Galatians 5:16-18
LIVE BY THE SPIRIT
Romans 7:14- 8:4
What principle should one follow to live the Christian life? If a group of average church members were asked that question what answers would they give? Some would likely emphasis Bible reading and prayer. Some would stress faithful church attendance. Others might mention living by the Golden Rule or using your life to serve others. Still others might say, "Imitate Christ." Good answers, but is there a principle that over-arches these? Here we have Paul’s answer to the question, "How to live the Christian life?" His over-arching guiding principle is Live by the Spirit.
Many professing Christians are quite ignorant of the Holy Spirit’s ministry and they fail to recognize and experience His work. They tend to emphasize rules rather than the life of divine grace, the life of the Spirit. We preachers often hammer on morality but teach little about the workings of the Spirit and His power to help. To substitute moralizing for the biblical teaching of the Holy Spirit led life is tragic.
The real secret of success or victory in living the Christian life is to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance and receive His empowering. This leads to an inner and outer transformation of life that a code of ethics cannot even touch. This was Paul’s understanding and deep conviction; to live in victory is to walk by the Spirit (CIT). It is each believer’s responsibility to live a Spirit controlled life.
I. The Victorious Life, v.16.
II. The Inner Struggle, v. 17:
III. Spiritual Freedom, v.18:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will never carry out the desires of the flesh.
Here we have the answer to the abuses described in the previous verses, and the secret to the victorious Christian life. This life of victory comes not from following an external code but from obeying an internal Presence. The Holy Spirit takes the place of the law as the controlling power in the Christian’s life.
The word walk, used 32 times in Galatians, is used figuratively of one’s way of life. The verb [peri-pateite] is in the present imperative and literally means keep on walking. The promise here given is to the believer who continuously lives in dependence on the indwelling Holy Spirit for guidance and power. The Spirit does not operate automatically in the believer’s heart but waits to be yielded to, depended on, and followed. The secret to victory in living the Christian life is walking continuously by the Spirit.
To walk by the Spirit of God is to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and follow it. The Spirit of God will always lead us in accord with the Word of God, never contrary to it.
When a Christian does yield to the Spirit’s control, the promise, or the result, is that he will not in any way gratify the fallen nature. The word not is better translated by the emphatic word never for it represents the most emphatic double negative (oume) or negation possible in the original Greek. If you follow the Spirit directions and promptings you will never be dominated by your sinful nature, here defined as flesh.
The flesh refers to the fallen evil nature of man. It desires to dominate the free will of man. The flesh combines with the power of temptation to keep you from following the way of Christ Jesus.
When you were saved and received Jesus as Lord and Savior, the power of sin and of your fallen nature was broken, but it was not eradicated. The believer has been given the responsibility to obey the Spirt, the good new is that believers in Jesus Christ can. The believer though must walk in the Spirit for the fallen fleshly nature desires to dominate the believer’s life like it has been accustom to doing before the believer experienced salvation from sin and its power over him.
The word desire or gratify (teles te) means to complete or fulfill by outward action. This desiring was part of the original nature of man but was perverted into evil by our fallen nature. God has given us natural desires to be express in healthy ways. Satan uses our sinful nature to get us to use our natural and originally good desires in a ways that are contrary to God’s will. Much sin is an illegitimate expression of a legitimate desire. While no believer will ever be entirely free from the evil desires that stem from his fallen human nature, he need not capitulate to them, but by walking in the Spirit he will always experience victory over them. This wonderful truth is as much a part of the gospel as is the promise of the forgiveness of sin. The promise of walking by the Spirit is the guarantee of moment by moment victory.
A LESSON FROM THE OAK TREE
Around our home where we lived in Spring City, TN were some beautiful oak trees. Every year during the fall season I noticed that some of them retain their dried leaves long after the maples, the elms, and the walnuts become bare. Even the strong winds of winter and the early spring rains did not completely strip their limbs. But as springtime progresses, the scene begins to change. Fresh little buds start appearing at the tips of the twigs. Soon the dried leaves of the preceding season drop away because of the surging forces of new life from within.
This is a picture of the Holy Spirit’s work in us as a Christians. Old habits cling to our lives with a tenacity that can almost drive us to despair. Even trial and adversity do not remove all the lifeless leftovers of our fallen human nature. But Christ, who dwells in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, is at work. His powerful life continually seeks expression from within. As we nurture it through confession of sin, prayer, meditation on the Word of God, obedience, and fellowship with Christ we begin to live continuously in the Spirit. Then the dead works of the flesh gradually drop away. It is the living that expels and replaces the dead.
Do you feel discouraged? Have your efforts to turn over a new leaf or pluck off the old ones met with defeat? Then take a lesson from the mighty oak. Thank God for the wonder-working power of the Holy Spirit within you! Keep on yielding to His gentle urging to be kind, loving, honest, and faithful. As you do your part the Holy Spirit will take care of those "old leaves." The best way to get rid of the old nature is to give life to the new nature.
II. THE INNER STRUGGLE (v 17).
Paul further explains the reason to live a life that is controlled by and energized by the Spirit in verse 17. "For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."
There is an inner spiritual conflict and struggle in each believer’s life between desires wrongly expressed and the indwelling Holy Spirit and between Holy Spirit prompted desires and the flesh. The explanation for this inner civil war is the fact that Christians have two natures, a fleshly or sinful nature received at birth, inherited from fallen Adam, and a new nature received at spiritual birth given by Christ. Again, the old nature’s power was broken not eradicated at salvation. Both natures, the believer’s earthly nature and the new nature, have desires, the one for evil and the other for holiness. Thus they are in conflict with each other, and the result would be that they keep a believer from doing what he would otherwise do. Paul gives personal testimony to his struggle in Romans 7:15-25 and to his Holy Spirit won victory in Romans chapter 8.
Note that Paul is not saying that these two antagonists are equal. Paul does not deny that there is daily victory. The Holy Spirit is infinitely stronger. The Bible is saying that the Christian cannot simply will to over come the flesh. If we rely on our own wisdom we will make wrong choices and fail. What the Apostle is pointing out is that we cannot win this victory in our own strength and by our own will but only by surrendering to the Holy Spirit and finding His strength. The only way to victory over wrong desires is submitting to the Spirit and giving Him continuous control of your life.
III. SPIRITUAL FREEDOM (v18).
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
The solution is not to pit our will to obey the law against the flesh but to surrender our will to the Holy Spirit. The present tense verb indicates that freedom from the defeat, bondage, curse, and even the impotence of the law (Gal. 3:11ff, 21ff) is for those continually being willing led by the Spirit. The godly life is not lived under the rules of Law, but is found in a life led by the Spirit. It is important for the Galatians and us to know that just as justification is not possible by works, so sanctification cannot be achieved by human effort. It is a fact that Christ saves and that the Holy Spirit sanctifies (through heeding the word of truth and living a life of truth). (The if is a first class condition- which could be translated and they who are). To live victoriously one must submit to the Spirit’s direction and let the Spirit control one’s life.
WHOSE MONOPOLY?
A group of pastors had gathered to make plans for a city-wide evangelistic campaign. One of the men suggested that the well-known evangelist D. L. Moody be considered as a possible speaker. The pastors discussed the suggestion and several spoke favorably about Moody. One young preacher who wasn’t in favor of inviting Moody stood up and said with a note of sarcasm, "From the way some of you talk, you’d think Mr. Moody has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit."
The room became quiet. Then another pastor said, "No, Mr. Moody doesn’t have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit does have a monopoly on Mr. Moody!"
That pastor recognized that Moody was a man who had not only yielded his body to be a temple of the Holy Spirit but had learned to be fully submissive to His will. The Holy Spirit truly had a monopoly on Mr. Moody.
We are admonished to "be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). That involves yielding ourselves to the will and power of the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to accomplish His purposes through us.
No one has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit. But He should have a monopoly on us. The human spirit fails unless the Holy Spirit fills.
Back to the BASICS
In the 1994 Winter Olympics, held in Norway, twenty-three year old Tommy Moe of the United States won the gold on the men’s downhill. It was "a beautifully controlled run," said William Oscar Johnson in Sports Illustrated, "on which he held tucks and thrust his hands forward in perfect form at places where others had stood up and flailed their arms."
After his victory, Tommy Moe explained his thought processes. "I kept it simple," he said, " and focused on skiing, not on winning, not on where I’d place. I remembered to breathe sometimes I don’t."
The winner of the gold medal in the Olympics had to remember the most basic of basics: breathing! He kept it simple.
Likewise as we seek to have a strong walk with God, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know where we win or lose. Those being led by the Spirit breathe the exhilarating and invigorating air of moral and spiritual freedom. No longer being under law’s bondage, they live out God’s presence with gladness of heart. Spiritual victory depends on the basics. We need to make sure we’re being led by the Spirit.
CONCLUSION
Cooperate with the Holy Spirit and let Him lead and you will live according to the high standards of the life and teachings of Jesus. No other directed life will come even close to enabling the believer to live the Christ-like life on earth. Being led by the Holy Spirit involves the desire to hear, the readiness to obey God’s Word, and the sensitivity to discern between your feelings and His prompting. Live each day controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit. Then the words of Christ will be in your mind, the love of Christ will be behind your actions, and the power of Christ will help you control your selfish desires.
