Pharmakeia

I was listening to Henry Wright, author of A More Excellent Way-(Spiritual Roots of Disease Pathways to Wholeness), online and heard him talking of perscription medication, or pharmakeia.
Here is a verse I wanted to talk about:
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, v20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
v21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
v22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
v23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

We read this and we see words that are familiar and even used in our everyday language and some that are not. However some words that we believe we are using correctlly, we are not. In example the word witchcraft here is surprising to say the least. It is the Greek word pharmakeia 1) the use or the administering of drugs. It’s where we get our modern day word pharmacy-the science or profession of dispensing medicinal drugs.

In Galatians 5:19-23 the Bible speaks of works of the flesh made manifest: the greek word phainō it means: shed light , to become evident, of growing vegetation… kind of like fruit. So you could say the fruit of the flesh as opposing the fruit of the spirit. The same word pharmakeia in this verse is found also in Revelations written as the word sorceries.
Rev 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
Know any great or powerful merchants. Just Google the phrase “what do pharmaceutical companies control” and read any of the 15,000 pages that come up. Talk about our nation being deceived. The commercials for pharmakeia, are seen by us the lay people and children alike. We cannot even get these drugs with out our drug dealers, I mean, someone who can write a prescription. The statics heard on this program were very reminiscent of the above scripture: They reported that the #3 Killer in America today is death by properly prescribed medications, not to mention 2 million permanently damaged individuals. The deaths that result from all illegal drugs put together do not even make the top 10. Oprah made an analogy of a jumbo jet with 350 passengers fatally crashing every day, to be equal to the amount of people dying from legal drugs, correctly prescribed.
In verse 20 of Gal 5, the other word for modern day drugs is Drunkenness-methē: 1) intoxication. This refers to illegal drugs, opposed to prescription or over-the-counter drugs. This is the form of drugs that is socially not acceptable. Society at large frowns on indulgence of this kind, while proudly comparing lists of prescriptions. What?! Well the Bible is clearly categorizing these two socially separate issues together as fruit of following after the flesh. Further more verse 21 explains what is at the end of this road of legal and illegal drugs alike; not inheriting the kingdom of God. That does not mean that such indulgences keep you from heaven, but it does dictate what dominion you are allowing reign in your life here… now… on earth. Look at the Greek words used for the word inherit and the words kingdom of God.

Inherit -klēronomeō
a) esp. to receive a part of an inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance
2) to receive the portion assigned to one, receive an allotted portion, receive as one's own or as a possession 3) to become partaker of, to obtain

Kingdom of God
1) royal power, kingship, dominion, rule
a) not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom
2) a kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king

So we are talking about receiving as an inheritance our allotted portion becoming partakers of His power, dominion, authority, and rule here…now…today. You receive your inheritance as you become reborn into the family.

2Pe 1:3, 4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, v20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
v21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
v22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
v23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Below are some possibly unknown meanings of the words used here in Galatians to describe the fruit of the flesh: (Ouch)


Fornication-porneia
1) illicit sexual intercourse- “illegal”
a) adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals etc.
b) sexual intercourse with close relatives; Lev. 18
c) sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman; Mk. 10:11,12 (Harsh)

Uncleanliness-akatharsia
b) in a moral sense: the impurity of lustful, luxurious, profligate living
1) of impure motives (Ever did something just for the thank you?)

Lasciviousness- aselgeia
1) unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence

Idolatry- eidōlolatria
1) the worship of false gods, idolatry
a) of the formal sacrificial feats held in honour of false gods
b) of avarice-an unreasonably strong desire to obtain and keep money; as a worship of Mammon n. Riches; wealth; or the god or riches. n. A person devoted to the acquisition of wealth; one whose affections are placed supremely on riches; a worldling. (Work-a-holic)
2) in the plural, the vices springing from idolatry and peculiar to it

Witchcraft -pharmakeia
1) the use or the administering of drugs

Hatred- echthra root of echthros
1) hated, odious, hateful
2) hostile, hating, and opposing another
1) opposing (God) in the mind (Not lining up with His Word. ie. I’m sick.)
2) a man that is hostile

Variance-eris
1) contention, strife, wrangling

Emulations- zēlos
1) excitement of mind, ardour, fervour of spirit
a) zeal, ardour in embracing, pursuing, defending anything (picketing, “it’s all for the cause”)
1) zeal in behalf of, for a person or thing (Zac Efron)-teen idol
2) the fierceness of indignation, punitive zeal
b) an envious and contentious rivalry, jealousy
Used in the Bible as: Zeal, envying, indignation, envy, fervent mind, jealousy, emulation

Wrath-thymos
1) passion, angry, heat, anger forthwith boiling up and soon subsiding again
2) glow, ardour, the wine of passion, inflaming wine ;which either drives the drinker mad or kills him with its strength

Drunkenness-methē
1) intoxication
2) drunkenness
Commonly, however, it is used for a debauch- the act of seducing from virtue or duty. No single word rendering it better than this; being as it is an extravagant indulgence in potations long drawn out. (Not a glass of wine)

Revellings- kōmos
1) a revel, carousal
a) a nocturnal and riotous procession of half drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with torches and music in honour of Bacchus or some other deity, and sing and play before houses of male and female friends; hence used generally of feasts and drinking parties that are protracted till late at night and indulge in revelry (“Cause I know what a rave is…” –Barnyard)

Okay, I got a little carried away with the bible study… But this is what I was doing so I decided to “post-it”!!