I say then, walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

“Every soul, then, by reason of its birth, has its nature in Adam until it is born again in Christ; moreover, it is unclean all the while that it remains without this regeneration; and because unclean, it is actively sinful, and suffuses even the flesh (by reason of their conjunction) with its own shame. Now although the flesh is sinful, and we are forbidden to walk in accordance with it, and its works are condemned as lusting against the spirit, and men on its account are censured as carnal, yet the flesh has not such ignominy on its own account.”

“Here he points out another path which makes duty easy, and secures what had been said, a path whereby love is generated, and which is fenced in by love. For nothing, nothing I say, renders us so susceptible of love, as to be spiritual, and nothing is such an inducement to the Spirit to abide in us, as the strength of love. Therefore he says, "Walk by the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh:" having spoken of the cause of the disease, he likewise mentions the remedy which confers health. And what is this, what is the destruction of the evils we have spoken of, but the life in the Spirit? hence he says, "Walk by the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."”

“After the Apostle has shown in what the state of spiritual life consists — namely, that it consists in charity — he consequently here deals with the cause of that state, namely the Holy Spirit, whom he says must be followed. Here he sets down a threefold benefit of the Holy Spirit. The first of these is liberation from the servitude of the flesh; the second is liberation from the servitude of the law; and the third is the conferring of life, or security from the damnation of death. The second is given where he says, "But if you are led," etc. The third, where he says, "If we live by the spirit," etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets down the first benefit of the Spirit; second he shows the necessity of this benefit, where he says, "For the flesh," etc. He says therefore: I say that you ought through charity to serve one another by the Spirit, because nothing profits without charity. But I say this: "in Christ," that is, through faith in Christ, "walk by the spirit," that is, by mind and reason. For sometimes our mind is called "spirit," according to that word of Ephesians 4: "be renewed in the spirit of your mind"; and 1 Corinthians 4: "I will sing with the spirit, I will sing also with the mind." Or, "walk by the spirit," that is, make progress by the Holy Spirit through good working. For the Holy Spirit moves and instigates hearts to work well. Romans 8:14: "who are led by the Spirit of God," etc. One must walk, therefore, by the spirit, that is, by the mind, so that reason or the mind itself may agree with the law of God, as is said in Romans 7:16. For the human spirit is of itself vain, and unless it is ruled from elsewhere, it wavers this way and that, as is said in Sirach 34:6: "and as the heart of one in labor conceives fantasies unless a visitation has been sent from the Most High," etc. Whence of certain men it is said in Ephesians 4:17: "they walk in the vanity of their sense," etc. Human reason, therefore, cannot stand perfectly, except insofar as it is made right by the divine Spirit. And therefore the Apostle says, "walk by the spirit," that is, through the Holy Spirit ruling and leading, whom we ought to follow as one showing the way. For the knowledge of the supernatural end is not ours except from the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9: "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man," etc., and it continues: "but to us God has revealed it through his Spirit." Likewise as one inclining us. For the Holy Spirit instigates, and inclines the affection to willing well. Romans 8:14: "who are led by the Spirit of God," etc. Psalm 142:10: "your good spirit shall lead me into the right land." Now one must walk by the spirit for this reason: because it frees from the corruption of the flesh. Whence it follows, "and you shall not fulfill the desires of the flesh," that is, the delights of the flesh, which the flesh suggests. This the Apostle desired, saying in Romans 7:24: "unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The grace of God," etc. And afterward he concludes in the eighth chapter: "there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh." The reason for this he subjoins in the same place, saying: "for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me from the law," etc. And this is the special desire of the saints, that they not fulfill the desires to which the flesh instigates — yet in such a way that under this are not included the desires that pertain to the necessity of the flesh, but those that pertain to superfluity. Consequently, when he says, "for the flesh lusts," etc., he sets down the necessity of this benefit, which arises from the mutual assault of flesh and spirit. And first he sets down the assault itself; second he manifests it through a clear sign, where he says, "for these are contrary to one another," etc. He says therefore: it is necessary that through the spirit you overcome the desires of the flesh. For "the flesh lusts against the spirit." But here there seems to be a difficulty, since, since to lust is an act of the soul alone, it does not seem to belong to the flesh. To this it must be said, according to Augustine, that the flesh is said to lust insofar as the soul, by means of the flesh itself, lusts — just as the eye is said to see, though it is rather the soul that sees through the eye. Thus, then, the soul lusts through the flesh when it seeks after those things which are delightful according to the flesh. But the soul lusts of itself when it is delighted in those things which are according to the spirit, such as the works of the virtues and the contemplation of divine things and the meditation of wisdom. Wisdom 6:21: "the desire of wisdom, therefore, leads to an everlasting kingdom," etc. But if the flesh lusts through the spirit, how does it lust against it? In this, namely, that the concupiscence of the flesh impedes the concupiscence of the spirit. For since the delightful things of the flesh are goods that are below us, while the delightful things of the spirit are goods that are above us, it happens that when the soul is occupied about the lower things, which are of the flesh, it is drawn back from the higher things, which are of the spirit. But there seems to be a difficulty also about what he says, namely, that "the spirit lusts against the flesh." For if we here take "spirit" for the Holy Spirit, and the concupiscence of the Holy Spirit is against evils, it seems to follow that the flesh, against which the spirit lusts, is evil, and thus the error of the Manichean follows. I respond. It must be said that the spirit does not lust against the nature of the flesh, but against its desires, namely those which are for superfluity. Whence also it was said above: "the desires of the flesh," namely the superfluous ones, "you shall not fulfill." For in necessary things the spirit does not contradict the flesh, since, as is said in Ephesians 5:29, "no man ever hated his own flesh." Consequently, when he says, "for these," etc., he sets down the sign of the mutual conflict, as if he were saying: it is clear by experience that they fight against one another and are contrary, to such an extent that "not whatsoever things you will" — namely, good or evil — "you do," that is, you are permitted to do. Romans 7:19: "for the good which I will, I do not, but," etc. Nevertheless free choice is not thereby taken away. For since free choice consists in this, that it has election, freedom of choice is found in those things which fall under election. But not all the things that are in us are simply subject to our choice, but only in a certain respect. For in a particular instance I can avoid this or that movement of concupiscence or of anger, but in general we cannot avoid all movements of anger or concupiscence, and this on account of the corruption of the tinder introduced from the first sin. But it should be noted that there are four kinds of men with respect to concupiscences, of whom none does whatsoever he wills. For the intemperate, who out of set purpose follow the carnal passions, according to that word of Proverbs 2:14, "who rejoice when they have done evil," do indeed do what they will, insofar as they follow those very passions; but insofar as their own reason murmurs against it and it displeases them, they do what they do not will. The incontinent, however, who have the purpose of abstaining, and yet are overcome by the passions, do indeed do what they do not will, insofar as they follow those very passions against their own purpose; and thus the intemperate do more of what they will. The continent, however, who would wish altogether not to lust, do what they will while they do not lust; but because they cannot altogether not lust, they do what they do not will. The temperate, on the other hand, do indeed what they will, insofar as, the flesh being tamed, they do not lust; but because it cannot be tamed entirely so that it does not in some measure resist the spirit — just as neither can malice grow so great that reason does not murmur against it — therefore, when at some time they do lust, they do what they do not will, yet more of what they will.”

“I say then y Walk in the Spirit. The summary, the one aim of the whole of this Epistle, is this : Walk not in the law, not in the flesh, but in the Spirit The root of all your trouble is want of the Spirit: if you had Him, you would shut out as well the legal as the carnal life. To walk in the Spirit is to order our whole life after the impulse of the Spirit, who inspires us to works of piety, to prayer, faith, THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT 317 charity, and works of mercy. This Spirit the Apostles received abundantly at Pentecost, as did the first Christians, and they added to the gift they then received by loyally following His workings, by labouring and suffering everything, if only they might bring others to Christ, by fiery charity and burning zeaL Whither has fled that Spirit now? Lord Jesus, kindle in us that fire which Thou earnest to send on earth, and which Thou didst will to bum vehemently”

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,.... By "flesh" is meant, not the carnal or literal sense of the Scripture, which is Origen's gloss, as militating against the spiritual sense of it; nor the sensual part of man rebelling against his rational powers; but the corruption of nature, which still is in regenerate persons: and is so called because it is propagated by carnal generation; has for its object carnal things; its lusts and works are fleshly; and though it has its seat in the heart, it shows itself in the flesh or members of the body, which are yielded as instruments of unrighteousness; and it makes and denominates men carnal, even believers themselves so far as it prevails: by "the Spirit" is meant the internal principle of grace in a regenerate man, and is so called from the author of it, the Spirit of God, whose name it bears, because it is his workmanship; and from the seat and subject of it, the soul or spirit of man; and from the nature of it, it is spiritual, a new heart and a new Spirit; its objects are spiritual, and it minds, savours, and delights in spiritual things: and the meaning of the lusting of the one against the other, for it is reciprocal, hence it follows, and the Spirit against the flesh, is that the one wills, chooses, desires, and affects what is contrary to the other; so the flesh, or the old man, the carnal I, in regenerate persons, wills, chooses, desires, and loves carnal things, which are contrary to the Spirit or principle of grace in the soul; and on the other hand, the Spirit or the new man, the spiritual I, wills, chooses, desire, approves, and loves spiritual things, such as are contrary to corrupt nature; and this sense is strengthened by the Oriental versions. The Syriac version reads, "for the flesh desires that" "which hurts", or is contrary to "the Spirit"; and "the Spirit desires that which hurts", or is contrary to the "flesh"; and much in the same way the Arabic version renders it, "for the flesh desires that which militates against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires that which militates against the flesh"; to which the Ethiopic version agrees, reading it thus, "for the flesh desires what the Spirit would not, and the Spirit desires what the flesh would not"; the reason whereof is suggested in the next clause: and these are contrary the one to the other; as light and darkness, fire and water, or any two opposites can be thought to be; they are contrary in their nature, actings, and effects; there is not only a repugnancy to each other, but a continued war, conflict, and combat, is maintained between them; the flesh is the law in the members or force of sin, which wars against the spirit, the law in the mind, or the force and power of the principle of grace; these are the company of two armies, to be seen in the Shulamite, fighting one against the other. So the Jews say (w) of the good imagination, and of the evil one, by which they mean the same as here, that they are like Abraham and Lot; and that "though they are brethren, joined in one body, , "they are enemies to one another";'' hence it follows, so that ye cannot do the good that ye would which may be understood both of evil things and of good things. The former seems to be chiefly the apostle's sense; since the whole of this text is a reason given why those who walk spiritually shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh, because they have a powerful governing principle in them, the Spirit, or grace; which though the flesh lusts against, and opposes itself unto, yet that also rises up against the flesh, and often hinders it from doing the works and lusts of it. There is in regenerate men a propensity and inclination to sin, a carnal I, that wills and desires sin, and wishes for an opportunity to do it, which when it offers, the flesh strongly solicits to it; but the Spirit, or the internal principle of grace, opposes the motion; and like another Joseph says, how can I commit this great wickedness and sin against a God of so much love and grace? it is a voice behind and even in a believer, which, when he is tempted to turn to the right hand or the left, says, this is the way, walk in it, and will not suffer him to go into crooked paths with the workers of iniquity; and so sin cannot have the dominion over him, because he is under grace as a reigning principle; and the old man cannot do the evil things he would, being under the restraints of mighty grace. This is the apostle's principal sense, and best suits with his reasoning in the context; but inasmuch as the lusting and opposition of these two principles are mutual and reciprocal, the other sense may also be taken in; as that oftentimes, by reason of the prevalence of corrupt nature, and power of indwelling sin, a regenerate man does the evil he would not, and cannot do the good he would; for he would always do good and nothing else, and even as the angels do it in heaven; but he cannot, because of this opposite principle, the flesh. (w) Tzeror, Hammor, fol. 15. 3.”

“Walk in the Spirit - Get back that Spirit of God which you have grieved and lost; take up that spiritual religion which you have abandoned. Ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh - If the Spirit of God dwell in and rule your heart, the whole carnal mind will be destroyed; and then, not only carnal ordinances will be abandoned, but also the works and propensities of the flesh.”

“This I say then--Repeating in other words, and explaining the sentiment in Gal 5:13, What I mean is this." Walk in the Spirit--Greek, "By (the rule of) the (Holy) Spirit." Compare Gal 5:16-18, Gal 5:22, Gal 5:25; Gal 6:1-8, with Rom 7:22; Rom 8:11. The best way to keep tares out of a bushel is to fill it with wheat. the flesh--the natural man, out of which flow the evils specified (Gal 5:19-21). The spirit and the flesh mutually exclude one another. It is promised, not that we should have no evil lusts, but that we should "not fulfil" them. If the spirit that is in us can be at ease under sin, it is not a spirit that comes from the Holy Spirit. The gentle dove trembles at the sight even of a hawk's feather.”