Galatians 6:1-5

Let’s read Galatians 5:16, which is about an individual’s spiritual walk (peripateo) in the Spirit, and then v25, which is about the whole local church walking in the Spirit together in unison (stoicheo) down the same path with the same ideals and motivations. (note that the word “walk” is there in both verses, but the unique terms refer to an individual walk in v16, and our walk in unison in v25)
Question: By the term, “walk in the Spirit” in both verses does Paul intend that as individualized mysticism? Context tells us it is clearly not what Paul has in mind when he commands us to walk by the Holy Spirit. On the contrary! In fact, to follow the Spirit is to deliberately create and take part, to immerse oneself in a community of humility, love, and mutual support under the command of Christ our Lord (5:26–6:2). It is in the nature of worldly people do anything to get ahead financially, socially and psychologically. But those who walk in the Spirit as individuals put others ahead of themselves (Phil. 2:3–4). And Gal 5:25 describes a healthy church where we all are walking in that same Spirit, together, in harmony.
Today my desire is to just introduce the delightful concept of the Law of Christ as the great light for our path in this age of the church and of the indwelling Spirit in which we live, by honing in on the commands to love one another and burden carrying for one another. This is part of the continuity of the teaching on the Law of God. As part of that I want to stir up in us the greater questions for next week about how we as believers are to understand and approach Christian New Testament ethics in relation to the Old Testament and the Mosaic Law.