… you who live by the Spirit …
Summary: Paul’s instructions to the Galatians are revealing. He realizes they are not living by the Spirit, so he tells them how to do that. Then he adds a special instruction for those who “live by the Spirit.”
Next time you go to church, pay attention to the people around you. Not just the ones you know or like but all the people who walk in the door.
It doesn’t matter if the people in your church are young or old. It doesn’t matter what kind of music is played, or whether they sing hymns or songs played on the radio. Look at the faces of the people and ask yourself, “Who lives by the Spirit?”
People of all kinds come to church. Some are seekers, people looking for answers to life’s questions. Some have “hit bottom” and have nowhere else to go. Some people have been coming to church their entire lives. Some will have been raised in this church, married here, and will die here. Others have come from other churches and, in time, will move on once again.
But who lives by the Spirit?
If you are living by the Spirit, it is easy to see the Spirit in others. If you are not, then this might seem like an exercise in futility.
“What?!” you might ask. “I thought everyone who comes to church has God’s Spirit. Doesn’t Jesus give the Holy Spirit to everyone who believes?” (John 15:26)
Yes, that is true. Jesus makes the Holy Spirit available to everyone who believes. Yet, not everyone lives by the Spirit.
How do we know this is true?
Paul’s letter to the Galatians tells us it is true.
If all the believers in Galatia had been living by the Spirit, Paul would not have needed to write about the difference between walking by the Spirit and living in the flesh (Galatians 5:13-26).
Now, look at yourself in a mirror.
Do you see a person who lives by the Spirit?
This is our challenge! God provides his Holy Spirit, but we have to be willing to listen and obey. This is never easy because our minds tend to be filled with the worries of this world. (See Matthew 6:25-34 for Jesus’ instructions about worry.)
Before we can think about catching others in a sin and gently restoring them, we need to be living by the Spirit ourselves.
Application: Unless you are already fully “in step with the Spirit,” make learning to “live by the Spirit” the top priority in your life.
Food for Thought: How do we know if we are living by the Spirit?
Another great question today Jeff!
Living in the Spirit will bring forth from within us the fruit of the Spirit, which is evidence of living in the Spirit. I think it is important to remember that living in the Sprit is not a status, or an achievement, but rather being grounded in love and open to the Spirit. Living in the Spirit is seeking to remain in the Spirit. It takes time to learn how to live in the Spirit. Christ used the term “born again” for good reason. Once we place our faith in Christ and accept Him as Lord of our life, the Holy Spirit begins to unravel all the knots we have tied ourselves up with. We begin to recognize when we are grounded in love and seeking the Spirit and when we are not. We begin to recognize when we are quenching the Spirit, and when we are not.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
When we are grounded in love and seeking the Spirit, His response to us is freedom, hope, and strength. To me, the fruit of the Spirit all appear to draw from these three things.
2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Ephesians 3:16-17 That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love.
As you wrote about recognizing the Spirit in others, I see freedom, hope, and strength within those that live in the Spirit. In my walk I have learned that the presence or absence of these three are a good indication of where I am at in the Spirit. That living in the Spirit is living in freedom, hope, and strength.
Chris
Thank you!
Of all the words you shared being “grounded in love” resonates with me the most.
Well said!
How do we know if we are living by the Spirit?
Believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Christ. We know this to be true as we find the old ways of our lives have become distasteful, repulsive and we must by choice turn from, reject these ways as by this new power. We find our joy in true life which comes with submission to Gods will over our own, as we minister to the world around us according to His leading.
Romans 8:9, You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Ephesians 1:13–14, Believers have been sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit until the moment we will take eternal possession.
Ephesians 5:18–20, Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 4:31, Tells us the Christians had gathered for prayer, “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Thank you, Ron!
You touch on something very important when you say “Believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Christ.”
Can we be a believer and not have the Spirit?
Let’s flip the question:
If we don’t have the Spirit, are we a believer?
Something to think about! 🙂
Great questions Jeff, I must refer you to my Boss for the answers.
Romans 8:9, You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:12, We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
Good point!
Maybe the question isn’t “are we a believer?”
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” — James 2:19
If you want to dig into hard to answer questions then how about James 5:16? Are you a righteous man?
Has any of your prayers been un-affective?