Galatians 5
EverettGalatians 5:1-6
Exhortation to Walk in Liberty – After writing at length about his divine calling and the relationship of the Mosaic Law within the new covenant in Christ Jesus Paul then exhorts the Galatians to stand fast in their freedom and not to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. In order to walk in this freedom in Christ Jesus, Paul gives them some guidelines to follow regarding the mental, spiritual and physical aspects of their lifestyle (Galatians 5:1 to Galatians 6:10). Outline – Here is a proposed outline:
- Mental: Understanding Our Liberties — Galatians 5:1-152. Spiritual: Walking in Our Liberties — Galatians 5:16-263. Physical: Helping Others to Walk in Their Liberties — Galatians 6:1-10
Galatians 5:16-26
Spiritual: Walking in Our Liberties – Galatians 5:16-26 places emphasis upon the spirit realm where Paul explains how to walk in liberty by being led by the Holy Spirit. In this passage Paul explains the need to develop their inner spirit by learning how to be led by the Spirit and no longer yield to the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 — “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit” – Comments - We walk in the Spirit by conducting our lives under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Kenneth Hagin says, “Walking in the Spirit is walking in the fruit of the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is walking in love.”[111] The epistle of Romans defines this walk as “yielding yourselves unto God.” [111] Kenneth Hagin, Love the Way to Victory (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Faith Library Publications, c1994, 1995), 28.Romans 6:12-13, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Galatians 5:16 — “and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” - Comments - Note that it does not mean that you will not feel fleshly desires or that you will not wrestle against those desires; because you will experience a battle. Instead, it means that the will of God and the spirit will win out over the flesh. Galatians 5:16 — Comments - A key phrase in the epistle of Colossians is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Because the passage in Colossians 1:24-29 is a reference to the role of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s lordship over the Church, we may interpret this phrase to refer to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Because the theme of the epistle to the Colossians is the lordship of Jesus Christ, Paul phrases this in reference to the indwelling of Jesus Christ rather than of the Holy Spirit. In his epistle to the Galatians Paul will expound upon the role of the Church in Christ’s lordship by exhorting us to “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh,” (Galatians 5:16). Thus, since Christ dwells in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are exhorted to be led by the Spirit as a way of allowing Christ to be lord over us. As we try to become better Christians, attempting to conduct our lives without sin, we find ourselves failing.
When we wait upon God and move by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we find ourselves able to walk above sin and selfishness. The Law could not bring perfection in our lives, nor can our best efforts apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. Galatians 5:17 — “so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” - Comments - The doing is what you allow the members of your body to accomplish, do, or work. The wishing here is in one’s heart or spirit (Romans 7:22). Romans 7:22, “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:” Scripture References - Note similar passages: Romans 7:25, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” Romans 8:13-14, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Galatians 5:18 — “But if ye be led of the Spirit” - Comments - One day, as I was praying and asking the Lord how to be led by the Spirit, so that I do not fall into temptation, The Lord showed me an illustration out of my own life to say that many temptations are obvious to us, and we do not need an unction to resist them. We have already received a word from God on many obvious temptations. My experience in being led by the Holy Spirit is that often, in the early morning hours, I will be write down a number of things that the Spirit quickens for me to do that day. I call this a sort of to-do-list. Then, when I am at work, I will refer to this list of projects to do that the Spirit reminded me in the morning to do (John 14:26). This is one way that the Spirit works and leads us to set our day in order. I do not necessarily “feel” an unction from the Holy Spirit during the day as I am working thru my to-do-list; but, I know that I am being led by the Holy Spirit from the morning unction. Therefore, being led by the Spirit does not always coincide with the unction to do the task. This is what the Scripture means when it says, “we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). However, there are those wonderful times when an unction is evident as we walk in this leadership of the Holy Spirit. John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” 2 Corinthians 5:7, “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” Scripture References - Note similar verses: Galatians 5:23, “Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Romans 8:14-15, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Galatians 5:19-23 — Testimonies of the Spirit and the Flesh – Galatians 5:19-23 will clear illustrate to us the vices of a person who is fulfilling the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) and the virtues of the person who is being led by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The Galatian churches were being accused by the Judaizers of living a licentious lifestyle because they were not incorporating circumcisions and other devout practices of the Law. For this reason, Paul takes the time to clearly define a lifestyle of licentiousness by listing the works of the flesh, and he contrasts this by explaining the attributes of a devout Christian as he lists the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Galatians 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Galatians 5:20 — “heresies” – Illustration - The Sadducees and the Pharisees are biblical examples of heresies. Man created religious sects and denominations, not God. Galatians 5:20 — “seditions, heresies” – Comments – The words “seditions” and “heresies” refer to “divisions,” and “religious factions,” respectively. Today, the church uses a neutral word called denominations. However, this actually refers to religious groups of Christians who are divided over the doctrines of the Scriptures. God is not divided; neither is His Word. Man created denominations, not God. As a young seminary student, I was taking a second-year New Testament Greek class. In this course, we translated the entire book of Galatians from the Greek. When I came to these two words during my studies, I saw for the first time a Scriptural basis for the fact that man created denominations, and not God. God brings unity and love, not division (Ephesians 4:2-6). Ephesians 4:2-6, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Thus, the answer to the question of which denomination is right, the answer is that God right. His Word has never been up for debate and argument. There is only one body of Christ, one Spirit to guide and teach us, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God overall, and there is only one doctrine in the Holy Scriptures. Galatians 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21 — Scripture References – The Works of the Flesh - Note similar passages on the works of the flesh: Mark 7:20-23, “And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” Ephesians 5:3-7, “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.” Colossians 3:5-9, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;” 1 Timothy 1:9-10, “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;” Revelation 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Galatians 5:22 — “But the fruit” – Comments - The subject of the statement in Galatians 5:22 is the word “fruit,” which is singular, while the direct object of this sentence is plural, listing the nine virtues of the Spirit. Creflo Dollar explains this to mean that the fruit (singular) refers to love, while the 9-fold virtues define the manifold attributes of love. He compares this to the makeup of a fruit with its various components of the skin, the meat, the seeds, etc.[112] We find a reference to the law of love in the preceding verse, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Galatians 5:14) The love walk in the believer’s life is a walk where one is being led by the Spirit of God, which then produces the “fruit” of the Spirit of God as God lives in and through us. [112] Creflo Dollar, Changing Your World (College Park, Georgia: Creflo Dollar Ministries), on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program, 30 January 2009.“of the Spirit is” – Comments - The KJV interprets the word “Spirit” as a reference to the Holy Spirit. Kenneth Hagin believes that it actually refers to the human spirit.[113] He explains by saying that fruit grows on branches, which represents the believers, while the trunk represents Jesus Christ. The life of the branches comes from the trunk. The fruit of love is produced from our regenerated spirits because of the life that flows from abiding in the Vine (John 15:5). Therefore, if we feed our spirits upon the Word of God and exercise it, the fruit of love will grow and develop in our lives. None of these fruits starts out being fully mature. Love starts out in our lives as a tiny bud; but just like the fruit on the branch, it grows and matures as it is properly nurtured. [113] Kenneth Hagin, Love the Way to Victory (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Faith Library Publications, c1994, 1995), 20-2.John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Another reason that this verse refers to the human spirit is because the fruit of the spirit is contrasted with the “works of the flesh.” Therefore, “walking in the spirit” is walking in the fruit of the spirit rather than the works of the flesh. We walk in the spirit when we are walking in love and the other fruits of the spirit. “longsuffering” – Comments - I once watched two birds feeding their babies that had hatched in a small hole in a tree. One bird flew up, but did not go into the nest. I wondered why. I was observing when the second bird emerged and flew off to find more food. This first bird was being kind and patient in waiting for the second bird to finish feeding the babies, since there was not room for both birds in the same hole. We could learn that lesson on waiting patiently. Galatians 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:23 — “against such there is no law” – Comments - There is no law against doing these good things that are motivated by the virtues of the fruit of the Spirit listed here. It is not against the law to do good deeds. Galatians 5:22-23 — Comments - The Fruit of the Spirit - The fruit of the Spirit is referring to the outward evidences of someone who is being led by the Spirit of God, as Paul is exhorting his readers in Galatians 5:16. Scripture References - Note other similar passages on the fruit of the Spirit: Ephesians 5:9, “(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)” Colossians 3:12-17, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” 1 Timothy 6:11, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 — “If we live in the Spirit” - Comments - That is, if our life is now a spiritual life, a spiritual rebirth of Jesus living in us now (Galatians 2:20), then let us conduct our lives according to the prompting of God’s spirit, and not be led by our old nature and fleshly desires (Romans 7:6). Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Romans 7:6, “But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” Galatians 5:25 — “let us also walk in the Spirit” – Comments - How do we walk in the Spirit? The rest of the book of Galatians describes how in practical living. Galatians 5:25 — Scripture Reference – Note a similar verse: Colossians 2:6, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:” Galatians 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:26 — Illustration - A class of students is striving to make good grades on their pop quizzes so that they will be praised by one another. In the process, they are challenging and envying one another as they achieve and then boasting of their achievements. Scripture Reference – Note a similar verse: Philippians 2:3, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”