings about biblical studies, the ancient Near East, bicycling, gardening, or anything else I am reading (or experiencing). All more or less live from Red Wing, MN
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
New life in the Spirit
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have “crucified” the flesh, with its passions and desires ([Gal] 5:24). While a relapse is always possible, and would be extremely serious (6:7-8), Paul’s chief concern is to celebrate the fact that the Spirit creates a new mode of existence, exposing the multi-headed Hydra of “the flesh” (5:19-21) and slaying it by a superior power (5:16, 24). The new community is not fated to repeat the failures and dysfunctions of “the flesh.” The creative power of the Spirit has fashioned a new alternative.—J. M. G. Barclay, Paul and the Gift, 428
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