Live By

Galatians 5:16 - So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Romans 8:1-4,13-14 - Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit…For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Conclusions:

• Live by the Spirit means go on living by the Spirit
• Living by the promptings and power of the Spirit is the key to conquering sinful desires
• The law of the Spirit of life is the controlling power of the Holy Spirit, who is life-giving
• Paul uses the word law in several different ways in Romans--to mean, a controlling power; God's law; the Pentateuch; the Old Testament as a whole; a principle
• Law of sin and death is the controlling power of sin, which ultimately produces death
• The law still plays a role in the life of a believer--not, however, as a means of salvation but as a moral and ethical guide, obeyed out of love for God and by the power that the Spirit provides
• The righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled in us
• God's aim in sending His Son was that believers might be enabled to embody the true and full intentions of the law
• According to the Spirit is how the law's righteous requirements can be fully met--by no longer letting the sinful nature hold sway but by yielding to the directing and empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit
• God is the Father of all in the sense that He created all and His love and providential care are extended to all
• But not all are His children
• Redemption is the restoration and fulfillment of God's purposes in creation and this takes place in Christ, through whom all things were made and in whom all things are restored or created anew

Application:

• Do you live by the promptings and power of the Spirit?
• Has the controlling power of the Holy Spirit set you free from the controlling power of sin?
• Do you embody the true and full intentions of the law?
• Are you led by the Spirit of God?
• Are you in Christ?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible