“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” ~ Galatians 3:3

The foundation of the new life is this: Jesus has sent His Spirit to live inside the believer.

In Galatians, Paul was arguing against teachers who instructed believers that the ability to “live right” lay within the powers of their human selves.

The revolutionary nature of the gospel is not the launching of a “biblical” self-improvement program, but the complete abandonment of doing life in my own strength.

God is not calling you and me to keep trying harder to live better. He is calling us to an entirely new way to live. And that is GOOD news!

In the new life, the Holy Spirit changes a person from the inside out. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. These are not “rules” kept, but expressions of an inner life (where Jesus is known and loved and followed).

The new life is an all-consuming, personal relationship with Jesus mediated by His Spirit. Paul calls it “walking in the Spirit.” Jesus calls it “abiding” in Him.

The new life is a supernatural life, initiated and sustained by the Spirit of God.