Walking in the Spirit

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Paul began chapter 5 of Galatians by talking about our freedom in Christ. Christ died to set us free from the law and legalism. By setting us free from the "yoke of slavery", we are not longer burdened with the "rigorous demands of the law as the means for gaining God's favor" (NIV). Trying to follow the law is an incredible burden because one cannot be selective of what part he will follow. It is all or nothing. Warren Wiersbe tells us that an unsaved person wears a yoke of sin and the religious legalist wears the yoke of bondage; but the Christian who depends on God's grace wears the liberating yoke of Christ. We no longer need the external force of the law to keep us in God's will, because we have the internal leading of the Holy Spirit. For those who wait for the hope of righteousness by faith, we become spiritually rich because we are no longer outside of God's grace. Because of this freedom, we are to stand firm in our faith in Christ. Faith is a living  trust in God's grace that expresses itself in acts of love (NIV).

In verses 7-15, Paul wrote about the false teachers who hindered the Galatians from their liberty in Christ. The Judaizers had caused the Galatians to move away from the life of grace and into a life of legalism. He said they did not come from God; that they were like yeast that gets worked through the whole batch of dough. "The yeast, or false teaching of the Judaizers was introduced in a small way, but before long, the 'yeast' grew and eventually took over. (WW). Paul said they would pay a penalty for their deception.

Wiersbe reminds us what our liberty includes. We are free from the guilt of sin because we have experienced God's forgiveness. We are free from the penalty of sin because Christ died for us. Through the Spirit, we are free from the power of sin in our daily life. We have liberty because of the grace of Jesus Christ. How then are we to express our liberty in Christ? In Matthew 22:34-40 we read that we are not to indulge in the sinful nature, but to serve one another in love. And we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Romans 13:8-10 shows us that no debt is to remain outstanding except the continual debt to love one another which is the fulfillment of the law. Wiersbe warns us that our liberty is not to degenerate into license. Christi
an liberty is not license to sin, but an opportunity to serve. We are commanded to serve one another in love. Love is the only debt that is never paid off. Because of this, we are under obligation to continually love everyone; our neighbor is anyone in need (NIV).

In verse 15, Paul warned the Galatians that if they kept biting and devouring one another they would be destroyed by one another. Trying to follow the law alone leads to a self-righteous, critical spirit (NIV). Wiersbe writes that the "law cannot force people to get along. . . Unless the Holy Spirit of God is permitted to fill hearts with His love, selfishness and competition will reign. . . The legalists and libertines were destroying the fellowship."

Paul explained in verses 16-26 why the flesh and the spirit cannot coexist. The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the other, therefore, they are in conflict with one another. In other words, the spirit and the flesh have different appetites and this creates conflict (WW). We cannot simply overcome the flesh; only living by the promptings and power of the Spirit can we conquer the sinful desires of the flesh (NIV).

Paul wrote that those who practice the works of the flesh as a way of life will not inherit the kingdom of God. This does not mean the individual act of sin; but rather the habit of sin. Romans 13:14 tells us to clothes ourselves with the Lord and not to think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Wiersbe tells us to "put on" the Lord Jesus Christ means to become more like Him, to receive by faith all that He is for our daily living. We grow based on what we eat. this is why God warns us not to make provisions for the flesh. If we feed the flesh, we will fail, but if we feed the inner man the nourishing things of the spirit, we will succeed.
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Those who walk in the spirit will produce the fruit of the spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. "Christian character is produced by the Holy Spirit, not by the mere moral discipline of tyring to live by the law. The indwelling Holy Spirit produces Christian virtues in the believer's life (NIV). I have found that Bible study, worship, prayer taking the time to count my blessings and spending time with Christian friends has helped me to live in the Spirit.


-Information taken from:
The Power of the Gospel by Trudy Ries and Karen Scotti pp. 28-29
The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan
The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, The Complete New Testament by Warren Wiersbe pp. 570-576

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