Walk in the Spirit, and Ye Shall Not Fulfil the Lust of the Flesh (Galatians 5:16)

2024-04-04

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

When Jesus ascended to heaven to be enthroned beside the Father, the Father entrusted the Spirit to the Son, who poured Him out upon us, as we saw previously. The Spirit imparts and instantiates the life of Christ within us. We may be in Christ, positioned in heaven, but He also is in us. That source of life is fully available to us from day one.

So where does sin come from? Why am I still the way that I was, whether it be that I sin or find myself entrenched in legalism, and failing? It is the source of effort that produces these things. It is not from the Spirit, but from myself. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (Galatians 5:17). I am crucified with Christ, but I don’t believe it. I choose to do things without Him, even though He says, “without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Therefore, I trust the Spirit, who imparts the life of Christ, to do everything for me. Everything that is in the old Adam nature is contrary to the Spirit, so why trust him (that is to say, me)? I trust myself too much. I believe myself to be weak but not dead. “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7:18).

So this is the beginning, that we trust the Spirit to do what we cannot do, moment by moment, day by day. We continuously confess that we cannot serve the Lord and do His commandments; we look to Him so that He will do His perfect will for us and in us and through us.