Galatians 5: Living in Faith and LoveSýnishorn

Back in Galatians chapter 3 we read about the Holy Spirit. Now we come to take up that theme and to think in much more detail about living in the Spirit.

Have you ever thought about what it would be like for a fish to try to live out of water? It couldn’t do it. It would soon die. It has been designed to live in the environment of water. That’s its natural home or habitat.

The natural habitat for human beings is the Holy Spirit. God has designed us to live our lives in and through the Holy Spirit. Just as a fish is truly a fish only when it lives in the water, so too we are only truly human when we are living in the Holy Spirit. Outside the Spirit, we’re spiritually dead. We’re less than human—we’re less than that which God created us to be.

Paul tells us in verse 16 that we should be in the habit of deliberately allowing the Holy Spirit to direct and rule our lives. As He does, we will not go the way of sin. We will not be caught up in the ‘flesh’—that is, we will not be going the way our former fallen human nature as it’s manipulated by sin.

The person who is not a Christian automatically goes along the path dictated by the flesh. He thinks he does exactly what he wants to do. He doesn’t realise that his fallen nature manipulates him every moment of the day. It can’t be any other way, because he’s living outside the habitat of the Spirit.

Not so the Christian. God has transferred us into the realm of the Spirit. and we have come into true life through Him. Our conduct is now dictated and directed by Him. This causes a great conflict within us, because our old Adamic nature has desires which are completely the opposite to the Holy Spirit. The flesh and the Spirit are for ever enemies! They are always opposed to each other.

We now have to exercise our will as to which way we will go: Spirit-way, or flesh-way. Spirit-way or law- way.

Every day we have to make moral decisions as to how we are going to live, what we are going to do or not do, and what we will or won’t say. The Holy Spirit is constantly there to lead us on in the truth. He dwells within us to do just that. But that rotten old sinful nature once ours (the flesh ) is, at the same time, trying to get us to go its way. 

That’s why we can’t just do what we want. Our will is not strong enough (see Romans 7:15-20). We need all of God’s strength to live as He has designed us to live. That’s why we now have a responsibility, and a necessity to obey the Holy Spirit (see Romans 8:13).

As we obey Him and are led by Him, we’re enabled to live in a beautiful freedom. It’s the freedom of not having to grind along, trying to obey rules and regulations so as to be accepted by God. No, the Spirit operates within us, giving us new strength by which we can do what God wants each day, and enjoy doing so!

In verses 19, 20 and 21, Paul lists some of the main ways by which the flesh shows itself in our conduct when we are living law-way. Every one of these is a manifestation of our self-centred fallen nature. These are attitudes and actions that are always promoting ‘self’, and ‘me’, and ‘I’, and ‘mine’.

Take heed of the terrible warning in verse 21. We can easily kid ourselves that we’re OK, even though we may do some of these things. But these are activities which will end up leading people straight to hell. No person who does these things will ever get inside the front gate of God’s kingdom of glory. Think seriously about that.

Ever seen a tree blossom and then come out with beautiful fruit? The natural flowing of the sap in the tree produces the fruit at the right time. That’s what the Spirit does in us. The fruit He produces is listed in verses 22 and 23. He is always seeking to produce all of these in us. They are His product, not ours. 

When we are walking in the Spirit and being led by Him, this fruit will be seen in us. Our lives will be reflecting the character of God. There will be no question of any laws having to be observed or any rituals carried out. 

Nor are there any laws against these fruit. Our lives will just naturally blossom with this produce of the Spirit. It is the outcome of obedience and faith. It is Spirit- way as opposed to law-way.

Again take time to think through each of the fruit Paul lists here in these verses, and relate them to what I said about verse 13, ‘through love be servants of one another’. Ask yourself the question as to whether or not each of the fruit is evident in your life. If not, why not’?

When we looked at Galatians 2:20, we saw that we have been identified with the death of Jesus on the cross. His death is our death. We died when He died. Our guilt was taken away, and our sin and failure were cleansed from us. Here in verse 24 Paul reminds us of that fact. In our union with Christ, we died to the old system of law and flesh and sin. 

Their hold over us was broken for ever. In Christ, we parted company with them. Our responsibility now is to live out our lives as those who no longer have anything to do with sin. We are no longer in that habitat.