# 6. 2018 Dev. Gal.5:16,17 “Walk by The Spirit”! Read verses 13-26. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Galatians 5:16,17 “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.”
“The Galatians originated as a part of the great Celtic migration, which invaded Macedon, led by Brennus (278-277BC). But by the time Paul wrote this letter sometime between 48-51 AD Galatia was a province of Rome” (Wikipedia). Though influenced by Greek culture most people here were not Greek or Roman. With this letter Paul moved Christianity out of the influences of Judaism.
We summarize Paul’s intention in this letter:” It is by grace through faith that people are saved and it is by faith alone that they are to live out their new life in the freedom of the Spirit” (NIV). Freedom does not give us a right to live after the flesh and Paul graphically describes what God does not approve. Verses 19-21: sexual immorality, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred and jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, drunkenness, orgies and the like.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Paul tells us that “the entire law is summed up in a single command: “love your neighbor as yourself”. That is the boundary within which we freely live in the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit in our earthly living is freedom, for real! Praise God!
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