Galatians 5 - What Does It Mean to Walk By the Spirit?

Galatians 5 - NIV

Enduring Word Commentary

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Paul starts out the chapter by telling the Galatians, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then and do not be burdened by the yoke of slavery." 

But then Paul tells them not to use their newfound freedom to indulge the flesh. This is the opposite of the legalism Paul was describing in the first four chapters, which presented itself through the Jewish rite of circumcision. Though the Galatians were free from the law, they mustn't use their freedom to go back to living in slavery to their sinful desires. 

Paul gives a laundry list of behaviors that accompany living in the flesh such as, sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies. That's quite a list. 

We all struggle with the desires of the flesh, which is part of the sinful nature we inherited from birth. We still live in a body that wants us to be a slave to its desires. So how does a Christian live in freedom from our old nature?

Walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives in you, and is the Spirit of Christ. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit from heaven to all the disciples on Pentecost. When you come to put your trust in Jesus, you are born again through this same Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives inside of you, and gives you the power to live the life we are a called to live as Jesus' followers. 

So how does this work? Walking according the Spirit starts with knowing the type of life Jesus wants you to live. He wants us to live like He did when he was on earth. He was an example for all of us. Everything he did and said was in complete alignment with the will of God. And the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus when he was baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist. If the Son of God needed the power of the Holy Spirit, how much more do we?

The bottom line is it is not if we will be tempted, but when! When we are tempted we can try to fight it on our own power, or on the Holy Spirit's power. Paul says to, "walk by the Spirit".  This is an intentional act of the will. The Holy Spirit doesn't do the work without us. We walk with Him by being obedient to his leading and guidance. 

Here is some excellent commentary on what this means to "Walk By the Spirit!"

To walk in the Spirit first means that the Holy Spirit lives in you. Second, it means to be open and sensitive to the influence of the Holy Spirit. Third, it means to pattern your life after the influence of the Holy Spirit.

We can tell if someone walks in the Spirit because they will look a lot like Jesus. Jesus told us that the mission of th.e Holy Spirit would be to promote and speak of Him (John 14:16-17, 14:26, 15:26, 16:13-15). When someone walks in the Spirit, they listen to what the Holy Spirit says as He guides us in the path and nature of Jesus.  (Guzik)

“Life by the Spirit is neither legalism nor license – nor a middle way between them. It is a life of faith and love that is above all of these false ways.” (Boice)

How would we know that we are walking in the Spirit? 

Paul makes it clear in Galatians 5:22, 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Fruit is a result of the organic connection between a vine and its branches. Jesus uses this analogy in John 15 when he says, 'I am the vine and you are the branches. If you abide in me, you will bear much fruit, fruit that will last."

This is the exact same process with the Holy Spirit, since it is the Spirit of Jesus. You can see the nine fruits of the Spirit are all of the character qualities Jesus exhibited every day of his life. In good times and bad times. Through the power of the Spirit, he could be at peace even when he died a painful death on the cross. 

Where do you struggle with the desires of your flesh? Are you still in bondage? Or, are you walking in the freedom of Jesus? 

Walking in freedom through the power of the Holy Spirit frees up to love others the way God loves them. We move from being self-focused to focusing on others. Being a slave to my desires is all about me. Walking according to the Spirit makes my focus all about you!

Jesus, renew us in the power of the Holy Spirit so that we might walk in freedom not in slavery. You came to free us from the bondage of sin so that we migh be slaves of righteousness. May the fruit of the Spirit be evident in our lives, so that people know who we follow. Amen. 

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