By: Hayden Kobza
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
Galatians 5:16-26 talks about what the flesh of humans strives for and how we, as Christians, should live by the Spirit. These verses contain many allusions and parallels to other biblical texts.
Specifically, they reference Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:17: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”
I believe this verse presents the central theological theme of Galatians 5:16-26: total union with God.
In Galatians 5:18, Paul writes that “if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Here, Paul was not refuting the law of God but stating that our need to hold ourselves to the law is fulfilled by walking in the Spirit.
In verse 16, Paul continues, saying, “I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
According to openbible.info, this verse has over 21 cross-references, 17 of which are outside Galatians.
One of the most fascinating verses within these references is from Romans 8:4-5, that states: “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.”
These related texts intensify the meaning of Galatians 5:16 by expounding on the thought that Paul had written.
Scholars such as Douglas Moo have stated that Galatians was most likely the first letter written by Paul around the year A.D. 48. It is no surprise that Paul wrote in more detail to the Romans almost a decade later, approximately A.D. 56-57.
Later in Galatians 5, verse 25 demonstrates that God did not say that the law is no more; rather, the law is fulfilled through the Spirit: “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
What is the central theme of the Bible? According to the General Conference website, Adventists believe the point of the Bible is God’s plan of redemption for humanity.
To become new vessels for the Lord, we must be born again into the Spirit, as Jesus stated in John 3:5: “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”
Continuing this point, the entire book of Galatians was intended to point believers in the right direction so they would not be deceived by false teachers that “pervert the gospel of Christ.”
Paul likely raised these issues in response to Jewish teachers demanding Gentiles follow Jewish law. He addressed this conflict throughout his letters and faced personally in Jerusalem, where he was accused of bringing Gentiles into restricted areas, an offense punishable by death
In broader Adventist circles, Ellen G. White believed that walking in the Spirit was more than doing away with the law; it was a process of daily devotion.
In Steps to Christ, she states, “But when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the depth and sacredness of God’s holy law, the foundation of His government in heaven and on earth.”
White goes on to quote from John 1:9 to set up a beautiful passage about how Jesus, the light of the world, shines into the darkest places of our minds and makes us self-aware that we need to change to walk in the Spirit.
These passages in Galatians, along with the larger context of the New Testament and works by other writers, demonstrate the power of allowing God to work in us through His Spirit. Once God has entered our hearts and minds, we no longer have to struggle to fulfill the law out of our own power; rather, God moves in us to redeem us and guide us to a life of service to Him.
