The Holy Spirit brings Righteousness


Galatians 5:5 (NLT) But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us.

The message in Galatians can seen upside down to us in the 21st Century.  It speaks of freedom from the law in terms foreign to us from it's original context.  We can misinterpret it to use these scriptures as a license to do what we want.  We forget that it was written to counter legalists who wanted to go back to the old code of the law rather than see people liberated from that old form of religion to new life in Christ.

There is some worry in the church about "free Grace" or "cheap Grace".  That we use grace as a license to sin.  Paul makes it clear, that for those truly saved by Christ, that could never be the case.  You are changed.  Your desires are different.  You want to be righteous and instead of working toward it by religious ritual, you receive it by faith from God because of the Spirit now living within us.


As John Stott says addressing the difference between the law of the Old Testament and the Promise of Christ in the New Testament: "In the law God laid the responsibility on men and said ‘thou shalt …, thou shalt not …’; but in the promise God keeps the responsibility Himself and says ‘I will …, I will …’."

Let the promises begin!
Galatians 5:16 (NLT) So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

Let the Holy Spirit do the changing.  He says, "the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires" Galatians 5:17

I receive new desires from the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 (NLT) But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

I have new realities produced by the Holy Spirit.

Then he says, Galatians 5:25 (NLT) Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

I receive new leading in my life from the Spirit.

Follow the Spirit.  Let HIM guide you.  Stop trying to make yourself a better person and let Christ form you... by the power of the Spirit through Grace.

PRAYER
Father, I'm still figuring this out.  I know I'm not where I should be.  I want to yield control of my life to the Holy Spirit, then I wrangle it back into my control once again.  Help me to let go and let YOU do what only You are able to do.

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