Walking in the Spirit

I was doing a word study this week in Galatians and ran across something interesting.

Galatians 5:16 says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh."

A few verses later, Paul writes in Galatians 5:25, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

So I decided to look up the word walk in these two verses. Turns out, there are two different words for walk that are used.

In Galatians 5:16, the word walk is actually peripateo in Greek. It literally means to regulate one's life or the conduct of one's life. Paul is saying that when we order our life by the Spirit, we will live for the Spirit and not carry out the desires of the flesh.

Interestingly, in Galations 5:25, the word walk is stoicheo in Greek. It means to proceed in a row as the march of a soldier or to go in order. In the context of the passage, Paul is saying that if we are to live by the Holy Spirit, we need to follow in His path and be in step with Him.

When we regulate and conduct our lives by the Holy Spirit and when we go in step with Him, Paul explains that we will not carry out the desires of the flesh and we will live by the Spirit. It's not always the easiest thing to do but when we allow God to regulate our lives, we see Him breakthrough and pour out into our cirucmstances.