McCheyne’s Bible Reading Plan: Ex 30, Jn 9, Pr 6, Gal 5
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.18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Gal 5:16-26)
Paul here helps us understand the nature of the war that we feel raging within us. For those in Christ, it is crucial for us to remember that we have this new identity because of the Spirit within us. When we sin, like Paul (in Romans 7) we must remember “it is not I but sin living in me”. This is not an excuse to sin, but helps us to see which of these two, the spirit or the flesh, we are to identify with, lest we beat ourselves up even after we are forgiven.
More importantly, before we sin, we are to take note that we must choose to walk in the Spirit.
