Galatians 5

“Walk in the Spirit”

Have you ever felt torn between the desire to yield to temptation and the desire to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost to live righteously? The Apostle Paul described the battle that can take place between desires in our mortal, imperfect bodies and the Spirit of God, which persuades us to do good. This lesson is intended to help you become more like Jesus Christ by giving you opportunities to identify ways you can more fully “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16).

Creating a safe learning environment. Make concerted efforts to cultivate an environment of love, respect, and purpose. Your efforts to help students feel safe, respected, and valued in seminary will help them be more likely to feel the Holy Ghost and have meaningful experiences.

Student preparation: Invite students to study Mosiah 3:19 and to identify teachings that can help them receive the Savior’s help to overcome our fallen nature, or “natural man.” It may also be beneficial to invite students to memorize this doctrinal mastery scripture passage.

Possible Learning Activities

Tug-of-war

Display the following image or draw it on the board. Consider also inviting students to briefly copy a similar image in their study journals.

• In what ways is your life like a tug-of-war?

In his epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul described two competing forces that can pull us in different directions. Read Galatians 5:16–17, looking for Paul’s counsel regarding these forces.

• What competing forces did you identify from these verses?

Consider drawing a vertical line down the center of the image of the tug-of-war. Then write Walk in the Spirit above one side of the tug-of-war and Fulfill the lust of the flesh above the other side. Encourage students who copied the image in their study journals to make these additions as well.

The “lust[s] of the flesh” (verse 16) are the temptations we experience.

• What are some of the physical temptations (lusts of the flesh) that young people experience?

Compare your answers with Paul’s list in Galatians 5:19–21.

• What words, if any, are unfamiliar to you?

Prepare to help students understand any unfamiliar words in verses 19–21 by using the resources found in the Bible footnotes or a dictionary.

Take a moment to silently consider how this tug-of-war of the Spirit against the lusts of the flesh might be happening in your life. In what ways might you struggle against the lusts of the flesh? How are you blessed as you follow the guidance of the Spirit? As you continue to study, pay attention to spiritual promptings that can help you know of any adjustments you could make that would help you overcome the temptations you face.

Avoiding the works of the flesh

The following teaching suggestions provide one approach that can be used to help students better understand and apply Paul’s teachings in Galatians 5.

If students would benefit from a less structured approach, consider giving them individual time to study Galatians 5:16–23, Mosiah 3:19, and Doctrine and Covenants 11:12, along with Elder David A. Bednar’s April 2013 general conference talk entitled “We Believe in Being Chaste” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 41–44). Other relevant resources might also be given to students to study. They could be invited to report their insights and record any spiritual promptings they received from their study and the subsequent discussion.

Follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost to know the best way to help students have a meaningful experience.

Read Galatians 5:21, looking for why it is important to avoid the lusts of the flesh.

• What did you learn about why we should avoid these actions?

• What can make it difficult to avoid the lusts of the flesh, even if we know they are wrong?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

As sons and daughters of God, we have inherited divine capacities from Him. But we presently live in a fallen world. The very elements out of which our bodies were created are by nature fallen and ever subject to the pull of sin, corruption, and death. Consequently, the Fall of Adam and its spiritual and temporal consequences affect us most directly through our physical bodies. …

Because a physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use our bodies improperly. One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies. The very tool he does not have is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to spiritual destruction.

(David A. Bednar, “We Believe in Being Chaste,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 42–43)

• What words or phrases stood out to you from this statement? Why?

Choosing to walk in the Spirit

Read Galatians 5:16 again, looking for Paul’s teachings about how we can overcome the temptations of the flesh.

One principle we can learn from Galatians 5:16 is that as we walk in the Spirit, we will be better able to overcome the temptations of the flesh. 

• What do you think it means to “walk in the Spirit”?

If needed, help students understand that walking in the Spirit involves seeking for and following the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

• How do you think walking in the Spirit can help you overcome the temptations of the flesh?

Read Mosiah 3:19 and Doctrine and Covenants 11:12, looking for teachings that can help you better understand the importance of walking in the Spirit.

• What thoughts or impressions came to you as you studied these verses?

• What did you learn about how Jesus Christ can help you overcome the temptations you face?

• What are some specific things you can do to ensure the Spirit is more fully with you?

Consider sharing a personal example related to the following question before asking the question to the class.

• What experiences have you had in which following the Spirit helped you overcome temptation? (Be sure to not share details that are too personal.)

Fruits of the Spirit

Paul identified many of the blessings that can occur in our lives as we listen to and follow the Holy Ghost. He referred to these blessings as “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22).

Read Galatians 5:22–23, looking for the fruit of the Spirit that Paul identified.

• Which of these blessings or feelings from the Spirit have you experienced in your life?

• What do these blessings help you understand about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? (If needed, see Psalm 25:8–10; Mosiah 2:41.)

Apply what you learned

Jesus Christ, who always did Heavenly Father’s will (see 3 Nephi 27:13), is the perfect example of living in such a way as to overcome the temptation to sin. Although He suffered all kinds of temptations of the flesh (see Hebrews 4:15; Alma 7:11), He “gave no heed unto them” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:22).

Consider for a moment how you will strive to follow Jesus Christ’s example and apply the truths you have studied today. Think about any promptings you have already received, and make a plan regarding what you will do to more fully walk in the Spirit and overcome temptation. Record your plan in your study journal.

Commentary and Background Information

How can following the Holy Ghost help me resist and overcome temptation?

President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

It is not expected that you go through life without making mistakes, but you will not make a major mistake without first being warned by the promptings of the Spirit. This promise applies to all members of the Church. …

If you are slipping into things that you should not slip into or if you are associating with people who are pulling you away in the wrong direction, that is the time to assert your independence, your agency. Listen to the voice of the Spirit, and you will not be led astray.

I say again that youth today are being raised in enemy territory with a declining standard of morality. But as a servant of the Lord, I promise that you will be protected and shielded from the attacks of the adversary if you will heed the promptings that come from the Holy Spirit.

(Boyd K. Packer, “Counsel to Youth,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 18)

To see an illustration of the results of both fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and walking in the Spirit, watch “LDS Addiction Recovery Program: Meet Sidreis” (3:06), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Supplemental Learning Activities

Paul’s teachings and Lehi’s dream

In Galatians 5:16–23, Paul contrasted the blessings of walking in the Spirit with the consequences of fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. It may be helpful for students to visualize this contrast by thinking about how it is represented in Lehi’s vision of the tree of life.

Consider displaying the accompanying image and asking students which portions of the image could represent Paul’s teachings about walking in the Spirit and which could represent his teachings about fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. It may also be helpful to invite students to search the following verses to see how various aspects of Paul’s teachings are represented in Lehi’s dream: 1 Nephi 8:10–12, 19–34.

Galatians 5:22–23. The fruit of the Spirit

Consider having a more detailed discussion about the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22–23. One way to do this is to draw on the board a tree with fruit or to cut out pieces of paper that represent fruit. Students could then search Galatians 5:22–23 and label each of the pieces of fruit with one of the fruits of the Spirit. Then consider having a discussion about the meaning of these phrases, experiences students have had with these feelings from the Spirit, and people they know whose lives exemplify a particular fruit of the Spirit (adapted from “September 25–October 1. Galatians: ‘Walk in the Spirit,’” Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023).