1. Light and Shadow Cast Across the Canvas of the Soul (Chiaroscuro)
Let us quietly gaze upon The Calling of Saint Matthew by the Baroque master Caravaggio. Inside a dim tax booth, amid people greedily counting coins, a powerful beam of light pours in. That light is not merely illumination that dispels darkness; it is the irresistible gesture of grace from Jesus Christ, calling the sinner Matthew.
What makes this painting so arresting is the stark contrast of light and darkness—the chiaroscuro technique—which visually exposes two worlds coexisting within the human interior. Our hearts, too, become a fierce battlefield every day. Where the light of a holy calling collides with the darkness of the flesh still lingering in old habits—right there, at that very point, our life of faith begins.
There is a message that offers deep theological insight into this silent war within us. Through his exposition of Galatians 5, Pastor David Jang illuminates this struggle not as a mere moral conflict, but as an existential spiritual reality: the opposition between the “works of the flesh” and the “fruit of the Spirit.” Just as Matthew in Caravaggio’s painting stands in that split second of decision—whether to follow the light or turn his eyes back to coins in the shadows—so we stand daily at the crossroads of whether to follow the Spirit or surrender to the desires of the flesh. We come to realize that when the apostle Paul cried, “Walk by the Spirit,” it was not a casual suggestion, but an urgent command for survival.
2. Beyond the Courtroom Declaration to the Fragrance of Life
The journey of faith is like a long pilgrimage that begins with a change of “status” and moves toward a change of “condition.” Many Christians are familiar with the assurance of salvation—the exhilaration of justification—but often stumble in the process that follows: sanctification. Pastor David Jang penetrates this point with precision. If justification is a once-for-all, legal declaration in God’s courtroom by which a sinner is pronounced righteous, sanctification is the continuing process by which the one who has received that declaration actually becomes more like Christ in the real arena of life.
If the sound of the gavel has released us from prison, then a genuine transformation must follow as we return home and learn to live as the Father’s children. Yet knowledge alone cannot produce such change. The contradiction—knowing the good with our minds but doing evil with our bodies—proves how fragile human willpower truly is. Pastor David Jang warns that when faith remains at the level of accumulating knowledge, it loses its vitality; only the indwelling of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, can transform us.
As Romans testifies, when the Spirit of Christ dwells within us, we finally enter into intimacy and call God “Abba, Father.” The reason Jesus did not leave His disciples as orphans but sent the Holy Spirit was because we needed practical power—power that softens hardened hearts and opens closed lips to praise. Sanctification without the Spirit is impossible, and effort without grace becomes nothing but the yoke of legalism.
3. Diverse Character Blossoming from One United Life
The works of the flesh are instinctive and destructive. The list in Galatians 5—sexual immorality, idolatry, enmity, fits of anger, and more—bears an uncanny resemblance to a portrait of modern society. Pastor David Jang points out that such works of the flesh are serious obstacles that prevent people from inheriting the kingdom of God, and he warns especially of how repeated sin hardens the soul into rigidity.
Temptation looks sweet, but its end is ruin and the isolation of the soul. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit appears as an integrated character overflowing with life. One intriguing point is that Paul does not say “fruits” in the plural, but “fruit” in the singular. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are not beads scattered and separate; they are one fruit—one unified reality—bearing different tastes and fragrances, growing from the single tree of life that is the Holy Spirit.
According to Pastor David Jang’s interpretation, joy is not simply smiling when circumstances are good, but a delight that rises from the deep well of grace, transcending one’s environment. Peace is the inner stillness that expands outward into the power to heal relationships. These nine qualities are not things we can manufacture by sheer imitation. Just as a healthy tree naturally bears good fruit, these are products of grace that grow in us when we take deep root in the Spirit.
Nor are they virtues that apply only within the church building. They must permeate every domain of everyday life: transparency in handling finances, gentleness in treating others, and self-control in governing desire. The true gospel is not an abstract doctrine; it proves itself through such concrete fruit in real life.
4. A Holy Resolve to Nail Desire to the Cross
Then how can we win this fierce spiritual war? Paul declares, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Pastor David Jang translates this solemn declaration into very small practices of daily life. More important than grand religious acts are the courage to apologize first amid relational tension, the wisdom to cut off paths of temptation in advance, and the honesty to bring hidden sins into the light.
This resembles Matthew in Caravaggio’s painting, rising up and leaving the tax booth behind. Those moment-by-moment choices—choosing repentance instead of excuses, self-control instead of indulgence—gather together to complete the great “sanctification” called holiness.
Grace can never be a license for dissipation. True grace not only frees us from sin; it supplies strength to fight against it. What is ruling your life today? Is it the desires of the flesh, hardened into habit—or the pure and holy desire of the Spirit? As Pastor David Jang exhorts, deny yourself before the cross in this very moment, and listen to the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is not a lonely road walked alone, but a companionship with the Spirit who groans and prays within us. May you take one more step into that world of holy light—the true freedom enjoyed only by those who have put off the works of the flesh.