Gal. 5:16 But I say, Walk by the Spirit and you shall by no means fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Gal. 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

 

LIVING BY THE SPIRIT

For years I have tried to understand 5:25, where Paul speaks, on the one hand, of living by the Spirit and, on the other, of walking by the Spirit. I did not know the difference between living and walking. It seemed to me that walking included living. Eventually I came to see that to live by the Spirit involves first to have life and then to live. To be born is a once-for-all matter, but to have life and to live is not once for all. On the contrary, it is a lifelong matter, for we are constantly receiving life in order to live. For example, to stay alive we must breathe moment by moment. It is not sufficient to breathe only at the moment we are born. In like manner, we need to receive life moment by moment in order to live. To live by the Spirit is, therefore, to have life and then to live. Once we have life and live, we are able to walk, to have our being in a particular way.

WALKING ABOUT AND WALKING IN LINE

As we consider the two kinds of walk by the Spirit, we shall refer to the walk in 5:16 as the first kind and to that in 5:25 as the second. The Greek word for walk in verse 16, peripateo, means to have our being, to deport ourselves, to order our manner of life, to walk about. It is used with respect to ordinary daily life. It denotes a common, habitual daily walk. This understanding of walking by the Spirit is confirmed by verses 22 and 23, where Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit. The various aspects of the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in these verses are not unusual things; they are aspects of our ordinary daily life. Therefore, the walk in verse 16 is our habitual and common daily walk.

The Greek word for walk in verse 25, stoicheo, has a very different meaning. It is derived from a root which means to arrange in a line. This may be illustrated by the movement of traffic in designated lanes on a highway. Thus, the Greek word for walk here means to walk in line. It also means to march in military rank. Walking in this way, like soldiers marching in rank, requires that we keep in step.

As we compare these two kinds of walk, we see that the second is more regulated than the first. In the second walk we need to walk like an army and keep in step, whereas in the first kind of walk we are free to walk about. However, both kinds of walk, the common, ordinary walk and the walking in line or in rank, are by the Spirit.

Actually everyone has two kinds of walk in his human life. The first kind of walk is general, a walking about. This includes all the ordinary things in our daily living. The second kind of walk is a walk with a specific purpose and toward a definite goal. For example, each day a young person must take care of the affairs of ordinary life. This is the first kind of walk. However, he must also go to school and study with a view toward graduation. This is the second kind of walk, the walk toward a goal.

WO KINDS OF WALK
We Must Have the Second Kind of Walk, a Walk to Fulfill God’s Purpose

According to the Bible, every believer in Christ should have two kinds of walk by the Spirit. The first walk is our daily walk; the second is the walk in the divine rules and steps. As Christians, we are not those walking about on earth without a purpose. We have been created by God and also re-created and regenerated by Him with a definite purpose. Therefore, we must have the second kind of walk, a walk to fulfill God’s purpose and to reach the goal of our life on earth.

The First Kind of Walk is Needed as a Support for the Second Kind

For example, no student can do well in school if his ordinary daily walk is not proper. If he walks in a way that is foolish or nonsensical, he will not be able to graduate. In such a case he would not have the first walk as a support for the second walk toward the goal of graduation. The second walk, which is related to carrying out our purpose in life, must be sustained by the first walk. Every human being needs to have two kinds of walk. In the first, he lives and walks about; in the second, he accomplishes his purpose on earth. To fulfill our purpose on earth, we need the second walk. But to carry out the second walk, we need the first walk. Thus, the first walk supports the second, and the second is the walk toward the goal.

The Walk which Builds up a Proper Daily Living and a Walk in Line with
the Divine Rules and Principles to Reach the Goal Estab¬lished by God

In the first kind of walk by the Spirit, we live, have our being, and walk about by the Spirit. This walk is a support to the second walk, a walk with a direction toward a goal. As children of God, we are not those without purpose. Our lives on earth have a definite purpose. We do not walk about aim¬lessly. God has an eternal purpose, and His intention is that His people should live for His purpose. Both God’s creation of us and His regeneration are for the carrying out of His pur¬pose. Because God is purposeful and seeks to reach His goal, He charges us to have two kinds of walk by the Spirit: the walk which builds up a proper daily living and a walk in line with the divine rules and principles to reach the goal estab¬lished by God.

Among today’s Christians, both kinds of walk have been damaged. In the first place, many Christians do not live a proper Christian life. They do not have a life of prayer, they do not read the Bible regularly, and they do not contact the Lord consistently. Instead of walking by the Spirit, they walk by their ethics or morality. They may not steal or lie; however, even though they are good, honest, and faithful, they do not walk by the Spirit. Rather, they walk by their own standards. This means that in actual practice they walk by the flesh and the self. They may succeed in refraining from evil, but they do not care for the Spirit. They care for their taste, choice, preference, and desire.

In order for us to have a proper living as children of God, we need to have the first kind of walk by the Spirit. This means that we should not walk by anything in place of the Spirit. (Life-study of Galatians, pp. 333-334, 345-347).