Galatians 5:16-26
Keep in Step with 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. 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. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
In Galatians 5:1-15, freedom in Christ means we are no longer bound by the Old Covenant Law. In today’s passage, Galatians 16-26, Paul now explains what walking by faith truly means. This is a crucial misunderstanding for the Galatians. We remember they did believe in salvation by faith in Christ; yet, they did not continue in their walk of faith to please and glorify God. Instead, they were deceived to believe that they, who are Gentiles, must become Jewish in order to be Christian. In today’s passage, Paul presents and lays out his theological points that specifically say, according to Scripture, faith in Christ not only saves but sustains them in their Christian walk as well, which is their pursuit of holiness. This extraordinary life in Christ is what sustains believers on a day-to-day basis. This is the freedom in Christ that believers enjoy and trust. We are no longer bound by the law, but free to grow and mature in Christ by faith.
Scripture provides us with the application of being free in Christ. Freedom is the reversal of servanthood; in that, we are no longer slaves to the rudiments of the Old Covenant Law and sin that so quickly binds and hinders us. Rather, we are now in Christ! When we look at the salutations of the New Testament epistles, they begin with: “Paul, a bondservant, or a slave to Jesus Christ!” “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ!” “James, a servant of God and our Lord Jesus Christ!” And “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.” These great men of God make claims to identify themselves as servants of Jesus Christ. Christians who come to faith in Christ, reject the old taskmaster that is cruel, and now submit to Jesus Christ, a taskmaster who is gentle and lowly. One who understands our weaknesses; for He himself became man to seek and save those who are lost. Jesus Christ said to his disciples in Matthew 16:24-26, “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” Hebrews 11, which is called the Hall of Fame or the Roll Call of Faith, says in Hebrews 11:7, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Hebrews 11:9-10 says, “By faith he [Abraham] went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:13-16 says, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had the opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” And finally, Hebrews 11:24-27 says, “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.” All these passages say that our walk of faith is a change of allegiance from a taskmaster, who seeks the pleasures of this world, which is not profitable, to a taskmaster of love: Jesus Christ himself. We, by faith, see Jesus Christ from afar, just like Noah, Abraham, and Moses. John the Beloved said in 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” This is faith!
In the Book of Galatians, faith in Christ is being undermined and attacked. The lies are causing those in the churches to become apostatized, turn from their faith in Christ, and trust in circumcision as their means to please God. Therefore, this message from these enemies of the cross must be refuted. To do this, Paul presents a practical doctrine on sanctification, which is, walking by faith as being led by the Spirit of God, not by works. This sounds very simple, and it is. Those who trust their works, cannot be in the Spirit and cannot please God. When you trust God and walk by faith, this is a divine gift from the Spirit above. This is the polar opposite of what the Galatians are doing. In providing a remedy for their misunderstanding, Paul begins by explaining the difference between walking by the Spirit of Christ and the works of the flesh. Living by the works of the flesh does not please Christ because there is no faith. Walking in the Spirit, however, keeps us from being ensnared by our fleshly desires and free from the constraints of the law that are causing the Galatians to error.
Paul elaborates more on the difference between life in the flesh and life in the Spirit. He compares and contrasts the differences between the two so we can fully understand the nature and limits when bound by the law. The works of the flesh are evil, mean-spirited debauchery that is repulsive in the sight of God, and supposedly for believers as well. Matthew Henry says, “The world of spirits can never be comfortable to those who plunge themselves in the filth of the flesh; nor will the righteous and holy God ever admit such into his favour and presence, unless they be first washed and sanctified, and justified in the name of our Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” So, in contrast to the muck and mire of sin, there are the fruits of the Spirit that reflect the true nature and character of God. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As one can see, It is obvious that Paul is illustrating the difference between works and fruits. Works are what the flesh will desire and strive for in their search for the pleasures of this world. In opposition, there is the fruit of the Spirit. These virtues derive from the indwelling Spirit of God, the Promised One! Paul’s conclusion is, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). Therefore, as we abide in Christ by the disciplines we use in our pursuit of sanctification, we become more and more like Christ. This is ideal and should be the Christian’s goal. As children of God, believers are a reflection of His character. The disciplines include to help abide in Christ include; Bible reading and study, prayer, Christian fellowship, church attendance and support, and service to others just to name a few. We are to walk in the light as He is in the light! (1 John 1:7). The proof that we are walking in the Spirit is that we do all things in love. Galatians 5:16 says, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Truly he who loves his brother, will not become prideful and by jealousy, think more highly of himself than others. Walking in the Spirit is Christ-centered, and not focusing on yourself.
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My Sanctifying Savior and Promised Spirit, I praise You for Your work in saving, preserving, and especially for completely changing me into the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, on that great day when I see Him face-to-face. I confess that I cannot seek God and His righteousness with all the sin that easily binds and hinders me. I need Thee, Lord Jesus. Help me to hate my sin and learn to trust and depend on You as I cast my cares upon You. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen!
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I Need Thee Every Hour by Annie S. Hawks in 1872, and the refrain by Robert Lowery in 1872
