If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If the Spirit has made a person alive, that person must also order every step and daily conduct under the Spirit's direction and in harmony with Him. That life comes by faith laying hold of Christ's strength and righteousness, with Christ abiding within as the branch abides in the vine, so the Spirit uses the person to fashion him after Christ's likeness and God works in him both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Mere profession, assent to truth, or church membership does not meet this, for walking in the Spirit requires being sanctified through the truth, dying to self, cleansing the soul-temple, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. The walk is proved as a tree is proved, by its fruit of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance against which there is no law, while those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its lusts, adultery, uncleanness, idolatry, hatred, strife, envy, drunkenness, and such like that bar from the kingdom of God. It therefore refuses vainglory, provoking and envying one another, harshness, rivalry, and disparaging speech, and instead restores the erring in meekness, bears one another's burdens, and does good to all without weariness.
Living and Walking Defined
If we have been made alive by the Spirit, we must also order every step and our daily conduct under the Spirit's direction and in harmony with the Spirit. Living in the Spirit is inconsistent with merely professing faith while self rules, and it calls for crucifying the flesh with its affections, passions, lusts and desires and refusing vainglory, provoking one another, and envying one another. The walk is proved the way a tree is proved, by its fruit compared with the Bible standard, which corrects false ideas of perfection of character, bearing love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance against which there is no law, while resisting hostility, anger, strife, hatred, variance and other works of the carnal mind. It is shown in restoring one overtaken in a fault in meekness while considering oneself, bearing one another's burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ, not deceiving oneself by thinking to be something when nothing, not growing weary in well doing, and using every opportunity to do good to all, especially the household of faith, with reaping in due season for those who do not faint.
Living in the Spirit comes by faith taking hold of Christ's strength, by His imputed righteousness, and by Christ abiding within to supply spiritual life, as the branch abides in the vine. In this life the Holy Spirit is not to be used by the person but is to use the person to fashion him after Christ's likeness, which is putting on the new man created in righteousness and true holiness. So God works within both to will and to do of His good pleasure as the person works out salvation with fear and trembling, striving to keep God's commandments, remembering believers are not their own but bought with Christ's blood to glorify God in body and spirit and represent Christ. This practical life sustained by Christ within produces the Spirit's fruit in good words and works, in pure words, pleasant words, true courtesy, unselfish planning in the meekness and lowliness of Christ, softened hearts full of sympathy, love and compassion, and unselfish actions, making the character fragrant and proving true conversion and transformation of character under the Holy Spirit's control, with the life freed from overbearing, oppression and bondage of law. To live and walk in the Spirit is not to resist the striving of the Spirit in His office work, so that the soul-temple is cleansed daily and sanctified for His indwelling and He works the life, and it is to live as in a hallowed atmosphere with the mind attracted to heaven and heavenly things, valuing every soul as precious and laying no cause of stumbling in anyone's way.
Merely assenting to the theory of truth, having an intelligent idea or intelligent theory of truth, holding church membership, or merely professing faith while self rules does not fulfill the verse. Walking in the Spirit requires being sanctified through the truth, with heart and mind trained and habits brought into harmony with God's expressed will learned by studying the Word and its requirements, holding correct principles of what constitutes a Christian, and obeying the voice of God, lest incorrect principles be woven into experience and false ideas be cherished. It requires dying to self so the Lord rules and guides the life, with the soul-temple cleansed and the heart's door opened to let Jesus in, not resisting the Spirit's striving, and living in a hallowed atmosphere with the mind drawn to heaven. Spiritual discernment of the character of God and acceptance of Jesus Christ by faith are possible only when life and character are marked by purity, by casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and by bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, so that justice, purity and truth abide in the soul and only a heart penetrated by light from Christ fulfills the verse.
Fruit Against Flesh
If we live in the Spirit we must also order the walk by the Spirit, and that walk is proved as a tree is proved, by its fruit tested by the Bible standard, which corrects false ideas of what perfection of character is. The fruit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance or self-control, against which there is no law to condemnation. It appears in pure words, pleasant words, true courtesy, unselfish planning, kind deeds, and unselfish actions, making the character fragrant and adorning the doctrine of Christ. Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections, passions, lusts, and desires, and therefore no longer fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Those lusts are seen in adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like, which bar from the kingdom of God. Where self is truly crucified the life is freed from overbearing, oppression, and bondage of law, and good works appear to God's glory as evidence of true conversion and transformation of character under the Holy Spirit's control. Walking in the Spirit therefore lives out the Spirit's qualities rather than the anger, strife, envy, and other works of the carnal mind.
Walking in the Spirit refuses vainglory, provoking one another, and envying one another. This excludes anger, hostility, strife, rivalry, unholy selfish ambition striving to be first, speaking to the disparagement of associates, tearing down instead of building up, harshness of spirit, and coarseness of speech that pricks and bruises others. It puts aside mutual criticism and shows Christ in the character, with everything that savors of strife cleansed away so that rich clusters of fruit testify to the Source of supply.
The walk includes restoring one overtaken in a fault in meekness while considering oneself, bearing one another's burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ, not deceiving oneself by thinking to be something when nothing, not growing weary in well doing, and using every opportunity to do good to all, especially the household of faith, with reaping in due season for those who do not faint.
Walking in Daily Life
In work for God living in the Spirit must be matched by walking in the Spirit, which means faithfulness to God and to one another, loyalty to the Owner of the vineyard, and disinterested labor to cultivate the soil with everything savoring of strife cleansed away by the Holy Spirit's working. It requires humble trustful dependence on God with hearts subdued and softened by cleansing, and with sympathy, kindness, forbearance and love as abiding principles that make a person a blessing. It forbids exercising one's own spirit, forcing others up to personal ideas and experiences of confession, criticizing, and manifesting a harsh denunciatory spirit. It forbids vainglory, provoking one another and envying one another, and calls for faithfully guarding every avenue in religious exercises lest selfishness and pride become interwoven and mar the work. For those in places of trust and responsibility it requires dying to self so the Lord rules and guides the life, with the soul-temple cleansed and the heart's door opened to let Jesus in, and with the Word lived as well as preached, putting away fleshly lusts and greed for gain.
In service the walk means continually studying Christ's spirit, life and character, bearing patiently with those spiritually blind, being wise as serpents and harmless as doves so as not to increase opposition, and removing prejudice by manners, words and spirit while never lessening truth by concession. It means seeing all things in an unselfish clear light, ceasing to look at discouraging things, watching and praying trustfully and taking God at His word, and letting God plan His own work and work by whom He will. It means praising Him for opened ways and evidences of love and care, not revealing weakness that hurts influence, and helping those with less experience by encouraging fatherly words while letting them help in return, because the enemy seeks to discourage every worker together with God. Such a walk adorns the doctrine of Christ by revealing Christlike attributes of grace and meekness, humility, gentleness, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faith and temperance, with no harshness of spirit, coarseness of speech, or thorns to prick and bruise others, and leaves no place for anger, vainglory, provoking one another and envying one another.
Among believers walking in the Spirit brings unity and peace, because justice and purity and truth abide in the soul, Christlike character represents the character of Christ and of God, and love and deference and respect are cherished and manifested among brethren. Union with Christ as the Center removes division and discord, prejudice against a brother, contentions, and unsettling of confidence between brethren, so that brethren speak the same thing and are perfectly joined together in the same mind. God's grace overcomes alienation and changes natural ways and habits so that relationships live in harmony. Church membership alone does not fulfill the verse; only a heart penetrated by light from Christ, rejecting vainglory, provocation and envy and showing the Spirit's fruit of love, peace, meekness and self-control, fulfills it.
In manner and speech walking in the Spirit means letting Christ shape words and conduct and showing the Spirit's fruit rather than harshness, pride, or desire to rule. It means putting away evil speaking, tearing of character, anger, harshness, and unsettling confidence between brethren, and instead speaking only what edifies and ministers grace, with kindness, tenderheartedness, forgiveness, sympathy, love and compassion. It is shown by pure words and unselfish planning in the meekness and lowliness of Christ, with hearts softened and full of sympathy, love and compassion. It means valuing every human soul as precious, living as in a hallowed atmosphere with the mind attracted to heaven and heavenly things, and taking care to lay no cause of stumbling in anyone's way.
The verse calls for practical godliness and daily conversion, which is the great need in the world, with God's institutions cleansed and upheld to a holy standard. In schools made like the schools of the prophets where the Bible is the great lesson book, students become thorough students of the Bible and doers of the Word, digging deep and laying a sure foundation through obedience to all God's requirements, and so preparing to graduate to the higher school. It includes letting the Spirit control every action to produce purity of body and spirit and growth in grace, exercising self-control and freedom from indulgent habits, overcoming cravings by Christ's grace, and using body and faculties in God's service. This Spirit-led life must begin earnestly now, rejecting the flesh's desires and showing love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance instead of the works of the flesh, free from vainglory, provoking and envying, so as to remain untainted by corruption in the last days and be ready to receive immortality.
Walking in the Spirit requires putting away all sins, humbling self under God, striving for spirituality and to keep God's commandments, remembering believers are not their own but bought with Christ's blood to glorify God in body and spirit and represent Christ, and being willing to suffer for Christ's sake. God knows by name what spirit is in each person, and with judgment near when every work and secret motive appears, He will humble the selfishly ambitious, honor and lift up the humble who excel in spirituality, and reward everyone as their works have been. Those who keep strife, envy and vainglory, including striving to be first from unholy selfish ambition, speaking to the disparagement of associates, and exerting an influence that tears down instead of building up, close the gate of heaven against themselves and remain outside the holy city, while those who walk in the Spirit stand approved of God.
If the Spirit has made a person alive, that person must also order every step and daily conduct under the Spirit's direction and in harmony with Him. That life comes by faith laying hold of Christ's strength and righteousness, with Christ abiding within as the branch abides in the vine, so the Spirit uses the person to fashion him after Christ's likeness and God works in him both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Mere profession, assent to truth, or church membership does not meet this, for walking in the Spirit requires being sanctified through the truth, dying to self, cleansing the soul-temple, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. The walk is proved as a tree is proved, by its fruit of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance against which there is no law, while those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its lusts, adultery, uncleanness, idolatry, hatred, strife, envy, drunkenness, and such like that bar from the kingdom of God. It therefore refuses vainglory, provoking and envying one another, harshness, rivalry, and disparaging speech, and instead restores the erring in meekness, bears one another's burdens, and does good to all without weariness.
Living and Walking Defined
If we have been made alive by the Spirit, we must also order every step and our daily conduct under the Spirit's direction and in harmony with the Spirit. Living in the Spirit is inconsistent with merely professing faith while self rules, and it calls for crucifying the flesh with its affections, passions, lusts and desires and refusing vainglory, provoking one another, and envying one another. The walk is proved the way a tree is proved, by its fruit compared with the Bible standard, which corrects false ideas of perfection of character, bearing love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance against which there is no law, while resisting hostility, anger, strife, hatred, variance and other works of the carnal mind. It is shown in restoring one overtaken in a fault in meekness while considering oneself, bearing one another's burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ, not deceiving oneself by thinking to be something when nothing, not growing weary in well doing, and using every opportunity to do good to all, especially the household of faith, with reaping in due season for those who do not faint.
Living in the Spirit comes by faith taking hold of Christ's strength, by His imputed righteousness, and by Christ abiding within to supply spiritual life, as the branch abides in the vine. In this life the Holy Spirit is not to be used by the person but is to use the person to fashion him after Christ's likeness, which is putting on the new man created in righteousness and true holiness. So God works within both to will and to do of His good pleasure as the person works out salvation with fear and trembling, striving to keep God's commandments, remembering believers are not their own but bought with Christ's blood to glorify God in body and spirit and represent Christ. This practical life sustained by Christ within produces the Spirit's fruit in good words and works, in pure words, pleasant words, true courtesy, unselfish planning in the meekness and lowliness of Christ, softened hearts full of sympathy, love and compassion, and unselfish actions, making the character fragrant and proving true conversion and transformation of character under the Holy Spirit's control, with the life freed from overbearing, oppression and bondage of law. To live and walk in the Spirit is not to resist the striving of the Spirit in His office work, so that the soul-temple is cleansed daily and sanctified for His indwelling and He works the life, and it is to live as in a hallowed atmosphere with the mind attracted to heaven and heavenly things, valuing every soul as precious and laying no cause of stumbling in anyone's way.
Merely assenting to the theory of truth, having an intelligent idea or intelligent theory of truth, holding church membership, or merely professing faith while self rules does not fulfill the verse. Walking in the Spirit requires being sanctified through the truth, with heart and mind trained and habits brought into harmony with God's expressed will learned by studying the Word and its requirements, holding correct principles of what constitutes a Christian, and obeying the voice of God, lest incorrect principles be woven into experience and false ideas be cherished. It requires dying to self so the Lord rules and guides the life, with the soul-temple cleansed and the heart's door opened to let Jesus in, not resisting the Spirit's striving, and living in a hallowed atmosphere with the mind drawn to heaven. Spiritual discernment of the character of God and acceptance of Jesus Christ by faith are possible only when life and character are marked by purity, by casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and by bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, so that justice, purity and truth abide in the soul and only a heart penetrated by light from Christ fulfills the verse.
Fruit Against Flesh
If we live in the Spirit we must also order the walk by the Spirit, and that walk is proved as a tree is proved, by its fruit tested by the Bible standard, which corrects false ideas of what perfection of character is. The fruit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance or self-control, against which there is no law to condemnation. It appears in pure words, pleasant words, true courtesy, unselfish planning, kind deeds, and unselfish actions, making the character fragrant and adorning the doctrine of Christ. Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections, passions, lusts, and desires, and therefore no longer fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Those lusts are seen in adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like, which bar from the kingdom of God. Where self is truly crucified the life is freed from overbearing, oppression, and bondage of law, and good works appear to God's glory as evidence of true conversion and transformation of character under the Holy Spirit's control. Walking in the Spirit therefore lives out the Spirit's qualities rather than the anger, strife, envy, and other works of the carnal mind.
Walking in the Spirit refuses vainglory, provoking one another, and envying one another. This excludes anger, hostility, strife, rivalry, unholy selfish ambition striving to be first, speaking to the disparagement of associates, tearing down instead of building up, harshness of spirit, and coarseness of speech that pricks and bruises others. It puts aside mutual criticism and shows Christ in the character, with everything that savors of strife cleansed away so that rich clusters of fruit testify to the Source of supply.
The walk includes restoring one overtaken in a fault in meekness while considering oneself, bearing one another's burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ, not deceiving oneself by thinking to be something when nothing, not growing weary in well doing, and using every opportunity to do good to all, especially the household of faith, with reaping in due season for those who do not faint.
Walking in Daily Life
In work for God living in the Spirit must be matched by walking in the Spirit, which means faithfulness to God and to one another, loyalty to the Owner of the vineyard, and disinterested labor to cultivate the soil with everything savoring of strife cleansed away by the Holy Spirit's working. It requires humble trustful dependence on God with hearts subdued and softened by cleansing, and with sympathy, kindness, forbearance and love as abiding principles that make a person a blessing. It forbids exercising one's own spirit, forcing others up to personal ideas and experiences of confession, criticizing, and manifesting a harsh denunciatory spirit. It forbids vainglory, provoking one another and envying one another, and calls for faithfully guarding every avenue in religious exercises lest selfishness and pride become interwoven and mar the work. For those in places of trust and responsibility it requires dying to self so the Lord rules and guides the life, with the soul-temple cleansed and the heart's door opened to let Jesus in, and with the Word lived as well as preached, putting away fleshly lusts and greed for gain.
In service the walk means continually studying Christ's spirit, life and character, bearing patiently with those spiritually blind, being wise as serpents and harmless as doves so as not to increase opposition, and removing prejudice by manners, words and spirit while never lessening truth by concession. It means seeing all things in an unselfish clear light, ceasing to look at discouraging things, watching and praying trustfully and taking God at His word, and letting God plan His own work and work by whom He will. It means praising Him for opened ways and evidences of love and care, not revealing weakness that hurts influence, and helping those with less experience by encouraging fatherly words while letting them help in return, because the enemy seeks to discourage every worker together with God. Such a walk adorns the doctrine of Christ by revealing Christlike attributes of grace and meekness, humility, gentleness, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faith and temperance, with no harshness of spirit, coarseness of speech, or thorns to prick and bruise others, and leaves no place for anger, vainglory, provoking one another and envying one another.
Among believers walking in the Spirit brings unity and peace, because justice and purity and truth abide in the soul, Christlike character represents the character of Christ and of God, and love and deference and respect are cherished and manifested among brethren. Union with Christ as the Center removes division and discord, prejudice against a brother, contentions, and unsettling of confidence between brethren, so that brethren speak the same thing and are perfectly joined together in the same mind. God's grace overcomes alienation and changes natural ways and habits so that relationships live in harmony. Church membership alone does not fulfill the verse; only a heart penetrated by light from Christ, rejecting vainglory, provocation and envy and showing the Spirit's fruit of love, peace, meekness and self-control, fulfills it.
In manner and speech walking in the Spirit means letting Christ shape words and conduct and showing the Spirit's fruit rather than harshness, pride, or desire to rule. It means putting away evil speaking, tearing of character, anger, harshness, and unsettling confidence between brethren, and instead speaking only what edifies and ministers grace, with kindness, tenderheartedness, forgiveness, sympathy, love and compassion. It is shown by pure words and unselfish planning in the meekness and lowliness of Christ, with hearts softened and full of sympathy, love and compassion. It means valuing every human soul as precious, living as in a hallowed atmosphere with the mind attracted to heaven and heavenly things, and taking care to lay no cause of stumbling in anyone's way.
The verse calls for practical godliness and daily conversion, which is the great need in the world, with God's institutions cleansed and upheld to a holy standard. In schools made like the schools of the prophets where the Bible is the great lesson book, students become thorough students of the Bible and doers of the Word, digging deep and laying a sure foundation through obedience to all God's requirements, and so preparing to graduate to the higher school. It includes letting the Spirit control every action to produce purity of body and spirit and growth in grace, exercising self-control and freedom from indulgent habits, overcoming cravings by Christ's grace, and using body and faculties in God's service. This Spirit-led life must begin earnestly now, rejecting the flesh's desires and showing love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance instead of the works of the flesh, free from vainglory, provoking and envying, so as to remain untainted by corruption in the last days and be ready to receive immortality.
Walking in the Spirit requires putting away all sins, humbling self under God, striving for spirituality and to keep God's commandments, remembering believers are not their own but bought with Christ's blood to glorify God in body and spirit and represent Christ, and being willing to suffer for Christ's sake. God knows by name what spirit is in each person, and with judgment near when every work and secret motive appears, He will humble the selfishly ambitious, honor and lift up the humble who excel in spirituality, and reward everyone as their works have been. Those who keep strife, envy and vainglory, including striving to be first from unholy selfish ambition, speaking to the disparagement of associates, and exerting an influence that tears down instead of building up, close the gate of heaven against themselves and remain outside the holy city, while those who walk in the Spirit stand approved of God.