Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. I. WE ARE TO INQUIRE WHAT IT IS TO WALK IN THE SPIRIT. I scarcely need to observe, that the Spirit of God is always represented in the New Testament as the Author of all holiness in the hearts of Christians; whence the Christian dispensation is eminently styled "the ministration of the Spirit." 1. And first I imagine, that a regard to all the great evangelical principles is implied in the words, "walk in the Spirit." In the Epistles to the Romans and the Galatians, in which the phrases of walking "in the Spirit" or "after the Spirit" are chiefly used, the apostle takes much pains to wean the Judaizing converts from a servile spirit of dependence upon the law, and to instil into them a spirit of liberty in Christ Jesus. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. 2. By walking in the Spirit may be also implied habitual dependence upon His help. To walk in the Spirit, therefore, is to acknowledge with the heart our own weakness and inability to serve God; to expect victory over sin only by the gracious operation of His Spirit. 3. To walk in the Spirit implies also, that we use the means by which the Spirit has promised to convey His influence, in the humble hope of thus receiving it. Bible-reading, attendance on the preaching of the gospel, reception of the Holy Communion, and especially prayer. 4. I observe, further, that to walk in the Spirit implies the exercise of a holy fear of Him; which will manifest itself by avoiding those things which would grieve Him, and by complying with His holy motions. II. If we thus walk in the Spirit, we shall NOT FULFIL THE LUSTS OF THE FLESH. This is the second point which I proposed to illustrate. There is a certain degree to which victory over the sinful desires of the flesh is obtained by every real Christian; and this degree is, perhaps, proportioned to that in which he walks in the Spirit. (J. Venn, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.WEB: But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. |
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