Live By The Spirit

The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Galatians because they were drifting away from a proper understanding of the gospel. After the apostle Paul had started a number of churches in the region of Galatia, some false teachers—known as Judaizers—came after him and began teaching another gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).

The false teachers taught that salvation is the result of faith plus works. Paul insisted that salvation was the result of faith alone. Good works was the product of faith, not the source of faith.

After defending his credentials as an apostle sent by God in chapters 1 and 2, Paul described the nature of faith in chapters 3 and 4. In chapters 5 and 6 the apostle applies his teaching to the lives of Christian believers.

In the section we are studying today, the apostle Paul explains the work of the Spirit in our lives. Let us read Galatians 5:16-26:

Galatians 5:16–26 NASB 2020

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, 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. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well. 26 Let’s not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

She stood on a small platform towering high above the crowd.

Several yards across from her was another tiny stage cloaked partially in darkness. Between her and that distant platform loomed an intimidating abyss and a long, silver strand seemingly leading nowhere. Her face was hot from the glare of the spotlight; her hands were clammy from fear. She offered a bow of confidence to the silhouettes below, then stood erect and faced the wire with her heart racing. She closed her eyes and looked deep into her soul, finding strength and determination that seemed to flow from an outside source. Still longing to remain safe, she slowly filled and emptied her lungs. . . and gazed at the wire stretched out in front of her.

Then she did it—she carefully stepped onto the wire, first with one foot, then with the other. Soon she was halfway across, suspended in space and feeling as if she were free to spread her arms and take flight. But the ever present danger on every side made her yearn for the security of the metal platform. Finally, reaching her destination, she quickly bowed to the applause from below and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Like the circus’s high-wire performer, Christians are perched on a tight-rope, trying to avoid two extremes—legalism on the one hand and licentiousness on the other.

Legalism presents itself as a platform of safety, saying, “Stop taking the risks of the free life and come back to me.”

Licentiousness, on the other hand, beckons us to stretch out our arms and fly toward our basest desires in total self-abandonment.

But God calls on us to keep walking the high wire of Christian freedom, balanced between playing it safe and living carelessly. What he is asking sometimes seems scary and impossible. Paul, however, reassures us that our walk can be filled with internal peace if we will only let the Holy Spirit help us.

In our lesson today, we shall look at two main points. First, the issue exposed. And second, the problem resolved.

I. The Issue Exposed

In our study of Galatians, we have seen that receiving Christ by faith alone liberates us from the law’s demands.

That’s why we can turn our backs on legalism and embark on the free life.

But what can restrain us from using our freedom to plummet to the depths of licentiousness and immorality? We all feel that pull to continue in our sin. Each one of us knows that temptation that keeps popping up.

We all feel the tug to step off the high wire and abuse our freedom. And yet, at the same time, our salvation has given us a new desire to put God’s wishes ahead of our own.

What is this inner conflict? Can it be resolved? If so, how? Our very balance depends on our answers to these questions.

II. The Problem Resolved

Paul gives us the answers we need in Galatians 5:16-26.

He describes the tug-of-war within us and the opposing forces involved. Then he explains how we can achieve victory and maintain our balance.

A. The Conflict Within (5:17)

First, notice the conflict within.

We all struggle with the conflict within, don’t we? The hymn writer captured the conflict well when he wrote, “ Prone to wander—Lord, I feel it—prone to leave the God I love” (in “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”).

Christians are human battlegrounds. Raging inside us is a war between our sinful nature and the Holy Spirit. Paul says in verse 17: “For the flesh (our sinful nature) desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other,”

Justification does not kill our depravity; it merely sets us free from the penalty of our fallen condition. Once we are saved, however, we enter a war we never had to face as unbelievers. We become embroiled in a fierce battle between the Spirit and the sinful nature. And until we die or Christ physically removes us from the earth, we will continue to experience this tumultuous warfare. Our every emotion, thought, choice, and act will feel the pressures caused by these two forces. That is why Paul says at the end of verse 17, “so that you don’t do what you want.”

B. The Forces Described

To help us understand the conflict warring within us, Paul describes the forces that are in conflict with each other.

1. The Sinful Nature (5:19-21)

First is the sinful nature.

In verse 19 Paul talks about the acts of the sinful nature. On the one hand we have our old sinful nature. It has not been eradicated by our new nature; it is still there. It still has its sinful tendencies and desires. These are described by Paul as the acts of the sinful nature.

These acts can be divided into four categories, each exposing the ugliness of our dark side.

The first category is sexual. Verse 19 says, “sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior.” These sins cover all sexual offenses, whether public or private, between the married or the unmarried, or between homosexuals or bisexuals.

The second category is religious, which includes idolatry and witchcraft (5:20a). Idolatry is the worship of anything other than God. Idols can be power, prestige, money, or self. The word for witchcraft or sorcery is pharmakeia which should sound a little familiar; pharmacy. This includes the use of magic or other acts that reach into the realm of evil. It also includes the use of drugs to achieve “religious” experiences.

The third category concerns personal relationships. Paul continues the list in the later part of verse 20 and into verse 21, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy. These are all signs of the sinful nature at work.

The last category is in verse 21 and concerns excessive alcohol consumption: drunkenness and carousing. The sins listed here are obvious. The end of the list says and things like these. This is not an exhaustive list.

All the deeds in these categories are simply examples of how far Christians can fall when they serve the sinful nature rather than the Spirit.

Paul once more gives the readers a warning in verse 21, “of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

This warning is sometimes taken as if a believer might lose their salvation. But it does not mean or even hint at this possibility. The key to understanding this is understanding the tense used in the Greek; it is present, active which means those who continually live like this.

It isn’t talking about someone who lapses, or as the Baptist say, backslide, into a sinful act, even of that is a few times. It is talking about those who claim to be Christian while living a non-Christian lifestyle.

Do you exhibit one of these lifestyles? If the former, you still need salvation. If the latter, you need to repent and live by the Spirit.

2. The Spirit (5:22-23)

The force that is opposed to the sinful nature is described by Paul as “the Spirit.”

Paul says in verses 22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.”

When the Spirit works within us, he produces spiritual fruit. By the way, notice that “fruit” is singular. The Spirit produces “fruit,” not “fruits.” This fruit has nine virtues that brighten our lives.

The first three, “love, joy, peace” (5:22a), concern our relationship to God. He is our first love and our first joy, and because of him we are at peace.

The next triad, “patience, kindness, goodness,” (5:22b), describe our relationship to other people. We will seek their best and put up with their worst.

And the final three qualities, “faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (5:22c-23a), concern our relationship to ourselves. We are able to master our passions and live a godly lifestyle. “Against such things,” Paul says, “there is no law” (5:23b). Since they are not of the sinful nature, they do not need to be restrained, actually they need to be un-restrained.

Author Eugene Peterson has an interesting statement about the fruit of the Spirit. He says:

"Fruit is the result of a long organic and living process. The process is complex and intricate. Fruits are not something made, manufactured or engineered. They are simply not the product of the drawing board. . . . They’re the results of a life created by God.

"We do not produce [fruit] by our own effort. We do not purchase it from another. It is not a reward for doing good deeds, like a merit badge, a gold medal, a blue ribbon. Fruits are simply there. Sometimes we experience them in another, sometimes in ourselves.

"These nine [virtues] are also like fruit in that they are perishable. They spoil. They are beautiful to observe but cannot be kept on display for long. They must be used—eaten and digested. Fruit is something our bodies use to supply nutrients to live well. Just so, the Spirit gifts are what we take into our lives so that we are able to live creatively."

C. The Way to Victory (5:16a, 25a)

So, Paul has described the two forces at war within us.

On the one hand you have the sinful nature. On the other hand you have the Spirit.

What can we do to overcome this raging war between good and evil? What is the way to victory?

Verse 16 says to “walk by the Spirit” and verse 25 says “If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.”

This process of walking or living by the Spirit involves two actions that must become as basic to our lives as breathing.

1. We Must Remember That Our Sinful Nature Has Been Crucified (5:24)

First, we must remember that our sinful nature has been crucified.

Paul says in verse 24: “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

This means that our sinful nature is dying, not dead. It has been nailed to Christ’s cross, so it does not have the power over us it once enjoyed. Yet it can still influence us if we don’t let it stay there. Too often, John Stott says,

"We keep wistfully wishing to return to the scene of its execution. We begin to fondle it, to caress it, to long for its release, even to try to take it down again from the cross. We need to learn to leave it there. When some jealous, or proud, or malicious, or impure thought invades our mind, we must kick it out at once. It is fatal to begin to examine it and consider whether we are going to give in to it or not. We have declared war on it; we are not going to resume negotiations. . . . We have crucified the flesh; we are never going to withdraw the nails."

Augustine was the famous Bishop of Hippo in North Africa who died in 430 AD. Prior to his conversion he lived a wild and immoral life. One day, some years after his conversion he was walking down the street when he bumped into a prostitute that he used to use before his conversion to Christ. They talked briefly, and the prostitute invited Augustine to take up where they had left off. Augustine refused. The prostitute pressed the invitation. “Augustine,” she said, “It is I.” To which Augustine responded, “Yes, but it is no longer I.”

Augustine knew that his sinful nature had been crucified and he had no desire to submit to his old, sinful nature again.

2. We Must Keep in Step with the Spirit (5:25)

And second, we must keep in step with the Spirit.

Paul says in verse 25, “If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.”

If you ever live or have lived around a military base, you can instantly tell who was in the military, even when they were out of uniform. It isn’t because of the haircuts or them wearing some clothing that identifies them. It is simply because they will start to walk in step with each other and not even think about it.

And that is what the word translated as “follow” is actually meaning. To walk in step, to conform.

One of the most important people in a marching formation is the front right person. Everyone in the formation depends on that person to be correct so they whole formation can be correct in marching.

And that is what the Holy Spirit does for us. He is there for us to follow, to teach us how to conform.

And the Greek tense is important here too. It is also in the present, active meaning it is something you are continually doing. Not just on Sunday mornings but each and every day. Your life style reflects you walking in step with the Spirit.

Just as the Spirit led Christ during his temptations in the wilderness (cf. Luke 4:1-2), so the Spirit will guide us through our battle with our sinful nature. But we must follow his lead and walk along the path of Christian virtue, not retreat into the traps of sinful indulgence.

How do we do this?

If you are not a Christian it begins with a relationship with God by faith alone in Christ alone.

If you are a Christian then it is a daily decision. It doesn’t matter where your relationship with God is right now. The Holy Spirit will guide you back into that fellowship with God as you should be. But it is still a daily decision to stay in step with the Spirit.

It really is that simple. Stay in step with the Holy Spirit and He will guide you to where God wants you. The Spirit will teach you to be more Christ-like as you follow Him daily.

Let’s pray.