15.18 WALK – Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh
The next verse exhorts us to walk in the Spirit. When we do so, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. There are two forces at work – the Spirit and the flesh.
(Gal 5:16-18)
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Gal 5:18 ends by saying that if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. There are two approaches to morality. You are either led by the spirit or you are walking under the law. It’s one or the other. The first approach is by trying to keep the law. Paul talks about his dilemma in Romans 7 when he tried to keep the law.
(Romans 7:15)
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.
While he wants to keep the law, he finds himself doing the opposite. This is the problem – the Bible says that the strength of sin is the law. The more you try to keep it, the greater is the temptation, and the greater is the struggle. The strength of sin is the law.
(1 Cor 15:56)
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
So the solution is to be delivered from the law by Christ into the Spirit. Instead of you trying to keep the law (which you can’t in your effort), you should be allowing the life of the Spirit to flow from within you. You are to be led, empowered and inspired by the Holy Spirit. When you WALK in the Spirit, you WALK in the fruit of the Spirit. You will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. If we continue reading the passage in Galatians 5, we will reach the following passage:
(Gal 5:22-23)22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. AGAINST SUCH THERE IS NO LAW.
The verse says that against the fruit, there is no law. The fruit is greater than the law. For example, to love is greater than “thou shall not kill”. Therefore in the new covenant, one does not walk under law (trying to keep the law). We walk in the Spirit and walking in the fruit of the Spirit means that we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
(Gal 5:16-18)
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Gal 5:18 ends by saying that if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. There are two approaches to morality. You are either led by the spirit or you are walking under the law. It’s one or the other. The first approach is by trying to keep the law. Paul talks about his dilemma in Romans 7 when he tried to keep the law.
(Romans 7:15)
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.
While he wants to keep the law, he finds himself doing the opposite. This is the problem – the Bible says that the strength of sin is the law. The more you try to keep it, the greater is the temptation, and the greater is the struggle. The strength of sin is the law.
(1 Cor 15:56)
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
So the solution is to be delivered from the law by Christ into the Spirit. Instead of you trying to keep the law (which you can’t in your effort), you should be allowing the life of the Spirit to flow from within you. You are to be led, empowered and inspired by the Holy Spirit. When you WALK in the Spirit, you WALK in the fruit of the Spirit. You will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. If we continue reading the passage in Galatians 5, we will reach the following passage:
(Gal 5:22-23)22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. AGAINST SUCH THERE IS NO LAW.
The verse says that against the fruit, there is no law. The fruit is greater than the law. For example, to love is greater than “thou shall not kill”. Therefore in the new covenant, one does not walk under law (trying to keep the law). We walk in the Spirit and walking in the fruit of the Spirit means that we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
posted by Joshua Lye @ 1:07 AM
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