If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
What does Galatians 5:25 mean?
If it be our care to act under the guidance and power of the blessed Spirit, though we may not be freed from the stirrings and oppositions of the corrupt nature which remains in us, it shall not have dominion over us.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Galatians 5:25-26 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Galatians 5:25
The sense of this verse probably is, "We who are Christians profess to be under the influences of the Holy Spirit. By his influences and agency is our spiritual life. We profess not to be under the dominion of the flesh; not to be controlled by its appetites and desires. Let us then act in this manner, and as if we believed this. Let us yield ourselves to his influences, and show that we are controlled by that Spirit." It is an earnest exhortation to Christians to yield wholly to the agency of the Holy Spirit on their hearts, and to submit to his guidance; see Romans 8:5 , note9, note.
Key words
- Spirit
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Or "by the Spirit", as all do that are spiritually alive.
- Spirit
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Or "by the Spirit", as all do that are spiritually alive.
Context in Galatians 5
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Galatians 5 belongs to the late movement of the book, especially the section often described as practical exhortation and final warning. Galatians is Paul’s fierce defense of the gospel of grace, justification by faith, and freedom for life in the Spirit. Read this chapter with the wider themes of grace, justification, and freedom in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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