Galatians 5:13-26 Walk by the Spirit

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another....But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh....But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Paul has used a variety of arguments to convince us that we should not follow the Law. For us gentile believers, that includes any of the rules and rituals we have made up in an effort to please God, or become more righteous.

He gave many of the same arguments when he wrote to the believers in Rome. He asked, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" [Romans 6:1-2 NASB]

In Galatians, he heads off that question. We are called to be free. But freedom is not an excuse to sin. We are free to walk in the Spirit of God, and to be led by him. If you are walking in the Spirit you won't sin.

I have heard it said many times that it is not possible to live without sinning. They were wrong. In the flesh it is impossible, but don't let your experience of trying to overcome sin by following the rules, or exerting your will in an effort to be better, color your understanding of life in the Spirit. You can't judge the Spirit by your experience in the flesh.

God has not set an impossible goal ahead of us. But he empowered us by giving us His Spirit to live in us. He wants us to live by faith in His ability to lead us.

Someone may ask, "if there are no rules, how do we know what is right or wrong?" Paul's answer is simple: It's obvious. He provides a long list of fleshly, immoral behavior. This is not a list of "thou shalt not's". They are more like signposts of your spiritual life. If you find yourself getting drunk, watching porn, lashing out in anger, following New Age practices (which is idolatry), being jealous, or anything else like that, then you know that you are living in the flesh and not in the Spirit. And this is not a comprehensive list. For example, murder and robbery are not on the list, but I think we can agree that these are also works of the flesh.

Take note of Paul's warning "that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

But if you walk by the Spirit, you will show the fruit of the spirit. This passage is frequently taken out of context, and the fruit of the Spirit is held up as a list of attributes that we should aspire to have. "Work hard to be more loving and peaceful. Be patient. Be kind. etc." The principle holds that any effort on our part to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit is an act of the flesh, and will fail.

The emphasis is on walking in the Spirit. As the Spirit leads you, you will find that you are more able to love. You will experience more peace, not because you worked for it, but because the Holy Spirit has caused it to grow. The fruit of the Spirit is another signpost of you spiritual life. When you see these types of attributes, don't become proud, but recognize that you are on the right path.

Again, this is not meant to be a comprehensive list. For example, generosity and humility are not on this list, yet they also are fruits of the Spirit.

By their nature, we know which acts are right or wrong. If we walk in the flesh, we will carry out the deeds of the flesh. But if we walk in the Spirit we will carry out the deeds of the Spirit..