About this series:
The Holy Spirit is fully God, eternally existing with the Father and the Son. Throughout the Old Testament, we see glimpses of the Spirit’s presence and work, but it is through the teaching of Jesus and the events of the New Testament that the church’s understanding of the Holy Spirit is revealed more fully.
About this talk:
In Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches we find him contending for the very heart of the true gospel - that Christ is enough. He and he alone is all we need - now and forever - to be right with God and to be in God’s family. And he is contending too that the power of the Holy Spirit, not the Mosaic law, is the means by which we will be empowered to live for God. By the time we reach 5:1, Paul has made his primary argument and now summarises, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” In other words: Do not allow yourselves to be pressured into going back to the very thing Christ set you free from - the tyranny of struggling (and failing) to keep the old covenant law and of relying on it for righteousness.
We can imagine Paul anticipating two questions the Galatians would then be asking: “Are we free, then, to do whatever we like?” Which is very much the message of our culture! But the Christian’s freedom from sin, death, hell, futility and the law is freedom for a new allegiance - a freedom to belong to God, to love, serve and obey him. The New Testament talks of “belonging” to Jesus; of baptism as both a death to an old, self-centred life and a rising to a new God-centred life.
And in 5:13 he writes, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Freedom is for service - of God and one another. It is certainly not a freedom to “gratify the desires of the flesh” (v 16). No, if we walk by the Spirit, we will instead exhibit the fruit that grows from a God-centred, Spirit-filled life - things like “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (vs 22-23).
Such qualities are not simply inherent human traits, but are grown in us by the Spirit whose life has taken up residence in our lives. The Message translation renders these nine qualities as “affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity...a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people...loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”
So while there are many commands in Scripture to love, to be joyful, to live at peace with one another, etc, there is a dynamic interplay between the Holy Spirit and us in bringing this about - we are dependent on the Spirit’s power to produce Christlikeness in us and at the same time we are making conscious choices to imitate Christ in whom we see such qualities perfectly displayed and to depend on the Spirit who alone can grow those qualities in us.
‘There is no greater evidence of the presence and power of the Spirit than someone's life and character being steadily transformed into the beauty of Christ. And only the Holy Spirit of God can do that. Whatever else we may look for of the Spirit's work in the individual, nothing could be more important, or more wonderful, than the fruit of love, joy, peace and all the other qualities that can change any person into the likeness of God's own Son’ (David Watson). “But without the law to guide us in restraining the flesh, how will we be able to love God with all we have and love our neighbour as ourselves?”
We should be careful to note that the law has gone nowhere. It shows us what God is like / how holy he is and how grievous sin is / how distinct God’s people should be / how loving God and loving people affects every part of life / and, along with the whole OT, it cries out for a true Saviour. So Paul can write of the OT (incl’ the law), “All Scripture is God- breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
But Paul’s point about producing fruit in this new God-honouring life is that it can only come by walking in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, living by the Spirit, keeping in step with the Spirit. In this way we will be empowered to produce fruit that no number of laws could do. Not because the law was bad - God’s commandments are, of course, “holy, righteous and good” (Romans 7:12) - but because outside Christ we were bad (Romans 8:3). And that is precisely why he has sent his Spirit - to increasingly conform us to the image of his Son, who is the very definition of Galatians 5:22-23.
This idea of bearing fruit connects very closely to Jesus’ teaching in John 15. There it is clear that “fruit” refers to godly character and is directly related to his followers (the branches) staying intimately connected to him (the vine). The life of the vine flowing through the branches is the life of the Spirit at work to make us fruitful.
Audio only
Life Group Discussion: How Does the Holy Spirit Change Me?
Bible passage: Galatians 5:13–25
BIG IDEA
Living by the Spirit is a life of active surrender: choosing to serve others in love, putting to death selfish desires, and keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.
1. Surrendering Our Desires: Freedom to Serve
12 minutes
READ: Galatians 5:13–15 together.
Q1a. When we hear the phrase “do not indulge the flesh”, what do we normally think Paul is referring to?
Q1b. Have you noticed what Paul contrasts “indulging the flesh” with?
Q1c. What are some ways we indulge our own desires, preferences or feelings rather than serving others humbly in love, in church, marriage, parenting, friendships or work?
Q2. Paul says to serve “humbly in love”. Why emphasise these words? Can we serve with other motivations? What might that look like?
Q3. How can we distinguish sacrificial service from neglecting healthy boundaries around time, energy and responsibilities?
KEY THOUGHT
Freedom in Christ is not permission to serve ourselves. It frees us to serve others in love.
2. Surrendering Our Flesh: Striving, Passivity or Active Surrender?
12 minutes
READ: Galatians 5:22–24.
Introduce the tension: the Spirit produces fruit (v22), while those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh (v24). What part do we play?
SMALL-GROUP ACTIVITY
5 minutes
Divide into two groups. Give each group one approach and the same two questions:
Why might Christians choose this approach?
What dangers does it pose for spiritual growth and the fruit of the Spirit?
GROUP 1: STRIVING
“I need to work harder to become more loving, patient and self-controlled.”
GROUP 2: PASSIVITY
“The Spirit produces fruit, so I just need to wait for Him to change me.”
WHOLE-GROUP DISCUSSION
7 minutes
Hear briefly from both groups.
Introduce the third approach: ACTIVE SURRENDER.
READ: Romans 8:13.
Q1. How does Romans 8:13, “by the Spirit you put to death…”, help us understand our responsibility and the Spirit’s power?
Q2. What does active surrender look like in practice, and how does it differ from striving or passivity?
3. Surrendering Our Steps: Keeping in Step
8 minutes
READ: Galatians 5:25.
Q1. Before making a spiritual application, what images come to mind when you hear “keeping in step with someone”?
Q2. How might we fall out of step with the Holy Spirit in everyday life?
Q3. What practical habits help us become more attentive and responsive to the Spirit throughout the day?
4. Personal Reflection and Prayer
3 minutes
Invite a brief moment of quiet reflection, then share in pairs or threes as comfortable:
Where am I indulging my desires, preferences or feelings rather than serving someone humbly in love?
In that situation, which one or two aspects of the fruit of the Spirit do I need Him to grow in me?
What would active surrender look like in that situation? What might the Holy Spirit be inviting me to do differently?
PRAY
Pray for one another, asking the Spirit to transform our hearts and empower concrete obedience.
