Walk By the Spirit

As we continue our study through the New Testament letter of Galatians, we come to the last half of chapter 5. Paul has been writing to these Christians in the area of Galatia (modern-day Turkey) to confront some false teachings that had crept into their churches. People were coming from Jerusalem saying that along with trusting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, a person had to observe the Law of Moses if that person wanted to be right with the Lord. If you read the Bible carefully, you will see that there is nothing that we can do in our own strength to make us right before the Lord. We are fully dependent on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and that work is sufficient for all of our needs.

In chapter 5 of this letter, Paul began emphasizing the freedom that a person has in Christ. This freedom is freedom from our trying to work ourselves into a right relationship with God — which cannot be accomplished.

In the passage that we will look at today, Paul encourages Christians to “walk by the Spirit.” This point is a very important truth that Christians must pay attention to. We must recognize that Paul’s words to the Galatians are not merely his thoughts or opinions. These words come from the heart of God by way of the Holy Spirit putting them into Paul’s mind. This is not so much Paul speaking to these people as it is God.

The Need to Walk by the Spirit

In verses 16-18, Paul shows the need that every Christian has to walk by the Spirit.

¹⁶ I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:16–18 (CSB)

The word “walk” in verse 16 isn’t just about how you put one foot in front of the other to move about. It is a phrase that points to how a person lives. It is a continual action that lays out a person’s direction in this life.

Whether you realize it or not, something is leading the direction of your life. What directs your life is what determines the destination of your life.

Paul encourages the Galatian Christians (and us today) to walk by the Spirit that lives inside us. The Holy Spirit is not some mystical force that dwells among us. He is the third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit lives within everyone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. ¹⁷ He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.

John 14:16–17 (CSB)

The guidance of the Holy Spirit is not just for those that some see as “super-Christians.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t just live within missionaries, preachers, and the saints of old. The Holy Spirit lives within each person who trusts in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

One of the reasons the Holy Spirit lives within Christians is to give them new desires so they do not have to submit to the sinful desires of their broken hearts. The Holy Spirit gives the Christian new desires — God’s desires — but He doesn’t force them upon the Christian. This is why Paul tells the Galatians to walk by the Spirit, so they do not carry out the desires of their sinful flesh (v 16).

In verse 17, we get a picture of the battle that takes place within every Christian. It is a battle for the heart. Walking by the Spirit cannot coexist with walking in the flesh. Verse 17 points out that these two things have completely different desires. They are going in opposite directions. Because of that, you cannot walk according to the Spirit and the flesh at the same time.

‌Evidence of Walking by the Spirit

In verses 19-23, Paul contrasts the fruit that comes from our sinful flesh with the fruit the Holy Spirit develops in our lives.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19–21 CSB

The Fruit of the Flesh

Paul lays out a list of fruit that comes from the desires of our sinful flesh. When you look at these things Paul listed, you realize nothing good can come from walking according to our sinful flesh.

Jesus shares in Mark 7 where all of these things come from.

²⁰ And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹ For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, ²² adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, self-indulgence, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”

Mark 7:20–23 CSB

Our hearts, by nature, are drawn toward sin. This is why we cannot just “trust your gut” or “follow your heart.” If there has not been a spiritual heart transplant that has taken place by us putting our faith in Jesus, then our hearts will lead us down a path where nothing good can come from it.

‌The Fruit of the Spirit​

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

Mark 7:20–23 CSB

In verses 22-23, Paul shows the stark contrast between the fruit the Holy Spirit develops in our lives. These nine things that Paul lists can only be produced in our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit.

It is important to note that Paul mentions this fruit in a singular manner. Each description Paul lists makes up a single fruit the Holy Spirit works in a person’s life. One commentator noted that Paul uses the singular form of fruit to show that they collectively make up what we know as Christlikeness. The new desire that the Holy Spirit brings about in our lives is to reflect Jesus more and more each day. This act will not happen by “trying harder.” It is a work the Holy Spirit does in our lives as we intentionally say no to our flesh and allow Jesus to lead our lives.

‌Three Important Reminders

In verses 24-26, Paul shares with us three important reminders.

‌Our Position

²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:24 CSB

When a person places their faith in Jesus Christ, they are transferred from a kingdom of darkness to His kingdom of light.

¹³ He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. ¹⁴ In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13–14 CSB

Our position is no longer one of condemnation. We are placed in a position of victory — Jesus’ victory.

⁶ He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:6 CSB

Though we may still feel the struggle with wanting to sin in our lives, we do not have to give into it any longer. We are positioned with Christ in order to share in His victory over sin.

‌Our Power​

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:25 CSB

We can walk or live each day with access to a power greater than anything we can muster on our own. We have access to the power of the Holy Spirit to live in victory over sin in our lives. Just because we have access doesn’t mean that we don’t have to do anything. We have to rely on His power fully and, as Paul said, “keep in step with the Spirit.” This means we are prayerfully living each day, leaning on His understanding and leading rather than our own. It means we spend time in the Holy Spirit-inspired Word to learn what direction to go.

‌Our Purpose

²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:26 CSB

We are not given a new position in Christ and His power to overcome sin in our lives to become conceited. Being conceited or arrogant only leads to us taking our eyes off Jesus and putting them on others. We begin to compare ourselves with others to gain validation. That is not our purpose.

Our purpose is to exalt Jesus above everything else and help others come closer to Him.

⁶ He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:6–7 CSB

‌Conclusion‌

It is true that in this life, we face a battle. On one side, we have our flesh seeking to please itself. Doing so causes us to run away from God’s good and perfect plan for our lives. For the Christian, there is another side where the Holy Spirit is trying to lead us into God’s good and perfect plan. Which side will see more growth in our lives? The answer to that question is found in the path we are walking.

Are we living each day intentionally under the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Are we taking time to pray and study His Word so that we hear His direction? Or are we just living each day under the guidance of the current of something else — just drifting along, taking whatever comes our way?

Paul shows us in this passage that we will never get where we need to be by just simply drifting along in life. Let us wake up to the reality that we have been given a new position in Christ, the same power that brought Jesus back from the grave, and a purpose to lift Jesus high and see others come to know Him.

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Fighting the Old Man

This morning, I had a great time as I broke open my bible and sat down to see what God would have for me today. I found myself in Colossians 3:1-11 (via intervarsity daily bible study). This passage was so awesome and timely for me. It was speaking about the battle between the "old nature" and our "new nature in Christ." I don't know about you, but I find myself frequently in this battle. I was particularly drawn to one of the questions that had me thinking about "how can we set our mind on things above rather than earthly things?" As I pondered this and examined the Scriptures, I came up with four things that help in this fight...

1. Focus our hearts and minds on Christ. It is easy to just let our minds and attention wonder to and fro. If we are going to win this battle though, we must keep our minds and attention pointed to the cross and the empty tomb. It is through Christ and Christ alone that we find victory.


2. Spend time with God in prayer and His word. I find myself teaching students many times that you can tell what you love by how much time you spend with it. If we are going to win the battle against the flesh, we must take up the weapons that God has given to us (Ephesians 6:17-18).


3. Yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit that lives within us. When we accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, He placed within us part of the Trinity - the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides us to live a godly life. For victory in this life, we must be in tune (not going against) what the Holy Spirit is directing in our lives. He is seeking to bring glory to God through our lives. Will we let Him?


4. Be alert to the temptations all around us. Peter warns us that the devil is roaming around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). At every turn of our lives, temptations stand there to knock us off of the path that God has for us. We must be alert and remember that we are in a war. No soldier just hap-hazardously walks around. They are constantly on the lookout for attacks. So must we be.

The main thing that stuck out to me from this time with God this morning was that I cannot just go about my day and life in any fashion. If I live life "naturally", then I will venture away from my Creator and Lord. My flesh still seeks its own way. I have to live life on purpose and alert - for the glory of God!

What are some other tools (from Scripture) that you use in the daily battle against the flesh?

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Christianese Part 2

A few days ago, I wrote about how some terms are used within the church and few actually know what they mean.  Those within the church long for outsiders to come in and experience the joy of Christ (or at least I would hope so), but what if they come in only to struggle with interpreting the language.  One reason I don't jump on every opportunity to visit Japan is that I don't have the slightest clue with their language.  Many non-churchgoers are the same way with the church.  This isn't just something that outsiders struggle with.  Many people within the church are going along "smiling and nodding."

Here's a couple of terms that I've thought about over the past couple of days:

• Believe.  Now this may come across as a shock but many are confused on the meaning of this term.  To the average person, to believe means to acknowledge that it exists.  What the church usually means by believe is to place one's trust in to the point that it determines the direction of your life.


• Repent (also repentance). This is a word that many long to hear in the sermons at their church, but few actually get the meaning.  The real meaning is to have a change of mind that causes a change in behavior.  As the old illustration goes, you're going in one direction, you stop and immediately go in the opposite direction, never to turn back again.


• Amen.  This word has baffled me for years.  We all say it at the end of our prayers.  Some are even bold enough to say it during the pastor's sermon.  What is the meaning of this word though?  It literally means "so be it" or "let it be so."  This can be a very dangerous word.    When you say this word, you are literally joining yourself together with what is being said.  Maybe we should be more careful with this one.  Maybe we should be using it more?


• Flesh.  This term can easily confuse many.  Outside of church, it refers to the muscle, tendons, and other make-up of a person's body.  The church's use of this is something completely different.  The church uses this term as the nature of humanity.  When a pastor tells the congregation that we should crucify the flesh and live for the spirit, for someone who is thinking about having to get some nails and perform the crucifixion again, this can be very disturbing.


• Fellowship.  As I think about this term, I laugh to myself.  I am a part of a Southern Baptist church and have been most of my life.  This term brings to mind one thing: food.  I don't know where in the world the church got off track with this, but it's not about food.  Don't get me wrong, I love food... food can be a part of fellowship, but eating together is not fellowship.  Fellowship according to the New Testament is about living life together.  You can read about how the believers spent all kinds of time together in Acts.  This was fellowship.


• Discipleship.  This term I have struggled with for about three years now.  I think that a lot of people have an okay idea about it in our churches, but I think that many miss the boat completely in executing it.  This is the process of taking a person to the next step in their walk with Christ.  Discipleship begins at the point where a person follows Jesus Christ and doesn't end until they enter heaven.  Discipleship is hindered when we try to put people who are at different levels in their spiritual walk together into one group and make a leader "disciple" them all for an hour one day a week.  This is an area of the church that needs to be carefully done.  It is essential to the health of the Body of Christ (the church).

I will stop there for now.  I have many more that I could share.  What about you?  What are some terms that you hear frequently at church but aren't sure what they mean?

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