Walk According to the Spirit
Recap: What we have learned from previous HUB Teaching on Understanding Born From Above (Born Again):
- Jesus taught that to be part of the kingdom of God a person must first have a heavenly or spiritual birth. Only after a person has been born from above does he become a spiritual being; even though he still lives in his earthly body.
- John wrote in his first epistle that whoever is born of God overcomes the world.
- The newly born spirit within a person can and will have victory over his carnal nature, and the sinful desires which comes from his flesh.
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Walking According to the Spirit
This article is an excerpt from a related HUB lesson. ‘Walk according to the Spirit by setting your mind on the things of the Spirit’.
How can a person walk according to the Spirit? What does it mean to ‘set the mind’ on the things of the Spirit? How to do it? In this letter, I will attempt to give concise answers to these questions.
The answers to these questions are predominantly founded in Paul’s writings. In his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul told them that a man’s fleshly desires, which arise from his earthly body, are hostile toward God and the things of the Spirit. The flesh is selfish and wants to please itself. While the spirit loves the things of God and wants to please God.
Inevitably, a battle rages between the man’s newly born spirit and his old carnal nature. The Bible clearly teaches what should be done so that the spiritual man has victory in this battle. Paul said such a spiritual man must walk according to Spirit, and set his mind on things of the Spirit.
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Walk According to the Spirit
Romans 8:1
1There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit
Romans 8:5-9
5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot; 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
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What are the things of the Spirit?
In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus he describes what is considered to be the things of the Spirit. In Ephesians 4, Paul uses language reminiscent of a man taking off his old clothes and putting on new clothes to illustrate his point. His illustration of taking off and putting on gave them practical examples of how to walk according to the Spirit by putting away the old behavior and mindset and putting on new ways of thinking, coupled with Godly behavior.
In summary, Paul told the Ephesians that they must put off their former practices and conduct (the old man) Then each of them must put on new practices and conduct (the new spiritual man which is created by God and is righteous and holy.)
Sandwiched right between Paul’s telling them to put off the old and put on the new, he wrote “be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” This is the key to successful change. They needed to have a new spiritual mind and change the way they thought.
They could no longer love their former conduct and practices, which were filled with deceit and lust. God expected each of them to have a new mind which loved Godliness, and practiced righteousness.
It is important to emphasize here that once a person takes off his old carnal practices, he must immediately replace them by putting on new spiritual practices. Otherwise he will be spiritually naked.
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Paul’s Examples of the things of the Spirit
Paul did not simply tell the Ephesians to put away lying [a thing of the flesh.] He also told them speak truth [honesty - a trait of the Spirit]. It is not enough to just stop lying. That could have easily been accomplished by closing their mouths. Instead they were to replace lies with speaking the truth.
The same is true for the thief. Paul did not just tell the thief stop stealing [a thing of the flesh] He told him to labor with his hands so that he had something to give to those who had need [generosity and diligent hard work – both are characteristics born of the Spirit.] A thief wants to take things without working or paying for them. He does it because he is selfish.
Riddle: “When is a thief no longer a thief?” Is it when he stops stealing? Or is it when he decides he will never steal again? Neither, he remains a thief even though he has stopped stealing. He is merely a thief who is not stealing at the present moment.
Answer: Once the thief stops stealing and begins working, doing honest labor, so that he earns enough money to give to those in need. That is when he is no longer a thief. He has replaced laziness with productivity. He has replaced selfishness with a heart of giving. “He no longer is a thief when he has changed his behavior based on a new heart.”
Paul went on to tell the Ephesians several other things of the flesh they were to put away and then told them which Godly attributes should replace them. “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth [fleshly behavior,] but what is good for necessary for edification that it may impart grace to the hearers [Godly behavior.] Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice [other characteristics of the flesh.] And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you [all qualities produced by the spirit within.]”
When we as Christians make a resolution it cannot only be to stop doing some bad thing. We need to find out what good Godly behavior should replace the bad, and then begin doing it. That is how we walk according to the Spirit. We must think differently than we did in the past. We no longer can love gratifying our own fleshly desires. We need to have a new mind, which loves what is good; or as Paul termed it, we must be ‘renewed in the spirit of his (our) mind.’ Only then can we put on the new man.
The Bible clearly shows us things that are good and of the spirit. Our spirit which the Spirit birthed in us brings forth these changes based on the new heart and mind. The heart of a spiritual man loves righteousness. The righteous deeds he does are the fruit of his walk with God. The Bible has many other examples of things we should put off and put on. [Suggested reading: Colossians 3:8-14]
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Paul’s Examples of the things of the Spirit
Paul did not simply tell the Ephesians to put away lying [a thing of the flesh.] He also told them speak truth [honesty - a trait of the Spirit]. It is not enough to just stop lying. That could have easily been accomplished by closing their mouths. Instead they were to replace lies with speaking the truth.
The same is true for the thief. Paul did not just tell the thief stop stealing [a thing of the flesh] He told him to labor with his hands so that he had something to give to those who had need [generosity and diligent hard work – both are characteristics born of the Spirit.] A thief wants to take things without working or paying for them. He does it because he is selfish.
Riddle: “When is a thief no longer a thief?” Is it when he stops stealing? Or is it when he decides he will never steal again? Neither, he remains a thief even though he has stopped stealing. He is merely a thief who is not stealing at the present moment.
| Put on the things of the Spirit
Ephesians 4:20-25 20But you have not so learned Christ, 21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.25Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
Ephesians 4:28-29 28Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
Ephesians 4:31-32 31Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
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Paul went on to tell the Ephesians several other things of the flesh they were to put away and then told them which Godly attributes should replace them. “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth [fleshly behavior,] but what is good for necessary for edification that it may impart grace to the hearers [Godly behavior.] Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice [other characteristics of the flesh.] And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you [all qualities produced by the spirit within.]”
When we as Christians make a resolution it cannot only be to stop doing some bad thing. We need to find out what good Godly behavior should replace the bad, and then begin doing it. That is how we walk according to the Spirit. We must think differently than we did in the past. We no longer can love gratifying our own fleshly desires. We need to have a new mind, which loves what is good; or as Paul termed it, we must be ‘renewed in the spirit of his (our) mind.’ Only then can we put on the new man.
The Bible clearly shows us things that are good and of the spirit. Our spirit which the Spirit birthed in us brings forth these changes based on the new heart and mind. The heart of a spiritual man loves righteousness. The righteous deeds he does are the fruit of his walk with God. The Bible has many other examples of things we should put off and put on. [Suggested reading: Colossians 3:8-14]
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