Freedom of the Christian
1 For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm l then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. m 2 Take note! I, Paul, am telling you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. 3 Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to do the entire law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace. n 5 For we eagerly await o through the Spirit, by faith, the hope p of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith q working through love. r
7 You were running well. Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth? ,s 8 This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. t 9 A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. 10 I myself am persuaded in the Lord you will not accept any other view. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty. u 11 Now brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross v has been abolished. 12 I wish those who are disturbing you might also let themselves be mutilated!
13 For you were called w to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled x in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. ,y 15 But if you bite and devour z one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.
The Spirit versus the Flesh
16 I say then, walk by the Spirit a and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires b what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. c 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, d moral impurity, e promiscuity, f 20 idolatry, g sorcery, h hatreds, i strife, j jealousy, k outbursts of anger, l selfish ambitions, m dissensions, n factions, o 21 envy, ,p drunkenness, carousing, q and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. r
22 But the fruit of the Spirit s is love, t joy, u peace, patience, v kindness, w goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, x and self-control. y The law is not against such things. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus z have crucified the flesh a with its passions and desires. b 25 If we live c by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. d
A. Thesis (5:1). Grammatically, 5:1 is related to the previous paragraph, yet it also provides both a summary and a transition point to the letter. The first sentence stands as the declaration of purpose for Christ’s redeeming work, emphasizing the decisive event, which changed the believer’s condition from one of slavery (under the law and/or other elemental principles; see 4:3, 9) to freedom (see 2:4; Jn 8:32–36; Rm 7:4, 6; 1 Co 9:1, 21; 11:29). The second part of the verse encourages the Galatians to hold to their position against those who would return them again to slavery. This encouragement will be given practical substance in 5:13–26. But Paul digresses for a moment, providing specific warnings against any Galatian hesitancy on this point (5:2–12).
5:2–4. Beginning with an emphatically personal appeal (5:2), Paul expands on the fact that the act of circumcision, rather than being a safeguard, actually serves to negate the power of Christ in their lives. The fact that Paul seems to restate this very same proposition in a slightly altered manner in 5:3–4 reminds us of his double curse against this teaching in 1:8–9. The call from Paul is for them to declare their allegiance. To attempt to be justified by the law is to ignore the grace they received in Christ and to forsake Christ himself (5:4).
5:5–6. If the Galatians are under the power of faith, then they join Paul (note the switch from “you” [plural] in 5:2–4 to “we” in 5:5) in awaiting the completion of the salvation begun in Christ.
5:7–10. An evident shift in tone takes place in 5:7, as if to signal Paul’s satisfaction that his argument should have the effect of restoring his “founder’s status” among his readers. He now contrasts his ministry and the one (“whoever” is singular in 5:10) or ones who have been hindering the Galatians. Certainly God, “the one who calls you” (5:8; see Rm 8:28, 30), is not the cause for their defection. Paul’s confidence that the Galatians will move forward again arises from his professed knowledge of their shared faith in Christ (5:10).
5:11. The final, somewhat inconsequential objection he addresses apparently came from those opponents who knew that Paul had appeared at times to allow circumcision for Gentiles. This may be a reference to his actions relative to Timothy (Ac 16:3). Paul makes it known that even his allowance of circumcision does not contradict his present position. His action toward Timothy, for example, was one of simple expediency (cf. 1 Co 9:19–23). The opponents, on the contrary, make circumcision a necessity for covenantal inclusion.
5:12. Paul’s rhetoric climaxes here as he states he wishes his opponents would not just circumcise (“cut around”) but castrate (“cut off”) themselves. While some commentators appear reluctant to believe Paul would utter such a condemnation, this act would actually be a better fate for these opponents than the one he calls for in Gl 1:8–9.
5:13–15. In addressing this type of question, Paul reasserts his view of the purpose of redemption in Christ (see 5:1). This freedom does not induce license (indulging the sinful nature, 5:13), since it is not the absence of law but the goal of the law (5:14; see Jr 31:31–34). Paul shows that the proper expression of keeping the law comes from a heart full of grateful love and is shown through mutual service (5:13) and the love of neighbor (5:14).
5:16–18. As a counterbalance to the possibility of expressing one’s sinful nature or “flesh” (5:13) through freedom, Paul asserts that living “by the Spirit” (5:16) will characterize true freedom. Paul is emphatic: living by the Spirit will never result in fulfilling the flesh’s desires. Christian failure to obey is ultimately failure to live by the Spirit. The great emancipation for the Christ follower is to be “led by the Spirit” (5:18), a leading that takes away our subjugation to the law through the forces of darkness and to the sinful nature that they influence (see Rm 6:11–14). [Mortification]
5:19–21. The next two paragraphs (5:19–26) provide a practical contrast of attitudes and actions, which can be a personal test for the Galatians’ present orientation. By finding oneself on the list of either vices or virtues, one could also identify whether or not one was led by the Spirit. Fifteen acts of the flesh are specified (5:19–21), with the insistence that the list is not exhaustive (“and anything similar,” 5:21; see other lists in 1 Co 6:9–10; Eph 5:5; Rv 22:15). Some of the sins appear to relate directly to the pagan lifestyles the readers once practiced (5:20–21).
5:22–23. In contrast to the multiple acts of the flesh, the singular “fruit” (5:22; likely denoting a harmonious unity) promotes a God-oriented expression of activities and attitudes. The nine attributes found here are clearly indicative of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life and come as a composite whole, not as individual items that some have and others do not (for other lists of virtues, see 2 Co 6:6; Eph 4:2; 5:9; Col 3:12–15). Paul’s pronouncement that concludes the list (5:23) suggests that the work of the Spirit in one’s life provides an internal motivation; this properly orients a person to participate in the attitudes and actions that are consistent with the character of Christ and indeed consistent with the expectations of the law itself. Rather than being lawless, it fulfills the true intent of the law.
5:24–26. The final exhortations of the chapter indicate that while the reality of the fruit is a gift from the Spirit, the believer’s responsibility is to actively “live by the Spirit” (5:25). The follower of Jesus (and Paul includes himself here) does not sit idly by with the power of the Spirit within. We are instead called to active participation, in accordance with the new reality of our kinship. The final statement of the chapter (5:26) may introduce the next, more practical section of exhortations. In any case, Paul’s focus moves from theory (5:1, 13–25) to practice (5:26–6:10).