Walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-26 Those who try to earn righteousness through the law before God seem to have a serious problem. They can't get along well. They are like dogs that bark and bite if given the chance. Comparing my works with someone else's is very common. Comparing my garden with another's makes me proud if mine is better or critical if it's not. The same is true for nearly every effort made in the energy of the flesh. Law-keepers have the same issue. No matter how hard they try, everyone falls short of fulfilling the entire law and not "offending" at one point. Love surpasses that because love wants the best for others, and that motivation comes from "the love of Christ that constrains us."
The only consistent way to overcome the sinful desires of our human nature is to walk step-by-step in the power of the Holy Spirit as He works through our spirit. It is God’s intention that we “go on walking” and live by the guidance, prompting, and power of the Spirit of God. This is not only an admonition but a promise given here. When we walk in the Spirit, we will not be controlled by the desires of our sinful nature. Our lives will be successful when we live day by day under the power of the Spirit of God.
When the Holy Spirit guides a person, we are not simply influenced by feelings, emotions, or other subjective experiences. These may be the result of being led by the Spirit, but they do not serve as proof of it. The Spirit's guidance creates a desire to read and understand God's Word. It also prompts us to sometimes be the answer to our own prayers by acting in the best interests of others. Walking in the Spirit ensures that we avoid certain evil practices. There is no way to mix the sinful works of the flesh with the holy qualities the Holy Spirit leads us with. With God's Word in our hands, the power of divine Persons within us, and by our side, we are called to advance in faith and hope.
The flesh mentioned in verse seventeen refers to a person's entire nature, including senses, reasoning ability, and physical body. The influence of Satan in a Christian's life should not be underestimated. If the flesh is not kept under the control of the Spirit, it will lead our decisions and actions toward wrong. There is a genuine conflict between yielding to God's Spirit and the desires of our fleshly nature. Because we are caught in this struggle, we will not consistently avoid what we secretly want until the Spirit has full control.
The conflict between the flesh and the Spirit is not that they are equals in battle. The Holy Spirit is omnipotent, while the flesh is weak. However, we are responsible for walking in the Spirit, and that is a choice we make. Obeying the Holy Spirit's guidance is not something forced on us. If we rely on ourselves, we would make wrong choices because we still have evil desires within us. These desires are inside us, and we can't ignore them. The law does not give us the power to overcome this part of our humanity. Anyone who disregards the temptations of the flesh as unimportant and gives in to them is not a Christian.
On the other hand, the Holy Spirit strongly opposes the works of the flesh. There is no way for the flesh and the Spirit to work together in a believer's life. The word of God, through the Spirit of God, is our guide and rule of life. The Holy Spirit does not lead us into law-keeping because the law does not give life or the power to live as overcomers. A Spirit-led person doesn’t try to earn salvation through efforts to keep the law or by saying "do it my way.” The Spirit guides us to do God's will and live by the law of love. Only then can we fulfill the purpose of the law.
It's easy to recognize signs of living under fleshly control. Perverted sexual sins stem from moral darkness within a person’s mind and soul and must be exposed for their inherent evil. There are distortions of spiritual truths and violations of relationships that oppose brotherly love. Excessive indulgence opens the door to unchecked wickedness, which has no place in God's kingdom. When a person is saved by grace, old things pass away, and everything becomes new.
The fifteen wicked works of the flesh listed in this chapter start with three obvious sins that originate in the mind and then manifest as works of darkness. Other fleshly sins are less obvious because they are internal. Evidence of them appears in our attitudes, facial expressions, body language, and other outward signs. No rules or laws can prevent these sins and similar ones from happening. Laws reveal them and declare those who commit them guilty. For example, laws against drunk driving do not stop people from drinking and driving. Likewise, openly condemning or passing laws against rioting and reveling does not end these behaviors. A change of nature is needed for that. Only the Spirit of God inside us can give us the power to live as God intends.
The word “fruit” symbolizes a healthy life in a tree. The fruit of the Spirit is a quiet, steady, and beautiful sign of new life and a new nature. It’s easy to see the work of the Spirit compared to the works of the flesh. Love for God and His people is clear in a true believer. The fruit of the Spirit cannot be imitated through human effort. We cannot be specially trained to produce the fruit of the Spirit. A truly spiritual Christian displays the fruit of the Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit is Love. Love means caring for others as much as I care for myself.
- Joy is love in jubilation: love cannot truly rejoice without other people.
- Peace is love in repose: the spirit of tranquility can be passed on to other people.
- Long-suffering is love on trial: tolerating frustration and refusing to become frustrated.
- Gentleness is love in society: compassion and forgiveness (kindness).
- Goodness is love in action: as gracious and generous as the Lord Jesus.
- Faith is love in endurance: keeping its promises and sticking to its commitments.
- Meekness is love at school: refusing to be harsh and demanding when it has every right to push its own interests.
- Temperance is love in discipline: voluntarily putting the brakes on its own feelings and actions.
When a believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, evidence of this holy fruit will be visible. This occurs because the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ has been planted within the child of God. Just as our Lord Jesus "did always those things that pleased the Father," this is also the desire of a child of God. The Spirit develops these qualities in us once we are joined to Him by faith, and we desire to imitate Him. When the Lord Jesus Christ is in control, we will "love the Lord our God ... and our neighbor..." These two commandments encompass the entire law. We do not perform rites, rituals, or symbolic acts to be righteous. Instead, there is a desire to reflect the character of our Lord in our lives.
The works of the flesh reveal a life falling apart, unlike the fruit of the Spirit, which depicts a life where everything functions in harmony. Faith and obedience go together as the Holy Spirit shows evidence of divine life in a believer. As the fruit grows and matures, there are blessed outcomes like a plentiful harvest of good things. This is what God desires to see in His people. There is mastery over sinful desire and focus on God. When we live in the Spirit, we stay in step with the Spirit, contrasting pride, strife, envy, and conceit.
We are set free from sin's dominion when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. We can turn from sin and its temptations and tendencies because we have power over these through the Spirit within us. There is a sense in which we daily crucify the desires of the flesh to avoid acting in the ways of the world around us. The Spirit enables us to bring our values into alignment with the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to "draw nigh to God, and He will draw night to [us]."
When we are led by the Spirit of God, every part of our life is submitted to His control. Those I live with, work with, study with, and have spiritual fellowship with can see whether I am living under the power of the flesh or the Spirit. Such a person is not self-centered, a troublemaker, or impressed with their own importance. The standards of life that build the foundation of our faith come from God to us through His Word. The values we live by are given authority in our lives by the Holy Spirit, who guides us. Being led by the Spirit and walking in the Spirit won't make me conceited or popular, but it will earn God's approval, and that is what truly matters.
The contrasts are clear; there is no common ground between the flesh and the Spirit. One clearly comes from God, who gives us power from within. The other results from pressures to conform to the most acceptable ways of the people around us. When a person is led by the flesh, there is deceit, guilt, and often serious conflict. Walking in the Spirit reveals the new nature we have been given. The energy of the flesh is very weak, especially when trying to do right. The fruit of the Spirit is evident in those who walk by faith, not sight. The flesh tries and fails to change the wrong tendencies we are prone to. The Spirit reveals God's holy things that are faithful and always right in God's eyes. The flesh wants to accept sin as normal life without serious consequences.
The Holy Spirit guards and guides us in life, offering us a strong defense. The purpose of writing this is to encourage us to walk in the Spirit. When we are led and guided by God's Spirit, we can demonstrate our faith. The fruit of the Spirit will be evident as we stay in close fellowship with our Lord, and the Spirit's power will help us resist sin. As we submit to God's control with obedient and thankful hearts, we can positively influence searching souls. The joy of the Lord will give our lives meaning as we live each day. Through the work of the Spirit in us today, some people may find the Way of salvation—our Lord Jesus Christ.