The Spirit has been involved in regeneration and justification, now we must understand His role in the daily Christian life and sanctification.
• Being led by the Spirit is a dynamic
• Where do you experience
• Paul’s concern throughout the book is that the church in Galatia would recognize that Jesus did not save us to live under the burden of living by the Law (whether the Mosaic Law or any other manmade law), but in dynamic communion with the Holy Spirit, which brings freedom.
• How does rejecting a law-driven Christianity and living in the Spirit bring us freedom? Or to put it another way,
Living under the law is
• This means living by a list of rules, always seeking to make sure your behavior is in conformity with the list. This is also known as
• The function of the Law is not to give life, but to
// Romans 10:4 | For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. >> We cannot become right with God by the Law, so Christ has ended the Law for righteousness. That does not mean that the standard of righteousness passes away, it simply means that Jesus has opened the door for us to find salvation apart from the Law.
// Galatians 3:1-3 | O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
• How do we know if we are teaching people to live under the Law rather than teaching them to live by the Spirit?
//
Culture >> emphasis on adherence of moral laws rooted in culture rather than Scripture; preaching focuses on obeying certain rules; spiritual maturity is measured by performance and achievement (failure is not an option)
//Culture >> struggles are real, which means that Jesus is exalted as the hero above all; repentance is emphasized for the purpose of restoration to fellowship with the Spirit first; preaching emphasizes the Gospel and our need for continual application
- When teaching the rules of our culture become the focal point instead of teaching new believers about the role of the Spirit and how He works through the Word in dynamic fellowship with the believer, then we are making the same mistake as the church in Galatia.
Living in the Spirit is
• The Law guarantees a
// Galatians 3:10 | For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse;…
// Romans 8:2 | For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
• Living by the Spirit is not living by another set of rules. Rather, it is living with the Law of God written on our hearts >> Jeremiah 31:33 | For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
• This brings
• Romans 6:7, 22 | For one who has died has been set free from sin…you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Living in the Spirit
the Law
• Freedom from and freedom for… >> Freedom for
• When some hear about Christ being the end of the Law and that Christians are not meant to live under the yoke of the Law in the Christian life, they interpret that to mean that Christians do whatever they want regardless of what is moral, right, or true. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Paul argues the opposite.
• Galatians 5:16 | But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.