Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity (1893)

Galatians 5:16-24 Christians are reborn through God's Spirit. And the Holy Spirit now lives in the hearts of believers and powers and rules God's children. The Christian's walk is a walk in the Spirit. The acclamation of the apostle: "Walk in the Spirit!" reminds Christians to the power that is in them and urges them to operate according to the new spiritual life. Walk in the Spirit! 1. The walk in the Spirit is at first an incessant struggle against the flesh. a. Even the regenerate still have the old corrupt nature, the flesh itself. And the Spirit that is in them, and the flesh that still adheres to them, are directly contradictory to one another and constantly fight against each other.1 b. Christians who have the Holy Spirit abhor from the heart and avoid with all seriousness the manifest works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, etc. They also know quite well that those who do such works will not inherit the kingdom of God.2 c. In the power of God's Spirit they resist the lusts of the flesh, that it does not come to the accomplishment of evil in them, they crucify their flesh together with passions and lusts.3 2. But from such struggle arises the peaceable fruit of righteousness. a. Where the Spirit is powerful and effective and the flesh vanquished, there He brings His characteristic fruit to perfection, there in Christians' walk show such lovely virtues as love, joy, peace, etc.4 b. And it is this peaceable fruit of righteousness that grows freely of itself from the Spirit without coercion, to the praise and glory of God, there is no legalistic nature and activity. 5 Georg Stckhardt

1 2

Galatians 5:17. Galatians 5:18-21. 3 Galatians 5:16, 24. 4 Galatians 5:22. 5 Galatians 5:18-23.