Even Believers Must Learn to Live by the Spirit
We believe in Jesus. We go to church, we pray, we read our Bibles. So why must we also learn to live "in the Spirit”?
Many believers carry a quiet struggle they rarely say out loud. In their hearts they long to serve God faithfully and to live by His Word. Yet in daily life, instead of the life that pleases God, they find themselves falling back into the same patterns of the flesh again and again.
Some of us cannot break free from drinking too much, or from habits we have promised to quit a hundred times. When we are hurt, anger and harsh words come out before we can stop them. Some chase easy luck through gambling or betting apps. Others, alone behind a screen, give in to pornography and then live under a cloud of guilt. Why is it that even as followers of Christ, we cannot seem to escape the pull of the flesh?
Our Old Nature Cannot Be Conquered by Our Own Strength
Consider the ministry of the apostle Paul. In Ephesus, he taught daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus for two full years (Acts 19:9-10). What, then, did the lives of those well-taught believers look like?
The letter to the Ephesians reveals a sobering reality. Paul reminds them that this is not the way they learned Christ (Ephesians 4:20-21), and he urges them to throw off the old self, corrupted by deceitful desires (4:22). Then he gets specific: stop telling lies, do not let the sun go down on your anger, stop stealing (4:25-28). Exhortations like these tell us that even believers who had received excellent teaching still felt the stubborn tug of their old habits. So Paul presses them: once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live as children of light and bear the fruit of light (5:8-9).
Was this only an Ephesian problem? Not at all. Paul himself confesses the very same inner conflict. With his mind he wants to serve the law of God, yet in his flesh he finds himself still following the law of sin. And he cries out:
"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?" (Romans 7:24, NLT)
This is the condition of every human being who lives in the flesh. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, human nature has been corrupted through and through. Reformed theology calls this total depravity: not that we are as wicked as we could possibly be, but that no part of us has escaped the reach of sin. We cannot live righteously by our own power. Nothing we think, say, or do in our own strength is wholly good in the sight of God. Scripture declares that no one is righteous, not even one; all have turned aside, and no one does good (Romans 3:10-12).
However firmly we resolve and however hard we strive, the flesh that remains in us still loves darkness more than light. When temptation comes, our hearts waver easily, and we drift with the currents of this world, following the desires of the flesh just as we did before we knew Christ (Ephesians 2:2-3).
The Secret of Victory Lies in the Spirit's Help and Leading
Can we, then, live in this fallen world without being ruled by the flesh, living by faith in a way that pleases God? Thanks be to God, Jesus knew our fatal weakness well. That is why He promised to send the Holy Spirit to all who believe in Him (John 14:16-17; Acts 1:8).
The Spirit makes possible what we could never accomplish by our own strength. We who were once dragged along by our sinful nature finally begin to put to death the desires of the flesh when, by the Spirit's help, we start living in the Spirit (Romans 8:13). The Puritans called this the work of mortification. Here begins a life that delights to keep God's law and truly brings Him pleasure.
If we live according to the flesh, we will die. But if we rely on the power of the Spirit, we can walk not according to the flesh but according to God's holy will. Those who are led by the Spirit and live in Him in this way are the children of God (Romans 8:1-17).
Scripture Commands Us to Be Filled with the Spirit
Beloved, which life will we choose? Will we live according to the flesh, or in the Spirit? Our answer to that question decides whether our Christian life ends in victory or defeat.
Even believers who have received the Spirit will taste defeat if they keep following the desires of the flesh. But if, by the Spirit's help, we discipline our bodies and bring them into submission to the Word (1 Corinthians 9:27), and walk by the Spirit, we will live victoriously by faith. This does not mean the battle with sin is over in this life. The Westminster Confession rightly calls it "a continual and irreconcilable war" (WCF 13.2). But the Spirit lifts us up where we have fallen and conforms us, day by day, to the image of Christ.
To live victoriously by faith every day, then, we must be filled with the Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul gives this command to believers who had trusted Christ and learned the Word, yet still clung to the habits of the old self:
"Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18, NLT)
The command not to get drunk is a literal prohibition, and it also reaches further. Just as wine takes hold of a person and governs him, the spirit of this age can seize us, shaping our values until we simply follow wherever our fallen nature leads. To resist the excess and cravings of this world and live for God's good pleasure, the believer must be governed not by wine but by the Spirit. That is why being filled with the Spirit is essential for every Christian.
Being filled with the Spirit is not a second blessing to be chased, nor a mystical experience. It is the Spirit ruling our thoughts, words, and actions through His Word. That is why Paul describes the Spirit-filled life as singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another, giving thanks for everything, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:19-21).
The Spirit's Fullness Is Sustained Through Training in Godliness
When we first believe in Jesus, the Spirit comes to dwell within us. But His indwelling does not automatically guarantee that we will always be filled with the Spirit. When the self grows strong, we can slide back into living by the flesh, even though we have received the Spirit. This is why the command of Ephesians 5:18 is not a one-time event. Paul writes it as an ongoing command: keep on being filled.
Sustained fullness of the Spirit therefore requires, above all, training in godliness. Paul urged Timothy to train himself for godliness, which is of value in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the life to come (1 Timothy 4:7-8). He charged him to devote himself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching, so that everyone could see his progress (4:13-15), and to continue in the truths he had learned and firmly believed (2 Timothy 3:14).
Reading and meditating on the Word, persevering in prayer, and receiving the sacraments are the channels through which the Spirit fills us. The Reformed tradition calls these the ordinary means of grace. Let us keep pressing on in this training, so that our growth and maturity in the faith may be evident to all.
Stand Firm as Faithful Servants Whom God Commends
Beloved, do you not long to be more than a Christian in name only, a religious person with the appearance of godliness but none of its substance? Do you want to live as a faithful believer whom God truly approves and delights in?
Then we must resolve, every day, to be led by the Spirit, to walk by the Spirit, and to live by the Spirit. Then, when we stand before the throne of God, we will not hear those dreadful words, "I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws" (Matthew 7:23, NLT). Instead, we will hear: "Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!" (Matthew 25:21, NLT). This commendation is not a wage earned by our merit. It is the fruit of the grace of God, who saved us and by His Spirit kept us to the very end.
So may each of you live daily in the fullness of the Spirit and the discipline of godliness, and on the day you stand before the Lord, receive praise, honor, and glory, and enter into the everlasting joy of heaven. This is my prayer for you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
About Author
Choi Jong Eui
Pastor, teacher, and writer committed to connecting Christian faith with everyday life. He writes with the hope of praising the Lord and faithfully completing the mission entrusted to him, bearing good fruit to the glory of God.
