Pamela Franklin
BIBL 110 D19 Undergraduate Program
Professor Spencer
December 13, 2015

Interpretive Project 2 Paul's letter to the Galatians describes (in part) how to maintain Christian liberty and how to walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5: 16-18 (RSV) states:
"But I say, walk by the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law."

The following illustrates the four steps of the Interpretive Journey for New Testament Letters in Duvall and Hays Journey into God's Word: Your Guide
Paul's "practical exhortations are to 'serve one another through love,' to 'love your neighbor as yourself' and to 'walk in the Spirit.' Paul goes on to say "that a person who truly walks in the Spirit, 'will absolutely not' carry out the flesh's desires." "Now the works of the flesh are plain: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like" (Galatians 5;20, RSV). When we attempt to practice the fruit of the Spirit "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22, RSV), there is no way we can be a slave to the desires of flesh. Being a true believer in Christ and his redemption, it is really difficult to live in the Spirit at all times, because I am human. When I was a young woman, I believed that I was in control of my life. It took experience, and pain to bring me to my knees and ask God for forgiveness and to show me how to live a life deserving of His Mercy and Grace. As my faith deepened, I came to learn that I was not deserving of His grace, but that it was a precious gift given to me by the Father, through the Son. It is through placing faith in God's will for my life first before my own, that exhibiting those qualities as described in Galatians 5:22 became more effortless.

Bibliography

Duvall and Hays, Journey into God's Word: Your Guide to Understanding