LIVING
AND WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
It is quite disheartening to see many people
claiming to have the Holy Spirit living inside of them but still live their
lives untraceable to the Holy Spirit who happens to be the Spirit of Holiness
(Rom.1:4), Truth (John 16:13), Grace (Zech.12:10) and Life (Rom.8:2). This is a
problematic situation in this our 21st Century practice of
Christianity where a poisonous doctrine of ‘once-saved, always-saved’ has licensed
many to walk contrary against the Holy Spirit biddings claiming to still have
the presence of the Holy Spirit living in their inside. Owing to the problem
couched above, it is pertinent to know that there are such dimensions of the
Holy Spirit as thus: the person of the Holy Spirit, the presence of the Holy
Spirt, the power of the Holy Spirit and the principles of the Holy Spirit. If
all these dimensions are not properly understood, there is a great possibility of
not maximally maximizing the full imports of the Holy Spirit carriage.
Living and walking in the Spirit are
two critical experiences that need to be interconnectedly lived if the proof of
Jesus’ life must be drawn from our life. Living in the Spirit deals with the positional
(legal) reality of a born-again Christian while walking in the Spirt deals with
the practical (living) reality of a born-again Christian. As believers, our
second birth grants us a definite entry into Christ. The bible says that: “…if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new” (2 Cor. 5:17,
KJV). Being in Christ affords
us the presence of the Holy Spirt as a seal in our hearts (Eph.1:13-14). Hence,
living in the Spirit can technically be seeing as a believer having his
dwelling place in Christ as well as the Holy Spirt finding His dwelling place in
man. No wonder the bible says: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized
into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and
have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor.12:13, KJV).
Beyond ourselves living in the Spirt, there is
such a life-long experience of walking in the Spirt. To walk in the Spirt
affords the opportunity for us to obey the principles (instructions and
commands) of the Holy Spirit resident in our spirit man in order that Christ’s
life be practically observed from our daily lives. To walk in the Spirt is to be
brought into the control and influence of the Holy Spirit person. The
formational aspect of our Christian life is made possible by keeping a
step-by-step walk with the Holy Spirit. Christ’s real life is being formed in
our lives not automatically because we are in Christ but as a result of our
continuous obedience to the Holy Spirit principles (ethics, values and laws) which
does not and has never contradict His nature as being the Spirit of Holiness, the
Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Grace and the Spirit of Life. There is what the
bible calls the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. It is with this law
of the Spirit that we are meant to walk in the Spirit never gratifying the
desires of the flesh. The bible says that: “There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death”
(Romans 8:1-2). I can be justified at this point after
scripturally positing and juxtaposing living and walking in the Spirit to opine
that a believer can live in the Spirit without walking in the Spirt but a
believer cannot walk in the Spirit without living in the Spirit”
The priority of this write-up is to show the
true way for us to walk in the Spirit by practicing the presence of the Holy
Spirit (Yielding to the leadings and promptings of the Spirit). The
manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit is not a true indices that a man
is walking in the Spirit. Living a lascivious lifestyle perpetually and
intentionally contrary against the Holy Spirit person and essence claiming to
be living in the Spirit is nothing but a pointer that you are obviously not
having a place in Christ. Ideally, it is the principles (laws) of the Holy
Spirit that should regulate our lives to walk in the Spirit. The bible says: “…if
ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law” (Gal. 5:18, KJV). The
fact that we are not under the law does not mean that we should live lawlessly
as believers. In fact, The Holy Spirit does not leave us without His laws. The
bible says as quoted earlier that: “For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2, KJV).
The Life you live will be determined by where you live; either in the flesh or
in the Spirit. Where you live will determine the law that regulates your life; either
the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus or the law of sin and death. The
law that regulates your life will determine who you please and who you are of;
either of Christ or the devil. Who you are of will determine who you walk after;
either after the flesh or after the Sprit. The bibles says that: “So then
they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit
of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none
of his.” (Rom. 8:8-9, KJV).
In conclusion, it is
worthy to note that God is looking for Christians whose lives should not only
be lived in the Spirit but to walk in the Spirit by daily adhering to the leadings,
stirrings, promptings, pressings, wooing, control, and quickening of the Holy
Spirit. The bible speaks of this when it says that: “ If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the
Spirit. (If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward
walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.)” (Gal. 5:25, AMP). May God empower us to walk in the Spirit in this perverse
generation of ours in Jesus name. Amen.
Written by:
Samson Okpanachi Daniel (07065752517)
