Jason Silver

Sunday, June 1st, 2025

Human Nature

One of the biggest challenges of adulthood is coming to terms with my innate childishness. I don't want to believe that I still have unmet disappointments, unrealistic expectations, and selfish desires.

Like so many other aspects of ego, I'm often blind to myself. The question I must ask is, why am I refusing to take a cold, hard, candid look at my problems?

I tend to blame other people when they don't like things about me. It's only in moments of honest self-reflection that I can take responsibility for my problems and the way I come across to others. This struggle is exactly what Paul addresses in Galatians 5, where he describes a war within us.

This inner war, or "duality of self"—this tension between what I think I am and what I really am—is a big part of what Paul is describing in Galatians 5. It's the classic battle between subjectivity and objectivity. He calls it the Spirit and the flesh, or as some translations read, "the sinful nature."

His use of "flesh" is a nuanced term which refers to our sinful desires, but also to the broader human inclination to prioritize one's self over God.

I can somehow talk myself into justifying a judgment against another person. It's surprisingly easy to withhold love from others, to harbour inner resentments, to explain away criticisms, and sometimes even normalize unforgiveness. I make exceptions for myself that I don't make for someone else.

This is what Paul would call indulging in "the flesh." This sinful nature is at the core of my being, and I must not let it win.

How do we deal with this rotten core?

We must let the Spirit have its way in us. God will begin to transform us from the inside out as we let Him replace our childishness with Spirit-centredness. Like a healthy tree produces delicious fruit, so God's work in us will cause flourishing. Our "rotten core" will be replaced with a spiritual fruitfulness.

The work of God's Spirit doesn't depend on us. We don't need to clean up our lives for him to work in us, but that doesn't mean we aren't participants in the process. As Paul says, stop doing whatever you want. We must follow the Spirit, and as we begin to turn from our selfishness, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, and selfish ambition, the Spirit of God continues to bring about a change in us. We will see fruit grow up inside us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

That song on "The Fruit of The Spirit" comes out next time! Stay tuned!