The NIV entitles this section of Scripture as “Live by the Spirit” which are the powerful words stressed in verse 16. To live means to have life. Sin destroys life and misdirects the nature God placed within us. Sin sucks life out of the sinner (those who say they have more fun in sin are the very ones dying on the inside – I like living). Christ came so we could have life – more abundant. So to “live” by the Spirit is to emerge from the cesspool and begin excelling in the life God created for us.
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. Galatians 5:17 (NIV)
This is a notable change in lifestyle because the Holy Spirit acts contrary to our sinful nature. Our sinful nature fights against the life directed by the Spirit – again due to the fact that sin is a destructive element in life. What Paul says is poignant! “You don’t do what you want!” Sin drives us into destruction – that’s not freedom but slavery. The Spirit guides us towards life – that’s slavery in freedom. Being a slave to freedom, think on that. To do what I want puts me back on my own standard and under the law. To follow the Spirit frees me from bondage in sin and elevates me to God’s standard because He thinks more of my life than I do.
To be led by the Spirit is to advance towards the inheritance of the kingdom of God. To live by the sinful nature rips the inheritance from our hands. This is why we need the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The sinful nature is “obvious”: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft (psychic readings and horoscopes included!); hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. All these destroy our social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual well-being. All of these keep us from God, and as a result, God will not put up with our sin. Live by the sinful nature, and we tell God that we don’t want anything to do with Him. Our lives are proof of it.
God wants our lives to produce fruit or have purpose which in turn helps others to grow. The sinful nature is like a disease that eats away at a tree and kills it. The Spirit led life, however, produces a single nourishing fruit. This fruit has nine distinct characteristics: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are all characteristics we can act upon, and there is not one law against them. Notice that tolerance is not one of them. Imagine a law saying that kindness was illegal – absurd thought isn’t it. Yet those who live immoral, sinful lives can barely produce one, or maybe two, of these characteristics. The Spirit gives us power to act in all nine! Try that on for size.
To belong to Christ is to crucify and destroy the sinful nature so we can live by the Spirit and promulgate the characteristics of the fruit (yes, promulgate which means to publicly put into action). To live by the Spirit means to keep in step with the Spirit. The Spirit is our only resource to fight the sinful nature, and the only one we need. The choice is ours.
Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:26 (NIV)
Verse 26 almost seems out of place. I am sure God wants to emphasize this thought for a reason. Some were probably strong in their faith walk while others envied this walk. Some may have even developed a conceited attitude about their faith walk. God wants each of us to get in step with the Spirit and not compare our journey with the journey of others – the important thing is to be on the faith journey. Just get into step!
- Are you in step with the Spirit? What do you need to do to get into step?
- How does your life reflect the fruit of the Spirit? What areas do you need to improve?
- Are you living in the Spirit?
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