QT 10/4/2022 Gal 5:16-21, How to walk with the Spirit

Galatians 5:16–21 (ESV) —

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

NOTE: Paul has spent much of his letter arguing against the person who accepts circumcision or other aspects of the OT law, that they are not really saved. They are in bondage to a system that only enslaves. And yet, Paul is not saying that there is no law or that our liberty allows us to do anything. The key is the Holy Spirit. T. George highlights the four verbs that give us some insight into his role in our life:

 

… Paul used four distinct verbs to designate the Spirit-controlled life of the believer, all of which are roughly equivalent in meaning: to walk in the Spirit (v. 16), to be led by the Spirit (v. 18), to live by the Spirit (v. 25a), and to keep in step with the Spirit (v. 25b).[1]

 

So how is that lived out? What does it mean to be walk in the spirit? George's commentary on the passage suggests four other verbs:

 

In Paul’s vocabulary, to walk in the Spirit or be led by the Spirit means to go where the Spirit is going, to listen to his voice, to discern his will, to follow his guidance.[2]

 

All of these verbs carry implications in regard to his word. I have a QT each day. I spend a few hours each Saturday doing bible study. I've started praying through scripture verses recently. About the only other thing I could do is restart my nightly reading program, where I seek to read through the entire bible every year or few years. But then I need to obey, because listening is deceiving. And who of us does not struggle in some way with the list of sins. As Calvin put it …

 

For who is there who does not labor under one or other of these sins? I reply: Paul does not threaten that there shall be excluded from the Kingdom of God all who have sinned, but all who remain impenitent. The saints themselves are heavily burdened, but they return to the way. Because they do not surrender, they are not included in this catalog. All the threatenings of God’s judgments call us to repentance, for which pardon is always ready with God; but if we continue obstinate, they will be a testimony against us.[3]

 

If we do not repent but continue in these sins then we need to call into question our rebirth. Because, while we will always struggle with sin until Jesus returns, they should not characterize our life.

 

PONDER:

1. Is there any area that I have become hardened or desensitized toward? I need to repent -- every time -- meaningfully -- in tears if necessary.

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for your word and how it has changed my life. While I might think I do more than most, that is just pride, I too struggle and too must obey. My time in the word is good and helpful, and maybe I need it more than others, but I must always humble myself and repent when I fail you.

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[1] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 386).

[2] George, T. Ibid.

[3] Calvin, CNTC 11.104–5.