I’m Bill Brannan with Life Springs Christian Church. In this message from “The Real You in Christ — Part Three,” I want to press on a truth that changed my life: walking in the Spirit is not merely moral instruction; it is the way into freedom, maturity, and the abundant life Jesus came to give. Below I unpack what that looks like practically, biblically, and pastorally — from Paul’s challenge in Galatians to the difference between rule-driven religion and life-giving transformation.
Why the Gospel Must Go Deeper
The gospel always begins by securing the soul: Jesus died for our sins, rose again, and is Lord. That foundational message brings hope and salvation — and it’s indispensable. But if our teaching never moves beyond that initial plate of spiritual milk, people never grow into maturity. We must feed people the whole counsel of God so they can become mature in Christ, able to discern what builds the kingdom and what destroys it.
Too often churches design everything to comfort the hurting visitor and never press into deeper formation. The result is a congregation that lives by external rules rather than by the inner empowerment of the Spirit.
What the Kingdom Looks Like
To know whether something belongs to God’s kingdom we need a clear picture of the kingdom itself. Paul says the kingdom is not “eating and drinking” but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. That becomes our measuring stick: what produces righteousness, peace, and joy in people’s lives?
Hebrews tells us solid food belongs to the mature — those who have trained themselves to discern good and evil. Maturity means developing the senses to recognize what truly bears spiritual life and what only looks holy on the outside.
Walking in the Spirit: The Revolutionary Promise
“Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
That sentence is a promise and a pathway: if you walk in the Spirit, those things you don’t want to do — the selfish, harmful reactions of the flesh — won’t have the final say. The Spirit’s desires conflict with the flesh’s desires. That inner conflict is universal; even people outside the church sense their conscience nudging them toward what’s good.
The gospel empowers us to live according to what reason and conscience can recognize as loving and healthy. It’s not about coercing behavior from the outside; it’s about transforming hearts from the inside out.
The Works of the Flesh — And the Like
Paul’s list in Galatians is stark and honest. The works of the flesh are obvious and destructive:
- Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness
- Idolatry, sorcery
- Hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath
- Selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders
- Drunkenness, revelries
And then Paul adds a phrase that should make us pause: “and the like.” He’s painting a big-picture reality. That list represents a cancerous pattern. Even tiny, seemingly harmless behaviors — pride, envy, provoking others — are the same disease in seed form. Darkness spreads. Sin multiplies. But equally, the fruit of the Spirit grows and transforms when allowed to take root.
Understanding “Sorcery” — It’s About Control
When we read the word translated “sorcery” or “witchcraft,” many people immediately picture ritualistic covens. But at its heart, biblical sorcery describes a pattern of manipulation, intimidation, and domination. It’s an attempt to control others or outcomes by ritual or coercion rather than trusting God and loving people.
That principle shows up everywhere — in controlling relationships, coercive religion, or systems that force behavior instead of empowering change by the Spirit.
Inherit or Possess? A Septuagint Insight
One translation detail changes how we feel about Paul’s warning that “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” In the Septuagint usage (the Bible the New Testament writers would have known), the same Greek can mean to take possession of, seize, or hold fast to the kingdom — a present reality, not merely a future reward.
Read that way, Paul is saying: practicing these ways prevents you from laying hold of the kingdom now. Sin robs us of the present fullness of God’s life. We may be saved — but practicing fleshly ways keeps us from experiencing the kingdom’s blessing here and now.
The Fruit of the Spirit: The Kingdom’s Mark
Paul doesn’t stop with a list of failures; he gives us the positive alternative. The fruit of the Spirit looks like:
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Goodness
- Faithfulness
- Gentleness
- Self-control
Notice Paul’s pastoral practical point: if something in your life — even an activity some traditions frown upon — is producing this fruit, we should celebrate it rather than judge. The question is not always the external form; it’s the fruit it produces in love, humility, and Christlikeness.
Crucifying the Flesh — A Word of Hope, Not Shame
Paul says those who belong to Christ have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” That phrase is often misunderstood. It doesn’t mean we become perfectly sinless overnight or that struggling disqualifies us. It’s a declaration of identification with Christ’s death to sin — the posture of choosing the Spirit over the flesh.
We don’t shame people into obedience. Condemnation kills; the cross gives life. When we recognize fleshly desires rising — the impulse to lash out, to control, to self-soothe in harmful ways — we can turn to Jesus: ask, seek, knock. Call on God to make you free. Experience the cleansing power of his blood and the transforming work of the Spirit.
A Protestant Heritage of Hope and Protest
I believe our Protestant heritage matters. The Reformation was a prophetic protest against spiritual tyranny, a recovery of the Bible for ordinary people, and a vindication of conscience over oppressive systems. That heritage celebrates a God who is free, who creates free people, and who invites us into work that brings flourishing and justice.
The monotheistic imagination — the biblical vision of one good Creator who cares for humanity — supplies hope. It tells us our choices matter, that we can imagine a better world, and that God stands behind human flourishing.
Practical Steps: Choose Whom You Will Obey
- Recognize the moment of choice. When anger, envy, or control rises, notice it. That pause is grace.
- Ask for the Spirit’s help. Walking in the Spirit is not self-effort; it is dependence on God’s power.
- Evaluate by fruit. Does this habit or practice produce righteousness, peace, and joy? If not, repent and change course.
- Practice community grace. We cover one another’s faults, restore gently, and avoid crushing condemnation.
- Hold fast to hope. God’s grace is abundant. He heals, restores, and grows us into Christlikeness.
Romans puts it plainly: “To whom you present yourselves as slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves.” Choosing daily to be led by the Spirit is a practical, ongoing decision that shapes our character and community.
Conclusion — Live the Life You Were Created For
God doesn’t want us caged by an external set of rules or crushed by condemnation. He wants us alive — full of love, joy, peace, and hope. Walking in the Spirit is both the path and the power for that life. It means crucifying the dominion of the flesh, embracing the transforming work of the Spirit, and learning to evaluate everything by the fruit it bears.
If you want freedom, start where you are: notice temptation, ask God for help, choose the Spirit, and let the fruit grow. The kingdom is not only a future promise — it is a present reality to be seized, possessed, and enjoyed for God’s glory.
Come, let’s walk in the Spirit together.
