Galatians 5:16-26
16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions,21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice 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 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well. 26 Let’s not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”
Walk by the Spirit: Christians are compatible with the Spirit and not the flesh. Therefore, we are to express the Spirit. In doing so we will not satisfy the flesh. Notice that Paul does not call us to tame the flesh or fix the flesh. Instead, we are to express the character of Christ and let Him take care of the flesh. This is far different than trying to fix the flesh in some way.
Whatever you want: Christians want to live for God. When we express the flesh, we are prevented from doing what we want to do. Christians are pleased to live in dependency on Christ. The flesh, however, wants us to live independently. The key is understanding that Paul believes that Christians are incompatible with the flesh. The flesh is not what we please to express.
Not under the Law: Those who believe in Jesus are led by the Spirit. This is a perpetual state of being, not an on and off reality.
Deeds of the flesh…practice such things: Paul is not speaking of Christians not inheriting the kingdom of God. Rather, he is speaking of people who practice the flesh meaning people who have an inner disposition towards sin. Only unbelievers match this description. Christians do struggle in many ways, but fleshly deeds are not the default and norm for the Christian.
Fruit of the Spirit: The Christian life is God Himself. The fruit of the Spirit is God’s character in us. He will be Himself in us and live through us. As we express the Spirit, we will not satisfy the flesh. We will not be boasting and treating one another poorly. Instead, we will love one another and seek to edify our fellow Christians. Paul wants us to focus on the Spirit and enjoy His dynamic behavior through us. This is what it means to follow the Spirit.
Crucified the flesh: Paul speaks of the Christian’s decision to crucify the flesh. This is similar to his urging of believers to reckon themselves dead to sin in Romans 6:11. We are built to express the Spirit but have a decision to make. We can either express the flesh and be miserable or express the Spirit and be fulfilled.
