Tenchi
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Galatians 5:16-18
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.
Galatians 5:25
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
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.
Galatians 5:25
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
Are you "walking by the Spirit"? Do you know what it is to do so?
How does "walking by the Spirit" differ from merely "living by the Spirit"? Any idea?
How important is it to "walk in the Spirit"?
Here are answers to these questions:
What is "walking in/by the Spirit"?
To answer this question, it's helpful to contrast it with merely "living in/by the Spirit," as the apostle does. When a person is born-again and made a redeemed child of God, they are given new, spiritual life in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). How? By the Person of the Holy Spirit who is the "Spirit of Christ." He makes a "temple" of those in whom he takes up residence (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), in himself giving to those who have become his "temple" the life of Jesus.
Romans 8:9-11
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
1 John 4:13
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
John 14:17
17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
So, then, every person who has become a spiritually-renewed, born-again child of God has become so because the Holy Spirit has come to dwell within them, giving to them in himself new, spiritual life, the life, in fact, of Jesus. Of such people it can be rightly said that they are "living in/by the Spirit"; they have spiritual life as an adopted child of God that they did not have as an unsaved person. In truth, without this spiritual life given to them in the Person of the Spirit there is no salvation, no being born-again, no "life in the Spirit," only living that is "dead (spiritually) in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1-3).
It's possible and very common for those who have been made "alive" spiritually by the Holy Spirit not to be "walking in/by the Spirit." What does it mean to do so? Well, Paul gives us a hint:
Galatians 5:18
...if you are led by the Spirit...
Romans 8:14
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
The word translated into English as "walk" in Galatians 5:25 is stoicheo in Greek, which conveys the idea of "ranging in regular line," or "marching in rank," or "keeping in step." The essence of the meaning of stoicheo, as Paul used it in the verse, is conformity. Those who are "walking in the Spirit" are living in conformity to his will and way, following his lead, keeping in step with his life and work within them. Implicit in this is that the born-again person is not merely spiritually alive but passing through each day in submission to the Holy Spirit, constantly giving over control of themselves to him, yielding themselves as "living sacrifices" to him (James 4:7; Romans 6:13-22; Romans 12:1).
A Christian can, then, be "alive" spiritually - "living in the Spirit" - but not living in submission to the Spirit, operating under his control and following his leading. This is, actually, for the majority of Christians, the "normal" state-of-affairs spiritually. Paul, though, makes it clear that merely "living in/by the Spirit" is not enough; just having spiritual life in the Spirit is not the purpose of being born-again spiritually. "Living in the Spirit" is the necessary, preceding condition to "walking in the Spirit"; but it is the state of "walking" in him that is the purpose of "living" in him. Paul even goes so far as to assert that only when one is "walking in the Spirit" are they able not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Doing so is vital to Christian living; for only as one is not being fleshly but Spirit-minded, living in submission to the will and way of the Holy Spirit, of God, are they able to fully enjoy God in intimate, daily communion.
How important is it to "walk in the Spirit"?
Who cares? This is the response of many Christians who've lived, sometimes for decades, in the Spirit but have never "walked" in him. They've got along all right, they believe; their spiritual living isn't great, but it isn't horrible, either. They might not enjoy anything like an "abundant" life spiritually, but they aren't living like the devil. It's enough. Well, not as far as God is concerned. His child who has grown content with merely living in the Spirit is necessarily a starved weakling spiritually, unable to grow into proper, full spiritual maturity, a perennial spiritual - and carnal - infant. This was the condition of the believers at Corinth that Paul pointed at very directly and urged the Corinthian Christians to rectify (1 Corinthians 3). They were saved - living in the Spirit - but fleshly or carnal, and consequently fractious, partisan, selfish and unloving, permitting gross sexual sin in their midst (1 Corinthians 5), and even badly distorting the Lord's Supper, making it an opportunity for self-centered feasting rather than commemoration of, and reflection upon, the terrible sacrifice of Christ in atonement for their sin (1 Corinthians 11).
As Paul explained to the Galatian Christians, there are just two conditions in which one can walk with God: walking in the Spirit, or walking in the flesh. If one is not doing the former, one is necessarily doing the latter. And if one is walking in the flesh, by fleshly power and according to fleshly impulses, they cannot avoid living after the manner of the carnal Corinthian Christians. In other words, when one is not walking in the Spirit, one is walking in sin. Paul made this point very clearly in his letter to the Christians at Rome:
Romans 8:5-8
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Not only is sin unavoidable when one is not walking in/by the Spirit, but to not walk in the Spirit is to disobey the command of God's word that directs God's children to do so (Galatians 5:16, 25). Though it is widely neglected by the majority of Christians today - unknown to many of them, actually - walking in/by the Spirit is not optional, but commanded. It is, really, the normal - and divinely mandated - way of living as a born again Christian. To not walk in/by the Spirit - especially when one knows to do so - is to sin and thus to cut off fellowship with God and halt the transforming work of the Spirit within (these two things always go together).
"But I don't feel cut off from God," the Christian who has never walked with God may reply, "I've never walked in the Spirit, but I think I'm enjoying God pretty well, anyway. You're making too much of this walking in the Spirit stuff." Well, what is true in this matter isn't what one might feel or think but what God says in His word. And as can be seen above, in His word, God is crystal clear that walking in the Spirit is vital to truly spiritual living, that is, living that is constantly in conformity to the will and way of the Spirit. Whatever the Christian might think is the case about their walk with God, however spiritual they believe it is, however much they feel "connected" to God, if they aren't daily walking in/by the Spirit, they are unavoidably walking in their flesh instead, and so living, not only in sin, but as a rebel toward God, as well.
You see, walking in/by the Spirit entails submission to him; one cannot walk in/by the Spirit apart from being under his control. So, then, if one is not walking in/by the Spirit, one is not living under his control and according to his will and way. In other words, one is a rebel toward the Spirit, who is God. Any believer who thinks they can live in this condition of rebellion toward God and enjoy true spiritual living and fellowship with Him is simply and profoundly deceived. And so, in God's word, the Christian is commanded repeatedly to live in humble submission to God:
Romans 6:13
13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Romans 12:1
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
James 4:6-7
6 ...“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God...
1 Peter 5:6
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,