Galatians 5:16-18

                                                                     Galatians 5:16-18

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  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.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 

 

Man is both physical and non-physical.  Sometimes the non-physical part of man is called the spirit (small “s”), soul, heart, or mind.  This passage talks about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the relationship between Him and the flesh.  When Paul speaks of the flesh in this passage, he in referring to our humanity as a whole and not just he physical part.  This text teaches us at least three truths about the ministry of the Holy Spirit to believers.

 

THE SPIRIT DEFEATS THE FLESH: It is important to understand that in the battle between the flesh and the Holy Spirit; it is not a fair fight.  The Spirit is far stronger than our flesh.  However, for us to experience victory over the flesh; we must walk in the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit does not simply come into our lives and “zap” us with holiness.  To walk in the Spirit means to live in fellowship with and submission to the Spirit.  This victory is available to every believer, but it is not automatic.  If we ignore the Spirit or rebel against Him; the sinful desires of our flesh will be fulfilled instead of the will of the Spirit.  There is no sinful practice or habit that cannot be defeated by the Spirit.  No matter how strong the desires of our flesh might be or how long we have given in to those desires; there is always hope for victory in the power of the Spirit.    

 

THE SPIRIT OPPOSES THE FLESH: Every part, both the physical and non-physical, of humanity is fallen under sin.  This pits us against the Spirit because He is always opposed to sin.  We need to understand that there is a battle that is going on every minute of every day between the Spirit of God and our fallen self.  Before salvation, man is enslaved to sin and unable to have victory over sin.  Man’s fallen nature rules unopposed and will always lead to sinful actions, thoughts, and motives.  However, at salvation the Holy Spirit indwells every believer and immediately goes to battle with the sinful desires of our flesh.  Only He has the power to set us free from sin.

 

THE SPIRIT LEADS THE FLESH: The Spirit came into our lives to lead us away from sin and into a live of holiness that is marked by joy.  The Law was giving to demonstrate just how sinful our flesh truly is, but it was powerless to defeat our sinful desires.  In fact, we are so sinful that the Law actually made the temptations of our flesh stronger.  The Spirt came into our lives to set us free from the tyranny of our sinful hearts and to lead us into a life of obedience.  This releases us from the obligations of the Law that ended up encouraging sin.  The Spirit will never lead us to disobey the Law.  The Spirit gives us the power to live in righteousness and therefore completely free from the temptation and condemnation of the Law.  We must 

 

APPLICATION: Don’t ever despair over any sinful habit.  As believers we always have the hope of victory because of the Spirit’s presence in our lives.  Recognize that there is a battle raging in our lives between the desires of our flesh and the will of the Spirit for us.  Be thankful for the battle because it demonstrates the presence of the Spirit.  Allow Him to lead us to victory instead of rebelling against Him or striving to control our sinful desires in our own strength.

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