1Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
2Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing. 3Yes, I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace. 5For we through the Spirit, by faith wait for the hope of righteousness. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision amounts to anything, but faith working through love.
7You were running well! Who interfered with you that you should not obey the truth? 8This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9A little yeast grows through the whole lump. 10I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will think no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.
11But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been removed. 12I wish that those who disturb you would cut themselves off.
13For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants to one another. 14For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you don’t consume one another.
16But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, 20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
25If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit. 26Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,[a]23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.
This is one of the great chapters in the Bible. It contains within it the very definition of why we must “walk in the Spirit” and what will be the evidence of that kind of life. That evidence is the “fruit of the Spirit”. The Corinthian church had become a cesspool of backbiting, competition, jealousy, and envy. So let’s look at things in that order. Walking in the Spirit means choosing, moment by moment and day by day, to give the Holy Spirit complete control of your life and your decisions. It can begin with a simple prayer each morning when you wake up. “Lord, thank you for my life today, work in and through me. Let me be your heart and hands to others today. Use me for your glory.” We must consciously place self, the flesh, on the altar as a sacrifice. (Romans 12:1-2).
We must do this because when we don’t, the flesh within us will immediately want to take complete control. The deeds of the flesh include immorality, sorcery, anger, jealousy, rivalries, and division. (That’s the short list.) Without renewed submission to Jesus, they will find their way back out. This is because, by nature, the flesh is in competition with the Spirit. Even after we become Christians, these two influences are at war within our souls. These will express themselves mightily in the Christian who is caught up in legalism. That’s what this whole book is about: Paul decrying works of the flesh and the promotion of walking in grace.
If believers are walking in the flesh, jealousy, envy, and conceit will arise in the heart of the believer, and they’ll be made manifest in the local church. The results are disastrous. Brothers and sisters who are on the same team will provoke one another and bring out the worst in each other. We each must remember that those sinful heart attitudes were nailed to the cross with Jesus. We must stop taking them back down and putting them on. When we walk in the Spirit, it will be evidenced with the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control that show a Holy Spirit-filled and God-orchestrated life. Walk in the Spirit!