Are you often frustrated by your lack of progress in the Christian life? Do you find yourself falling to temptation? Do you find within you a tension between what, as a Christian, you want to do (and know you should do) and what you actually do? As Paul deals with issues of law and grace he explains why the Christian’s life is often like this. We now consider Galatians 5:13-18 Living by the Spirit
1. A compromise
In contrast to the bondage brought by the legalists, Paul makes the clear assertion: ‘you, my brothers, were called to be free’ (v13). This is God’s call to freedom from the burden of depending on law-keeping in order to be right with him, a self-imposed, impossible task. But there is the danger of falling into the opposite error – the church has always had to combat not only legalism, but also antinomianism, the idea that the law of God has no place in the life of a Christian. Paul understands the threat that it poses: its claim to be ‘free’ often becomes an excuse for the sinful indulgence of various desires. Thus he says, ‘Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature (lit. ‘the flesh’)’. After conversion old sinful habits and desires still exercise an influence. Although ‘our old sinful self was crucified [with Christ]’ (Romans 6:6), we may continue to indulge sinful desires whilst claiming freedom from God’s law. Antinomianism is in fact a compromise with sin, bringing bondage.
2. A command
The reception of salvation makes profound demands on believers, hence v14 ‘The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbour as yourself’. This is one of the two commands Jesus cites in Matthew 22:37-40. Love of neighbour is set out in the law (Leviticus 19:18). Paul is setting out the true nature and place of God’s law in Christian living. For the Christian law-keeping is not a means of establishing a right standing with God, but a means of expressing that right standing. ‘The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love’ (v6). It is the fruit of grace. Love for the Lord flows into love for neighbour. The danger of a failure to love is highlighted: ‘If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other’ (v15). A lack of love is profoundly destructive in a congregation.
3. A conflict
The basic dynamic of the Christian life is stated in v16 ‘So, I say, live (lit. ‘walk’) by the Spirit’. Note two dimensions of such a way of living:
(i). walk: this underlines our responsibility to engage in God-centred living. This is in harmony with many biblical commands, such as 1 Peter 1:16 ‘Be holy because I am holy’.
(ii). by the Spirit: he gives the desire and strength we lack. God’s work, by the Spirit, is to transform us into the likeness of the Saviour – 2 Corinthians 3:18
The result – ‘you will not gratify the desires of the flesh’. The remaining habits and desires of the old nature are in conflict with the work of the Spirit (v17). Although the old may frustrate the new, there is good news: we are ‘not under law’ – no works-righteousness.