Walking in the Spirit? (Gal 5:25-26)
A person must be a Christian before he can walk in the Spirit. If he is not born again, he does not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and he will not be able to understand God’s Word. This is not about understanding the facts taught in the Bible. When a person is made alive in Christ, he then has the mind of Christ to understand God’s Word spiritually. A Christian knows that his Lord is speaking to him personally whenever he does his quiet-time. Through God’s Word, he meets with his Lord as one meets another face to face. A Christian would love spiritual things and spiritual activities. If a person says that he finds more joy in carnal activities with unbelievers (rather than spiritual activities with Christians), it is a reflection of his spiritual state. In heaven, all born-again believers will be doing spiritual things for all eternity.
Living in the Spirit is invisible whereas walking in the Spirit is visible; but both must be congruent and in agreement with each other. We do not stop walking in the Spirit. And we walk (not run) step by step, in the right direction as guided by God’s Word which is a lamp to our feet and light to our path. The Lord did not leave things to chance nor to our own devices. He has given us clear and precise instructions in His Word as to how we are to walk in the Spirit. Romans 8:12-14 teaches that the Spirit must walk in front of us to lead us. Thus, we are to walk behind the Spirit. He is omnipotent and omniscient; He knows exactly where the dangers and the snares are. Thus, we must follow His leading. And we are to walk by faith and in holiness. When we sin, we are to quickly confess and repent.
The Apostle Paul instructed the Galatian Christians to stop their sinful desires. To desire vain glory is to do God’s work in order to receive man’s praise. Pastors who preach the Word of God to promote themselves fall into this sin. We must also be very careful of provoking one another (to anger, stirring up trouble) and envying one another. These will result in us hurting others. May God help us all to walk in the Spirit, till Jesus returns. |