1Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 2Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
3For I say through the grace that was given me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith. 4For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another, 6having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us: if prophecy, let’s prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; 7or service, let’s give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching; 8or he who exhorts, to his exhorting; he who gives, let him do it with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good. 10In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor prefer one another, 11not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, 12rejoicing in hope, enduring in troubles, continuing steadfastly in prayer, 13contributing to the needs of the saints, and given to hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. 16Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits. 17Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men. 18If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. 19Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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 Galatian 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 by the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control that show a Holy Spirit-filled, God-orchestrated life. Walk in the Spirit!