Galatians 5:13-26
Antinomianism vs Legalism
The Gospel is that in Christ we are freely declared righteous not by our deeds but by the alien righteousness of Christ. All our debt is paid for on the cross, and the Father adopts us by grace. In response to this, people make two popular mistakes: antinomianism and legalism. Antinomianism says this, “If my sins are forgiven, then I can live however I desire because Jesus’s blood covers me.” Legalism says this, “I’ve been saved by grace, but I must live the rest of my Christian life by my own strength and power.” In other words, “Salvation by grace, but sanctification by works.” Both stem from the mistake of erasing the Holy Spirit from the equation of the Christian life. A Christian is a home of the indwelling Spirit; in a way, we are “pregnant with the Spirit”, living with two persons in one. Thus, the Christian life is living under the freedom and guidance of the Spirit of God.
Freedom
“You were called to freedom, brothers” (5:13). But we must be careful because Apostle Paul’s definition of freedom is not the same as freedom defined by our Western culture. Today, we define freedom as the complete liberation of the “self” from outside forces or factors. The self is the pure seat of freedom, and anything that places limitation on the self is seen as “evil” or “destructive”. The self should be completely unbridled in its capacity to define oneself and to make choices. But this is a huge fallacy because we assume that the self is “pure” and is free in and of itself. The Bible teaches us that the “self” is not pure and is itself enslaved by sin.
The biblical understanding of freedom is liberation from our slavery to sin, what Paul calls the “desires of the flesh” (5:16-17), flesh beings our sinful nature. True freedom isn’t about doing whatever you want, whatever the self desires, unbridled passions. No, true freedom is about being set free from slavery to sin, unbridled and unrestricted from sin, and soaring like an eagle to live the life God has made you to live, that is to His righteousness, “love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” This happens when we receive a new master, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is poured into our hearts through Christ, and He breaks our bondage to sin. To walk by the Spirit is to live in this freedom and to choose the desires of the Spirit over the flesh.
Guidance
First, we must become aware that this life is not done alone. We are constantly living with the Holy Spirit 24/7, whether we know it or not. It is the Spirit who sustains us and empowers us to become more like Christ. The Christian life is simply not done alone or by our own strength.
Second, we must learn to discern the heart and mind of the Spirit. Paul says, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (5:18). We no longer live by the written law of God. The law has been replaced by the Spirit, and the Spirit writes the law on our hearts (Jer 31:33). The difference is trying to cook with a recipe book and learning to cook with your grandma and her flavors indelibly etched into your taste buds. We are not a people who follow some sort of written rulebook like the Pharisees. We are a people who follow a person, the Spirit. This means we must learn to listen and discern the heart and mind of the Spirit. Rather than asking, “Is this permissible? What’s the rule that I need to follow?”, we should be asking, “What is the Spirit’s intention and desire in this situation? How is the Spirit trying to apply the Word in my life?”
Keep in Step
There really is no one, two, three steps of walking by the Spirit. It is quite organic and dynamic like all relationships. You learn to live and to walk with the Spirit over time in his freedom and guidance. However, there are basic foundations. Talk with the Spirit by praying throughout the day, short or long. Ground yourself in the Word as it is the Spirit’s main tool of crafting us in holiness. Actively cultivate the fruit of the Spirit with him.
