Galatians 5:16-17 16But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
The answer to dealing with the problems that come by allowing the flesh to control our lives is choosing to walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit. The answer to sin is the obedience of faith. Paul will list the desires of the flesh in vv. 19-21, but at the heart of these desires is seeking to satisfy our wants and needs outside of God’s plan, purpose, and will for us. The flesh represents for Paul fallen humanity that finds its meaning and values in this world. It is living life without God. God has given us natural instincts, drives, and needs. These are given both for our survival and our pleasure. Our fallen selves in rebellion against God look for fulfillment in places or people other than God. Satan deceives us, just like Adam and Eve, into thinking that we can fulfill these by our own efforts. The world is full of people who seek to fill the void in their lives with things of the world. Following the way of the flesh always ends in heartache and pain, and will eventually result in God’s judgment.
Like in Romans 8, Paul puts the Spirit and the flesh as opposites. They represent two ways of life. The Spirit in this passage clearly refers to the Holy Spirit. Walking by the Spirit means to obey the guidance and conviction of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will speak to us in many ways, especially through the Bible, the preaching of the gospel, our own thoughts and experiences, and the communication from other people. We can learn to be discerning and to be aware of this guidance. The key way to know the way to which the Holy Spirit points is through the submission of faith. We grow in our awareness through obedience.
The flesh wars against the Spirit by pulling our attention away from God and placing it on self. The flesh opens us to temptations by offering answers to desires that are distorted by a fallen nature. In simple terms, we find our value system in the world and not in the gospel of Christ. The Galatians were being pulled this way by the legalistic practices of the false teachers. They were being taught to seek righteousness by human effort. This could easily slip into a focus on self, which then opens the door to temptations of the flesh. This also describe people before coming to faith in Christ. Everyone is enslaved to the power of sin before they die to the old way of life. This slavery is evident in fleshly living.
The Holy Spirit will speak to people through their consciences, drawing them to the light through the grace of Christ. The pull of the world will be strong, especially for those who have been controlled by fleshly desires for a long time and have developed unhealthy habits of thought and action. The way of the flesh causes people to stumble and do things that they do not want to do. They think they are free because they can do whatever they want, but it is really a bondage. Genuine freedom is found only in relationship with Christ through the Spirit of Christ. The battle with the flesh can be won through the power of the indwelling Spirit.
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