An Exploration of Galatians: Walk by the Spirit
Galatians 5:16-18 - We walk by the Spirit to not carry out the desires of the flesh or be under the Law.
”But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.“
Galatians 5:16-18 NASB1995
Paul tells us in the first verse of this passage to walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Precept Austin considers verse 16 to be so essential for the believer that they have a separate commentary section on just this verse! So what does it mean to “walk” by the Spirit? Walk in this verse comes from the Greek word περιπατέω or peripateo, meaning:
to make one's way, progress; to make due use of opportunities
Hebrew for, to live
to regulate one's life
to conduct one's self
to pass one's life
The Holy Spirit is to be with us, by us, and in us to guide us away from the sins of the flesh. Remember, I previously wrote about my question to some ladies in a Bible study at our old ELCA church about how you can know you are filled with the Holy Spirit and in return I got some seriously blank stares. Most of those women had never even really thought about being filled with the Holy Spirit and what that meant and they confessed that during our discussions. Church for us at that time was an hour each week and perhaps you attended a Bible Study occasionally and volunteered at the never-ending potlucks, but when you exited the building you were back to the world of the flesh.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, equal to the Father and the Son, but is often ignored or not discussed or taught about because, frankly, in this modern age of secular science the concept is too “supernatural”. I firmly believe that most nominal Christians give the Holy Spirit very little thought, kind of like this commentary from Precept Austin quoting the late revivalist Vance Havner:
Walking in the Spirit is exactly what the name means: not taking a "step" or a "stand" to pose like statues on the rock of a Bible truth, but living day by day in the name of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit....Never has the church had more wire stretched with less power in it. "All is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down." Sad to say, we seem not even to know that we have not the Spirit in power. If He ceased His work many church members would never know the difference. Like Samson, we wish not that He has departed, but we keep "shaking ourselves" in the prescribed calisthenics.
...Too many people assemble at God's house who don't really believe in the power of God. Having begun in the Spirit, we live in the flesh. I heard of a boys' school where every morning before classes the youngsters were supposed to recite the Apostles' Creed. Each one was given a segment of the creed: "I believe in God the Father Almighty," and so on down the line. One morning they were getting along pretty well until all at once there was a dead stop and a profound silence. Then a lad spoke up and said, "The boy who believes in the Holy Spirit is not here this morning." I'm afraid that's happened in a lot of church prayer meetings these days.
Once again, I am impressed with the depth of the commentaries and sermon extracts on this in Precept Austin. I particularly like this one by Dr. John Valvoord from the Dallas Theological Seminary:
It is the walk by the Spirit that produces contagious Christian experience, holiness of life, and a glorifying of God. It is only thus that holiness can be achieved and the fruit of the Spirit realized.
Walking by the Spirit is only possible as the Christian is first of all yielded to the Spirit of God and second is walking in unhindered fellowship with the Spirit through confession of sin (Precept Austin Ed comment: Unconfessed sin will grieve or quench the Spirit which is why believers must keep "short accounts" by continually confessing their sin - "confess" in 1Jn 1:9 is present tense = "confession" should be our daily, habitual practice lest we subvert the Spirit's the power to walk supernaturally!).
Walking by the Spirit, however, is a positive moment-by-moment dependence upon the Spirit of God and what the Spirit of God can empower the Christian to do.
The walk by the Holy Spirit includes dependence upon the holy Word of God (cp Col 3:16, Mt 4:4, 1Pe 2:2) as providing the necessary standards of life and instruction in holy living.
As one walks by the Spirit, he must be guided by the Spirit of God (Jn 16:13). Many moral issues are not dealt with explicitly in the Scriptures, and the personal direction of an individual life into a proper sphere of service is possible only as the Spirit guides.
Walking by the Spirit also implies dependence upon prayer, and spiritual power often is directly related to the prayer life of the believer.
Walking by the Spirit is also aided by fellowship with other believers who also are seeking the work of the Spirit in their lives. While the Spirit of God directly empowers, He also uses means in effecting in the individual life a perfect will of God. (Contemporary Issues in the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit—Part V-Spiritual Power Today)
So daily confession of sin, dependence on (faith in) the Spirit, dependence on the Word of God, listening to the guidance of the Spirit on many moral issues, prayer, and fellowship with other believers who are seeking the work of the Spirit in their lives is essential.
Paul tells us now in verses 17-18 about the daily battle that is waged within a believing person. The flesh and the Spirit are in opposition to each other, at all times. You cannot will yourself to “be better” or to “stop sinning”. It’s just like the annual and (usually) quickly discarded New Year’s resolutions that come to naught the first time your friends tempt you to “have a few beers and watch a game” instead of you working hard to cut back on the beer and going to the gym. Here’s a great commentary from Precept Austin from the late Biblical scholar William Halvorsen, with some editor’s notes from Bruce Hurt:
(1) The libertine (Ed note: a person who is unrestrained by convention or morality) experiences no such struggle at all, for he follows his natural inclinations.
(2) The legalist, who is destined for grace and glory, having been reminded of his sinfulness by the law but for a while unwilling to accept grace, struggles and struggles but without achieving victory or experiencing the sense of certain, ultimate triumph. This condition lasts until grace finally breaks down all the barriers of opposition (see note Philippians 3:7ff).
(3) The believer, while still on earth, experiences an agonizing conflict in his own heart, but in principle, has already gained the victory, as the very presence of the Holy Spirit in his heart testifies. In full measure this victory will be his portion in the hereafter; hence,
(4) For the redeemed-soul in glory the battle is over. He wears the victor’s wreath.
As to (3), therefore, the very wording of the text—note: “sets its desire against” and “are opposed to each other”—indicates the intensity of the lifelong tug of war. This shows that the Christian life means far more than stepping forward to register one’s decision at a great revival meeting, after listening to a powerful, evangelical, and heart-warming message, and while one is under the influence of the singing of old familiar hymns by a massive choir. When, under such circumstances, the sudden change is genuine, it is wonderful, but it must be borne in mind that as a rule a sinner is not wholly saved all at once (“Presto!”). He does not leap into heaven in one prodigious bound. On the contrary, he has to work out his own salvation (Phil 2:12, 13 - see notes Php 2:12; 13). This takes time, struggle, intense effort and exertion. (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. NT Commentary Set. Baker Book) (Ed note: Don't misunderstand what Hendriksen is saying here - he is not saying we are saved by nor sanctified by our own fleshly efforts, for even in the working out of our salvation, it is clearly the Spirit in us Who now gives us the desire [the "want to"] and the power to please God. Yes, we as believers have a part in this supernatural spiritual work, for we must be willing participants [God will not force us to walk in the Spirit], but it is ultimately work which is God initiated, God enabled and God glorifying!)
The FIRST step of our Christian lives is accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior and repenting of our sins. That justifies us, but in no way, shape or form does it sanctify us. If we did just that first step and continued to live as we want in the flesh but without denying Him, we will have, to say the least, an “interesting experience” at the judgment throne of Christ for believers (that’s not the same as the eternal judgment of God that separates the sheep and the goats). But walking with the Spirit will help us become a soul in glory at the end. The Spirit will guide us to the good fruits and to the good works. It is not forced on us, but it is enabled by God for willing participants.
Oh, and to answer my question that I asked a few years ago and referred to at the beginning of this devotional - yes, I CAN sense the Holy Spirit working in me and convicting me of sin, guiding me to holiness, and warring against the desires of the flesh. But it’s a lifelong battle!
My next devotional starts into the evident deeds of the flesh in Galatians 5:19.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please help me to seek out daily the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to walk with Him and to become a creature that is more holy and less driven by the needs and wants of the flesh. In Jesus name, Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
The Blue Letter Bible was accessed on 12/18/2023 to review the lexicon for the word “walking”.
The personal testimony of Bruce Hurt, creator of the Precept Austin archives, can be found Here.
Excellent & well-written devo! Thank you!