Galatians 5:13-18 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Galatians 5:13-18. Let’s go!
Galatians 5:13-18 (NIV)
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
On verses 13-18: We must choose what we will do with the freedom Jesus has given us. Either we can choose to indulge the sinful nature (also called our flesh) or we can choose to love (v13). Here Paul identifies the struggle that every Christian experiences, the struggle between doing what is loving, just and honourable and doing what pleases our sinful nature (also called our flesh). This struggle between the Spirit and the flesh is an ongoing one in every Christian’s heart and mind (v17).
How do you experience victory in the struggle with the flesh? Paul gives the answer in verse 16: “live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature”. What does it mean to live by the Spirit? It means to trust in God’s power, not our own. It means to rely on and surrender to the Holy Spirit.
When you take verses 13-18 together, we can see three alternative paths or ways of life that we can choose to follow. The first alternative is living for the flesh, which always result in a miserable and empty existence. The second alternative is living under the law, i.e. living a powerless life where you are always stressing about what laws you have obeyed, what laws you haven’t obeyed and whether you’ve done enough to be acceptable before God. The third alternative is to live by the Spirit. When you live by the Spirit for God’s glory, the result is victory over temptation, obedience to God’s commands, and, as we will see in verses 22-23, a life full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
Rather than living for the flesh or living under the law, God made us to live by the Spirit (v16) and be led by the Spirit (v18).
Father, thank You that I don’t need to live for the flesh and be empty and miserable. I don’t need to live under the law and be stressed and miserable. Instead I can live by the Spirit, relying and trusting in You, and experience Your power working in me. Holy Spirit come and fill me today that I would live by the Spirit for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
