What Does It Mean To Walk In The Spirit.

[HisFollower]

[for me anyway] the flesh is the corrupt nature of men, while the Spirit is the incorruptible nature of God; and in v24 the Holy Spirit of Truth speaking through the Apostle Paul tells us who they are that do truly walk after the Spirit.

"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."
(Galatians 5:24)
Indeed they who do truly belong to Christ have put to death the corrupt nature with its affections and lusts: And although it is true there are stronger in faith and weaker in faith, yet what they do have together is their mutual faith in Christ, and sincerity toward Him to make the sincere effort to do the things which He says. And they that are stronger in faith ought not despise those weaker in faith; and they that are weaker in faith ought not judge those stronger in faith.

The subject is faith, not food.

"Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him."
(Romans 14:1-3)
"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification."
(Romans 15:1-2)

 

[Chopper]

I see a lot of good answers here.
We should love God first
We should obey his commandments
We should stay in the word
Don't walk in the flesh
Act with love and compassion
Await our " Blessed Hope"!
And the list goes on and it is endless, has no limits because of the absolute perfection of the Holy Spirit.
Yes we all, as Christians should walk in the spirit, no doubt. It should a daily desire and one of the very first fruits of him in us.
But make no mistake, when we fail and we will, it is not a sign that we do not walk in the spirit.
Walking in the spirit is judged by God alone and by only his gift to us and not determined by one of us!
And when we do slide, doubt or, otherwise mess up, Romans 8:1 and because of our our own indwelt blessed hope, we realize the truth, pick our selves up and move forward to glory!

Thank you RJ. That was a very thoughtful and wise post. "A daily desire" you say, and you're right!! O if all would only follow your instructions. There might even be a revival there Buddy.

 

[Curtis]

Thank you Curtis. That is a very good post of the OP. Obviously you have a good relationship with the Holy Spirit, and knowledge of the Word of YHWH.

Thank you brother. The Lord and I are BFF (Best friends forever)

 

[Chopper]

It's always a good topic. But it always seems to get off topic rather quickly most of the time

Many Pentecostals believe in something called the "Baptism" of the Holy Spirit.
Four times in the gospels John the Baptists is recorded as saying "Jesus will baptize you in the Holy Spirit" (and fire).
Matt 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33;
I could not find anywhere where Jesus Himself said this in the gospels, but Acts 11:16; is quoting Jesus saying "You will be baptized
in the Holy Spirit".

Peter says in Acts 2:38; "Repent" and be baptized in the name of Jesus... and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In the case of Cornelius, he received the Holy Spirit first, and then was baptized ( Acts 10:44-47; )

In the NASB Bible, the phrase "Holy Spirit" is only found 3 times in the old testament.
Psalms 51:11; (David's repentance prayer for Bathsheba)
Isa 63:10; and 11.

The interesting thing about those passages is that it seems the Holy Spirit could be taken away from people.

Psa 51:10; Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psa 51:11; Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Psa 51:12; Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.

Isa 63:10; But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.
Isa 63:11; Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses. Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them,

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Some churches teach that you don't just "get" the Holy Spirit automatically, but that you have to ask for it.

Luke 11:13; "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

Some believe God only gives the Holy Spirit to those who are obedient to Him.

Acts 5:32; "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

Now whether or not the "Baptism" of the Holy Spirit is a separate thing from simply "having" the Holy Spirit is often debated.
But all five times in the New Testament that people are mentioned as being baptized in the Holy Spirit, it was always to people who had
already been believers for a period of time.

In Acts 2:4; this happened to 120 people, including Mary and the disciples... who had been following Jesus for about 3 years prior to this.
Saul who became Paul, became a believer on the road to Damascus. Acts 9:3-9; )
But he didn't get baptized in the Holy Spirit until sometimes after Acts 9:17;
In Acts 10:1-2; it says Cornelius was a "devout man, who feared God and prayed continually". So it seems he also was a believer.
But he also did not receive the Holy Spirit until Acts 10:44-45; (at least 4 days later - Acts 10:40; )
In Acts 19:1; Paul runs into some disciples. they had already been baptized into John the Baptist's baptism, but they they didn't even
know about the Holy Spirit. So now, sometime later, they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. ( Acts 19:6; )

One interesting note that causes some debate is that Acts 19 mentions 3 baptisms.
John's baptism (water and repentance) (Acts 19:3; )
Baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 19:5; )
and Baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:6; )

This is getting long winded.... and it doesn't answer the question posed in the OP directly about walking in the Spirit and being led by the
Spirit... but I think maybe the place to start is... you can't walk in it if you don't have it.

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Also keep in mind, we can offend the Holy Spirit.

He can be grieved. - Isa 63:10; Eph 4:30;
He can be quenched - 1 Thes 5:19;
He can be insulted - Heb 10:29;
He can be blasphemed - Matt 12:31-32; Luke 12:10;
He can be lied to - Acts 5:3; (He knows it's a lie, but it's still a lie).

B_A_C, please forgive me for not replying to this very good post before this my friend. From my studies and practical experience, the "Baptism In The Holy Spirit" is different than the "Baptism Of The Holy Spirit".

So to keep with the OP, when we get saved, we get the Baptism OF the Holy Spirit whereby He places us into the Family of God and enters our bodies, His now Temple, where He can effect our hearts and minds. YHWH then becomes our Heavenly Father.

The first to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit were the Disciples in....John 20:22 "And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:" I point this out to verify what you say about some who had been believers for some time before another Baptism.

So, my main point in this reply to you is to explain two small words that make a big difference in understanding the two Baptisms. Our first Baptism is a Baptism OF the Holy Spirit in which I explained above. The Baptism IN the Holy Spirit is just what that little word says, IN.

Now, there are some Denominations that are heavy on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. They call it "The Baptism of the Holy Ghost" and the evidence of that is speaking in Tongues. Both the title and evidence are biblically false. I can't really take the time now to explain the false teachings of the title & evidence now as it will take away from the OP. Perhaps I'll do a new thread if there is some need.

 

[Dave M]

1 Corinthians 4:1
Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

1 Corinthians 10:24
Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.

John 13:12-15
So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. read more.
"For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.

Mark 10:45
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."


I am thinking walking in the spirit is being a good servant and doing the will OF our Father in Heaven, or at least doing or best to try to do it .

 

[Chopper]

1 Corinthians 4:1
Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

1 Corinthians 10:24
Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.

John 13:12-15
So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. read more.
"For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.

Mark 10:45
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."


I am thinking walking in the spirit is being a good servant and doing the will OF our Father in Heaven, or at least doing or best to try to do it .

Thank you Dave for that wonderful reply. Being a Servant is the meaning of loving YHWH with all of our heart.

 

[Beameup]

There is a good tract on this subject by Campus Crusade for Christ.
Galatians 5 goes with Romans 8. I did a lot of research on this for
the last 5 years. Paul must use over half-dozen phrases that refer
to the "ego" or "self". Being H.S. "centered", by faith, is my conclusion.
"Let go the ego" (not eggo)

 

[B-A-C]

To me... walking in the Spirit is much like doing what Jesus did.
If the trinity is in agreement about everything... then wouldn't having the Spirit inside
us be the same as having Jesus inside us? If Jesus is inside us, wouldn't we be doing the things
Jesus did? Loving people, serving people, obeying the commandments, getting baptized,
and obeying the Father.

 

[B-A-C]

Now, there are some Denominations that are heavy on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. They call it "The Baptism of the Holy Ghost" and the evidence of that is speaking in Tongues. Both the title and evidence are biblically false. I can't really take the time now to explain the false teachings of the title & evidence now as it will take away from the OP. Perhaps I'll do a new thread if there is some need.

I am a third generation Pentecostal, but I tend to agree with you about the "evidence" of tongues. (Although the argument here is everytime someone was baptized in the Holy Spirit
in the Bible, tongues accompanied it.)
However I would be interested in hearing why (if I understand you correctly?) being baptized in the Holy Spirit is different from being baptized in the Holy Ghost??

There are many who believe that John 20:22; (which was after Jesus's resurrection) didn't actually take place until Acts 2.

 

[Beameup]

My experience is a significant and immediate increase in discernment.
Also, a sudden clear understanding of scripture and people.
I believe that only the Holy Spirit can provide real discernment and knowledge.
And it is continuous, from waking to sleep, 24/7.

 

[Chopper]

To me... walking in the Spirit is much like doing what Jesus did.
If the trinity is in agreement about everything... then wouldn't having the Spirit inside
us be the same as having Jesus inside us? If Jesus is inside us, wouldn't we be doing the things
Jesus did? Loving people, serving people, obeying the commandments, getting baptized,
and obeying the Father.

You are absolutely right my friend. Here is a Verse that proves what you are saying....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."

This is one of my favorite Verses to live by. I have, over the years, instructed Christians, especially here in "Talk Jesus", to live according to the fact that Jesus the Son of God lives in each of us....Since Jesus lives in me, and Jesus lives in B-A-C, I had better be careful not to insult him because in insulting B-A-C I'm really insulting Jesus at the same time....Truth is Truth and if we say that we love Jesus, we should obey His Commands that the Scriptures, like this one, tells us!!

 

[Curtis]

2Co 13:5.. Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

 

[Chopper]

I am a third generation Pentecostal, but I tend to agree with you about the "evidence" of tongues. (Although the argument here is everytime someone was baptized in the Holy Spirit
in the Bible, tongues accompanied it.)
However I would be interested in hearing why (if I understand you correctly?) being baptized in the Holy Spirit is different from being baptized in the Holy Ghost??

There are many who believe that John 20:22; (which was after Jesus's resurrection) didn't actually take place until Acts 2.

Ok my friend, I think that replying to your good questions will not depart from the OP.

The evidence of speaking in tongues was a very real sign of receiving that second Baptism. The first Baptism was in John 20:22 which happened post Jesus' resurrection and prior to Pentecost, this is important. This first Baptism was to place every "born again" Christian into the Family of YHWH.

The second, and important Baptism, especially for those who desire to enter an office in the Church of Christ Jesus such as Pastor, Deacon, Teacher, Evangelist etc. etc....I simply used the words "Baptism of the Holy Ghost" to show what the Pentecostals call it. It is not "of the Holy Ghost" (we no longer use the KJV title "Holy Ghost" but "Holy Spirit" Today, a ghost is a confusing title for most people.)

We have to change one word of that phrase from Baptized OF the Holy Spirit to Baptized IN the Holy Spirit. The "OF" happened in John 20:22 and the "IN" happened at Pentecost. The second Baptism, places us IN the power and work of the Holy Spirit during the Church age or dispensation. I hope you understand the difference because it's vital in order for this to be an effective ministry of the Holy Spirit thru a serious Believer in Jesus the Son of God.

As far as "tongues" being the only evidence of the second Baptism, please note that Pentecost was the official birth of the Church of Jesus Christ. At that particular time, no other gifts of the Holy Spirit had evidenced. As each Church was established, especially the Church at Corinth, (see 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 for all the gifts) all the other gifts were necessary.

Now, at Pentecost, only one evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit was present, in the gift of tongues. The Churches had not been established yet and the other gifts for the edification of the Church Body was not needed. Once the Churches were established, the Body of Believers needed all the gifts, not just one.

This leads us to realize that once a Believer is Baptized IN the Holy Spirit, any one of the gifts is an evidence of a successful Baptism. There must be a legitimate reason for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The error that still is being made is, people want to speak in tongues because they believe that they are a second class Christian if they don't speak in tongues. This is so very wrong.

Those seeking the Baptism in the Holy Spirit must want to be actively involved in what the Holy Spirit is involved in like leadership in the Church Body, Teacher, Missionary, Deacon and so on. Not just to warm a pew and speak in tongues.

I'll be happy to answer any questions that you have.