Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
carry out the desire of the flesh.
The word Paul chose that is translated “But”
is not a word of sharp contrast, but shows a
connectedness to the verses before.
Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
carry out the desire of the flesh.
What he is about to say in this verse is an
answer to the questions raised in the verses
before, being the God-intended means for
living out the “through love serve one another”
instead of the sin nature driven “biting and
devouring one another”. Paul said that the
answer would come one believer at a time.
Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
carry out the desire of the flesh.
This part of the verse is brief (actually just two
words in the Greek text!), but it is packed with
both life-changing significance for the present
& even with great significance beyond this
present life. The form of the two Greek words
translated ‘walk’ & ‘Spirit’ also has a depth of
meaning built into each word.
Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
carry out the desire of the flesh.
The word ‘walk’ is translated from the same
word Paul used for ‘walk’ in his other letters
(1 Corinthians 7:17; 2 Corinthians 5:7, etc.).
It is a Jewish manner of speaking (Genesis
16:1; Exodus 17:4; 18:20) that refers to the
individual, step by step patterning of one’s
daily life – moment by moment.
Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
carry out the desire of the flesh.
The Greek word translated ‘walk’ carries the
idea, “You must right now actively continue
to walk”. So what Paul is saying is that the
believers are to be living this out right now continuously. They have an active part in this
walking that Paul is calling for, but we’ll soon
see that their active part is to depend entirely
upon God’s provision for their lives.
Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
carry out the desire of the flesh.
The words ‘by the Spirit’ can be expanded to
convey ‘by means of the Spirit’. So putting all
the ideas together, Paul is getting across to
his readers, ‘you must right now continuously
pattern the steps of your lives by means of
the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit’.
Let’s ‘walk’ our way
through these words
• As an imperative,
the ‘walking’ has
the idea of ‘must’.
• We’ve said before
that ‘must’ does not
come as a Principle
of Law, but out of
our eternal position
in Christ, which was
given all by grace.
• The motive for our
response to Paul’s
‘must’ is not under
threat of law, but a
grateful response to
God’s grace (& we
can also add mercy
as a valid motive for
the ‘must’ verses:
see Romans 12:1).
We’ve got motive,
now let’s cover means
• We’ve covered the
motive - now for the
means: God sent
the Holy Spirit to be
the ‘resident agent’
in our lives, always
indwelling each
believer in order
to carry out His
ministries in us.
• The Holy Spirit
is God’s ‘resident
agent’ to enable, to
empower, & to
energize our walk.
• Additionally, we
know that the Holy
Spirit directs our
attention to Christ
(John 15:26).
This ‘walk’ is not another thing to do
• Walking by means
of the Spirit has
commonality with
what is taught in
other passages
regarding our
ongoing fellowship
with & dependence
upon the Lord
for daily life.
• What we find is
that Scripture says
the same or similar
truths in different
ways, in order to
help us better
understand what
God has in mind
for our daily lives,
& to emphasize it.
This ‘walk’ is not another thing to do
• Walking by means
• A number of verses,
of the Spirit points
including this one,
to the top priority
call for us to look to
question of our lives:
God’s provision for
everything we do.
• Where does
the motivating, &
• The call to look to
the enabling, the
God’s provision is
empowering & the
based on what He
energizing of what
has done & who He
we do come from?
has made us to be.
God, though the
Holy Spirit, is the
one who enables
& empowers &
energizes the walk
in our position
As we walk in our
position in Christ & are
enabled, empowered &
energized by God, the
quality of our walk is
impacted: it’s His life
Our eternal position is in Christ
We are motivated by grace to walk in our position
One more reason it’s not
‘another thing for you to do’
• At first reading we
might be tempted to
think that we really
need to try harder
at this or get going
or add this to our
daily ‘to do’ list.
• But when we take a
closer look, we find
this isn’t ours’ to do!
• Instead, we find
that our place is to
actively depend
entirely upon the
ministries of the
Holy Spirit for the
living out of this life.
• That is faith in
God’s work, not
faith in our work!
What God does not do
• God doesn’t ask us
to do anything for
which He has not
already provided,
personally & 100%,
for our identity,
motive, enabling,
empowering &
energizing to
carry it out!
• God does not ask
us to be anything,
to be motivated, or
to do it ourselves
or from our own
resources – ever!
• All He asks is that
we believe Him, &
that is not our work,
but faith in His work!
It’s a question of who is worthy
• God never asks or
expects us to prove
ourselves worthy of
His blessing!
• God is asking us,
who are already
100% blessed,
to see that He is
entirely worthy!
• That is what grace
is about & that is
what God’s eternal
purpose is about:
to reveal, declare
& share His glory,
so that He may
be glorified forever.
It’s neither a mechanical procedure
nor an administrative function
• In our world of How • But walking by
to books & videos
means of the Spirit
& administrative
is really about our
procedures it’s easy
depending upon
to fall into a ‘steps &
what God has done
checklists’ mindset
& is doing & will do
for our walking by
forever, about our
means of the Spirit.
personal relationship
with & fellowship
• ‘Here are the things
with our Lord.
that you must do….’
Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
carry out the desire of the flesh.
The last part of this verse tells us that for
each moment that we continue to walk by
means of the Spirit, we will not carry out the
driving passions of the flesh. The flesh, as
you may recall, is the expression of the sin
nature (Romans 6) in & though our bodies.
Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
carry out the desire of the flesh.
Paul’s message here is emphatic! The Greek
word pair translated ‘not’ (ou me) is the most
extreme way to say it in the Greek language.
The point that Paul was conveying to them
was, “not the slightest chance!’, or ‘not even
the remotest possibility’, or ‘there is no way’!
Walking by means of the Spirit:
Is it ‘I’ or ‘We’?
• As Paul wrote
• But since the
Galatians 5:16, he
imperative was, by
wrote the words in
nature, an appeal
plural (so,‘Y’all must
to the will of each
be walking by means
believer, it was
of the Spirit’ ).
individual as well.
• Paul intended this
• And each believer
for the entire church
has the indwelling
body: be walking by
Holy Spirit, with His
means of the Spirit.
ongoing ministries.
Each believer walking by means of
the Spirit would have consequences!
• There would be
both individual &
entire church body
consequences to
the believers each
walking by means
of the Spirit.
• The consequences
are all by God’s
intent & provision.
• ‘biting & devouring
one another’
(Galatians 5:15)
would not be
happening!
• ‘through love serve
one another’
(Galatians 5:13)
would be
happening!
It’s neither Law nor lawlessness!
• One of Paul’s key
• “But I say, walk by
points in this verse
the Spirit, and you
in the context of this
will not carry out the
passage is that as
desire of the flesh…
________________
the believer walks
18 But if you are
in the Spirit then the
led by the Spirit,
believer is not living
you are not under
under Law nor living
the Law.” __
_______________
out any lawlessness
- Galatians 5:16, 18.
(Galatians 5:16, 18)!
2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image
from glory to glory,
just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:7
“…for we walk by faith, not by sight…”
1 John 1:7a,b
“…but if we walk in the Light
as He Himself is in the Light,
we have fellowship with one another…”
Galatians 5:16 Expanded & Explained
But in view of the critical issues before you, I,
Paul - an apostle – say to you all, in view of
your position in Christ, and the motivation of
God’s grace & His intent to empower your
every step, you must all right now continually
walk by means of the the multiple ministries of
the Holy Spirit, who indwells you all. And as a
consequence of your walking by means of the
Spirit, each one who is doing so will not be
carrying out in the course of life the corrupt
desire of the sin nature as expressed in and
through your fleshly body.