those practicing these things will not inherit the kingdom of God  Galatians 5:21

Practicing – Habitual offender!  If you’ve ever heard that term used to describe you or someone you know, the impact is pretty scary.  By the time you reach the stage of habitual offender, the justice system has given up on you.  There is almost no chance that things will turn around in your life.  You are in for some very long, hard time. 

When Paul uses the Greek verb prasso he has the habitual offender in mind.  This is a verb that describes a repeated and continual action.  This person is being held captive to the sin which so easily besets each of us.  This is addiction!  When we reach the stage of spiritual habitual offender, we are no longer able to turn ourselves around.  We can’t walk away.  Now it’s ingrained in us.  We will need some superior, outside help in order to recover – and even when we do recover, life will always be vulnerable to the call of the addict.  That’s why “old places and old faces” are forbidden to anyone in serious recovery.  “I admitted that I was powerless.”  It’s too much for me to handle.  I need a Savior!

Paul lists some pretty significant habitual acts.  The whole story can be seen here, but for now, let’s notice that each of these is ultimately prompted by my will to power.  I want what I want when I want it.  I want sex.  I want eroticism.  I want to be my own god – or at least have a god that I can barter with.  I want superhuman powers of control.  And if you get in my way, then I want you gone.  I want what you have.  I want to be right.  I want to numb myself when things don’t go the way I want them to.  I want to party.  I don’t care who I injure, slight, slander or oppress as long as I get what I want.  Ah, you’ll say, “But I’m not like that.  I care about others.  I put them first.  I have learned to control my outbursts and my self-medication.”  And you’re right.  With God’s immeasurable assistance, you and I have become someone new.  We don’t act that way anymore – at least not habitually.  But we can never forget that down in the sub-basement, behind the water heater, our addict waits for the opportunity to rise once more to the daylight and being to clamor for attention.  God provides a way of escape – not you, not me.  That old addict is much too savvy and much too powerful for us.  We need the Savior to defeat him.

There are other habits that we can practice with abandon.  Paul lists these too.  The solution to addictive behavior is not white-knuckle endurance.  It is replacement therapy.  Every time the addict makes a move for the basement stairs, practice replacing that moment of teshuqah (desire) with Paul’s second list:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Of course, in Greek these are all nouns.  But if you are going to use Hebrew replacement therapy, you will have to convert each of these nouns to a verb.  Then, just do it!  God will take care of the rest.

Topical Index:  practice, prasso, habitual offender, replacement, teshuqah, desire, Galatians 5:21