Lesson 11: Walking by the Spirit

Questions 5 and 6

Called to Freedom
This passage makes it clear that believers are called to be free. In the context of the Book of Galatians, this means freedom from the Law and freedom from slavery to sin. We are called to be free people, as that is exactly what Jesus died to make us!
But Paul quickly adds that we are not to use our blood-bought freedom to indulge the flesh; indeed, that’s what the Spirit of God is freeing us from! 
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 
Galatians 5:16-18 (NIV)
The Spirit of God is all about the Son of God (John 14 through 16). He points us to Jesus’ perfect life lived in our place, to Jesus’ substitutionary death, to Jesus’ powerful resurrection, and to Jesus’ ongoing ministry of intercession. The Spirit is all about the Son, so if we are walking by the Spirit, we will become all about Jesus, too. And we won’t be living in self-gratification because the Spirit provides power to walk in our new life of freedom from gratifying our flesh. 
Question 5. According to Galatians 5:17, what conflict is every believer experiencing?
The heart vs. the mind
The body vs. the spirit
The flesh vs. the spirit
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Every believer has a conflict raging within them. We have competing desires. We have the desire of the flesh, which is to gratify itself, and we have the desires of the Spirit, which is to crucify our lusts. This battle will be with us for life, we will have competing desires until the day we die. Being free in Christ does not mean that we are free from temptations. And these desires of our flesh might, at times, cause us to fall, so that “we do not do what we want.” But if this happens, we come to the cross and wash, and the Holy Spirit will raise us up to walk again in newness of life.


Question 6. According to Galatians 5:18, if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the .Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.