Paul previously told his readers that they should not live either under the Mosaic Law or licentiously. Here he gave positive direction and explained what the leading of the Holy Spirit means. He did this so his readers would know how to live to the glory of God as Christians.
5:16 Walking by the Spirit means living moment by moment submissively trusting in the Holy Spirit rather than in self.
"Walk by the Spirit' means let your conduct be directed by the Spirit.'"183
"To walk by the Spirit' means to be under the constant, moment-by-moment direction, control, and guidance of the Spirit."184
"Walking is a metaphor used from time to time in Scripture to denote spiritual progress. People in the first century could not travel as fast as we do, with our cars, planes, trains and the like, but even so, for them as for us, walking was the slowest way of going places. But even though walking was slow and unspectacular, walking meant progress. If anyone kept walking, she or he would certainly cover the ground and eventually reach the destination. So for the apostle walking was an apt metaphor. If any believer was walking, that believer was going somewhere."185
We could translate the Greek present tense imperative "Keep on walking."To the extent that we do this we will not at all (Gr. ou me, the strongest negative) carry out our fleshly desires. This is a promise.
This does not mean that one must be constantly thinking about his or her dependence on Him to be walking in the Spirit. It is, of course, impossible to be thinking about this all the time. Nevertheless we should be trusting in Him all the time. The more we think about our dependence on Him the more consistent we will be in trusting in Him and in walking by the Spirit.
"The contrary way of living is to fulfil the lust of the flesh. The fleshis the physical part of our being and stands accordingly for that which is opposed to our spirit as well as to the divine Spirit. Our fleshis characterized by lust, which stands for the strong, but sometimes evil, desires that are associated with bodily living."186
This is one of the most important and helpful verses on Christian living in the Bible.
5:17 This verse does not present two natures fighting each other inside the Christian. The conflicting entities are God's Holy Spirit within the believer and the believer's sinful human nature (cf. 3:3; 4:29; 5:16, 18, 22, 25; Rom. 8:4-6, 9, 13). We experience conflict whether we side with the Spirit against the flesh or with the flesh against the Spirit. The "things that you please"may be good or evil. It is impossible for us to remain neutral; we either follow one or the other. Note, too, that we cannot blame Satan and his demons for all the conflicts we experience. Our own sinful nature is responsible for many of them.
"So long as we remain in this present life, we never outgrow or transcend the spiritual conflict Paul was describing in this passage. There is no spiritual technique or second blessing that can propel the believer onto a higher plane of Christian living where this battle must no longer be fought."187
The conflict described in this verse and in verses 16-23 is not the same as that presented in Romans 7:13-24. The opponents of the sinful nature are different. In Galatians it is the Holy Spirit, but in Romans it is the whole regenerated individual. The condition of the believer is also different. In Galatians Paul saw him as under law or grace, but in Romans he viewed him as under law only. Furthermore, the results of the conflict are different. In Galatians there may be defeat or victory, but in Romans defeat is inevitable. Finally the nature of the conflict is different. In Galatians it is normal Christian experience, but in Romans it is abnormal.188
5:18 If we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the Law. This statement is a first class condition in the Greek text indicating that the writer assumed the statement was true for the sake of his argument. Other information about what he said determines whether it is really true. In this case Paul seems to have believed that the Holy Spirit does indeed lead every Christian (cf. vv. 24-26). The question is, will we follow His leading and walk after the Spirit (v. 16) or will we walk after the flesh? The "if"in this sentence has the force of "since."However, we should not conclude that the Spirit forces us to do God's will. He does not lead us so strongly.
The Holy Spirit leads us to do the moral will of God. He does this primarily through Scripture by helping us understand the will of God as He has revealed it there. Furthermore He motivates us to do what we know to be right, and He provides the power for us to obey God (Phil. 2:13). We can overcome the flesh by siding with the Spirit.
"Walking by the Spirit, the antidote to nomism [living by the law] of every kind, calls for resolution and staying power, as is made plain by Paul's frequent use of athletic metaphor for the Christian life."189
"Being led by the Spirit does not imply passivity but rather the need to allow oneself to be led. Responding to the Spirit is described by three mutually interpreting words in vv. 16, 18, and 25--'walk' (RSV), led,' and live.'"190
We might have expected Paul to write that since we are led by the Spirit we are not "under the flesh,"but instead we read "under the law."His point was that the Christian cannot overcome the desires of the flesh by remaining under the law. The Judaizers were advocating submission to the law as the way to overcome the flesh, but Paul advocated submission to the Spirit.
The deeds of the sinful human nature are as evident as fruit on a tree. Behavior normally demonstrates nature. Paul identified five categories of sins here.
Paul identified the behavior that results when we rebel against the Holy Spirit's leadership and follow the dictates of our sinful nature (cf. v. 17). He next listed the behavior characteristics that become evident when we allow the Spirit to control us rather than the flesh.
Note that he called what issues from our sinful human nature "deeds"or "acts"(v.19), but he called what issues from the Holy Spirit "fruit"(v. 22). This contrast is consistent with Paul's emphasis throughout the epistle. He repeatedly contrasted working and trusting. "Fruit"is singular suggesting the unified Christ-like character that the Holy Spirit produces. This fruit comes in nine delicious flavors. Both deeds and fruit are the behavior manifestations of the driving forces within the Christian: his or her sinful human nature and the Holy Spirit.
5:24 The Christian has crucified the flesh in the sense that when he or she trusted Christ God broke the domination of his or her sinful nature. While we still have a sinful human nature, it does not control us as it did before we trusted in Christ (cf. Rom. 6:6-7). Paul said we, not God, have crucified it. We did this when we trusted in Jesus Christ as our Savior (cf. 2:20). Therefore it is inconsistent for us to return to the flesh. "Passions"(Gr. pathemata, cf. Rom. 7:5) are the outward expression of inner "desires"(Gr. epithymiai, cf. v. 16). In another sense we need to continually crucify the flesh by choosing to yield to the Spirit (vv. 16, 18, 25; Rom. 8:13; Col. 3:5).
5:25 Now since (or "if,"another first class condition in Greek that here states a condition true to reality) God has given us new life, we should do something. We should walk ("keep in step,"NIV, as soldiers do when they march) daily by (with) the Spirit (i.e., in dependence on Him). He is God's provision for us to live victoriously. The Holy Spirit leads every Christian, but not all choose to walk by the Spirit (i.e., follow His leading).199
"Stated simply, the flesh is the individual behaving independently of the Spirit."200
Living by the Spirit is similar to walking by the Spirit. The former term looks at the Spirit as the source and sustaining power of the believer's spiritual life whereas the latter one views Him as the regulative principle in his or her conduct.201
5:26 This last verse seems to be an application of this principle to the specific Galatian situation.
"This is a very instructive verse because it shows that our conduct to others is determined by our opinion of ourselves."202
"To be conceited' is to boast of things that are insignificant and lacking in true worth, whether the boaster actually has them or only imagines that he has them or desires to have them."203
Liberty lies between legalism and license. That balance is central in chapter 5. The key to being fruitful as a Christian is being submissive to the Holy Spirit, following His leading, walking in dependence on Him (cf. John 15:4-5).
