Dust of the Rabbi

So you might be thinking at this point…well, Paul that makes a lot of sense. It’s a fabulous idea…using my freedom in Christ to not give in to the flesh and instead use it to love serve others. I want to work on that in my life to make it a reality.

But Paul, how do I do it? My flesh really wants to run things so much and I find it difficult to love and serve others the way I should and the way I want to. So how ’bout it, Paul? Got an tips?

And Paul would quickly respond…yes I do. It’s incredibly simply (and equally difficult). Just walk in The Spirit and you won’t gratify what the flesh wants.

Here is specifically what he says in Galatians 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.“

Before I get into how we are to walk in The Spirit, I just want to make a comment on what he says then in vs 17. The flesh is against The Spirit and The Spirit is against the flesh and the result is that you don’t end up doing what you want to do…that is serve and love one another. The flesh wants what Teh Spirit doesn’t and The Spirit wants what the flesh doesn’t. They oppose and withstand each other.

And they are mutually exclusive…this is important…the flesh and the Spirit cannot coexist. To indulge in the flesh will prevent you from doing what you really want to do in The Spirit. If you walk in the power of one, then you cannot be under the control of the other.

Ok…back to how we are to walk in The spirit…Paul’s word for ‘walk’ here is the Greek term ‘stoicheo’ , which means walking in a straight line. You have a direction that you are going in.

Walking in The Spirit means putting off the old way of life (he gets to this in vs 19)…rejecting sin in all its forms…living in the way of obedience and holiness.

Walking in The Spirit also means to put on a new way of life…to be under His control and direction. It’s not just the absence of sin but the presence of goodness, love, and spiritual power.

Perhaps even now you might be asking…okay, what are the things that I just be rejecting and what are the things I should be accepting? I think in general most of us know, but Paul is going to follow this with a list of things to take off and a list of things to put on…stay tuned.