Adjustment to Discipleship
Adjustment to Discipleship
Paul aims for character instead of behavior because Christian believers are guided by the spirit of God that contributes to molding them each day. Their character is molded by the Holy Spirit that leads them to do the right things consistently. They live spirit-led lives with the satisfaction that comes from the spirit through the fruits of the holy spirit, including love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Bible, 1996, Galatians 5;22-23). Subsequently, the believers are new creation who runs the race to attain eternal life promised to them by God. They walk in spirit by living a life full of good character because they are always resting in the promises of God and their reward that is in heaven.
The teachings of Jesus in Mark 7; 14-23 are about spiritual cleanliness. The radical teaching of Jesus demonstrates that an individual gets defiled with everything that comes out of the heart. The Bible speaks that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks to initiate every evil thought in mind and eventually in the heart makes a man unclean (Bible, 1996, Mark 7; 20). For someone to sin for instance in sexual immorality, it all begins in the heart when the person defile themselves. On the contrary, the Jewish believed that whatever makes a man unclean are the things taken in the body. They argued that taking some food through the mouth makes a man unclean.
Finally, a friend, relative, and colleague would describe the fruit of the Holy Spirit in me through the patience, joy, kindness, and self-control that I possess. I am a human who is easy to deal with though I make many mistakes. I am happy that the spirit of God is ever-present to help me do the right things that please God. Correspondingly, I believe that growing the fruit of the Holy Spirit is an interior process because an individual has to work out salvation in fear and trembling. Again, God says that the walk of salvation would not be easy, but he would send a helper always to guide believers. Similarly, the relationship between head to heart in the fruit growing process is the connection that both exhibit. Since they work together, the heart will only process what the heart wants, and if it is the patience as the fruit of the Holy Spirit, then the head will process it.
Reference
Bible, K. J. (1996). King James Bible. Proquest LLC.
