Galatians Part 11 | Chapter 5:16-26

Last updated on Apr 20, 2026

Walking in the Spirit | Galatians 5:16

Read Galatians 5:16–26

If we want to summarize how a Christian is supposed to live their life, we could do so with this single verse.

Galatians 5:16a — "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

To walk in the Spirit is to live our lives for Christ — to turn away from our sinful nature with its desires and live as Christ has called us.

This new walk begins upon conversion when the Christian receives the Holy Spirit. All Christians have the Holy Spirit living within them.

Galatians 4:6 — "And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'"

1 Corinthians 6:19 — "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?"

With the Spirit they must no longer live their lives in sin, but are to walk in the light of Christ that leads towards righteousness.

Ephesians 5:8–9 — "for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)."

To "walk" means to be submissive and obedient to the Spirit. We can think of this as "walking with" the Holy Spirit — doing and going in the direction that He wants for us. When our sinful nature desires that we should be selfish and live in sin, we must put that aside and be submissive to the direction of the Spirit. This will put to death the deeds of the body.

Romans 8:13 — "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

If we are walking with the Spirit, it is harder for us to do the desires of the flesh. The Spirit will lead us on a path of righteousness.

To walk in the Spirit is to be continuous — a way of life. Our justification and receiving of the Holy Spirit are a one-time event, but to live the Christian life embracing the Spirit is continuous until Christ calls us home.

To "walk" literally means to "keep on walking." The Greek word used for walk — "peripateite" — literally means "keep on walking." We are not to just walk by the Spirit a single time; we are to "keep on walking" until we can go no further.

To live in this world is not easy. The ONLY way we can do so and live as Christ has called us is to continually walk in the Spirit. Every minute of every day our sinful nature will try to persuade us to live contrary to God. Every minute of every day we must instead walk in the Spirit, which will guide us on a path of righteousness away from sin and lead us on the path that Christ desires for us.

If we are continuously walking in the Spirit, then we will grow more spiritually mature. This is how Christians grow and become spiritually mature. It does not happen overnight — we don't read a single passage or book and then all of a sudden reach the pinnacle of maturity.

Colossians 1:10 — "so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

It takes time — a continuous life living and walking in obedience to the Holy Spirit. If we live our lives this way, we will become more mature and stronger Christians.

💬 Discussion Questions

How would you describe what it means for you to walk in the Spirit?
Do you think it requires any effort on your part to walk in the Spirit?
Does walking with the Spirit make it harder for you to give into the flesh?
Have you experienced spiritual growth by continuously walking in the Spirit?

The Struggles Between the Spirit and the Flesh | Galatians 5:17

We are called to walk in the Spirit, though we are also told that this will not be easy. Being a Christian and having the Holy Spirit living within us does not automatically mean that living our lives for Christ will be easy. One might hope that with the Spirit there would be no more struggles and living a godly life would be simple — but this is not the case.

Unfortunately, we still have the ability and desire to sin against God, just as we have the desire to obey and follow Him. This implies that we will have a consistent struggle within ourselves — on one hand we want to sin, and on the other we want to serve God. This is a real struggle in the lives of all Christians.

The Nature of Sin and the Nature of the Divine

All Christians have essentially two natures within them — one being our sinful nature that we were born with, and the other being a partaker of the divine nature of God.

Our Sinful Nature

When sin came into the world because of Adam and Eve's disobedience, it was passed on to all future humanity.

Romans 5:12 — "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned."

Romans 5:18a — "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men..."

The cause of our sinful nature is referred to as the doctrine of original sin in theology. The term "original sin" is not in the Bible (like the Trinity) but it is the term given to the results of sin entering into the world because of the disobedience of Adam. This "original sin" is the source of our sinful nature.

We are not born righteous and perfect people who eventually go on to sin — we are in fact born with the sinful nature within us.

Psalm 51:5 — "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."

Psalm 58:3 — "The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies."

Even with the Spirit, this sinful nature still resides within us. If we could choose, we would certainly desire for our sinful nature to be removed, but this is not God's will. The sinful nature still resides within us and will continuously put up a struggle until Christ calls us home.

Paul gives us a list of various works that are produced by our sinful nature.

Galatians 5:19–21b — "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these..."

When we desire these things it is not the Holy Spirit but our sinful nature wanting us to do what is contrary to the will of God.

💬 Discussion Questions

How would you describe how your "sinful nature" pulls you to do the works of the flesh? Don't we cringe when we read this list — how is it that Christians can find themselves doing them?

We Are Partakers of the Divine Nature

Having the Holy Spirit living within us, we find that we are now partakers of the divine nature of God.

2 Peter 1:4a — "by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature..."

This is the effect of having been born again — having received salvation and having the promised Holy Spirit living within us. We become a "new creation."

2 Corinthians 5:17 — "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

A part of His nature is now within us — the nature that desires to live for Christ. Paul gives us a list of the works of the divine nature.

Galatians 5:22–23a — "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..."

These are the works and fruit of one who is truly walking in the Spirit.

💬 Discussion Questions

How would you describe what it is like for you to partake of the divine nature?

Having These Two Natures Means That There Will Be Conflict

Since both natures exist within us and they are contrary to one another, we will have times of struggle between the two. Having the Spirit and sharing in the divine nature, we will seek to live our lives for Christ — but our sinful nature is there too, and it desires to live for the flesh. God does not force us in one direction or the other — it is up to us to choose whom we will obey.

Paul summarized his personal experience of the struggle between the two natures. Even Paul, whom God used to give us the Scriptures, struggled with the two natures.

Romans 7:15 — "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate."

Romans 7:19 — "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."

Paul was not immune to the desires of his sinful nature pulling him to sin against God.

One would think that when examining the differences between the two natures, it would be easy to ONLY obey the divine nature — but we know that is not so. We will always find that Satan tempts our sinful nature and it responds with a desire for sin. Our sinful nature has a way of justifying our sin and persuades us to do it. It's as if we lose our common sense when it comes to sin — we know that it is wrong, yet we do it anyway. We find ourselves in a continuous cycle of sin and regret, asking ourselves the same question "why?" as we are at the feet of Christ asking for forgiveness. Therefore, we will always find ourselves in a struggle to do what is right.

This is why it is so critical for the Christian to truly walk in the Spirit. Only by continuously striving to live in the light — to walk with the Spirit in obedience — can we keep ourselves from sinning. We must crucify our flesh (put it away) and walk with Christ.

Galatians 5:24–25 — "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit."

If we are continuously walking in the Spirit — walking in the light — we will have a significant advantage over our sinful nature. It will be much easier to turn from sin and to instead do what is right. It is a lifelong commitment; we must continually seek to live for Christ.

💬 Discussion Questions

What is the struggle like for you between the sinful and divine nature?
What keeps you walking on the path of the Spirit?