{"id":209,"date":"2011-10-10T17:38:52","date_gmt":"2011-10-10T17:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/corbanblogs.wpengine.com\/ministry\/?p=209"},"modified":"2011-10-10T18:24:30","modified_gmt":"2011-10-10T18:24:30","slug":"spirit-powered-living-a-positive-interpretation-of-galatians-516-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.corban.edu\/ministry\/index.php\/2011\/10\/spirit-powered-living-a-positive-interpretation-of-galatians-516-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Spirit-Powered Living: A Positive Interpretation of Galatians 5:16-18"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Dr. Mark A. Jacobson, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat chance does a believer have of staying faithful to the Lord, living a godly life, and avoiding the spiritual shipwrecks that seem to be all too common today?\u201d\u00a0 If my question hints at resignation, even despair, it is because so many believers have succumbed to sin, making decisions to disobey God and reject wise counsel. They have damaged their own reputations, some irreparably, and dishonored the cause of Christ.<\/p>\n

We all know it is difficult to resist temptation; we all know the shame and disappointment when we give in.\u00a0 We sympathize with Paul when he\u2014yes even he\u2014says, \u201cI buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.\u201d (1 Cor. 9:27)\u00a0 Living a life characterized by obedience is not easy. \u00a0What we do not need, however, is preaching and teaching that makes it worse, that leaves the impression that continuous sin and failure are inevitable, even normal <\/em>for the Christian.<\/p>\n

Too many sermons and writings imply that the Christian life is so fraught with temptations\u2014that Satan is so crafty and we are so weak\u2014it is highly questionable whether any believer, especially someone in full-time ministry, will make it through life without falling victim to grievous sin.\u00a0 Paul addresses this very issue in Galatians 5:16-18. At first glance, he appears to agree\u2014the Spirit and the flesh are engaged in such a fierce battle that \u201cyou may not do the things that you please.\u201d (v. 17) \u00a0However, an in-depth look at the text, along with other Scripture passages, reveals a very different point of view.<\/p>\n

The theme of Galatians 5:16-18, and the surrounding context of verses 13-25, demonstrate that the normal Christian life is a godly one, characterized by righteousness rather than sin.\u00a0 Not only can<\/em> we live a godly life, it is only normal<\/em> that we do.\u00a0 This article argues that although we are not free from the presence of sin, we do not need to be defined and dominated by it.\u00a0 Rather, we can live victoriously over it,[1] and remain faithful to the Lord.<\/p>\n

The Starting Point <\/strong><\/p>\n

Verse 16 begins, \u201cBut I say, walk by the Spirit.\u201d \u00a0The \u201cbut” confronts the contentiousness plaguing the churches in Galatia at the time Paul was writing to them, noted in the previous verse, \u201cBut if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another.\u201d (v. 15)<\/p>\n

Paul returns to this problem at the end of the chapter, \u201cIf we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.\u00a0 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.\u201d (vv. 25-26)\u00a0 Rather than presenting a detailed discussion of the reasons for this nasty state of affairs, it is sufficient to say that pressures the first Christians felt as they engaged the critical issue of Gentile observance of Torah stirred up highly volatile emotions.\u00a0 The discord was serious enough to catch Paul\u2019s attention, resulting in his well-known contrast between the works of the flesh (note the many synonyms for contentiousness) and the fruit of the Spirit (note the synonyms for harmonious living) in vv. 19-23.<\/p>\n

Paul confronts his readers with their uncharitable behavior, letting them know it is not normal for those who claim to have received the Spirit (3:2), that is, for those who are saved.\u00a0 We find here certain expressions he customarily used to denote those who were saved.\u00a0 Used somewhat synonymously in 5:16-26 are: \u201cwalk by the Spirit\u201d (v. 16), \u201cled by the Spirit\u201d (v. 18), \u201clive by the Spirit\u201d (v. 25)\u00a0and \u201cwalk by the Spirit\u201d (in v. 25, \u201cwalk\u201d is different in the Greek than in v. 16).<\/p>\n

Paul pairs the imperative \u201cwalk by the Spirit\u201d in verse 16 with \u201clive by the Spirit,\u201d and the passive \u201cled by the Spirit\u201d in verses 18 and 25. These indicate that they are his way of defining salvation in pneumatological terms.\u00a0 In christological terms, believers \u201cbelong to Christ\u201d (v. 24).\u00a0 To \u201cwalk in the Spirit\u201d is the normal condition of those who \u201clive in\u201d and who are \u201cled by\u201d the Spirit.\u00a0 The basis for Paul\u2019s urging the Galatians to quit their bickering and fighting is that those who are led by the Spirit need only live out the natural consequence of the new spiritual life they possess\u2014a life of godliness.<\/p>\n

The Natural Consequence<\/strong><\/p>\n

The language of the second half of v. 16, \u201cand <\/strong>you will not carry out the desire of the flesh,\u201d <\/strong>is emphatic in the original language. \u00a0That is, Paul sets the Spirit in complete opposition to the flesh.\u00a0 A consideration of several authors\u2019 insights is valuable here. F.F. Bruce rightly paraphrases it, \u201c \u2026 \u2018and you will by no means fulfill the desire of the flesh.\u2019 \u201d[2]\u00a0 J.B. Lightfoot expresses Paul\u2019s thought even more clearly, \u201cWalk by the rule of the Spirit.\u00a0 If you do so, you will not, you cannot, gratify the lusts of the flesh.\u201d[3] \u00a0\u00a0Ronald Fung speaks of the \u201c\u2026 inevitable result of life lived by the Spirit,\u201d[4] that we will not carry out the desire of the flesh.<\/p>\n

Timothy George connects the promise to the experience of the Galatians:<\/p>\n

“Paul had earlier reminded the Galatians of how they received the Holy Spirit upon hearing him preach the message of Christ and His cross (3:1-3).\u00a0 Here he was exhorting them to continue the walk they had begun on that occasion.\u00a0 If they continued to walk in the Spirit, they would not be halted by the fleshly appeals of the Judaizers, their own libertine tendencies, or the debilitating disputes within their churches.”[5]<\/p>\n

As mentioned before, Paul specifically has in mind the anger, contentiousness, and fighting that threatened to tear the churches asunder (vv. 13-15).\u00a0 These are incompatible with true Christian faith; this is not how Christians normally act.\u00a0 Can we behave in this manner?\u00a0 Of course we can, and we do.\u00a0 Who among us has not had to endure the bickering and fighting related to \u201cmusic wars,\u201d or other highly contentious debates in our churches?<\/p>\n

The point is, however, that no one should say, \u201cWell, this kind of behavior is normal for us Christians; this is just the way we are.\u00a0 Try as we might, we will fail.\u201d\u00a0 In some of our darker moments, it may seem like that is the case, but Paul never takes this view.\u00a0 Living in and being led by the Spirit supernaturally produces a life of obedience to God in general, and specifically in this case, a life demonstrating love for one another (v. 14 and the emphasis on love in the fruit of the Spirit, vv. 22- 23).<\/p>\n

The Question of \u201cFlesh\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Verse 17 states, \u201cFor the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s varied use of \u201cflesh\u201d is important. In v. 13, it has the connotation of the sinful nature, while in v. 25 \u201cflesh\u201d appears to be another way of referring to the \u201cold man\u201d of Romans 6:6, since both have been crucified.\u00a0 If so, \u201cflesh\u201d in Gal. 5:24 represents the life of the Galatians before coming to Christ. \u00a0This also makes good sense of \u201cthe deeds of the flesh\u201d in vv. 19-21a, since \u201cthose who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.\u201d (v. 21b)<\/p>\n

Thus, the contrast inherent in the \u201cfruit of the Spirit\u201d and \u201cthe deeds of the flesh\u201d was not intended by Paul to distinguish an obedient Christian from a disobedient Christian; the issue goes much deeper.\u00a0 Paul is suggesting that if these works of the flesh characterize the Galatian believers, they have no reason to think that they are saved.\u00a0 Because vv. 16-17 introduce vv. 19-21, very likely the same contrast is intended in these verses.\u00a0 Even if this interpretation is granted, which is debatable, a problem still remains with the final clause, \u201cso that you may not do the things that you please.\u201d\u00a0 To what does this refer?\u00a0 Does it mean that we are not able to do the good things that we want to do?\u00a0 Or does it mean that we are not able to do the sinful things that we want to do?\u00a0 Or both?<\/p>\n

The answer rises from the next verse.\u00a0 Whatever the thought of v. 17 is, it supports the principle of v. 16 (\u201cfor\u201d), thus carrying the thought forward, instead of contradicting it.\u00a0 C.F. Hogg and W.W. Vine take this approach, arguing that v. 17 confirms<\/em> the declaration of v. 16.[6]\u00a0 To do that, they must interpret the latter part of the verse in a way that is opposite the way this passage is often preached.<\/p>\n

According to their interpretation, Paul is not saying that in the tug-of-war between the flesh and Spirit it is a toss-up as to which is the stronger and which will prevail.\u00a0 In v. 16 Paul states emphatically that life in the Spirit leaves absolutely no room for the kind of life that we had before we were saved.\u00a0 In v. 17, Paul explains why <\/em>that is the case: the flesh and the Spirit are so diametrically opposed to each other that to walk by the Spirit means that we will not, can <\/em>not, do the things that we otherwise would if we were controlled by the flesh.\u00a0 Ben Witherington agrees:<\/p>\n

“It is important to stress that the context here is positive, especially in view of the second half of v. 16, and furthermore Paul certainly does not think that the Spirit and the flesh are equal powers in the Christian\u2019s life, or in the life of the Christian community.\u00a0 It must be remembered that in Paul\u2019s own earlier argument he stressed that the Galatians had already started in the Spirit, and he was warning them against finishing or bringing the Christian life to a conclusion in the flesh. (3.3)\u00a0 Gal. 5:16ff \u00a0is a further development of this earlier idea introduced by way of rhetorical question.\u00a0 The context therefore suggests it is unlikely that Paul is here speaking of the flesh frustrating the following of the Spirit\u2019s lead or of a stalemate of flesh and Spirit.”[7]<\/p>\n

An argument supporting this line of reasoning is the significance of the contrast between Spirit and flesh in Pauline thought.\u00a0 Charles B. Cousar removes the contrast from the realm of the inner nature of the Christian to that of the forces at work in the world, an eschatological, salvation-history perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201c'[F]lesh,’ precisely because of its polarity to the Spirit, becomes associated with the old age, the field of force invaded by the Spirit . . . .\u00a0 It is misleading in this context to translate sarx <\/em>(\u201cflesh\u201d) as \u201clower nature\u201d (NEB), \u201csinful nature\u201d (NIV), or \u201chuman nature\u201d (TEV), as if it were an anthropological term, implying that the individual is divided into two parts, a spiritual nature and a fleshly nature.\u00a0 Instead, the Spirit and the flesh are two powers engaged in an apocalyptic combat, with the battlefield being the Galatian congregation.”[8]<\/p>\n

In a similar context, that dealing with the Law, Paul develops the Spirit-flesh contrast in the way that Cousar has suggested.\u00a0 In Romans 8:1-11, Paul is clearer that \u201cSpirit\u201d has to do with the realm of the saved and \u201cflesh\u201d with the realm of the unsaved.\u00a0 While it is not as clear here, one can see the saved-unsaved contrast surface in v. 21, as was just mentioned.\u00a0 Those who do the works of the flesh cannot excuse their behavior because they are immature, carnal Christians.\u00a0 Paul does not give them this option.\u00a0 If these things characterize their lives, they have good reason to question their profession to have received the Spirit.<\/p>\n

The interpretation that v. 17 confirms the meaning of v. 16, while it fits nicely with the overall thrust of 5:16-25, still leaves questions. One is the fact that Paul says that Spirit and flesh oppose each other \u201cso that you may not do what you want.\u201d\u00a0 Why stress the mutual opposition if his point was only to say that the Spirit overcomes the flesh?\u00a0 This has led some scholars to take a different approach to the conflict between flesh and Spirit.\u00a0 Cousar makes the following suggestion:<\/p>\n

“The clause expresses purpose (and not result) and declares the intent of each power, namely, to thwart the work of the other.\u00a0 As Williams comments, \u201cThe flesh and the Spirit oppose each other in order to keep Christians from doing what they might otherwise do if the other adversary were not on the field.\u201d[9]\u00a0 Nothing is implied about the status of the readers until 5:18.\u00a0 . . . The readers are not victimized by a standoff between the flesh and the Spirit because their identity and allegiance are with the Spirit.”[10]<\/p>\n

One must keep in mind that Cousar does not see \u201cflesh\u201d as the sinful nature, but rather as the realm (his \u201cold age\u201d) in which sin, fueled by the Law, holds sway over sinful mankind.<\/p>\n

A variation on Cousar\u2019s view is that \u201cflesh\u201d is the sinful nature of a Christian, at the same time retaining the overall sense of victory.\u00a0 Thus, \u201cso that you may not do the things that you please\u201d refers to both the willing to do good and also the willing to do wrong.\u00a0 This is the way Fung takes it.\u00a0 \u201cThe verse then means that in the Spirit-flesh conflict, it is impossible for the believer to remain neutral: he either serves the flesh or follows the Spirit.\u201d[11]\u00a0 See also F.F. Bruce[12] and John Eadie[13] for the view that 5:17b refers to both.\u00a0 Eadie\u2019s thinking on the phrase \u201cthese are in opposition to one another\u201d is as follows:<\/p>\n

“Both these interpretations [flesh or Spirit are victorious] are therefore wrong; for the words are used of actual contest, not of decided mastery on either side.\u00a0 The phrase [‘for these are in opposition to one another’] describes not only actual antagonism, but undecided result.\u00a0 It is true in the case of all who are born again, that the conflict ends in the victory of the spirit, but the apostle here does not include the issue, he speaks only of the contest.”[14]<\/p>\n

While this interpretation is possible, it does not work well as an explanation for the positive statement in v. 16.\u00a0 Explanations, by their very nature, assuming they are crafted wisely, are never so complex as to leave readers in a state of greater confusion.\u00a0 \u00a0The best choice, then, seems to be that the clause \u201cso that you may not do the things that you please\u201d refers to the things of the flesh\u2014the contentious, unloving behavior threatening to destroy the church (vv. 13-15).\u00a0 Witherington settles on this as the best solution:<\/p>\n

“. . . I thus conclude, especially in view of the warnings to the Galatians in this very context about avoiding acting on the desires of the flesh which lead to various works of the flesh, that \u2018what you want\u2019 refers to these sinful desires or inclinations and that Paul is saying in essence that the purpose of the conflict or tension in the Christian life, the purpose of the eschatological warfare between flesh and Spirit in their midst in which they must be active participants, is so that they will not act out their sinful desires.\u00a0 This is precisely what the assurance in v. 16 was about and v. 17 just reinforces the point.”[15]<\/p>\n

This interpretation corrects a common misconception, and this understanding is further supported by the passage\u2019s neat envelope structure.\u00a0 At the end we find this assertion: \u201cNow those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.\u201d (v. 24)\u00a0 Our decision of how to interpret v. 17 must take this statement, as well as v. 16, into account.\u00a0 Paul seems to be saying the same thing in v. 16 and v. 24, namely, those who are saved no longer are in bondage to sin; they can and must live godly lives if they are Christ\u2019s.\u00a0 Verse 17 must not be taken in a way that contradicts this central message, no matter how one understands the contest between flesh and Spirit.<\/p>\n

The Key to Understanding<\/strong><\/p>\n

Galatians 5:18 concludes, \u201cBut if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.\u201d <\/strong>In many sermons, the speaker has ignored this verse or passed by it so quickly as hardly to be noticed.\u00a0 This is extremely unfortunate, because when rightly understood, it provides the theological background for making sense of the previous two verses. It is the key that unlocks the meaning of this entire section. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

This verse is incomprehensible apart from a wider knowledge of Pauline theology with respect to the Spirit, the Law, the flesh and sin.\u00a0 We need first to understand Paul\u2019s thinking about what it means to be \u201cled by the Spirit.\u201d He is not referring to a subjective leading of the Spirit in the life of the individual Christian.\u00a0 Furthermore, he is not talking primarily<\/em> about sanctification (sanctification is, of course, in the background) with this terminology, which takes on somewhat of a technical meaning for him.<\/p>\n

Thus, the contrast is not between a Spirit-filled Christian and a disobedient Christian.\u00a0 The contrast is what Paul says here that it is\u2014to be led by the Spirit is not to be under the Law.\u00a0 In Pauline theology, Law and Spirit are two realms, two spheres of existence.\u00a0 To be under Law is to be unsaved and bound in sin; to be led by the Spirit is to experience the life and freedom that the Spirit gives.\u00a0 In other words, as was mentioned earlier, to be led by the Spirit is the mark of all the saved; to be under the Law characterizes the unsaved Jew.\u00a0 Elsewhere Paul makes this explicit: \u201cFor all who are being led by the Spirit, these are sons of God.\u201d (Romans 8:14)<\/p>\n

Also critical to understanding this statement is recognizing the connection between two closely related themes in Paul\u2019s theology, the first being \u201cunder the Law\u201d and the second being in bondage to sin.\u00a0 The relationship of Law to sin has been a major emphasis since chapter 3.\u00a0 To understand how Paul develops these key themes in chapters 3 and 4 is to understand his statement in 5:18.<\/p>\n

Law is set against the Spirit in the opening of chapter 3, vv. 3-5.\u00a0 This essential opposition between the two was a principle of critical importance for the Galatians, since a group of agitators was pressing for the Gentiles to be circumcised and to observe certain Jewish rituals.\u00a0 Only by observing Torah could these Gentiles be considered part of the people of God.\u00a0 Paul fights against this notion, and frames his argument in terms of Law vs. Spirit.\u00a0 This is the way he begins the chapter.<\/p>\n

Did the Galatians receive the Spirit by observing Torah, or through their common faith in Jesus? (v. 2) Are they maturing in their faith, and are they experiencing miracles in their presence as a result of Torah or the Spirit?\u00a0 These rhetorical questions were meant to contrast Jewish life under Torah and life together\u2014Jew and Gentile\u2014in the Spirit.\u00a0 While the bondage-to-sin theme is not introduced in the early part of chapter 3, failure under the Law is clearly asserted from vv. 10-14.<\/p>\n

The theme of unsaved Jews being bound to sin while under the Law is expressed first in non-metaphorical language (vv. 15-22) and then in the metaphor of the Law as pedagogue (vv. 23-29).\u00a0 In the former section, Paul clearly states the relationship between the Law and sin: \u201cWhy the Law then?\u00a0 It was added because of transgressions\u201d [that is, to mark sin out as transgressions] (v. 19).<\/p>\n

Yahweh needed to convince His people they were in need of a right standing with Him, so He gave them Torah, which they could not and did not keep.\u00a0 God\u2019s intent is then illustrated by Paul with the metaphor of a strict teacher.\u00a0 Israel under the Law was in bondage to sin in a similar way that a minor child under the tutelage of a pedagogue lacked the freedom of an adult son.\u00a0 Only in Christ could they be set free from the bondage of sin and spiritual death.<\/p>\n

The bondage theme becomes even more pronounced in the pedagogue metaphor in Gal. 4:3, \u201cSo also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world,\u201d a reference at least to Torah and perhaps to any system of laws that in and of themselves could not grant spiritual life.<\/p>\n

Taking all of these aspects into consideration, we realize the profound significance of v. 18.\u00a0 The reason the Galatians can, should and must<\/em> live in love with one another is that they (Paul is particularly aiming his comments at the Jews) have been freed from their former bondage to sin while they were \u201cunder the Law,\u201d denoting the time before they came to be \u201cled by the Spirit.\u201d\u00a0 The old life was characterized by failure to do what Yahweh commanded. Their new life in the Spirit has freed them to live godly lives.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Galatians 5:16-18 is far too important in the life of the church not to be correctly understood and taught.\u00a0\u00a0 It heads one of the most familiar texts in all the New Testament regarding the Christian life, the works of the flesh, and the fruit of the Spirit.\u00a0 This text needs to be proclaimed in a way consistent with Paul\u2019s conviction. We who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh\u2014our old way of life, dominated by sin\u2014and now have the ability to live a godly life. May we hear more of this great victory brought through Christ.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

[1] I use \u201cvictorious\u201d as John does in 1 John 3:7-9; 5:4,5; etc. not with triumphal, \u201chigher life\u201d connotations characteristic of 18th<\/sup> and 19th<\/sup> century Methodism, with its perfectionistic tendencies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[2] F. F. Bruce, Commentary on Galatians, <\/em>New International Greek Testament Commentary, eds. I. Howard Marshall and W. Ward Gasque (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982), 243.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[3]J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul\u2019s Epistle to the Galatians <\/em>(London: MacMillan and Co., Limited, 1921), 209.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[4]Ronald Y. K. Fung, The Epistle to the Galatians<\/em>, The <\/em>New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), 248.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[5]Timothy George, Galatians<\/em>, The New American Commentary, ed. E. Ray Clendenen (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1994), 386.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[6]C. F. Hogg and W. W. Vine, The Epistle to the Galatians, <\/em>reprint (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, n.d.), 279.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[7] Ben Witherington III, Grace in Galatia\u2014A Commentary on St. Paul\u2019s Letter to the Galatians <\/em>(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1998), 394.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[8]Charles B. Cousar, Reading Galatians, Philippians and 1 Thessalonians <\/em>(Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys, 2001), 102.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[9]Sam K. Williams, Galatians<\/em>, Abingdon New Testament Commentaries (Nashville: Abingdon, 1997), 149.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[10]Ibid., 103.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[11] Fung, Galatians<\/em>., 251.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[12]Bruce, Galatians<\/em>, 244-45.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[13]John Eadie, A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, <\/em>reprint (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979), 409-10.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[14] Ibid., 411.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[15]Witherington, Galatians<\/em>, 394.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dr. Mark A. Jacobson, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology \u201cWhat chance does a believer have of staying faithful to the Lord, living a godly life, and avoiding the spiritual shipwrecks that seem to be all too common today?\u201d\u00a0 If … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[29,28,30],"class_list":["post-209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-freedom-in-christ","tag-galatians-516-18","tag-living-in-the-spirit"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5W8wu-3n","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.corban.edu\/ministry\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.corban.edu\/ministry\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.corban.edu\/ministry\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.corban.edu\/ministry\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.corban.edu\/ministry\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.corban.edu\/ministry\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.corban.edu\/ministry\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.corban.edu\/ministry\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.corban.edu\/ministry\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}