Galatians 5:25

Now since (or "if," another first class condition in Greek that here states a condition true to reality) God has given us new life, we should do something. We should walk ("keep in step," NIV, as soldiers do when they march) daily by (with) the Spirit (i.e., in dependence on Him). He is God’s provision for us to live victoriously. The Holy Spirit leads every Christian, but not all choose to walk by the Spirit (i.e., follow His leading).

One writer argued that "flesh" and "spirit" were ". . . theological abbreviations in Paul’s argument that represent the two competing identities of the people of God in Galatia. The ’flesh community’ (Judaizers) is a community identified with the Mosaic law era and is therefore a community identified and characterized by a person bodily in his or her frailty and transitoriness and not indwelt by God’s Spirit. This community is representative of a person before or apart from Christ’s liberating death, burial and resurrection. By contrast the ’Spirit community’ is a community identified and characterized by a person bodily aided and enabled by God’s presence and also bodily liberated from sin’s dominion, a person experiencing the full liberation of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Such persons are experiencing the freedom that Christ set them free to experience (Galatians 5:1)." [Note: Walter B. Russell III, "Does the Christian Have ’Flesh’ in Galatians 5:13-26?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 36:2 (June 1993):186-87.]

This community view does not commend itself to me as much as the individual view.

"Stated simply, the flesh is the individual behaving independently of the Spirit." [Note: Pyne, "Dependence and . . .," p. 148.]

Living by the Spirit is similar to walking by the Spirit. The former term looks at the Spirit as the source and sustaining power of the believer’s spiritual life whereas the latter one views Him as the regulative principle in his or her conduct. [Note: Fung, p. 275.]