The other night, I was reading in the 5th chapter of Galatians, and my mind gravitated toward two verses: verses 16 and 25. What particularly drew my attention was a phrase which is found in both verses: “Walk by the Spirit”.
I’ve been intrigued by this phrase for a long time—about 20 years or so. The reason this phrase has so captivated me is because of the promise attached to walking by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16):
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Next to the gospel of salvation by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus, I think, perhaps, this is the very best news I’ve ever heard. Paul tells the Galatians to “walk by the Spirit”, and if they do that they “will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” That’s a promise!
The first question that comes to mind as I consider this promise is: What does it mean to “walk by the Spirit”? Before I answer that question, however, I want to look at the expression “desires of the flesh”. Just what are “desires of the flesh” from which we’ll be delivered when we “walk by the Spirit”? Well, from the context, I think it would be reasonable to conclude that the desire of the flesh is to do the “works of the flesh”. Conveniently, in verses 19-21, Paul lists the “works of the flesh”:
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.”
Paul says these “works of the flesh are evident”; that is, they are clearly seen and obvious. They include everything from envy to orgies. We know this is not a comprehensive list that Paul gives us, because he adds, “and things like these”. So, simply stated, the “works of the flesh” are sins—all sins: “big” sins and “little” sins, public sins and private sins, scandalous sins and socially acceptable sins. All kinds of sins.
Where do the “works of the flesh” originate? What is their source? The works of the flesh are the result of sin in us. I get this idea from what Paul writes elsewhere (Romans 7:15-20):
“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me.”
“The flesh”, you see, is what we are by nature, apart from Christ. These sins—these “works of the flesh—are the fruit of our fallen and sinful human nature, they are what sinners do. In other words, when we sin, we are doing that which comes naturally.
As Paul goes on to explain in Galatians 5:17, when we become believers, our sin nature isn’t eradicated. Rather, the new life that is ours in Christ precipitates an inner struggle with our sin nature:
“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.”
The “Spirit”, literally, is the Holy Spirit who resides within every true believer in Christ Jesus. But, if the flesh represents what we are by nature, apart from Christ, I think we can also speak of the Spirit as representing the new nature that is ours by the new birth and the Spirit’s indwelling. Paul says the sinful desires of our fallen humanity work against the new nature implanted by the Holy Spirit within us; likewise, our new nature is opposed to the sinful desires of our fallen human nature. This, quite obviously, makes for spiritual conflict and struggle within the soul of the believer (Romans 7:21-25):
“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”
The struggle, says Paul, is between the mind or “inner being” and the “flesh”, which Paul earlier described in Romans 7 as “sin that dwells within me”. As a result of this inner conflict, says Paul, “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Again, this is the same situation described in Galatians 5:17, which serves to “keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
So, the enemy we face is ourselves—sin in us.
In the face of “our internal foe” (to borrow a phrase from the late Stephen Olford), Paul gives us this promise: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
So, then, what does it mean to “walk by the Spirit”?
To be continued…
I’ve been intrigued by this phrase for a long time—about 20 years or so. The reason this phrase has so captivated me is because of the promise attached to walking by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16):
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Next to the gospel of salvation by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus, I think, perhaps, this is the very best news I’ve ever heard. Paul tells the Galatians to “walk by the Spirit”, and if they do that they “will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” That’s a promise!
The first question that comes to mind as I consider this promise is: What does it mean to “walk by the Spirit”? Before I answer that question, however, I want to look at the expression “desires of the flesh”. Just what are “desires of the flesh” from which we’ll be delivered when we “walk by the Spirit”? Well, from the context, I think it would be reasonable to conclude that the desire of the flesh is to do the “works of the flesh”. Conveniently, in verses 19-21, Paul lists the “works of the flesh”:
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.”
Paul says these “works of the flesh are evident”; that is, they are clearly seen and obvious. They include everything from envy to orgies. We know this is not a comprehensive list that Paul gives us, because he adds, “and things like these”. So, simply stated, the “works of the flesh” are sins—all sins: “big” sins and “little” sins, public sins and private sins, scandalous sins and socially acceptable sins. All kinds of sins.
Where do the “works of the flesh” originate? What is their source? The works of the flesh are the result of sin in us. I get this idea from what Paul writes elsewhere (Romans 7:15-20):
“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me.”
“The flesh”, you see, is what we are by nature, apart from Christ. These sins—these “works of the flesh—are the fruit of our fallen and sinful human nature, they are what sinners do. In other words, when we sin, we are doing that which comes naturally.
As Paul goes on to explain in Galatians 5:17, when we become believers, our sin nature isn’t eradicated. Rather, the new life that is ours in Christ precipitates an inner struggle with our sin nature:
“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.”
The “Spirit”, literally, is the Holy Spirit who resides within every true believer in Christ Jesus. But, if the flesh represents what we are by nature, apart from Christ, I think we can also speak of the Spirit as representing the new nature that is ours by the new birth and the Spirit’s indwelling. Paul says the sinful desires of our fallen humanity work against the new nature implanted by the Holy Spirit within us; likewise, our new nature is opposed to the sinful desires of our fallen human nature. This, quite obviously, makes for spiritual conflict and struggle within the soul of the believer (Romans 7:21-25):
“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”
The struggle, says Paul, is between the mind or “inner being” and the “flesh”, which Paul earlier described in Romans 7 as “sin that dwells within me”. As a result of this inner conflict, says Paul, “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Again, this is the same situation described in Galatians 5:17, which serves to “keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
So, the enemy we face is ourselves—sin in us.
In the face of “our internal foe” (to borrow a phrase from the late Stephen Olford), Paul gives us this promise: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
So, then, what does it mean to “walk by the Spirit”?
To be continued…
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