What is the theme of this chapter?
Justification by faith applied.
What is the key verse(s) of this chapter? Verse 16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
What can I apply to my life from this chapter (things to do/avoid)?
Spend more time in the Word and prayer. That is the secret to overcoming the old nature and what it means to walk in the Spirit. NOTE: It is only in the measure that I walk in the Spirit, that I will not fulfill the desires of my flesh.
Additional observations/questions:
Excellent the way Stam explains 'walking in the Spirit.'
"The fruit of the Spirit cannot be works. What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? The Word of God was written by the Spirit. Get more interested in it. It is in the Spirit and through the Spirit that we approach God in prayer. Spend more time in prayer. That is what it is to walk in the Spirit, and to be led by the Spirit. It does not mean that you hear voices or have strange compunctions or hunches. It means to spend more time in the Word of God and prayer, and in that measure, beloved, you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. If you will be like a tree taking in the sunshine and rain that God graciously gives, you will bear the precious fruit of the Spirit. Do not struggle to try to overcome the old nature, but become occupied more and more with the things of God. That is the secret."
Many of the other commentaries I used stressed that it was a joint effort between me and the Holy Spirit; that I need to practice saying NO to sin and that it will become easier to do over time (self-effort) because the Holy Spirit will help me say NO. But it's not a joint effort, it's all the Spirit. The ONLY part I have in it is to let Him lead (yield - put off the old, put on the new) — by being wrapped up in the things of the Spirit (the Word of God, prayer, the throne of grace). The more time I give to studying the Word and prayer, the more I will find my old nature being overcome.
The spiritual virtues listed in verses 22-23 do not come from any goodness in us, but from the Spirit of God dwelling within us. They are not the product of human effort. Rather, they are fruit, and fruit is the natural product of life and growth. In fact, the fruit of the Spirit is contrasted with the works of the flesh in verses 19-21, and these are all bad.
It is also interesting to note that the fruit the Holy Spirit produces in yielded believers is not that which the world admires. The world admires self-confidence, self-respect, self-made people, with intellectual prowess, personal magnetism, authority, etc., while the Spirit produces "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." Someone may have self-confidence, intellectual acumen, political or other power — and may still be very difficult to live with, but this is not true of the virtues which the Spirit produces. Of those who possess these qualities the Apostle says: "against such things there is no law."
Justification by faith applied.
What is the key verse(s) of this chapter? Verse 16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Spend more time in the Word and prayer. That is the secret to overcoming the old nature and what it means to walk in the Spirit. NOTE: It is only in the measure that I walk in the Spirit, that I will not fulfill the desires of my flesh.
Additional observations/questions:
Excellent the way Stam explains 'walking in the Spirit.'
"The fruit of the Spirit cannot be works. What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? The Word of God was written by the Spirit. Get more interested in it. It is in the Spirit and through the Spirit that we approach God in prayer. Spend more time in prayer. That is what it is to walk in the Spirit, and to be led by the Spirit. It does not mean that you hear voices or have strange compunctions or hunches. It means to spend more time in the Word of God and prayer, and in that measure, beloved, you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. If you will be like a tree taking in the sunshine and rain that God graciously gives, you will bear the precious fruit of the Spirit. Do not struggle to try to overcome the old nature, but become occupied more and more with the things of God. That is the secret."
Many of the other commentaries I used stressed that it was a joint effort between me and the Holy Spirit; that I need to practice saying NO to sin and that it will become easier to do over time (self-effort) because the Holy Spirit will help me say NO. But it's not a joint effort, it's all the Spirit. The ONLY part I have in it is to let Him lead (yield - put off the old, put on the new) — by being wrapped up in the things of the Spirit (the Word of God, prayer, the throne of grace). The more time I give to studying the Word and prayer, the more I will find my old nature being overcome.
The spiritual virtues listed in verses 22-23 do not come from any goodness in us, but from the Spirit of God dwelling within us. They are not the product of human effort. Rather, they are fruit, and fruit is the natural product of life and growth. In fact, the fruit of the Spirit is contrasted with the works of the flesh in verses 19-21, and these are all bad.
It is also interesting to note that the fruit the Holy Spirit produces in yielded believers is not that which the world admires. The world admires self-confidence, self-respect, self-made people, with intellectual prowess, personal magnetism, authority, etc., while the Spirit produces "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." Someone may have self-confidence, intellectual acumen, political or other power — and may still be very difficult to live with, but this is not true of the virtues which the Spirit produces. Of those who possess these qualities the Apostle says: "against such things there is no law."
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