How the Crop Grows

How the Crop Grows

The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity – 9/6/2026

Galatians 5:16-24

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our reading from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians in the fifth chapter with special emphasis on verses sixteen and seventeen which read as follows:

                “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

      The Christian life is not difficult in the abstract. To put it another way, if I were to give you a pop quiz about what the Christian’s life ought to look like, you would all probably get a good grade. You would probably say something about going to church, reading your Bibles, receiving the Lord’s Supper, and praying. You would likely recount how Christians should take care of those in need, do a good job at work, be honest, be fair, be responsible, and the like. Like I said, painting the picture of what this looks like is pretty easy, even for Christians who aren’t as well catechized as others.

     But in this description lurks a problem, one that hounds each and every one of us: we all know what we ought to do. We all know how we should be living. We all know what it means for us to live the Christian life. The problem is not knowledge of such things. Rather, the problem lies in actually doing them. Each of us does not do everything that we want. Each of us has sins and iniquities. Each of us goes to bed with regrets. So, what are we to do about this?

Law Harder?

     The solution seems simple: we should try harder, double down, resolve ourselves to greater effort. At least, this is a common way of trying to address this problem. Such thinking assumes that we are capable, all on our own, of producing the fruit of a Christian life. After all, if the Bible warns us away from sin, then it must be the case that we can manufacture fruit and faithfulness by the power of our own minds and efforts.

     This view, admittedly, is old. It goes back to at least the late 4^th Century AD where a heretical monk called Pelagius taught that the human person and the human nature are so unharmed by sin that they are perfectly capable of doing what God requires all on their own, unassisted by the Holy Spirit in any way.[2] Pelagius taught that we can choose salvation since our will is uncorrupted and that we can, on our own, live a Christian life by our own efforts. This certainly sounds good to us, especially in a culture that values hard work and self-reliance like ours.

    But the problem is that the human nature is not uncorrupt. The very fact that we think that we do not need God to become righteous is evidence of this. The very longing to solve the problem of sin, unrighteousness, and imperfect living alone comes not from faith in the promises of God, but from the sinful self who seeks, above all, to take God’s place in these weighty matters. Besides this, everyday experience teaches us that these great hopes in our own ability are misplaced. For every story of a person who has overcome obstacles to get something that he or she wants, there are untold numbers more of people who fell and succumbed to the weakness of their natures. And besides all this, even if someone can find a successful business owner or athlete who has worked hard to get to where he or she is, this does not mean that the person has overcome sin or guilt. Earthly success is not an indicator of spiritual wellness.

     This is not to say that we should give up and passively await the transformation of our own selves to be like Christ. The Scriptures warn us away from sin, here from things like sexual immorality, idolatry, impurity, sensuality, sorcery, enmity, strife, angry fits, dissensions, and divisions. There is work for us in the Christian life, particularly in using what God has given you in your baptism to wrestle these evil urges and drown them in that same blessed washing. Each day we are to rise up, Luther says in the Small Catechism, claim our baptism anew, and use it against that sinful self that still lurks in our own members. And this is a fight each of us must undertake, even though it is difficult and frustrating. We cannot give up or fall into despair.

     Why is this a temptation? Because we still live in the sinful flesh, that is, still are stuck in our sinful natures, our Old Adams, here in this world. As sinners, we crave desires of the flesh, corrupt fruits, and seek sinful pleasures. Our flesh works against us and craves what we know to be not good. The Old Adam resists the work of the Spirit as long as he remains.

Grace and Good Works

    However, this does not mean that good works come from the same place. St. Paul here

describes them as fruits of the Spirit, not works. That is to say, the image Paul paints is that Christian virtues such as love, joy, peace, gentleness, self-control, and goodness do not come from our inner selves or our efforts. Rather, they come from the grace of God that is poured out on you richly from Jesus Christ your Savior by the Holy Spirit. In other words, they flow through you rather than being from you. These works are yours, but they do not originate from your inner self or sinful nature, rather, they arise from the new life given by the Holy Spirit by faith in Christ. From this good gift, this solid foundation, this deep root which extends to Christ, comes forth the increase of the Christian life. The Holy Spirit will produce in you these fruits and all manner of good works.

    God promises that you will do good works, that you will do things that both please Him. Even more, He does not leave this to you to force yourself into. He promises that you will do these things. In other words, faith is the foundation of your life in Christ. The Lord’s death is both the basis of your standing in the courts of heaven and the foundation of your life in this world even now. And God will not leave you lacking or wanting.

     We live in a world that seeks meaning for our actions and this promise from God is that your life in Christ is never without point or meaning. In fact, it gives meaning beyond even this world; your good deeds are celebrated by God not as your salvation, but as the blessed fruit of your secure salvation in Christ.

Conclusion

    It is easy to fall into the trap of guilt and shame that comes from not living a perfect Christian life. Many an earnest Christian has been taken by such thinking to despair and hopelessness. Yes, we should wrestle against our sin. Yes, we should be open and willing to do what is good and godly. But never forget that your life as a Christian is founded on the death of your Savior and that it will produce fruit from the wellspring of faith in Christ. And you most certainly have Christ: He has been poured over you in Baptism, preached into your ears, and has fed you with His precious body and blood. Even more, this is not something only for the super-Christians or the ultra-religious: this is the reality for every Christian, every person who has faith in Christ the Savior. Just as trees make good fruit, so Christians produce good fruit, just as our Lord designed it. The measure of your salvation is not a bountiful harvest of these fruits, but the saving forgiveness of Christ. This you have, by faith. This is given by the work of the Holy Spirit. This is most certainly yours.

       Every good farmer and gardener knows that fruit does not cause life, rather, fruit is produced by living things. You cannot stand in a field and, simply by wishing it to be so, make the crops grow faster or better. It is the same with the Christian life. Good works do not create a spiritual life no matter how much one wishes for them. The Holy Spirit gives life through Christ and that life bears fruit.

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. 

[1] Galatians 5:16-17 English Standard Version. All further quotations from the Holy Scriptures are from the ESV.

[2] Pelagius (c. 354 – 418 AD) was a monk, likely of Irish origin, famous for his denial of original sin and a strong view of the powers of the human person. He was condemned by St. Augustine, among others, for these views.