STORY / CONTEXT

In Galatians 5, Paul continues teaching believers what it means to live in the freedom Jesus Christ provides.

Last week, we learned that we can respond to our freedom in three ways: REFUSE it by returning to the works of the law, ABUSE it by continuing in sin, or USE it to love and serve others.

But how do we actually live the way God has called us to live?

The answer is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul explains how believers can experience this power, overcome the desires of the flesh, and demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in everyday life.

1. WALK BY THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:16–17

Walking by the Spirit is an ACTIVE process. It requires us to make daily choices while depending on the Holy Spirit for direction and strength.

• The Holy Spirit guides our decisions and empowers us to follow God’s will.
• There is an ongoing battle between the desires of our flesh and the desires of the Spirit.
• Through the Holy Spirit, believers have the power to overcome sin.

Like walking on a moving walkway at an airport, we must take steps forward while relying on a power greater than our own.

We are called to actively follow the Spirit while depending on His power.

2. BE LED BY THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:18

Being led by the Spirit requires us to surrender to His guidance.

• The Holy Spirit leads, directs, and convicts us.
• We must choose whether to follow His direction or rely on ourselves.
• Following the Spirit means trusting His guidance even when our own desires pull us in another direction.

A Spirit-led life is a surrendered life.

THE WORKS OF THE FLESH

Galatians 5:19–21

Paul identifies behaviors that reveal a life controlled by sinful desires rather than the Holy Spirit.

These sins fall into three categories:

SENSUAL SINS

Galatians 5:19, 21

These include sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, and orgies.

They involve sinful sexual desires and behaviors that disregard God’s design for our lives.

SUPERSTITIOUS SINS

Galatians 5:20a

These include idolatry and sorcery.

Idolatry is placing anything above God in our worship and devotion. Sorcery involves seeking spiritual power through practices outside of God’s will.

SOCIAL SINS

Galatians 5:20b–21a

These include enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, and envy.

These sins damage relationships, divide families, and threaten the unity of the church.

Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:13–15 that we are called to love and serve one another, not tear one another apart.

“The key to a unified church isn’t better POLICY, it’s changed PEOPLE!”

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:22–23

In contrast to the works of the flesh, Paul describes the evidence of a life transformed by the Holy Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit includes:

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-control

These are not spiritual gifts that only certain Christians receive. They are qualities the Holy Spirit produces in the lives of believers.

We don’t get to choose which qualities matter. As we surrender to the Holy Spirit, He works to develop all of them in us.

3. LIVE BY THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:25a; Galatians 2:20

Living by the Spirit begins the moment we place our faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul reminds us in Galatians 2:20 that our old life has been crucified with Christ and that Christ now lives in us.

• The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within every believer at salvation.
• Our identity is no longer rooted in who we were before Christ.
• The Holy Spirit gives us new life and transforms us from within.

Just as a person receiving a heart transplant must adjust to a new heart, believers are called to live according to the new life God has given them.

We don’t live by the Spirit to earn salvation. We live by the Spirit because Christ has saved us.

4. KEEP IN STEP WITH THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:25b–26

Keeping in step with the Spirit means following His direction and staying aligned with His leading.

Paul uses language that pictures soldiers marching together in formation.

• We must follow the Spirit’s direction rather than setting our own course.
• Keeping in step requires daily surrender and obedience.
• This is not only an individual responsibility. It is something believers do together as the church.

Like runners following a pace setter, we are called to follow the Holy Spirit together.

A healthy church is made up of people keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.

SUMMARY / APPLICATION

Paul’s teaching challenges us to examine who is really directing our lives.

Three Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Am I trying to live my life IN CONTROL of everything?

Are you constantly trying to manage every detail, relying on your own strength and struggling when things don’t go according to plan?

2. Am I living my life OUT OF CONTROL in most things?

Are sinful habits, poor decisions, or unhealthy patterns creating disorder in your relationships and daily life?

3. Am I living a life UNDER THE CONTROL of God’s Holy Spirit in all things?

Are you surrendering your decisions, desires, and direction to the Holy Spirit?

The Christian life isn’t about trying harder in our own strength. It’s about surrendering to the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

We are called to:

1. WALK by the Spirit.
2. Be LED by the Spirit.
3. LIVE by the Spirit.
4. KEEP in step with the Spirit.

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” — Galatians 5:25 (ESV)