Walking In The Spirit

[Strategery]

Galatians 5:16-25 – Life in the Spirit

16 I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.
17 For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want.
18 But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions,
21 occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
***22 In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ***
24 Now those who belong to Christ (Jesus) have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit (verses 22 and 23) is what I want. Christ isn’t calling us to live a boring, dull life that’s no fun. Rather, he came that we could have an abundant life. So … how do I get this abundant life? What exactly does it mean to live by the Spirit? In my opinion this is a very difficult question - on one hand the answer is simple, but there’s a spiritual road to travel to get to that simplicity.

I’m convinced that you can spend a lifetime on this question, and I’m also convinced that God is calling me to do just that. Any wisdom to share?

 

[Archus]

For those who know of my posts, you know what this is going to be. Those who don’t… get comfortable

First, this is my own experience as a Catholic, and as such I will try my best to stick to Catholic doctrine and teaching, but I am still new to this, so things may slip out. Anyhoo…

To live by the Spirit, first, is to acknowledge your own nature. That is, you have both a body and a soul. Second, it is a sense of balance between that body and soul which you should seek, “Man is truly himself when his body and soul are intimately united”. For, “Should [we] aspire to be pure spirit and to reject the flesh as pertaining to his animal nature alone, then spirit and body would both lose their dignity. On the other hand, should he deny the spirit and consider matter, the body, as the only reality, he would likewise lose his greatness.” (Deus Caritas Est)

This means that we must respect who we are, as Man, and we must not succumb to being one or the other.

12 That is why you must not allow sin to reign over your mortal bodies and make you obey their desires;

13 or give any parts of your bodies over to sin to be used as instruments of evil. Instead, give yourselves to God, as people brought to life from the dead, and give every part of your bodies to God to be instruments of uprightness;

14 and then sin will no longer have any power over you-you are living not under law, but under grace.

Romans 6:12-14

To live a life of the Spirit is to live a life where God is in you and works through you. For God is love, and if you love, have joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, then the Spirit is working in you already.

16 We have recognised for ourselves, and put our faith in, the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.

17 Love comes to its perfection in us when we can face the Day of Judgement fearlessly, because even in this world we have become as he is.

18 In love there is no room for fear, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear implies punishment and no one who is afraid has come to perfection in love.

19 Let us love, then, because he first loved us.

1 John 4:16 - 19

I am utterly thrilled that you want this, and is indeed a sure sign God is working with you already. Do not be afraid to speak, or ask questions, that is why we are all here!

Do you want this abundant life?

7 'Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

8 Everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.

9 Is there anyone among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread?

10 Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish?

11 If you, then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Matthew 7:7-11

Pray for this life. You will not be dissapointed.

I will finish off by quoting CCC:

Life by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16)

‘By the power of the Spirit, God’s children can bear much fruit’ (736). Since they have become the ‘Temple of the Holy Spirit’, Christians are called to bear ‘the fruit of the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:22). ‘He enlightens and strengthens us to live as “children of light” (Ephesians 5:8)’ (1695)

The Holy Spirit is ‘the interior Master of life according to Christ’, who ‘inspires, guides, corrects and strengthens this life’ (1697). ‘The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit’ (1830). Each Christian, aware of his or her weakness, must follow the Spirit’s ‘calls to love what is good and shun what is evil’ (1811).

The grace of the Holy Spirit has ‘the power to justify us, that is, to cleanse us from our sins and to communicate to us “the righteousness of God”’ (1987). Justification is the chief grace received in baptism (1992).

'Infused by God, the theological virtues ‘are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the himan being’ (1813). Faith is the first fruit of the Spirit (153 - 158). The hope that makes us await and desire the ‘heritage of eternal life’ (Titus 3:7) is the fruit of the desire insribed in us by the Spirit (1817, 2541). Charity, or love, which is the new commandment, is the Holy Spirit’s pre-eminent gift.

The Holy Spirit acts in us so as to harmonise our lives to the way taught and followed by Christ (1696). The Spirit maintains in our hearts a desire for moral perfection and a taste for virtue (2543). Thus the Spirit lies at the origin of the acts performed by disciples of the Gospel,who want to keep the commandments and to follow Christ (1724). The Spirit of God leads the Christian into the whole truth of moral life.

Deus Caritas Est - Pope Benedict XVI

 

[Strategery]

Thanks, this is extremely helpful to me and gives me much to consider. I spend too much time living in as described Romans 7, and not enough living as described in Romans 8.

This is a nut I want very much to crack. I’m approaching 40 now and feel a strong need to increase my spirituality. I’ve got three kids, and as a father one responsibility is to be the spiritual head of the household. I want those kids to see a man that walks in the Spirit. That’s something I didn’t have growing up.

Can you share a bit on your background? What did you mean by letting some things “slip out”?

 

[guanophore]

Galatians 5:16-25 – Life in the Spirit

16 I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.
17 For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want.
18 But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions,
21 occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
***22 In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ***
24 Now those who belong to Christ (Jesus) have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit (verses 22 and 23) is what I want. Christ isn’t calling us to live a boring, dull life that’s no fun. Rather, he came that we could have an abundant life. So … how do I get this abundant life? What exactly does it mean to live by the Spirit? In my opinion this is a very difficult question - on one hand the answer is simple, but there’s a spiritual road to travel to get to that simplicity.

I’m convinced that you can spend a lifetime on this question, and I’m also convinced that God is calling me to do just that. Any wisdom to share?

This is commendable. May we all desire the same! If you think about this metaphor ( I keep fruit trees) some things become clear. A tree does not “strive” to bear fruit. It does not sit there and force, and squeeze and somehow by will push out fruit. The fruit is a natural outgrowth of the nature of the tree. If you are abiding in Christ, you will bear fruit.

John 15:3-8
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

There for the focus needs to be on abiding in Him. This can be the daily practice of the Liturgy of the Hours, daily Mass, reflection on the daily readings, prayer practices, doing holy works, etc. The individual and corporate works of mercy also allow us to experience Christ in others. Whatever form of devotion you use, it will produce fruit as you cling to that vine.

 

[Archus]

Can you share a bit on your background? What did you mean by letting some things “slip out”?

Well I have only been Catholic for just over a year, as such I am not as firmly founded in the faith as others, which means that the beliefs of my life before hand may take precedence over Catechism and Scripture, which is not what you want. I want to do my best to give you the authentic and decisive Catholic teaching, and if you find something in the Catechism that says something different to what I say, always go with the Catechism, it is our scholarly trump card, if you will.

I was always Christian, an Anglican, but I only took it seriously recently, which lead me to join the Catholic Church. Plus in terms of ethnicity, you could say I’m Celtic (well a Briton at any rate, waaaaaaay back like in post-Roman Britain), and to me that means unity in nature, which led me down some pagan/wiccan roots in my time, and although I am Catholic I still retain that appreciation of nature and with God it is only more beautiful.