Reading: Galatians 5:2-26

Questions for the Verses 5:2 ~ When people make Law-keeping their goal, what happens to Christ? 5:6 ~ How does Paul describe the way faith works? 5:8 ~ Does the pressure to live by the Law come from God who called the believers? 5:13 ~ How should we not use liberty? 5:14 ~ What is the one thing that will fulfill the entire Law? 5:16 ~ If Christians are not walking in the Spirit, what will they fulfill? 5:19-21 ~ What is the penalty for living in the works of the flesh? 5:23 ~ Does the Law oppose the fruit of the Spirit?

Understanding the Word In chapter 5, Paul applies his teaching strongly and specifically. Let’s review what Galatians has already taught us. Chapter 1 emphasized the purity of the gospel: the good news of free salvation must not be twisted by men. Chapter 2 built on that theme and told us how we can have the power to live as Christians: not by our strength to keep the Law, but by Christ living in us. Chapter 3 looks at how the Law affects Christians: God did not change His mind, rather Abraham’s life shows that God’s plan has always been for men to come to Him in faith, not by works. Chapter 4 answers the question “Why God gave the Law in the first place?” The Law exposed sin and served as an authority to discipline; man’s inability to obey perfectly turned this authority into bondage. Now Paul says, “No more bondage; live in liberty! And here’s how…” He begins chapter 5 by telling the Galatians that if they want to keep living in obligation to the Law, they couldn’t have Christ too. Grace and works don’t mix: either you trust Christ fully, or you’re on your own to attempt to obey the Law perfectly. In verse 6, Paul brings up a theme from chapter 2: whether you’re a Jew (circumcision) or a Gentile (uncircumcision), the only thing that gets you to Christ is faith. Then Paul writes a specific rebuke to the false teacher(s) who were leading the Galatians astray. He calls the false teaching “leaven” – an influence that would spread through the church until the bondage had affected everyone. Then in verse 13, Paul starts describing our liberty. True liberty does not make excuses for sin, it serves others by love. Paul sums up all that the Law said about relationships with others the same way Christ did: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39). If your “liberty” ever conflicts with showing love, love has priority. How can you enjoy the love-based liberty? By walking in the Spirit, Paul says, and avoiding the lusts of the flesh. Here we find another contrast in Galatians: Spirit vs. flesh. The two have conflicting desires. The phrase “lust of the flesh” refers to desires that show man’s rebellion against God. On the opposite side of the fight are the desires of the Holy Spirit. Being led by the Spirit (fulfilling His desires) results in doing right, but it is not the same as living under the requirements of the Law. Paul specifically describes the works of the flesh – the multiple ways that flesh-living appears in action. The works in verse 19 refer to different types of immorality. Verse 20 lists false religion, hateful reactions, rivalry and conflict. Verse 21 talks about ways that people cast off restraint and live loosely. The result of living in these flesh-works is frightening: a person whose life is consistently full of flesh will not enter God’s kingdom. Simply put, perpetually fulfilling the desires of your flesh shows that you’re not saved. On the other hand, when a person fulfills the desires of the Holy Spirit, there is fruit (a set of noticeable results) in his life. The fruit of the Spirit is a full picture of the man who walks by faith – not a list of separate traits that you should work on one at a time. The focus that Galatians puts on the difference between faith and works applies to these verse too: the fruit of the Spirit is not something that can be worked up by human effort. It is the inevitable result of walking in the Spirit and fulfilling His desires. The Spirit produces the fruit; we don’t force it. The end of verse 23 is a little confusing until we read it along with the rest of the book. What has “law” referred to through the last four chapters of Paul’s letter? It is the Law given through Moses that disciplined the Jews and prepared them for Christ’s coming. Paul guards against the potential misunderstanding that walking in the Spirit will somehow contradict the Law that God gave. No, verse 23 ends with the answer that “the Law is not against a Spirit-filled life.” Paul ends the chapter with a call to walk in the Spirit and put aside proud, petty arguments.

Key Verse: Galatians 5:16

Applying the Word This passage presents a very difficult balance: stand fast in your liberty, but limit that liberty for love’s sake. There may be things that you know Scripture allows you to do, and you also know that your Christian friend sincerely thinks that such things are wrong. If your “liberty” causes your brother to follow you and do what he thinks is wrong, you have sinned. Love for other believers should limit your liberty. For the sake of loving others, never proudly “show off” your freedom. The whole spiritual aim of the Law is love, not liberty. Limit your liberty for the sake of love. The other half of the coin applies to those have “less liberty,” that is, Christians who have “higher” standards. If you fit that category, your responsibility is also love. Scripture never tells us to treat others like “lower Christians who have a lot to learn.” Your goal is not to find a way to help them learn that your way is better; it is to get along with them in love. Read Romans 14 and I Corinthians 8-10 and think through Paul’s instruction. His admonition focuses on how to get along without trying to change each other. You with more liberty, don’t focus on loosening up your stricter brother. You with higher standards, don’t focus on teaching your convictions to Christians who have more freedom. The goal is not “converting” people, but living together in love. The essence of Paul’s teaching on this subject is this: when in doubt, limit yourself and show love. NOTE: Everything we’ve just learned about liberty and love does not change the clear teaching of Scripture. We must remember that when Scripture teaches sin and right behavior, we don’t start thinking about liberty – we obey God. Here in Galatians, Paul lists specific sins and describes the proof of the Spirit’s control in clear terms. Liberty does not give permission to re-think the Bible’s clear teaching about right and wrong; liberty that is limited by love is our way to make choices in areas outside of the clear teaching and principles of God’s Word. Consider also the list of flesh-works and flesh-results – if those actions and attitudes are patterns in the lives of unsaved people, should a Christian act that way? A Christian’s life should reflect growth in each of the attributes that make up the Spirit’s fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is not something you can force or bring about by your own effort. It is the result of the Spirit living in you and you choosing His desires instead of the flesh.

Questions for Your Heart

• Can you be described by the works of the flesh?
• Which of those things occasionally appear in your life?
• Is the Spirit’s fruit growing in your actions?
• Is it growing in your words?
• Is it growing in your thoughts?
• Can you remember any situations when you chose to enjoy liberty and ended up hurting another Christian? What were they?
• Will you commit to loving that brother instead of selfishly hurting him?
• Examine your heart for pride: can you think of anyone you look down on because he doesn’t have the same standards that you have?
• Will you commit to loving that brother instead of condemning or criticizing him?