Walking after the flesh vs. Walking after the Spirit

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Sep 3, 2016
6,344
530
113
#1
What do I know if I am walking after the flesh or walking after the Spirit?

How do I walk after the Spirit?

What happens if I continue to walk after the flesh?
 

jameen

Senior Member
Feb 5, 2018
540
150
43
37
Manila
#2
What do I know if I am walking after the flesh or walking after the Spirit?

How do I walk after the Spirit?

What happens if I continue to walk after the flesh?
Galatians 5:19-21 New King James Version (NKJV)

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

That's the answer to your question about how to know if you walk in the flesh and happens if you continue walking in it.


How to walk in Spirit? simple. study the words of God and live by it.

How will you know if you live by the Spirit?

Galatians 5:22-23 New King James Version (NKJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
 
Mar 28, 2016
15,954
1,528
113
#3
What do I know if I am walking after the flesh or walking after the Spirit?

How do I walk after the Spirit?

What happens if I continue to walk after the flesh?
Flesh as in natural unconverted man gives birth to the works of the flesh and spirit as in spiritual birth give birth to the works of the Spirit of Christ that works in them . If a person is walking by the flesh they will seek to believe by the things they do .

John 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see sign and wonders, ye will not believe
 

jb

Senior Member
Feb 27, 2010
4,940
591
113
#4
What do I know if I am walking after the flesh or walking after the Spirit?

How do I walk after the Spirit?

What happens if I continue to walk after the flesh?
You may find This study helpful...
 

Noblemen

Senior Member
Jan 14, 2018
498
149
43
#5
What do I know if I am walking after the flesh or walking after the Spirit?

How do I walk after the Spirit?

What happens if I continue to walk after the flesh?
Good questions, you will find the answers in your bible :)
 

Latour

Active member
Jun 11, 2018
437
255
43
#6
What do I know if I am walking after the flesh or walking after the Spirit?


How? The fruit. A good tree doesn't produce bad fruit. So then if sin is persistent in a person's life then you can be sure that the power of the flesh (the law of sin and death) is at work.

How do I walk after the Spirit?
Sow to the Spirit and you shall reap of the Spirit. How do we begin to sow?....Look up! (I mean that in every possible depth)

What happens if I continue to walk after the flesh?
Death. Death means separation. So then we will fall from the initial grace time we receive at regeneration. And like Paul we will find that having a new nature is good but insufficient to overcome the law of sin (and death) in our members (the flesh).

There are 2 things we can do. We can remain defeated by the power of the flesh and cobble together verses that seem to justify sin in the one who follows (or is trying to follow) Christ. This is like Adam and Eve sinning and hiding...but this time it is hiding behind misapplied verses.

The other thing we can do (the better option and recommended) is do what we are supposed to do...go to God with the problem. That is the whole point of not giving us the full amount of grace in the first place. God wants contact with us.

Paul says in Romans 7...

"It is no longer I but sin in me..."


But after going to God this becomes...

"no longer I but Christ in me"



So what happened?

We come to the understanding that we have received a new divine nature by grace that animates us to follow Christ in love...and this is good for a while until we hit the wall. That wall consists of a law in our flesh. So we have a contradiction...or a conundrum. That what we want to do...we are unable because of the presence of a law that keeps us in the grips of carnality. But Jesus was resurrected to give us His life that conquers sin and the world. So then God was "holding back" the full power, so to speak, for 2 reasons...

1, that He can't give us a gift of death and life unless we really want to fully surrender ourselves to Him. This is something that we must ask for...since He will not force this upon us.
2. God is interested to see what we will do with the problem. Will we justify ourselves IN our weakness? Or will we come to Him. This is the test of God to see of what mind we are. This is where we need to "look up". We need to sow to the Spirit by seeking the Lord.
 
Mar 28, 2016
15,954
1,528
113
#7
How? The fruit. A good tree doesn't produce bad fruit. So then if sin is persistent in a person's life then you can be sure that the power of the flesh (the law of sin and death) is at work.

It would seem that the power of the flesh (the law of sin and death) is at work in our lives til the day we die..We live in a body of death, death is the evidence . We are to be concerned with the second death as those who do not rise to new spirit life and receive the promise our new in corruptible bodies .

Only God can see into the heart of another and is able to make a change.

Its like the deliverance from Egypt . When told to apply blood of a lamb to the door way, all Jews regardless if they were walking by faith or walking by sight applied the blood. But God said; when he sees the blood (the fruit of His Spirit) it is a indication he has given His Spirit life in jeopardy of his own .

Exodus 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
 
Jul 2, 2018
60
44
18
#8
How? The fruit. A good tree doesn't produce bad fruit. So then if sin is persistent in a person's life then you can be sure that the power of the flesh (the law of sin and death) is at work.



Sow to the Spirit and you shall reap of the Spirit. How do we begin to sow?....Look up! (I mean that in every possible depth)



Death. Death means separation. So then we will fall from the initial grace time we receive at regeneration. And like Paul we will find that having a new nature is good but insufficient to overcome the law of sin (and death) in our members (the flesh).

There are 2 things we can do. We can remain defeated by the power of the flesh and cobble together verses that seem to justify sin in the one who follows (or is trying to follow) Christ. This is like Adam and Eve sinning and hiding...but this time it is hiding behind misapplied verses.

The other thing we can do (the better option and recommended) is do what we are supposed to do...go to God with the problem. That is the whole point of not giving us the full amount of grace in the first place. God wants contact with us.

Paul says in Romans 7...

"It is no longer I but sin in me..."


But after going to God this becomes...

"no longer I but Christ in me"



So what happened?

We come to the understanding that we have received a new divine nature by grace that animates us to follow Christ in love...and this is good for a while until we hit the wall. That wall consists of a law in our flesh. So we have a contradiction...or a conundrum. That what we want to do...we are unable because of the presence of a law that keeps us in the grips of carnality. But Jesus was resurrected to give us His life that conquers sin and the world. So then God was "holding back" the full power, so to speak, for 2 reasons...

1, that He can't give us a gift of death and life unless we really want to fully surrender ourselves to Him. This is something that we must ask for...since He will not force this upon us.
2. God is interested to see what we will do with the problem. Will we justify ourselves IN our weakness? Or will we come to Him. This is the test of God to see of what mind we are. This is where we need to "look up". We need to sow to the Spirit by seeking the Lord.
Thank you for confirming what I've been experiencing...going to God with the problem, then this becomes no longer I but Christ in me. He gives me the answer and understanding to the problem and there is peace. Oh how I know He wants COMPLETE control and surrender! But how?
 

Latour

Active member
Jun 11, 2018
437
255
43
#9
Thank you for confirming what I've been experiencing...going to God with the problem, then this becomes no longer I but Christ in me. He gives me the answer and understanding to the problem and there is peace. Oh how I know He wants COMPLETE control and surrender! But how?
The closer the walk with God the less the problem of sin....and vice versa.

But there is a closer walk according to the keeping power of God. That is when God determines our sacrifice to be complete. As it is written... You will seek for Me and find Me when you seek with ALL your heart.

How do we know that we have sought with all our hearts? The fire comes down. The fire of His Spirit that washes over us and into us so that we have a river of living water flowing out of us into the world. He fills our cups so as to overflow into the world. From there everything becomes easy.

So entering in is difficult..but once entered in all is joy and peace.

So we should strive to enter into Christ.
 

Latour

Active member
Jun 11, 2018
437
255
43
#10
It would seem that the power of the flesh (the law of sin and death) is at work in our lives til the day we die..We live in a body of death, death is the evidence . We are to be concerned with the second death as those who do not rise to new spirit life and receive the promise our new in corruptible bodies .
But we also have this treasure in earthen vessels. We need the key of David that unlocks the Christ potential in us. We are to overcome in this body the same way that Jesus did...by His Spirit.
Only God can see into the heart of another and is able to make a change.
yes

Its like the deliverance from Egypt . When told to apply blood of a lamb to the door way, all Jews regardless if they were walking by faith or walking by sight applied the blood. But God said; when he sees the blood (the fruit of His Spirit) it is a indication he has given His Spirit life in jeopardy of his own .

Exodus 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
The "life is in the blood." So when God sees that we are living through Christ...we are "passed over" and not judged with the judgment of the world.

But we must still strive to enter HIS rest. We still need to enter INTO Christ in order to live HIS life in us.

If we didn't have the law of sin in us then how would we know that we have been translated into the victorious resurrection life of Jesus? So we see a stark contrast between walking as any other person and walking in Christ. Although grace is freely given to us...yet we need to lose everything (empty ourselves) in order to make room for God for the full amount.
 
Jul 2, 2018
60
44
18
#11
The closer the walk with God the less the problem of sin....and vice versa.

But there is a closer walk according to the keeping power of God. That is when God determines our sacrifice to be complete. As it is written... You will seek for Me and find Me when you seek with ALL your heart.

How do we know that we have sought with all our hearts? The fire comes down. The fire of His Spirit that washes over us and into us so that we have a river of living water flowing out of us into the world. He fills our cups so as to overflow into the world. From there everything becomes easy.

So entering in is difficult..but once entered in all is joy and peace.

So we should strive to enter into Christ.
*
The closer the walk with God the less the problem of sin....and vice versa.

But there is a closer walk according to the keeping power of God. That is when God determines our sacrifice to be complete. As it is written... You will seek for Me and find Me when you seek with ALL your heart.

How do we know that we have sought with all our hearts? The fire comes down. The fire of His Spirit that washes over us and into us so that we have a river of living water flowing out of us into the world. He fills our cups so as to overflow into the world. From there everything becomes easy.

So entering in is difficult..but once entered in all is joy and peace.

So we should strive to enter into Christ.
https://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/how-to-activate-the-grace-within.1779051
 
Sep 3, 2016
6,344
530
113
#12
How do I know if I am walking after the flesh or walking after the Spirit?

How do I walk after the Spirit?

What happens if I continue to walk after the flesh?
The above post tells the Believer what to do, but how do I do the what to do you suggest that I do?
 
J

JB2018

Guest
#13
If to walk in the flesh (living opposite of what the bible tells you) then its the opposite of walking in the spirit lol
And, if you walk in the flesh you will die spiritually and be separated from God. This can be found in the book of Romans. Paul clearly talks about this. I encourage to read it.
 
Sep 3, 2016
6,344
530
113
#14
If to walk in the flesh (living opposite of what the bible tells you) then its the opposite of walking in the spirit lol
And, if you walk in the flesh you will die spiritually and be separated from God. This can be found in the book of Romans. Paul clearly talks about this. I encourage to read it.
Does this means we lose our justification by faith and not saved any longer?
 

Latour

Active member
Jun 11, 2018
437
255
43
#15
Does this means we lose our justification by faith and not saved any longer?

There is no condemnation for they who remain in Christ....who walk according to the Spirit. But for those who are at ease and make walking in the flesh an acceptable thing...loss.
 

PennEd

Senior Member
Apr 22, 2013
13,614
9,127
113
#16
There is no condemnation for they who remain in Christ....who walk according to the Spirit. But for those who are at ease and make walking in the flesh an acceptable thing...loss.
I couldn't find a SINGLE translation that have stated Romans 8:1 says: Why did YOU add the word 'remain"?

I think there is some works Gospel seeping in to some of your posts.

Romans 8:1 New King James Version (NKJV)
Free from Indwelling Sin
8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are IN Christ Jesus, who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
 
Jul 2, 2018
60
44
18
#17
But we also have this treasure in earthen vessels. We need the key of David that unlocks the Christ potential in us. We are to overcome in this body the same way that Jesus did...by His Spirit.


yes



The "life is in the blood." So when God sees that we are living through Christ...we are "passed over" and not judged with the judgment of the world.

But we must still strive to enter HIS rest. We still need to enter INTO Christ in order to live HIS life in us.

If we didn't have the law of sin in us then how would we know that we have been translated into the victorious resurrection life of Jesus? So we see a stark contrast between walking as any other person and walking in Christ. Although grace is freely given to us...yet we need to lose everything (empty ourselves) in order to make room for God for the full amount.
...we need to lose everything (empty ourselves) in order to make room for God for the full amount...
A sister said to me Sunday, "we are doing business in deep waters now, so we must empty ourselves for His fullness"...
He must increase so I must decrease.
Jn3:30
I don't have much revelation on what 'empty ourselves' looks like.
Jesus emptied himself of His diety...
 

Latour

Active member
Jun 11, 2018
437
255
43
#18
I couldn't find a SINGLE translation that have stated Romans 8:1 says: Why did YOU add the word 'remain"?

I think there is some works Gospel seeping in to some of your posts.

Romans 8:1 New King James Version (NKJV)
Free from Indwelling Sin
8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are IN Christ Jesus, who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

The bible should be read in it's entire counsel.

John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of 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, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.


it is error to try understanding the message of God by a single verse. The tendency is to hope it means what you want it to mean. But if you keep in mind that the truth is hard for us to handle and the way is narrow...you will have an easier time understanding the word.
 

Latour

Active member
Jun 11, 2018
437
255
43
#19
...we need to lose everything (empty ourselves) in order to make room for God for the full amount...
A sister said to me Sunday, "we are doing business in deep waters now, so we must empty ourselves for His fullness"...
He must increase so I must decrease.
Jn3:30
I don't have much revelation on what 'empty ourselves' looks like.
Jesus emptied himself of His diety...

That is a difficult problem. We aren't that in touch with our needs...especially if our outward needs are being met. It helps to be in need when seeking God as it is from there that the ability to press through comes from..so often.

If we seek for Him as if He was a lost child of ours...or a lost friend...then perhaps..
 
Jul 2, 2018
60
44
18
#20
That is a difficult problem. We aren't that in touch with our needs...especially if our outward needs are being met. It helps to be in need when seeking God as it is from there that the ability to press through comes from..so often.

If we seek for Him as if He was a lost child of ours...or a lost friend...then perhaps..
Wow. Yes.