GALATIANS 5:16-18 THIS I SAY THEN WALK IN THE SPIRIT, AND YE SHALL NOT FULFILL THE LUST OF THE FLESH. FOR THE FLESH LUSTETH AGAINST THE SPIRIT, AND THE SPIRIT AGAINST THE FLESH: AND THESE ARE CONTRARY THE ONE TO THE OTHER: SO THAT YE CANNOT DO THE THINGS THAT YE WOULD. BUT IF YE BE LED OF THE SPIRIT, YE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW. Walking by the Spirit means living moment by moment submissively trusting in the Holy Spirit rather than in self. It means let our conduct be directed by the Spirit and under the constant, control, and guidance of the Spirit. The contrary way of living is to fulfill the lust of the flesh. The flesh is the physical part of our being and stands accordingly for that which is opposed to our spirit as well as to the divine Spirit. Our flesh is characterized by lust, which stands for the strong, but sometimes evil desires that are associated with bodily living. The conflicting entities are Gods Holy Spirit within the believer and the believers sinful human nature (Gal 3:3; 4:29; 5:16, 18, 22, 25; Rom. 8:4-6, 9, and 13). We experience conflict whether we side with the Spirit against the flesh or with the flesh against the Spirit. The things that you please may be good or evil. It is impossible for us to remain neutral; we either follow one or the other. Our own sinful nature is responsible for many of them. The question is, will we follow His leading and walk after the Spirit (Gal 5: 16) or will we walk after the flesh? However, we should not conclude that the Spirit forces us to do Gods will. The Holy Spirit leads us to do the moral will of God. He does this primarily through Scripture by helping us understand the will of God as He has revealed it there. Furthermore He motivates us to do what we know to be right, and He provides the power for us to obey God (Phil. 2:13). We can overcome the flesh by siding with the Spirit.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 08:05:13 +0000