God the Holy Spirit, Mentor's Guide, MG14

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G O D T H E H O L Y S P I R I T

b. Personal: the Spirit is at war with the sinful nature that lives inside every person, Gal. 5.17.

In Galatians 5.25, Paul gives advice about winning the war against sin. He says: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” The term translated as “keeping in step,” (or “walking” in some versions), is actually a military term [ stoicheo ] which describes soldiers keeping in step with a commanding officer as they march to battle.

c. The work of sanctification is portrayed in the language of military conflict. (1) Put on the “whole armor of God” and “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication,” Eph. 6.

(2) Col. 3.5

d. We live “between the times”: sanctification is “already” and “not yet.”

(1) Fact: we are sanctified and there is no need to sin, 1 John 2.1a.

(2) Fact: Christians do sin and need forgiveness, 1 John 2.1b.

(3) Fact: we are sanctified already, Heb. 10.14a.

(4) Fact: we are still being sanctified, Heb. 10.14b.

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(5) Phil. 3.12-16

2. The fruit of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the believer is holy living.

a. The Spirit is not only working to actively resist sin but also to actively produce Christlikeness.

b. The fruit of the Spirit as a key measure of Christlikeness.

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(1) Gal. 5.22-24

(2) The word translated “fruit” here is singular in the Greek. There are not different fruits of the Holy Spirit for us to pick and choose among. Wherever the Holy Spirit is doing his sanctifying work, all of these things will result.