"Walking in the Spirit" is an incredibly interesting and attractive topic, but at the same time quite difficult. It raises many questions and tempts one to discover just as many answers, based on a multitude of opinions. To understand this requires much humility and thoughtful insight into everything the Holy Spirit says in Scripture.
Walking in the Spirit is often understood as living solely by inspiration , to the point where even the Bible fades into the background. Some understand it as living in personal revelation , while others see it as legalism, leading a lifestyle that resembles exemplary Christianity. Some ministers often associate walking in the Spirit with the unconditional obedience of church members. (I would wish that the ministers themselves would be a model of obedience.)
All this happens because we understand the spirituality differently. In fact, the spirituality and walking in the Spirit are very closely connected. As I reflected on this, I suddenly realized that the Russian synodal translation of the Bible, unlike Eugen Schlachter's German translation, does not contain the expression "walking in the Spirit ."
I will give some examples:
- Synodal translation: “ I say: Act according to the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh ” and “ If we live in the Spirit, we must act according to the Spirit” (Gal 5:16, 25).
- German translation: “ Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh ” and “ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal 5:16, 25).
As I compared these scriptures, I remembered one of the most amazing and greatest promises of the New Testament: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).
Here, God's eternal promises are inextricably linked with His unchanging commandments. That is to say, faith in God is connected with obedience to God , and the necessity and blessedness of being in Him is connected with the law of the Spirit of life, which works inseparably and ceaselessly in us through Christ.
This connection is concrete, lasting, and inseparable, and essentially continues throughout one's entire life. It concerns the astonishing revelation and work of God's goodness in His children.
God's eternal promises are inextricably linked to His unchanging commandments.
To walk in the Spirit—that is: life in God ; it is constant transformation into the image of the Son of God. The Holy Spirit performs this miracle in us by keeping Him and His glory constantly in our sight!
It is the grace and love of God to us, revealed in Jesus Christ for rebirth, sanctification, and coming glorification, when Christ will come and receive into His glory all who have believed in Him, who have loved Him, and who impatiently awaited His coming on the clouds of heaven!
This is the great and saving work of the Son of God, which has broken the chains of sin and fear. This has lifted us from the earth and destroyed all earthly attraction and the power of sin. Because we lived under the law of sin and death (through Adam) and were deprived of the glory of God, we could not "rise." And only the powerful work of God's grace delivers us from the bonds of sin, enabling us to live a completely different life.
Indeed, life in the Spirit enables the children of God to draw sustenance from divine sources and to live according to God's principles. The purpose of such a life is to strive for heaven. God does not merely have some power over such a person, but that person belongs entirely to God (cf. Gal 2:19-20; 2 Cor 5:14-15).
Life in God is constant transformation into the image of the Son of God.
One day I visited a terminally ill believer. His words made me shudder. The person said he apparently was neither a fornicator nor a murderer, yet sometimes such thoughts crossed his mind, which was terrible. I have no doubt that a dying person can experience severe temptations, but to resist them simply by recognizing that there are no two or three grave sins becomes frightening for such a person.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has not only freed us, who live by faith, from the bondage of sin, but has given us a completely different way of life. God has revived us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, giving us hope for the living. And for God's people today, it is important not only to live the life of a person freed from sin, but also to live in such a way as to love God and our fellow human beings.
And this is necessarily connected to our transformation in the Spirit; it is not simply a matter of following the law, but a true life lived in grace. God does not need our "self-made" righteousness: not touching, not eating, not handling. He wants His people to walk in the Spirit and on the heights of the Spirit, united with Him, moved and inspired by Him, and relying on His power.
God has set each of His sons and daughters on the path of righteousness so that they do not simply seek what they can and cannot allow into their lives without losing salvation. Even in the smallest things, we must seek how we can glorify our Savior more and how we can draw closer to Him, so that we may continually live with Him and through Him.
God has freed us from the power of sin, not to return us to a primitive, untested, original righteousness of Adam and Eve. God has enlightened us with the knowledge of His glory in the person of Jesus Christ. And the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Son of God in us by reflecting His perfection in us.
The powerful work of God's grace frees us from the shackles of sin and enables us to lead a completely different life.
The great problem today is that after the revival in the days of Perestroika, when the churches were filled with many new converts, another, very unpleasant and incomprehensible reality has emerged – they began to leave the churches again.
Some brothers claim that we need another revival because people are bored with prayer; it's simply no longer interesting. However, I think this problem cannot be solved by another revival. The need exists, but not amidst successive outbreaks of different kinds of blessings. On the contrary, you must learn to be constantly in a joyful walk of the Spirit. If this isn't the case, after two or three revivals, there will be a desert in our churches—excuse me—everyone will run out of steam!
I'm not saying that it's not necessary to seek new blessings, gifts, new awakening, and renewal in the Spirit—no! I myself pray for this all the time. But it seems to me that the urgent need of modern churches is "zeal for the great gifts."
Brother Peter Novorok expressed it perfectly at one of the Christian conferences: “Gain love and strive for the gifts of God, as it says in Holy Scripture. People cannot live from revival to revival, remembering the past, living in the future, and leading a carnal life in between. The pursuit of great blessings, of great gifts, that is the path ordained by God.” And I wholeheartedly agree.
Another brother, Viktor Ivanovich Belykh, said a strange, surprising, and in his own way terrible thing: “In prayer, our people are spiritual, but when they rise from their knees, they often behave in a completely carnal way.” And that is indeed what happens.
Even in the smallest things we must look for ways to glorify our Savior even more and how we can draw closer to Him.
To walk in the Spirit means to live a life on our knees, seeking God. And when we walk in the Spirit, our prayer life isn't limited to how much time we spend on our knees. It completely shapes a person's spiritual life and has an indescribably powerful effect on everything, as it is written: "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth" (Psalm 145:17-19).
The permanence of change in the spirit can be expressed through the words of a short prayer: “God, I want to have fellowship with You, constantly! God help me in this!” The Lord hears those who call upon Him, those who call upon Him in truth.
But prayer is not a monologue, not simply a state in which a person speaks and God listens. You can pray a lot and still not grow spiritually. Prayer is a conversation with God (dialogue), when a person prays and hears God answer them. Not necessarily in the form of personal revelations, but more often through His Word and in His Son.
When a person opens their heart to the Lord, pours out their soul, and brings their troubles to Him, our Savior hears and answers them. But we must turn to God "according to His will" (cf. 1 John 5:14-15). This doesn't mean that one must run to the prophet with every trouble to ask if it aligns with God's will. A Christian should stand and live in the Spirit, like King David, to whom the prophet Nathan said that he should do whatever was in his heart, for God was with him. What is needed for this? To live in the truth that belongs to piety, to have love for the Word of God and to believe in it—that is, to live and walk in the Spirit.
Love for the Word should not be understood as it is expressed in popular liberal pseudo-Christian circles. Today, it is fashionable to value the possession of information above all else, to have knowledge, while leaving true spirituality and the ability to discern God's ways in the background (cf. Ps 103:7).
I really like the words of Charles Spurgeon: It is better to be a patient of Christ than a Doctor of Theology . I think that's superior because the "patient of Christ" loves the Word of God, because it instructs him in the faith. One of my first pastors was a man who couldn't pronounce my name, but he taught me not to rely on my own intellect, but to love the Word of God and live by it. He was able to show that wise preaching isn't where there's a lot of information, but where the preacher is instructed in the faith.
Constant spiritual renewal is an inalienable and essential part of walking in the Spirit. This is necessary for everyone, especially those whose revival began with an immediate spiritual ascent. And renewal will occur when revival is not simply followed by the accumulation of information in the mind, but when love for the Word of God awakens. Therefore, it is written that after tasting how good the Lord is, one should love pure milk (cf. John 8:31-32).
Clergy cannot be acquired through specific works or great knowledge.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His disciples that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world . With this, He affirmed that if people live by faith and follow Him, they will undoubtedly become light and salt for the world.
If we walk in the Spirit, the fruit will grow . All this does not happen automatically. A Christian must continually sow the seed of the Spirit in the field of the Spirit (cf. Gal 6:7-8), that is, remain in faith, be led by the Spirit, and live in the fear of God.
If I want an apple orchard, I have to plant apple trees. If you plant pears, you'll never get apples. God makes the fruit grow. And He determined at creation that each plant would bear fruit according to its kind, but God entrusted humankind with cultivating the earth (see Genesis 1:11-12; 2:15). In this, a Christian must not rely on their own strength, abilities, or resources, but on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Only He can lead on the path of righteousness and do the work that a person needs to do.
So that His work in us does not cease because of our weaknesses, doubts, and inconstancy, it is important in life that we maintain faithfulness (faith) so that we do not lose the confidence and hope in Christ that we received during our new birth (cf. Heb 3:6). Furthermore, these qualities should be practically applicable in every situation and to every person, and this must be learned.
Since a person of faith can and should learn to behave humbly and courteously, gently and lovingly towards everyone, this leads to a path of spiritual growth, but that is far from all. If we want to be open to the Holy Spirit, we must think correctly .
Not to regard kindness and courtesy toward others as virtues in themselves, but to seek, through perseverance in good deeds, “glory, honor, and immortality” (cf. Romans 2:6-7). For this, one must know and understand the ultimate goal: transformation into the image of Christ. Therefore, everything must be done in anticipation and desire for this transformation. Christ said, “I am gentle and humble in heart.” And He did not simply “put on” gentleness and humility, as religious Jews do when putting on a prayer shawl (talit) during prayer. It was His very being, toward everyone else, and above all, He was this way before God the Father. The same was true in his dealings with His disciples, His friends, and His enemies—those who believe in Him and those who doubt Him. He remained the same in every situation and at all times—on the cross, in suffering, in humiliation, and in glory.
Spirituality cannot be acquired through specific works or great knowledge . Just as a person warms up when entering a warm room or freezes in a cold storage room, so a Christian lives in the Spirit. He will inevitably reflect within himself all the virtues of the One who called him from darkness to His marvelous light.
I think that in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (cf. Mt 25:1-13 ) , Christ wasn't simply referring to the grace of the Holy Spirit received at salvation, but to the consistent and practical life lived. The wise virgins understood this. That's why they couldn't share oil with the foolish virgins, because what a person has lived cannot be shared with others who have no idea what kind of life and "oil" this is. Such a life isn't built up through human effort; it is built up by God and in God.
So that His work in us does not cease because of our weaknesses, doubts and inconstancy, it is important in life that we remain faithful, so that we do not lose the confidence and hope in Christ that we received during our rebirth.
“For this reason, ever since we heard about it, we have not stopped praying for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and please him in everything—bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for all endurance and patience, with joyful thanksgiving to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:9-14).
Please note that the words from the eleventh chapter of the Book of Isaiah (cf. Isaiah 11:2-3) are repeated here, referring to the Spirit that rests upon the Messiah. The Apostle Paul explicitly states and confirms that living and walking in the Spirit is a life lived in trust and unceasing submission and obedience to the Holy Spirit . In this, the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ, and the heart is filled with love for the Word of God. And why is this so? Because in this Word we see the One of whom it was said: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). This is the true and living Christ, who speaks to us believers through His Word.
May the Lord help us to always be thankful to Him in everything, to always seek Him in all situations, to constantly lead a fruitful life, and finally to bear abundant fruit!
Richard Zimmermann