Walking in the Spirit? (2 of 4)
First, a few observations:
Among the churches, there are a lot of arguments about “holiness”. Some (mistakenly) think that Holiness is sinlessness. Since the word “saint” means “holy one”, they say that true Christians don’t sin. Others say we sin every day and that we only get credit for Jesus life (because He lived a sinless life). They confuse “holiness” with “righteousness”. This is how they misunderstand the idea of Jesus righteousness being imputed to us.
“Holy” actually means “to be set apart for a special reason”. Having a Super-bowl ring makes a player separate from others. These are a relatively small group of players that “look” like any others, but really they are different: they have played and won a Super-bowl game. A wedding ring makes the same distinction: for the wife, the husband is different from every other man on earth. Likewise the woman is different from all other women to her husband. They are HOLY to each other.
“Righteousness” refers to the actions (works) done by someone that are acceptable according to the Law. When a doctor works hard to save a person’s life, those actions are the doctor’s righteousness. Being righteous means being upright and innocent of wrong-doing. The Righteousness of Man are the good acts that men do. The Righteousness of God are the good acts that God does. These thoughts are in the background as we prepare to begin our study.
Two more ideas are important to understand:
First; the wages of sin is death.
Physical death (we were already spiritually dead). When we sin, we are killing ourselves. This is why God HATES sin. He loves us and wants us to prosper and live forever (not suffer and die). The scripture says: the soul that sinneth, it shall die (Ez. 18:20a). The “eth” at the end of the verb means something that begins and continues. The person that uses Meth and continues to do it, will die. If a person keeps on lying or stealing or committing adultery (etc…), he or she will be destroyed by their sin. It is not God that is killing us because we sin, sin itself is killing us!
Second; you don’t go to Hell for sinning, but for not trusting your life to Christ (Jn. 3:16, 18).
This is SO important to understand! Which of us has not lied at least once this year? Which of us has not wished that another person would suffer judgement or harm? Which of us has NEVER been selfish or proud? Certainly Christians hate sin and are ashamed to even desire to sin. The presence of sin in our lives proves that we still NEED a Savior every day!
Thanks for being patient.
Now we are ready to start our Study.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
What does it mean to “Walk in the Spirit”? Understanding and doing this is the purpose of this study. Let’s read Gal. 5:16-18 and consider them.
Galatians 5:16-18 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 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.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
(v.16) The Spirit is the Holy Spirit. Walking refers to living or acting under the Spirit’s direction.
(v.17) You cannot walk in the flesh and the Spirit at the same time! They are contrary (enemies).
(v.18) Being led of the Spirit and walking in the Spirit are the same. Being in the Spirit takes you out from under the Law.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest (revealed, obvious), which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 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.
These prove that you are in the flesh!
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
These prove that you are in the Spirit!
Consider how contrary they are: Can you hate someone and have joy at the same time? Can you have envy and peace at the same time? Can you be full of both goodness and wrath?
Of course not!
Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
ARE we Christ’s? This doesn’t mean “do we belong to Christ?” (Ez. 18:4). It means “Is Christ living in us?” Or is He simply visiting from time to time? If our affections and lusts are not crucified (denied), we are not presently “in Christ”.
(note: we are not discussing whether we are saved, but
whether we are IN THE SPIRIT.)
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If we are, let’s WALK! This means, of course, let’s DO what He says!
Some will say that we do some things in the flesh and some in the Spirit. They say that as we grow in the Lord, we will be “more spiritual” and “less carnal”. I feel this is incorrect. What I do is walk in the flesh most of the time. Then when I’m really distressed about something, I am forced to try to walk in the Spirit. I am considered by some to be spiritual, but that’s because they don’t know me very well and they don’t expect the Lord to do miraculous things. They think that if I am nice, Godly, and don’t sin much that I am spiritual. What they are admiring is the righteousness of Man. What they NEED to see is the Righteousness of God! I do, too!
Romans 7 describes the condition of a Christian that has been walking (living) in the flesh (v.14). Not necessarily in sin, but always miserably close to it. How can he escape his prison? Through Jesus Christ (v.24-25)!
Romans 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled (exceeded) in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
(v.4) Jesus died to give us the Holy Spirit so THAT righteousness of the Law will be EXCEEDED in us!
-Jesus justified the forgiveness of our sins so that we could
receive the Holy Spirit.
-Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit so that we could FOLLOW Him
(the Holy Spirit)!
Romans 8:5-8 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
You can only be in the flesh or in the Spirit.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
What does the phrase “dwell in you” mean?
The other night, we had some very heavy rains. The washes in Rainbow Valley were running high. Some of our friends were trapped on this side of the wash and their house was on the other side. They asked if they could spend the night in our home. Of course they could; we have a guest room that’s actually nicer than our own room.
We didn’t ask them to wash the dishes, mow the lawn or take out the garbage. Why not? Because they don’t live (dwell) here! They are only visiting. The Holy Spirit is IN every born again Christian, but He doesn’t necessarily DWELL (live His life) in them.
Romans 8:10-11 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
If we follow the Holy Spirit, we will deny our bodies. If we follow the Spirit, the righteousness of God (God doing His mighty works) will be shown.
When Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness, He didn’t eat for forty days (Matt. 4:1-2). And He was HUNGRY! He didn’t decide to fast, He decided to follow the Holy Spirit. His body just had to follow along…
Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
We are debtors! We owe it to Jesus to follow the Holy Spirit!
Romans 8:13-14 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
If we are LED by the Spirit of God!
Romans 8:15-16 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
-we are adopted by God!
-we talk to God personally as our Father.
-our spirits and the Holy Spirit together show (testify)
that we are His children.
What difference does that make?
Mark 16:20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the
Lord working with them, and confirming the word
with signs following. Amen.
Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
We will suffer with Him (Jesus)…
Just as Jesus was glorified by the Father when the Father did mighty works, WE shall be glorified TOGETHER with Jesus when the Father and Jesus work together with us as we follow the Holy Spirit!
(1 Cor. 3:9, 2 Cor. 6:1)
Next week: What does Walking in the Spirit Look Like?
First, a few observations:
Among the churches, there are a lot of arguments about “holiness”. Some (mistakenly) think that Holiness is sinlessness. Since the word “saint” means “holy one”, they say that true Christians don’t sin. Others say we sin every day and that we only get credit for Jesus life (because He lived a sinless life). They confuse “holiness” with “righteousness”. This is how they misunderstand the idea of Jesus righteousness being imputed to us.
“Holy” actually means “to be set apart for a special reason”. Having a Super-bowl ring makes a player separate from others. These are a relatively small group of players that “look” like any others, but really they are different: they have played and won a Super-bowl game. A wedding ring makes the same distinction: for the wife, the husband is different from every other man on earth. Likewise the woman is different from all other women to her husband. They are HOLY to each other.
“Righteousness” refers to the actions (works) done by someone that are acceptable according to the Law. When a doctor works hard to save a person’s life, those actions are the doctor’s righteousness. Being righteous means being upright and innocent of wrong-doing. The Righteousness of Man are the good acts that men do. The Righteousness of God are the good acts that God does. These thoughts are in the background as we prepare to begin our study.
Two more ideas are important to understand:
First; the wages of sin is death.
Physical death (we were already spiritually dead). When we sin, we are killing ourselves. This is why God HATES sin. He loves us and wants us to prosper and live forever (not suffer and die). The scripture says: the soul that sinneth, it shall die (Ez. 18:20a). The “eth” at the end of the verb means something that begins and continues. The person that uses Meth and continues to do it, will die. If a person keeps on lying or stealing or committing adultery (etc…), he or she will be destroyed by their sin. It is not God that is killing us because we sin, sin itself is killing us!
Second; you don’t go to Hell for sinning, but for not trusting your life to Christ (Jn. 3:16, 18).
This is SO important to understand! Which of us has not lied at least once this year? Which of us has not wished that another person would suffer judgement or harm? Which of us has NEVER been selfish or proud? Certainly Christians hate sin and are ashamed to even desire to sin. The presence of sin in our lives proves that we still NEED a Savior every day!
Thanks for being patient.
Now we are ready to start our Study.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
What does it mean to “Walk in the Spirit”? Understanding and doing this is the purpose of this study. Let’s read Gal. 5:16-18 and consider them.
Galatians 5:16-18 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 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.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
(v.16) The Spirit is the Holy Spirit. Walking refers to living or acting under the Spirit’s direction.
(v.17) You cannot walk in the flesh and the Spirit at the same time! They are contrary (enemies).
(v.18) Being led of the Spirit and walking in the Spirit are the same. Being in the Spirit takes you out from under the Law.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest (revealed, obvious), which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 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.
These prove that you are in the flesh!
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
These prove that you are in the Spirit!
Consider how contrary they are: Can you hate someone and have joy at the same time? Can you have envy and peace at the same time? Can you be full of both goodness and wrath?
Of course not!
Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
ARE we Christ’s? This doesn’t mean “do we belong to Christ?” (Ez. 18:4). It means “Is Christ living in us?” Or is He simply visiting from time to time? If our affections and lusts are not crucified (denied), we are not presently “in Christ”.
(note: we are not discussing whether we are saved, but
whether we are IN THE SPIRIT.)
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If we are, let’s WALK! This means, of course, let’s DO what He says!
Some will say that we do some things in the flesh and some in the Spirit. They say that as we grow in the Lord, we will be “more spiritual” and “less carnal”. I feel this is incorrect. What I do is walk in the flesh most of the time. Then when I’m really distressed about something, I am forced to try to walk in the Spirit. I am considered by some to be spiritual, but that’s because they don’t know me very well and they don’t expect the Lord to do miraculous things. They think that if I am nice, Godly, and don’t sin much that I am spiritual. What they are admiring is the righteousness of Man. What they NEED to see is the Righteousness of God! I do, too!
Romans 7 describes the condition of a Christian that has been walking (living) in the flesh (v.14). Not necessarily in sin, but always miserably close to it. How can he escape his prison? Through Jesus Christ (v.24-25)!
Romans 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled (exceeded) in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
(v.4) Jesus died to give us the Holy Spirit so THAT righteousness of the Law will be EXCEEDED in us!
-Jesus justified the forgiveness of our sins so that we could
receive the Holy Spirit.
-Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit so that we could FOLLOW Him
(the Holy Spirit)!
Romans 8:5-8 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
You can only be in the flesh or in the Spirit.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
What does the phrase “dwell in you” mean?
The other night, we had some very heavy rains. The washes in Rainbow Valley were running high. Some of our friends were trapped on this side of the wash and their house was on the other side. They asked if they could spend the night in our home. Of course they could; we have a guest room that’s actually nicer than our own room.
We didn’t ask them to wash the dishes, mow the lawn or take out the garbage. Why not? Because they don’t live (dwell) here! They are only visiting. The Holy Spirit is IN every born again Christian, but He doesn’t necessarily DWELL (live His life) in them.
Romans 8:10-11 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
If we follow the Holy Spirit, we will deny our bodies. If we follow the Spirit, the righteousness of God (God doing His mighty works) will be shown.
When Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness, He didn’t eat for forty days (Matt. 4:1-2). And He was HUNGRY! He didn’t decide to fast, He decided to follow the Holy Spirit. His body just had to follow along…
Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
We are debtors! We owe it to Jesus to follow the Holy Spirit!
Romans 8:13-14 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
If we are LED by the Spirit of God!
Romans 8:15-16 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
-we are adopted by God!
-we talk to God personally as our Father.
-our spirits and the Holy Spirit together show (testify)
that we are His children.
What difference does that make?
Mark 16:20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the
Lord working with them, and confirming the word
with signs following. Amen.
Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
We will suffer with Him (Jesus)…
Just as Jesus was glorified by the Father when the Father did mighty works, WE shall be glorified TOGETHER with Jesus when the Father and Jesus work together with us as we follow the Holy Spirit!
(1 Cor. 3:9, 2 Cor. 6:1)
Next week: What does Walking in the Spirit Look Like?
