As Paul continues his
discourse to the church members in Galatia, we are gaining great
insights into the grace of God and what it means to be filled with
God's Spirit. In chapter five and verse eighteen Paul shows the
Galatians and us a distinct advantage to being led by the Spirit of
God. He wrote:
But if you are led of
the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Paul
begins, “But if...” Notice
once again Paul's use of the word “But”.
As we have learned before, this word signifies that what is about to
be said generally is greater than what was just said. Paul said in
our last verse, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to
the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.”,
and we learned about the war between the flesh and the spirit that
goes on within us. Verse eighteen says, “But if...”
which means there is a way to keep from doing things what the flesh
desires. Note too that it is conditional, “if”
which means there is a possibility that his readers will or will not
do as he is about to declare.
Paul
goes on to say, “...you are led of the Spirit, you are
not under the law.” Paul
reveals the way we overcome the desires of the flesh. We must be “led
of the Spirit.” The
implication is that God's Spirit is in front of us. We walk where He
walks. We go where He goes, and we say what He says. Jesus lived this
way. In the gospel of John in chapter five and verses nineteen and
twenty it says:
Then answered Jesus and
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do
nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do: for what things
soever he does, these also does the Son likewise. For the Father
loves the Son, and shows him all things that himself does: and he
will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
Jesus
was led perfectly of the Spirit, and therefore everything He did
glorified the Father. Paul's words to the Galatians was that if they
would be led by the Spirit of God, the law would no longer be over
them. In other words, they would not be continually attempting to
fulfill the law because they would be fulfilling it as they were led
by God's Spirit. God would not lead them against His law, and
therefore by simply being led of the Spirit of God, they would
fulfill the law of God.
As we
consider these things, we may wonder, “Are we led of the Spirit?”
Are our thoughts, actions and words directed by God's way and not our
own? Have we realized that we can do nothing of ourselves, and if we
will see and obey what the Father does, we will no longer have to
worry about fulfilling the law? Oh today, dear ones, let us all hear
the voice of God through Paul the apostle and be led by the Spirit of
God, and we will discover the freedom from the law that His leading
brings.
Next time Paul will tell us how the flesh manifests itself, so read
ahead, and let us join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” in all major
bookstore
sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to
e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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