We see in the above verse the result of choosing to live in the Spirit of God. Paul at this point is feeding us from the tree of the knowledge of good.

"Against such there is no law." Paul is informing the Jewish brothers that the Law of Moses does not condemn love, joy, and peace, so why not be a Christian and do what the Law does not condemn?

These attitudes and behaviors are not the fruit of the Christian but the fruit of the Spirit. It is only as we live in the Spirit that we are able to renounce and resist the actions of our sinful nature and change into the image of Christ.

The Kingdom of God is found in the fruit of the Spirit. To be saved is to be rescued from the sinful nature and to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Remember, salvation is not directed toward residence in Heaven but participation in the Kingdom of God.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24 NIV)

We are born crucified when we first become a true Christian. Then we have to keep our sinful nature, with its passions and desires, on the cross. We can only do this by walking before God, acknowledging Christ in all our ways, confessing our sins when they are pointed out to us, singing and making melody in our heart to the Lord continually.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25 NIV)

What a wonderful way of expressing a profound concept: "Let us keep in step with the Spirit." We do not have to figure out how to control our sinful nature. Thank God for that! All we have to do is to keep in step with the Spirit. The Spirit leads each of us as an individual into deliverance from the sinful nature. All we are required to do is to follow the Spirit, live in the Spirit, present our body a living sacrifice to God so we may discover what gifts and ministries the Spirit has given us, and then under the Spirit's guidance and enablement build up ourselves and the other members of the Body of Christ with the gifts given to us.

We of the Pentecostal persuasion speak in tongues. The purpose of tongues is to lead us into the rest of God, that is, into the life lived in the fullness of God's Spirit.

We begin in water to the ankles, then to the knees, then to the hips. If we keep on sowing to the Spirit we will find ourselves in waters to swim in, a river that cannot be crossed. Then God will bring us back to the bank that we may serve as a tree of life to the dead sea of mankind.

All depends on living in the Spirit. If we live according to our sinful nature we are going to slay our spiritual life. The Holy Spirit is the law of the new covenant. If we would be righteous in God's sight we must learn to follow the Spirit in every aspect of life.

To be continued.