Lesson 4

TEXT: Galatians 5:15-16 - But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. [16] This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

The purpose of the Fruit of the Spirit is to have Christ formed in us. The way to cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit or that “Christ-likeness” is to “walk” in the Spirit. Paul begins the passage in Galatians that deals with the Fruit of the Spirit by telling believers we have been called to LIBERTY in the Holy Ghost. This liberty is NOT a license to sin. While God is patient while we are growing, He still looks at the heart to see whether a pure motive exists. The trial time new believers walk in is a time of growth, NOT a time to sin. The purpose of walking in the Spirit is to keep us from fulfilling the lusts of the flesh.

2 Cor. 3:17-18 - Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. [18] But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Walking in the Spirit produces the Fruit of the Spirit. When the Spirit is given free course in our lives then we will become more like Yeshuah. The word “walk” means to “live on a continuous basis.” The word “flesh” refers to the Adamic nature that is sinful which will be discussed in detail in this lesson.

There are two keys to walking in the Spirit – the Spirit’s indwelling power and the believer’s choice to yield to the ways of the Spirit. On the positive side of the coin, Paul admonished believers to constantly yield to Christ and the new nature – birthed into us at salvation by the Holy Ghost. According to Titus 3:5, two basic things happen to a person when they get saved. First, God cleanses the individual from sin. Secondly, the Holy Spirit indwells the person. Jesus taught the same thing when He emphasized the necessity of being born again.[1]

Titus 3:5 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

John 3:5 - Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

1 Peter 1:22-23 - Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: [23] Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever.

Eph. 5:26 - That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

The Holy Spirit is therefore, the NEW NATURE of Christ that indwells every believer. In a number of places, Paul also instructs believers not to yield their members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin or the OLD NATURE, but to yield them to God as instruments of righteousness.

Col. 3:5 - Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: <emphasis mine>

1 Peter 2:24 - Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

1 Peter 4:1-2 - Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; [2] That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

Matthew 7:21 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

The word instrument in the Greek literally means, “Weapon.” When we yield ourselves to God and His righteousness, our members literally become weapons of righteousness against Satan and his evil character. Praise the Lord!

Galatians 5:17 - For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

The Word of God points out that at salvation, God does not remove the Old Adamic nature. Instead, God places within each believer a new nature that is the Holy Spirit. (Gal. 5:22-23). The nature of the Holy Spirit is literally the “FRUIT” of the Spirit. Potentially, Christ BROKE the power of the Adamic nature at Calvary. Legally, it was annulled or set aside in the believer when he came to Christ. Experientially, there must be a constant denial of the sinful nature and yielding to the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 2:20 - I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Paul’s victory over the old man was a TOTAL dependence upon God’s grace and constant yielding to the Holy Spirit. We can expect to have to do nothing less if we are to be Christ-like! The battles Paul wrote about in Romans 7 were won with the first verse of Romans 8. Thus, the two keys to walking in the Spirit are YIELDING and DYING!

Romans 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Paul illustrated the battle between the flesh and the spirit by revealing three important factors:

Galatians 5:18-21 - But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, [20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, [21] Envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Paul makes it clear that if a believer uses his liberty to justify sinning, it will put the believer back into bondage and under the curse of the law. (5:18) The positive side to this battle is a glorious promise that as long as we are led by the Holy Spirit, we will not be under the binding legalism of the Law. Hence, the flesh, or the sinful nature, will not be able to rise in rebellion because the Holy Spirit is in control.

Galatians 5:1 - Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:4 - Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Galatians 5:13 - For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

1 Cor. 15:56 - The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

Paul painted a picture of the new nature in Christ, the Holy Spirit, as lined up for a battle as if face-to-face in a tug of war in these passages in Galatians. These set the stage for Paul’s discussion of the three factors which will determine one’s victory or defeat in their Christian walk. Verses 19-21 show what yielding to the Adamic nature produces. Some translators refer to these acts as the “works of the flesh,” while others call them “acts of the sinful nature.” In the original Greek, Paul referred to them as “acts of the sinful nature.”[3]

While some believe salvation automatically produces a Spirit-led life, Paul taught the necessity of resisting the Adamic nature by yielding to the Holy Spirit. Failure to do so will result in the manifestations listed in verses 19-21. The phrase “and such like,” indicates this list is not a complete list of the acts of the sinful nature, but only a representative list that could be multiplied many times. These acts are NOT the work of the Holy Spirit.

The enumeration of the works of the flesh, or the acts of the sinful nature can be divided into three groups:

C. Those that express the resistance and refusal of the sinful nature to correction or have spiritual concern for self.[4]

1. Adultery (Gr. Moicheia) – means unlawful sexual relations between men and women, single or married.

2. Fornication (Gr. Porneia) – same as adultery, including all manner of unlawful relations; includes a wider scope of sexual sin including watching pornography (porneia)

3. Uncleanness (Gr. Katharsia) – refers to the impurity of lustful, luxurious, and licentious living. These emotions usually manifest themselves through sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, and all other forms of sexual perversion

4. Lasciviousness (Gr. Aselgeia) – speaks of unbridled lust, lack of restraint, wanton, caprice (greed), debauchery, lewdness, unchaste, and filthiness. It includes the promoting or partaking of that which tends to produce lewd emotions (pornography, explicit movies and entertainment), anything tending to foster sex and lust. <Ok, just one moment of preaching here: this is one good reason to discern what you see with your eyes i.e. movies, videos, etc. child of God!>

1. Idolatry (Gr. Eidololatreia) – simply means the worship of other gods. It denotes worship of images or the so-called gods represented by them.

2. Witchcraft (Gr. Pharmakeia) – means sorcery, the practice of dealing with evil spirits, magical incantations and casting spells and charms upon one by means of drugs and potions. The heathen used enchantments to inflict evil, pains, hatred, sufferings, and death, or to bring good health, love, and other blessings. Our modern noun “pharmacy” comes from the Greek word denoting witchcraft. Witchcraft also speaks of a trait in many to “control,” “manipulate,” “intimidate,” for the purpose of domination. The weak manipulate the strong. The strong intimidate the weak. It all comes from the same work of the flesh – witchcraft.

1. Hatred (Gr. Echthra, Enmity) – means bitter dislike, abhorrence, malice, and ill will against anyone; the tendency to hold grudges against or be angry with someone.

2. Variance (Gr. Eris) – means dissensions, discord, quarreling, debating and disputes.

3. Emulations (Gr. Zeloi) – means envies, jealousies, striving to excel at the expense of another; seeking to surpass and out do others: uncurbed rivalry spirit in religion, business, society and other fields of endeavor

4. Wrath (Gr. Thumos) – means indignation and fierceness. Turbulent passions; domestic and civil turmoil, rage; determined and lasting anger. Unforgiveness and bitterness usually result.

5. Strife (Gr. Eritheia) – means disputations, jangling, strife about words; angry contentions, contest for superiority or advantage; strenuous endeavor to equal or pay back in kind the wrongs done to one.

6. Seditions (Gr. Dichostasia) – means parties and factions; popular disorder; stirring up strife in religion, government, home, or any other place.

7. Heresies (Gr. Hairesies) – designates parties or sects arising from diversity of opinion and purpose. It also refers to a course or thought or action varying from the word of God.

8. Envyings (Gr. Phthonoi) – means to inflict pain, ill will and jealousy at the good fortune or blessing of another. The most base of all degrading and disgraceful passions takes place when we refuse to rejoice in the blessing of others but rejoice when others are wounded or hurt.

9. Murders (Gr. Phonoi) – means to kill; to spoil or mar the happiness of another; hatred. This emotion can lead to the physical act of killing another but its root goes far deeper than any act of violence.

10. Drunkenness (Gr. Methai) – means to live intoxicated; a slave to drink; drinking bouts.

11. Revelings (Gr. Komoi) – Lascivious and boisterous feastings, with obscene music, and other sinful activities; pleasures, carousing.

Paul includes a somber warning that those who choose not to yield their members to God but continue to live in the flesh will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God! The word “do” denotes continuous practice. In other words, the individual who can consistently practice the things listed or similar offenses, really does not know God. This does not refer to a one-time act; it refers to a way of life. If a person claims to be a Christian and practices sin consistently without genuine repentance, that person does not have a relationship with God.

Paul also said that if we use the freedom the Lord grants us under the New Covenant, we then stand in danger of losing out with God and placing ourselves back under the condition of the Mosaic Covenant:

Galatians 3:10-12 - For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. [11] But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith. [12] And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them.

This entire study course goes into detail on the nine-fold character of the Holy Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit denotes the character of the new nature the Lord has shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That character is one of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, temperance (spirit-control), meekness, gentleness, goodness, faith – against such things there exists no law that would prohibit us from doing them!

We cannot generate these by our own power or efforts. It is a divine impartation of the nature of Christ within the believer at salvation. It is from there the believer makes the choice of which nature he/she will yield to. As the believer grows and yields to the Holy Spirit, these manifestations become more and more evident in one’s life.

Galatians 5:24-26 - And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. [26] Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another.

WE are the deciding factor in whether we will have victory in our Christian life. There is no one else we can blame for our failures in the flesh but ourselves. God is for you. Satan is against you. WE cast the deciding vote on which we are going to obey and yield our lives to – even after we are saved!

Paul said he had been “crucified,” with Christ. The word “crucified,” is a PAST TENSE word indicating a total attitude change connected to the death of Christ. The flesh must DIE! We must bring this Adamic nature under subjection. That can be done through fasting, praying, seeking the Lord, reading the Word, and other religious activity. But the main way to kill the flesh is to identify ourselves with the DEATH of the Lord Jesus and realize that with every choice we make either feeds the sinful nature, or it feeds the nature of the Holy Spirit within us![5]

The Adamic nature was crucified with Christ on the Cross. When a person becomes a believer, the Adamic nature within them is also crucified. However, what is true in these two cases must become reality in the day-to-day walk of the believer. Again, there are two natures fighting against each other inside each one of us. WE CAST THE DECIDING VOTE!

Paul gives the key to the new nature becoming a reality in verse 25 when he says for us to “WALK IN THE SPIRIT.” The Holy Spirit has a two-fold purpose that applies to freedom from the power of the Adamic nature:

The initial act of faith on the Lord Jesus Christ which resulted in the crucifixion of the Adamic nature must be followed throughout the Christian’s life by the free action of his or her liberated will saying “NO” to sin and “YES” to the HOLY SPIRIT. The work of the Holy Spirit is never complete in the life of a believer because of a one-time act of repentance.

Romans 6:11 - Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Most religious teaching today majors in the “NOS” of Christianity but say very little about the “Yeses!” We have the free will to live the highest type of the Christian life. The individual can try to take the position of spectator concerning the battle between the Adamic Nature and the Holy Spirit and lose out with God. We have to want to be victorious over the sinful nature. It does not happen automatically. On the other hand, a person may feel she or he is a victim of the Adamic nature and subsequently put forth an effort to overcome it. Becoming conformed to the image of Christ, which is the major purpose of sanctification can happen only as a person yields to the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit does not do it against our wills, nor does He expect us to do it on our own.

Galatians 5:26 contain a very important reminder concerning the Fruit of the Spirit. Only God’s grace makes it possible for us to overcome the sinful nature. Some of the Galatians were becoming prideful in their “fancied liberty.” Paul warned them that without God’s grace they could never live overcoming Christian lives. Neither can we! No one can achieve victory on her or his own terms. It requires divine help and enablement.

If we constantly yield to the Holy Spirit within us and depend on the grace He gives, we will be overcomers. If anyone ever knew that from experience, it was the Apostle Paul. In Romans 7 he bared his own soul and explained the life-long struggle that raged within his own life.

Romans 7:13-14 - Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. [14] For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

Paul wanted to please God even in the days as a Pharisee. The absence of God’s grace however made it impossible. From verse 14 on in Romans 7, Paul used present tense verbs as if to say, “Even now since I know God, I still cannot overcome the Adamic nature in my own strength.” He concluded these comments by acknowledging his own wretchedness and asked who was going to deliver him from this body of death. Paul answered his own question by saying “THROUGH JESUS MY LORD!”[6]

REMEMBER THIS: The Law cannot deliver one who is struggling with sin and the Adamic nature. While the Law can enlighten one’s conscience, it is powerless to produce the holiness of life the Lord requires of us to inherit eternal life. The fault is not with the Law; it is with the depravity of the human condition. We are fallen creatures. No matter how we try to tinker with that fact. The only hope is partaking of the tree of life that is JESUS. In HIM there is life for those who need saving. [7]

There are five keys to embracing this lifestyle we have tried to illustrate for you in this lesson. Simply stated they are:

Holiness and a fruitful life are the result and product of grace. God only gives grace to the humble. Jesus never condemned sinners. He only condemned hypocrites. A hypocrite is one who refuses to admit he is, at times, two-faced, pretending a righteousness that he fails to live. Holiness is not birthed out of rules; it’s birthed out of a humble heart that sees the capacity within to fail. We don’t major on the failure and we don’t live in that realm. But hear what I say to you – there is NOTHING GOOD IN YOUR FLESH! As long as you live in this mortal body the possibility will ALWAYS exist for us to choose to live in the realm of the flesh and disobey God. That’s why we ALL need His grace to the utmost degree.

Every time we judge another Christian, we do it out of self-righteousness. Each time we criticize another church, contempt is the motive behind our word. As Rick Joyner said recently, “The modern church has become overstocked with those who, thinking they were holy, have become the exact opposite of holiness because they lacked humility.”

Even when we think we are experiencing fullness and fruitfulness, we need to delight in weakness and pain. When we do this we state that all our strength is not really our strength but the strength given to us by the grace of God and God’s grace alone!

John 5:44 - How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?

John 7:18 - He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

Fruitfulness comes from seeking only the Glory of God. If we display our spirituality to impress men, we are not seeking the praise that comes from God. The praise of men is fickle! They will love you today and hate you tomorrow. To seek our own glory puts us on a road to deception and vanity. IT IS ONLY TO THE DEGREE THAT WE ARE SEEKING THE GLORY OF GOD THAT OUR MOTIVATIONS ARE TRUE.

Psalm 27:8 - When you said, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

There are times when the Lord calls us out of our daily routines to seek him. This time of “abiding,” is to make us more aware of his continuous presence and glory. Distractions will keep you from the fullness of God! Those distractions will come from family, your job, an ungodly pursuit of riches, and a list of ten million other things. It will be an intense battle between the enemy and you over your time. But friend, a KEY to your spiritual walk with God will depend on your intimate time with Him.

Mike Bickle has been proclaiming for 3 years now that he firmly believes the Lord is about to restore the passion of the first commandment back to the church. The first commandment is to LOVE THE LORD with all our heart and soul and then our neighbor as us. We can be busy “doing” everything under the sun FOR THE KINGDOM, but if we don’t seek the Lord’s face with all our heart and soul we will miss out on the fruitfulness He so seeks us to have.

Jesus had compassion for people. To have the heart of God, we must have the same compassion.

John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Jesus gave that others might be renewed, even though He himself was very weak at times.

Mark 6:41 - And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.

As we draw closer to God, we must also be open and yielded to the fire of His presence that will do a purging work in each one of us.

Psalm 139:23-24 - Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: [24] and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Psalm 19:12-13 - Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. [13] Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

Psalm 24:3-4 - Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? [4] He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

If there is deceit in us, we cannot even find the hill of the Lord, must less ascend it. THE PURE IN HEART will see the KINGDOM. The deep recesses of the soul usually hide the areas that always wind up defeating us in the end. We cannot even know our own hearts unless the Lord reveals the darkness to us. That’s why it is so imperative we draw close to Him and seek Him with ALL our heart and soul. It’s so imperative we come to know the Lord’s HEART and pursue that instead of constantly seeking HIS HAND. Blessings are part of the Christian walk, but a far more eternal pursuit is when we lay down our desires and greedy purposes for the pursuit of just the LORD! That pursuit will set us free!

Jesus revealed the seven churches of Revelation their sins, along with their hearts. He placed upon them the demand to be overcomers. Like these churches, we must know our need.

We need only to be truthful before God and He will set us free. For us to become fruitful, we must first renounce falsehood and the dishonesty that is in our hearts. If we are justifying and rationalizing our actions before God, we are headed down a road of self-deception, not fruitfulness.

2 Cor. 4:2 - But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

Unconfessed sin erects walls between God and us. The Holy Spirit’s job is to reveal Christ to us not to overwhelm us or inflate our egos, but to transform us into the image of Christ. Every encounter with Jesus in the Bible was an earth-shaking experience for the men involved. (Ezekiel, Daniel, John, Job and Isaiah)

Yet it is for this very encounter with Jesus that the Spirit prepares us, in spite of our weaknesses and sins. God has set before us an opportunity to dwell with Him in His fullness. It is to this end that the grace of God is working in our lives. What the Promised Land was to the Israelites, Jesus and the Kingdom of God is to us. We are called to dwell in Christ, which is our sustaining hope during our wilderness sojourn.

The reason so few find Christ is that to abide in Christ, we must face and conquer the giants of sin, condemnation and ignorance – the opposite of God’s grace. When the Lord is revealed, we see truth and see our need of Grace more definitely than before.

John 8:32 - And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

1 Peter 1:13 - Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Our minds must be fixed on GRACE or otherwise we will withdraw from the Presence of God. As Francis Frangipane says, “what His truth demands, His grace supplies.” We are HIS Promised Land! Our sins, which have humbled us, shall not humble HIM. They are the giants He is committed to defeating as He comes in these last days to prepare a BRIDE and build a CHURCH. He wants to REST in our hearts and that resting place will be a resting place free of sin and idols![8]

[1] The source of study for this lesson was mainly taken from: Rossier, Bernard, Studies In Galatians, JSM Publishing, Baton Rouge, LA., 1990

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Joyner, Ibid.

[8] Frangipane, Ibid.