Galatians 5:16-25 “I say then: Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (17) For the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. (18) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (19) Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, (20) idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, (21) envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (22) But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (24) And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (25) If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit.”
It is one thing to be made alive in the spirit, which has happened to all believers, but it is another thing entirely, to walk in the spirit. That is why the Holy Spirit, in the above passage of scripture, admonishes believers that have been made alive in their spirits, to also walk in their spirits. It is the spiritual believer, that is able to walk in all of the fruit of the spirit, for their spirits have fully matured and are thus able to produce much fruit. As the scripture quoted above reveals, that fruit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And so, mature believers, constantly display the fruit of the spirit as they walk through life. Mature believers no longer walk in the works of the flesh, for they have learnt to walk in the spirit.
2 Peter 1:5-10 “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, (6) to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, (7) to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. (8) For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) For he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. (10) Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.”
The apostle Peter, in the above passage of scripture, lists certain characteristics that all believers should strive to increase in, for he says that if these things are ours and abound, we will be fruitful in the kingdom of God. If you look at his list, you will see that it is very similar to the list of the nine fruits of the spirit, that the apostle Paul listed in the book of Galatians, for he lists self-control as does Paul, he lists perseverance which Paul refers to as longsuffering, he lists godliness which Paul refers to as goodness, he lists brotherly kindness which Paul lists as kindness, and then he lists love which Paul also lists. Peter then goes on to say that the believer who walks in these things, will never stumble. To stumble in scripture, means to commit sin. And so, Peter is telling us that if we walk in the spirit, we will no longer walk in sin. The apostle Paul makes the same comment, for he says that the believers that walk in the spirit will not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). In other words, they will no longer walk in sin, for it is only when believers walk in the flesh that they commit sin. And so, both apostles teach us to walk in the spirit, displaying the fruit of the spirit. Spiritual believers do exactly that.
Michael E.B. Maher
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