Walk In The Spirit

The exhortation to walk in the Spirit comes in both the middle and the end of Ch. 5. Yet Paul sets up this exhortation throughout the chapter as he gives instruction and makes comparisons. Paul first emphasizes how…

Walking In The Spirit Requires Grace vv. 1-6

Here Paul emphasizes the necessity of not living according to the law. So whatever the fruit of the spirit is, you cannot produce it through legalistic adherence to rules. You cannot walk int he Spirit and adhere to the Law at the same time. The fruit of the Spirit must be produced apart from law. It is a product of grace. Paul is leading up to the fruit of the Spirit which is what enables us to walk in the Spirit. V. 6 gives us our 1st hint at the coming description of the fruit. In Christ Jesus faith working through love is what has profit/benefit. Paul also emphasizes how…

Walking In The Spirit Requires Obedience vv. 7-15

v. 7 = hint #2 running well involves obedience to the truth. You cannot walk in the Spirit if you ignore truth. A little bad brings destruction. We cannot be tolerant of sin in even its tiniest form. Sin must rooted out completely. V. 11 is important, Paul doesn’t preach rules, they cancel out the offense of the Cross. The Cross is offensive, we live by it! V. 13 – hint #3 serve one another through love, don’t use liberty as an excuse/license to sin. Whatever the fruit of the Spirit is, it involves service for one another and selflessness. This is what it means to walk in the Spirit. It means obedience to Christ. It means avoidance of sin. This leads to our next thought…

Walking In The Spirit Requires Following vv. 16-21

If you want to do the things outlined above, walk in the Spirit. Hint #4. Since the fruit of the Spirit is produced by the Spirit we must walk in Him if we are to have any hope of producing His fruit. What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? Paul uses this word to emphasize your manner of life, direction. This is how you are to live your life, live it in the Spirit. The spirit and flesh are at war w/ one another. Hint #5 be led by the Spirit v. 18. Beyond just walking in the Spirit. Allow Him to be captain, the one directing the ship of your life. In order for the Galatians to see what it means to walk in the Spirit, and be led by Him Paul exposes the works of the flesh vv. 19-21. If these are the things you practice, you have no inheritance in the kingdom of God. You will come up empty if you live this way. This is what the fruit of the Spirit is not. Whatever it is these things will not be present. When we follow the Spirit, He leads us away from these behaviors. Walking in the Spirit means that these things will not be a part of our lives!

Walking In The Spirit Requires Production vv. 22-26

In contrast to the works of the flesh, Paul presents the fruit of the Spirit vv. 22-23. The fruit of the Spirit is produced in the life of the believer only as we walk in submission to Him. The production of fruit requires being rooted in the One who produces it. This means our lives must be rooted in the Holy Spirit to bear this fruit.

Love – Agape. Action word. This is demonstrated love, not just an emotion of love.

Joy – Chara. This is an emotion but it is a demonstrated emotion. It is something visible.

Peace – Calm in the midst of the storm. Not absence of trial but confidence that God will get you through.

Longsuffering – patience. Long enduring. Not a short fuse.

Kindness – moral goodness. What comes to mind when mention kindness?

Goodness – uprightness of heart and life.

Faithfulness – living a life of faith. Not just saying it but being faithful.

Gentleness – meekness, mild. This speaks of a person who is self-possessed. Poised.

Self-control – temperance. The virtue of one who masters his desires and passions

Interesting that he again mentions law in v. 23. Context is how we don’t live by law. There is no law against living by the Spirit. When we belong to Christ we put the fleshly desires/passions to death. This is a process. We live by the Spirit (v. 25), we cannot have spiritual life apart from Him. We are therefore to order the manner of our lives according to His direction. As we do this, do not be conceited (v. 26). Conceit provokes our brothers and sisters in Christ. Flaunting our fruit brings envy.

Tells us what fruit is. How is it produced? Look at hints. It involves faith, belief in the Lord that is lived out through love for body of Christ. Obedience to the truth and service. Being led by, and walking in, the Spirit.

The bottom line: The fruit of the Spirit is produced in the life of the believer as we live in obedience to the Lord, serving Him and those in Christ. This is what it means to walk in the Spirit. It means He is in control and we follow His leading. The Word of God cannot be separated from this. We find out how the Spirit would have us live through the Word. The emphasis on service is interesting. Implies that you cannot have the fruit of the Spirit if you are not serving, ministering, working.

CHALLENGE: Walk in the Spirit and we will bear His fruit which will then attract people to Christ.