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Let us now pick up our investigation of the manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit described by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 with "peace:"
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.
The Greek word translated here as "peace" is eirene, defined by Thayer's as:
1) a state of national tranquillity
1a) exemption from the rage and havoc of war
2) peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord
3) security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous)
4) of the Messiah’s peace
4a) the way that leads to peace (salvation)
5) of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is
6) the blessed state of devout and upright men after death
For our purposes in this discussion of peace we ought to keep the fourth and fifth definitions in mind, for they most accurately describe the peace which is a manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in the life of a Christian.
This term is constantly used in the New Testament as a part of both the salutation and the conclusion of letters (Romans 1:7, Romans 15:33, 1 Peter 1:2, 1 Peter 5:14, etc.). Peace is explained as the result of having called upon Christ and being one of His children (Romans 2:10 and Romans 8:6). Peace is also one of the three characteristics of the Kingdom of God listed in Romans 10:17; it is also established in Ephesians 2:11-18 that Christ established our peace by abolishing the Law of Moses through the cross.
Another main use of the term "peace" is in regard to the relataionships among brethren. Paul explains our task of establishing peace in Romans 14:19, 2 Corinthians 3:11, and Ephesians 4:1-3:
So then let us follow after things which make for peace, and things whereby we may edify one another.
Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfected; be comforted; be of the same mind; live in peace: and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
This peace may be achieved if we follow the advice of Paul in Colossians 3:15:
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful.
It is well-established in the annals of history that when a country is at war with an external enemy, internal schism will often lead to the failure of that war while internal unity and peace facilitates a better outcome. Essentially, we must ask ourselves: if we are at war against ourselves, how will we be able to combat sin and worldliness successfully? How can the members of the church be at odds against one another and yet also combat the sin which so easily besets us? It is imperative that we work diligently for the peace that ought to exist among brethren so that we may all be more successful in our struggle against the powers of darkness.
As we continue our walk with Christ on this earth, we must not neglect the peace which ought to characterize our souls and our relationships with one another. When peace in Christ is present there is no need for worry or concern, as has been promised in Philippians 4:6-7:
In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
We should understand that many awesome burdens have been lifted from our shoulders by Christ, for He has given us a way of escaping from our sins and has pointed us onto the path of righteousness. He is able to take care of us and leave us with no need for wordly concerns which often conquer the lives and thoughts of men. If we truly believe in Christ and His promises, and we are living faithfully to His commandments, why would we not have complete peace? What should we be concerned about? We should heed well the advice Peter gives to us in 2 Peter 3:11-14:
Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give diligence that ye may be found in peace, without spot and blameless in his sight.
Peace is another manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit which ought to characterize not only our perspective on our existence but also the way we live with our brethren. We of all people have the right to peace, since our Lord has removed all of our burdens of sin and worry from us. If we feel, as we often do, that there are many concerns, fears, and sins in our lives, then we must take all of these to our Lord in prayer so that we may achieve the peace in Christ Jesus. We must also work diligently for peace among brethren, for this leads to the edification of all and a renewed spirit for continuing the fight against sin and darkness. This manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit, as with the others, facilitates the demonstration of the other characteristics; for instance, if our souls are at peace we are more likely to be joyful, and if we love as we ought our lives will be full of peace. We must recognize the significant role that peace ought to play in the life of a Christian, as the Lord will be satisfied with us only if He returns to find us in peace. Shall we continue to expend our energies on worries and disagreements that can only distract us from the fight against sin, or shall we strive for the peace and unity that is to be found in truly following Christ Jesus?
And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Ethan R. Longhenry
ethan@thechristianexaminer.com
www.deusvitae.com
[Author's note. On February 28, 2003, Mr. Jim Lynn posted to the Gospel Preachers e-mail list his response to my article in Volume III, Number 20 of The Christian Examiner entitled Works of the Flesh: Sorcery. I have contacted Mr. Lynn welcoming him to engage in a discussion about his response in The Christian Examiner, and he has chosen not to. Since, howevr, his response was made public, I feel compelled to make my response public also. I will therefore make quotations from his response that was sent to the Gospel Preachers list, message 5199, available here and provide my response to them.]
Mr. Lynn begins:
Brother Longhenry's assessment of sorcery being any form of magic arts is correct. But to dismiss the use of drugs and not include them as being a form of magic arts is not correct. Legally prescribed pharmaceutical drugs must be a form of pharmakeia (sorcery), or else word definitions are meaningless.Vine's Dictionary of New Testament Words defines pharmakeia as: "primarily signifying the use of medicine, drugs, spells; then poisoning, then sorcery, witchcraft."
Strong's Concordance of the Bible lists pharmakeia, Strong's #5331, as: "Medication, by extension magic, literally or figuratively, sorcery, witchcraft."
The root word of pharmakeia is pharmakeus, Strong's #5332, and means: "a drug, spell-giving potion, druggist, poisoner, by extension a magician or sorcerer."
Thayer defines pharmakeia as: the use or the administering of drugs, poisoning, sorcery, magical arts.
Vines [sic], Strong and Thayer all define the primary (first) meaning of the word as medication or drugs. Witchcraft is certainly included in the meaning of the word, but note its placement in the definition by Vine, Strong and Thayer. It falls last. If Paul wanted to specify the lessor meaning of the word, why didn't he use mageuo as Luke did in Acts 8:9 (Strong 3096, mageuo; from 3097; to practice magic).
The word pharmakeia in Paul’s language of Koine Greek literally means "medication from a pharmacy." If it did not mean this, why then does the English word, pharmacy, stem from the Greek word pharmakeia? (GospelPreachers E-Mail List, Post #5199)
I will certainly not contest the definitions of the word pharmakeia as Mr. Lynn has listed them. I do, however, contest the idea that Paul must have the first and primary meaning in mind when listing it as a "work of the flesh."
As the examination of the "works of the flesh" continued, we noted in Works of the Flesh: Jealousy that the word Paul uses as "jealousy" is the Greek word zelos, defined by Thayer's as:
1) excitement of mind, ardour, fervour of spirit
1a) zeal, ardour in embracing, pursuing, defending anything
1a1) zeal in behalf of, for a person or thing
1a2) the fierceness of indignation, punitive zeal
1b) an envious and contentious rivalry, jealousy
The main and primary definition of this term is "zeal," a word that in fact derives from the Greek term itself, just like "pharmacy" comes from pharmakeia. We find this term being used in 2 Corinthians 7:11 and 2 Corinthians 9:1-2 by Paul to the Corinthians:
For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter.
For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: for I know your readiness, of which I glory on your behalf to them of Macedonia, that Achaia hath been prepared for a year past; and your zeal hath stirred up very many of them.
Shall we say, then, since Paul is using the main and primary definition of the word zelos in these two passages, that we should either consider him a hypocrite for condemning this as a "work of the flesh" and then commending the Corinthians for having it, or that Paul contradicts himself? May it never be! We can easily see that zeal is a perfectly legitimate attitude for a Christian-- one strongly desired, in fact-- yet a degeneracy of zeal for wicked intentions leads to what we deem "jealousy," which Paul strongly condemns.
What, one may ask, does this have to do with sorcery and pharmakeia? Well, we may see in both of these situations a similar concept. The main and primary definition of a term can be a perfectly legitimate practice for a Christian while a secondary meaning, in these cases a "negative derivative" (i.e. the abuse or perversion of the original meaning), can be strongly condemned in the Scriptures. Therefore, Mr. Lynn's argument that Paul must refer to the primary meaning of the term pharmakeia or the "definitions are meaningless" is not valid since the same could be said for zelos and many other words in the Scriptures.
We also must keep in mind thae development of medical sciences in the ancient world when examining this term. For thousands of years before the ancient Greeks many civilizaitons blended the medical sciences with the more magical arts. We know from Sumerian texts that there were two types of doctors employed: one who would attempt a cure by medical practices and one who would attempt to make a cure by incantation and ritual. The Egyptians would often first attempt cures with what we recognize as medical means and if those failed would then turn to magical incantations and whatnot. The Babylonians in many ways continued the traditions of the Sumerians, and the Greks learned much from the Babylonians. The Greeks (and the later Romans) themselves were known for the cult of Asclepius, who was thought to be the god of medicine and healing, and many of the ill would travel to his temples and sanctuaries for a supernatural form of healing.
I say all of this so that we recognize that in the ancient world the line between medical science and "medical magic" was not as distinct as we would believe today. If the one failed, then people would naturally turn to the other. Paul could easily use the term pharmakeia and roundly condemn the practices of magic and black arts without any intention of condemning medical science proper since the term could refer to either.
Mr. Lynn continues:
God condemns pharmakeia because it is of "the works of the flesh," in opposition to "the fruits [sic] of the Spirit" (Compare Galatians 5:19 with verse 22). This is a hard truth for many Christians who place dependence on drugs.Does this mean Christians are condemned for taking "medication from a pharmacy?" In a word, no! God's grace is greater than our sin. Read a little further down in Galatians 5:21. The NIV Bible reads: "...those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
The KJV Bible reads: "...they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." The key word in this passage is "live" or "do." Translated from the Greek word prasso, it is a primary verb meaning to perform repeatedly or habitually. So Paul is referring here to the continual, habitual reliance on works of the flesh...pharmakeia (drugs). (Ibid.)
I completely agree with Mr. Lynn that dependence on drugs is more often harmful than good, although I disagree with his reasoning for it. Living a life dependent on drugs is not proper since it does not show any form of "self-control," which is a manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit, not because it is condemned as a "work of the flesh."
I am also very glad that Mr. Lynn does not condemn a Christian for using drugs occasionally, I am in great disagreement by the means he uses to reach this conclusion. While I will not contest his explanation of the word prasso, I do not believe that Paul is allowing us in Galatians 5 to partake of the "works of the flesh" on an occasional basis but in fact to completely shun them, as we can see in Galatians 5:16-18 and Galatians 5:24-26:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would. But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof. If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk. Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another.
If we have truly crucified our passions and we are truly "of Christ Jesus," we will not give any concessions to the works of the flesh. We will walk only by the Spirit and manifesting the fruit thereof.
I will of course grant that if a Christian slips into a work of the flesh, realizes his error, and repents, then the sin will not be counted against him and it will not condemn him. Yet this in no way implies that we should have no problem occasionally partaking of the works of the flesh and feeling justified because we are not doing them habitually/repeatedly. The use of medical drugs can certainly be abused and such is a sin; to declare, however, that all use of medical drugs is a form of sorcery is strongly disputable.
Mr. Lynn continues:
Drugs are not a black-and-white issue. Drugs can be useful to kill pain and stop infection. There are circumstances where drugs are used only short-term and then very carefully monitored (as in a crisis-care situation). My words are not directed against their use in this circumstance. But all drugs are spiritually dangerous and here's why.Satan confuses us by counterfeiting the will of God in our lives. By creating alternative realities, Satan can move us away from God’s will into an illusion, a false reality of truth. This counterfeited reality manifests itself many ways in the world both through the occult and directly in our lives. In the occults, Satan created the counterfeit realities of astrology, fortune-telling, tarot cards, mind reading, and pharmakeia (drugs) Yes, pharmakeia is an occult.
By creating these alternative realities, Satan has altered worship of the creator to worship of the created.
If the answer to the following question causes your heart to twinge, you know the habitual use of drugs is a sin. Here's the question. Is Prozac, Paxil and a host of other anti-depressant drugs really the answer to depression? See the bottom of this message for the answer. (Ibid.)
Again, I will not contest that man can make an idol at out modern medicine and of pills. But I would contend that everything we do can be so described.
I could say that food and overindulgence in food could produce the same results as these drugs in the spiritual life of a Christian. Money assuredly can do the same and even worse. Should we then dispense with food and with money merely because they can be abused and become a spiritual stumbling-block? Or shall we learn to allow self-control guide us in food consumption, and money, and the responsible use of drugs?
Mr. Lynn continues:
Pharmakeia is listed as a work of the flesh by God, because those who turn to drugs for healing (and those who encourage their use) place dependency on a false reality (an illusion) instead of in Jesus Christ. It is an insidious scheme that has kept millions from knowing godly healing.God tells us to test every spirit to determine its source. But how? How does one test a spirit? We learn to recognize good spirits from bad spirits by observing what they produce (Matthew 7:16).
According to JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), 106,000 people died in 1994 from unintended drug side effects of legally prescribed drugs. Another two million people had to be hospitalized, but survived, from suffering adverse reactions to these same drugs. The death count reported by JAMA is so high that USA Today, April 24, 1998, listed adverse drug reactions as the 4th leading cause of mortality on their list of Top Ten Killers in the USA. Ranked first to last, the top 10 killers of man are:
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
- Strokes
- ADVERSE DRUG REACTION
- Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
- Accidents (all kinds)
- Pneumonia and Influenza
- Diabetes
- AIDS
- Suicide
Brethren, Look at those figures. Do they not tell a story? If the taking of and/or dependency on drugs is not practicing pharmakeia, what is it?
Jesus said speaking of prophets, "by their fruits you shall recognize them." The same holds true of drugs. (Ibid.)
Again, there is no contest that drugs can cause many problems when not adminstered properly or because of abuse, but this again does not reject the good fruit of medicine. I know of more than one person who would have died of cancer without modern medicine. I myself would have probably perished around age three because of an illness I had which was cured by modern medicine. Is this a "false reality?" Do you deny that drugs have the capability of arming the body to fight disease?
It is highly illustrative that in your listing, the top killer in the United States, heart disease, is often the byproduct of poor dietary habits. Does this mean that it is wrong to eat a cheeseburger? Shall we shun food because it can cause heart disease? Or is it the abuse-- and lack of moderation-- that can cause these things? Is this not the same with drugs also?
Mr. Lynn continued:
We know there is both good and bad medicine. Any form of medicine that kills in the name of healing is not of God. How can it be, for God is our healer, not our destroyer. Godly medicine heals always, and never harms. If you have ever had a family member die from an adverse drug reaction, you understand the evil of drugs all too well.God's purpose is to heal. He never intended that we should spend half our income on drugs to maintain our lives. Many Christians use drugs routinely and willingly while forsaking spiritual examination. So much so, drug dependency has become a modern day plague in the Church. (Ibid.)
Again, drug abuse (and dependency can be seen as abuse) is a problem in the church, and it can be resolved with a greater development of the self-control which should mark the life of a Christian. Does this relegate all drugs as "works of the flesh?" This has yet to be demonstrated!
Mr. Lynn concludes:
The practice of healing is a most holy work. But our secular medical system is awash with drugs. What is so alarming is our brotherhood's, open, almost blind acceptance of these drugs as a way of life.And now the answer to the question posed above. Is Prozac, Paxil and a host of other anti-depressant drugs really the answer to depression?
God's answer...A Cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones - Proverbs 17:22
So if a person is suffering from depression, we can know there may be a spiritual root cause behind that state of mind (a crushed spirit) that no amount of drugs can eliminate. In the case of anti-depressant drugs, they create a false sense of reality by blocking neurological signals, They are known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRI's in the drug industry.
All SSRI's produce a range of dependency, both biological and psychological, so when the drug wears off, the patient wants more. The problem does not go away because the spiritual source of the problem is not addressed. Therein lies the deception, the false reality that Satan employs to get us hooked, and why God condemns pharmakeia as occultism. It is a false reality built on lies designed to focus attention away from God.
I am thankful for the opportunity to address this issue with you. (Ibid.)
As he concludes, Mr. Lynn has given insight to the means by which he has derived his conclusions. He has found that some drugs create a false reality for people and cause them to be addicted to that false reality. I think we can all agree that such drugs should only be used, if at all, sparingly and only if absolutely nothing else-- either medically or spiritually-- can be done.
But what does this do with a host of other drugs with no such intention? Even if we concede that mind-altering drugs like Prozac and Paxil represent the "black magic" side of the drug industry which is a form of sorcery, what about all the other drugs that can help us survive? Have we sinned by using acetaminophen or ibuprofen to minimize pain? What if we use an antihistamine to survive the allergy season? If we use the logic that Mr. Lynn has espoused, all of these drugs represent the fruit of the works of the flesh and are not to be used by one born of the Spirit without the charge of sin.
It is my contention, as seen in the original article ( Works of the Flesh: Sorcery) and in another article, Adversities: Drugs, that the use of legally prescribed and.or over-the-counter drugs may be profitable when used properly and in moderation yet can easily be abused. Yet the same is true of food, money, sexuality, and a host of other issues in our lives-- if we abuse these things, we are led down the path of sin. Yet merely because they can be abused does not necessitate that the entire category is wrong or sinful.
In concluding, I would like to examine the implications of one of Paul's charges to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23:
Be no longer a drinker of water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.
The argument regarding the alocholic nature of this "wine" notwithstanding, here we have Paul giving a "prescription" of sorts to Timothy. There is obviosuly some benefit within the wine that is not present in water that would help Timothy's medical condition; whatever chemical or antibody or whatever it might have been, it is acting in many of the same ways that drugs do today. Now, if Timothy were to drink excessive amounts of alcoholic wine so that he became drunk after reading this, would we fault Paul? Or would we recognize that Timothy himself did not handle his liberty properly and abused the benefit God gave to him? Further, is Paul showing a lack of faith in Christ and in God's healing power by telling Timothy to use wine to ease his stomach as opposed to, say, reading the Scriptures or praying to God fervently and by those means alone receive healing? Or do we see that God can use natural forms of medicine by which we might receive healing? And that the abuse of such natural forms of medicine do not in and of themselves condemn the use of the medicine on every occasion?
Pharmakeia in Galatians 5:20 does not require the idea of all medical drugs as a work of the flesh just as zelos need not require every idea of zeal as the same. We certainly understand that drugs can be abused and administered improperly, and while this is very grievous and harmful, this by no means allows us to roundly condemn the use of drugs as a "work of the flesh." Drugs are very similar to many things in life, such as food, money, and sexuality, which can be seen as gifts of God for our benefit and pleasure but can be abused terribly and thus cause heartache, pain, sin, and even death. We must strive, however, to not be guilty of "throwing out the baby with the bathwater," so to speak, and must recognize where God has given us liberties and how to handle these liberties responsibly.
I share the sentiment of Mr. Lynn of being thankful for this opportunity to discuss the issue of drugs and the life of a Christian, and I hope this response may help us in our understanding of God's will on this subject.
Ethan R. Longhenry
ethan@thechristianexaminer.com
www.deusvitae.com
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