Walking In The Spirit
Galatians 5: 22-25
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.
When we were adopted as sons of Christ, our minds were regenerated, and a dead soul was made alive. In light of this, the apostle Paul commands and urges Christians to walk in the spirit because Christ lives in them. Christians were not meant to be part of the world or even blend in. This is why in 1st Peter, Peter refers to Christians as strangers in the world. Christians are meant to flower Christ bearing fruit to reflect His image, law, and character.
The fruit of the spirit are more than a lifestyle, they are also a test of faith. I’ve never heard of a Christian who is practicing adultery, idolatry, jealousy, murder, hatred, so on and so forth. This is not to say that Christians don’t sin or have shortcomings, but there is a clear distinction between a Christian and non-Christians by their habits, repentance, and relationship with God.
Verse 22 begins with “But the fruit of the spirit…” I think that it is an important note that fruit is singular instead of plural. Love, joy, peace, etc are all achieved simultaneously of one working spirit dwelling inside of Christians.
Verse 24 is one of the most profound verses of Galatians because it sums up the Christian life and the process of sanctification so well. After being born again, the deeds of the flesh became useless and revolting. There is no more chasing after the world and its vanities because we have peace and satisfaction. When becoming a Christian, we recognize our sinful past, turn away from it, and run a race of sanctification towards the loving arms of Christ.
Verse 25, Being born again and continuing in the lusts of the flesh would be a waste and a pity considering this great gift of salvation from God. Living in step with the spirit means a lifelong process and devotion of following God; longing to produce fruit of righteousness.
