THE HOLY SPIRIT (cont'd)
And He that searcheth the
hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession
for the saints according to the will of God.” What a companion
that He even continually prays for us making sure that all the things
that we should petition God for are indeed petitioned for.
Certainly, knowing that the Holy Spirit is such a great companion,
we would want to walk in the Spirit, being always filled with the
Spirit. These two statements seem to be presented in most fundamental
churches in such a way as to make them seem unapproachable or unattainable.
Indeed, however, they are attainable or reachable by all who know
Christ as their Savior. So what does it mean to “walk in the
Spirit?” Galatians 5:16 tells us, “This I say then, Walk
in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
When we look carefully at this verse several things are discovered.
First, the word translated “walk” is peripate-oh. This
word is often translated walk and carries with it the idea of dwelling,
walking around in, or living by/in. Second the phrase “in the
Spirit” is what is referred to as the instrumental dative. The
instrumental dative tells us the instrument by which something is
done or the means by which it is done. In other words, a paraphrase
of this passage could read: “Walk by the power of the Holy Spirit
dwelling in His presence all day long.” To “walk in the
Spirit” is to keep ourselves pointed at Jesus, constantly looking
in His face, holding the Word of God always before us, and keeping
our thoughts and heart centered on His presence.
The other phrase, “be filled with the Spirit,” carries
a similar meaning. Ephesians 5:18 commands us, “Be filled with
the Spirit.” The word translated “filled” is playro-oh.
This word means to be made full, to be liberally supplied, or to be
controlled by. The phrase “with the Spirit” is as in the
previous passage an instrumental dative indicating the instrument
by which the filling is done. This passage could be paraphrased, “Be
made full by, liberally supplied by, or controlled by means of the
Holy Spirit.” In other words, to be filled with the Holy Spirit
means to have the Holy Spirit bathe you in the light of the Word of
God to the point that all earthly influences fade to nothing. All
of us can experience the filling of the Spirit or walking in the Spirit.
The very moment we accept Christ as our Savior we have our first moment
of being filled with the Spirit. As we grow and learn to lean on Jesus
more and more we reach a point where we begin experiencing the filling
of the Holy Spirit. As we continue to grow we spend more and more
time being filled with the Spirit and walking in the Spirit. We simply
become more and more fully influenced by the Holy Spirit through the
Word of God and less and less influenced by the world, the flesh,
and the devil. It’s only a matter of faith.
Look at this, another way. The diagrams below are designed to picture
the two cases, walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh. Look
at them carefully.
