AUGUST 29, 2024
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:16-18)
In the previous passage, Paul spoke truth to the Galatian Christians. That truth applies to all Christians, even today. His plea is for believers not to waste their freedom in Christ on serving their own flesh and selfish desires. Instead, he has told those free in Christ to serve each other in love. He describes a life of self-sacrifice in response to God’s love for us.
Now, Paul begins to describe how to live in this way. After all, this kind of life does not come naturally. Not only do we resist giving up our way, we often do not know how to act. Without the rules of the law to guide our every decision, how will we use our freedom in Christ to love each other?
Paul points to the only source of power and wisdom beyond ourselves: the Holy Spirit of God. Earlier in this letter, he revealed that the Spirit comes to live in the hearts of God’s sons and daughters. Now, Paul tells us to use this freedom in Christ to access the power of God’s Spirit in our hearts and everyday lives. He tells us to walk and keep on walking by the Spirit’s power and guidance.
Again, Paul will paint the picture of setting aside our power and relying on God’s. In the same way, we could not fulfill the law by our efforts, and Paul tells us to quit trying to serve each other in love. The Spirit of God in us is available and willing to help. Yes, this is a mysterious idea, but it’s also how free people in Christ avoid giving in to the desires of our flesh. It’s how we overcome our strong appetites to do what feels good, even if that thing is sinful. In the Spirit’s power, we can say no to ourselves.
Our flesh wants one thing, and God’s Spirit wants something very different, and we are even willing to sin against each other and God to get them. The Spirit, on the other hand, wants to honor God and serve others. When the Spirit comes to live in our hearts, a battle sometimes rages. However, Paul shows that those in Christ can win that battle by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead them; that power will enable us to serve in ways we never would have under the law.
Through the power of the Spirit, we can win the conflict over our selfishness and sinful desires. It is possible to act in the Spirit’s power to love and serve others as Christ does us. When we serve others that way, we do not need the law. None of its rules or regulations matter; our words, actions, and thoughts will be born from our love for God and others. Free people in Christ can – and should – use their freedom this way.
If we care to act under the guidance and power of the blessed Spirit, though we may not be freed from the stirrings and oppositions of the corrupt nature remaining in us, it will not have dominion over us. Believers are engaged in a conflict where they earnestly desire that grace may obtain full and speedy victory. Those who want to give themselves up to be led by the Holy Spirit are not under the law as a covenant of works nor exposed to its awful curse. Their hatred of sin and desires after holiness show that they have a part in the salvation of the gospel. The works of the flesh are many and manifest. And these sins will shut men out of heaven. Yet what numbers, who call themselves Christians, foolishly live in these and say they hope for heaven.
We must do everything in our power to put away the deeds of the body and to walk in the newness of life. Not desiring vain things but seeking to abound in those good fruits which are, through Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of God.
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