Galatians 5:16-26 Walk in the Spirit WC McCarter
Introduction
Pastors and
churches all across America have been attempting to diagnose the culture. They
want to watch the trends and the various forms of media in order to see how
they may either accommodate the culture or battle the culture. Yet, a passage
like we find in Galatians five today is fundamental to understanding ourselves
and the culture. We need to focus on our spiritual battle before we can take on
the culture.
READ Scripture- This is the Word of God
The Command (16)
Verse 16 is
a clear command to walk in the Spirit. In the NT, to “walk” means to live. It
refers to a lifestyle commitment. Do we all sin? I believe so. I do not think
anyone attains perfection in this age. We are only made completely perfect when
Christ returns and we are glorified. So, we all sin from time to time and must
ask forgiveness for it, but that does not mean that we live in our sins. The
danger is found in a lifestyle of
sin. The apostle says to, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the
lust of the flesh.” A person walks in either of two categories: the Spirit or
the flesh. To walk in the Spirit is to submit to the will of God, obey His
commands, pursue righteousness, and be changed from the inside-out. The Spirit
has been sent forth from the Father and Son to indwell all Christians. He has
come into our lives in order to regenerate us, that is, give us new birth and
to put to death the deeds of the flesh, that is, to progressively make us holy.
The Spirit longs for us to bear witness to Christ, and He enables us to live a
life worthy of the calling we have in Christ Jesus.
The “flesh,”
on the other hand, refers to the unredeemed nature. It is what has been called
the Adamic nature, the sin nature, the unregenerated nature, and more. Thus,
the “flesh” does not only refer to physical sins, but it refers to all those
things apart from Christ. The apostle says that if a person walks in the Spirit
he/she will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
The Conflict (17-18)
How is it
that walking in the Spirit keeps a person from fulfilling the lusts of the
flesh? These two are in conflict with one another. You cannot walk in both. You
either operate according to the Spirit or you operate according to the flesh. In
verse 17 we find the explanation for our inner struggles. Do you feel from time
to time that you are torn? Do you feel like you want to do what you know is
right, and yet you do the complete opposite? Do you know why you cannot do what
you want to do? It is because the flesh haunts you from the dead. Remember,
Paul has said in 2:20 what is true of all believers, “I have been crucified
with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. . . .” The old
“ego” is dead. The old “I” has been put away. Yet, the old you haunts you from
the grave so that Paul can say what he says in Rom 7:15-25 (turn there). Toward
the end of his life the apostle said in 1 Tim 1:15, “This is a faithful saying
and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners, of whom I am chief.”
You see,
there is within us two agents operating, the Spirit and the flesh. These two
are constantly battling it out inside us. This is the great Christian conflict.
What you want to do, you don’t do; and what you do not want to do is exactly
what you actually do. This is a frustrating thing, but it is the Christian
life. Slowly but surely, we are conquering the lusts of the flesh. Day by day,
we are suppressing the flesh so that one day we will have ultimate victory over
it. This is the process of maturity. Do we attain sinlessness in this life? As
I have already said, I do not believe so. Yet, I do believe that we can reach a
certain level of Christian maturity when we do not sin very often or
grievously. We can master the flesh to a certain extent in this life and that
should be our goal. The problem is that so many Christians are not at war with
the Adamic nature. We have to stop submitting to sinful and selfish desires and
go to battle with those things. Do not let the sinful nature master you.
The last
point that Paul wants to make before turning to the contrasts between the
Spirit and flesh comes in verse 18. He says that those who are led by the
Spirit are not under the Law. Why is that? Is the Law not necessary to keep the
Christian in check? We do not need the Law because the Holy Spirit is our
guide. He is the one who convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We do
not need some external Law because we have the Spirit of God leading us
internally to do those things which are right, good, and holy.
The Consequences of the Flesh (19-21)
We are
obviously not free to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Verses 19-21 give a
lengthy list of the works of the flesh and conclude with “those who practice
such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” The flesh can only produce
things that do not lead us into the kingdom of God. What I see is that this list
is the product of self-reliance. Those are truly our works whether we are
“winging it” all through life or submitting to the Mosaic Law. The Law only
makes these things known and condemns them with no remedy. There are at least
four categories of sins here, those things pertaining to: sexual sins,
religious sins, and also sins of culture and alcohol. Of course, this list of
sins is not exhaustive, so he ends by saying “and the like.” If someone
practices these things, that is, if they think that these things are
acceptable, if they do not repent of such things, if they walk in these things,
if any of these things become a lifestyle, then that person will not inherit
the kingdom of God.
The Consequences of the Spirit (22-26)
In contrast,
the Spirit produces all things that lead to life, namely love. The contrast
here is between “works of the flesh” in v19 and “fruit of the Spirit” in v22.
Two lists are given. The second list is the product of the Spirit working in
us. These things are not by our doing. The fruit of the Spirit is singular
which means that there is one fruit that the Spirit seeks to develop in us. So,
the fruit of the Spirit is what? Love! “All of the other virtues listed result
in some manner from love” (Longnecker). Now there is no doubt that love and the
rest come by the working of the Spirit in us, but do not discount the
individual responsibility each of us has. V25 says, “If we live in the Spirit,
let us also walk in the Spirit” or as the NIV says, “let us keep in step with
the Spirit.” V26 is a final plea against Judaizer behavior in the church. If
the Spirit is working then the things of the flesh will deteriorate, but if the
things of the flesh persist then the church will deteriorate.
Conclusion and Christian Application
“1. I am not
what I ought to be. Ah! how imperfect and deficient. 2. Not what I might be,
considering my privileges and opportunities. 3. Not what I wish to be. God, who
knows my heart, knows I wish to be like him. 4. I am not what I hope to be; ere
long to drop this clay tabernacle, to be like him and see him as He is. 5. Not
what I once was, a child of sin, and slave of the devil. Though not all these,
not what I ought to be, not what I might be, not what I wish or hope to be, and
not what I once was, I think I can truly say with the apostle, ‘By the grace of
God I am what I am.’” --John Newton, Based on the words of 1 Cor 15:10, (Quoted
from Letters by the Rev. John Newton, authored by Josiah Bull, p. 400).
We are not
yet perfect, but we no longer operate in the flesh. Slowly but surely we are
pressing on in the Spirit toward holiness.