Gal 5:16-26 | KingComments | STEP | In of this chapter, Paul contrasted freedom with slavery. In he contrasted freedom with lawlessness. Now he shows how true freedom is experienced and manifested, namely in a life led by the Spirit. . The section of is one entity. Therein the Spirit is mentioned no less than seven times. is directly opposite to . The latter verse refers to biting and devouring one another. However, if you walk by the Spirit, such things will not happen. To “walk by the Spirit” means that you perform the purposes of the Spirit and that you make your decisions in the light of His holiness. It means that your conduct seeks to glorify Christ in your life, because that’s why the Holy Spirit came to earth ( ). If you walk by the Spirit, the result is that you keep the flesh as dead. Actually, it is impossible to have Christ before your eyes and sin at the same time! . Indeed the Christian has two natures: the new life and the old life. The new life longs to be guided by the Spirit, the old life wants to meet the desires of the flesh. The Spirit and the flesh are contrary to one another as enemies. The flesh is committed to preventing you from walking by the Spirit, and the Spirit withstands the operation of the flesh to prevent it from performing its will. So the flesh is still present in the Christian, it is not dead or exterminated. The flesh “lusts” still, but you are no longer obliged to listen to what it wants. When you were converted God could have taken away sinful flesh. Yet He has left it in us to remind us constantly of our weakness and by that consciousness to keep us continuously dependent on Christ. Well, who wins that battle which is now going on in you and me? This is where our responsibility comes into play. Someone once compared the two natures with two dogs: a white one and a black one that are constantly fighting with each other. ‘Do you know’, he said, ‘who wins? The dog I give food to!’ You realize that the Spirit does not quite get a chance to lead your life if you, for example, watch bad movies on TV or the internet, or if you are reading bad books or magazines, or if you don’t live in peace with your neighbors. Then you give food to the black dog. However, if you “keep seeking the things above, where Christ is” ( ), if you want to know Him more by reading the Bible and good books about Christ, if you like to tell those who surround you about the joy you have in knowing the Lord Jesus, yes, then you give food to the white dog. So actually, it is a fight you yourself don’t have to fight. It's your business to be led by the Holy Spirit. That being led by the Holy Spirit is not an issue that would be applicable only to certain occasions, for example in the meetings of the church. No, it is a matter for everyday life. It is also not a matter for ‘well advanced’ Christians. No, it’s a matter for every Christian, because every Christian has received the Holy Spirit at the moment he believed the gospel of his salvation ( , ). . Whoever is led by the Spirit, is lifted above self-preoccupation with the law and the flesh, and is engaged with Christ. Whoever is led by the Spirit, doesn’t have the law as the rule of life to be justified thereby. It is remarkable to see that it looks like Paul constantly uses the law and the flesh intermingled. . Paul in this letter also clearly demonstrated that the law was given to a people in the flesh that thought to be able to meet God’s law. The law was given to prove that the flesh “does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able [to do so]” ( ). . The law makes clear what the works of the flesh are. It is the whole activity of man who is not led by the Spirit of God. This obviously applies to people who are not born again, but it also applies to people who are, but who, instead of being led by the Spirit are led by the flesh. Paul lists a number of deeds of the flesh. This list is not complete. In Matthew 15 and Romans 1, just to mention a few other places, other deeds of the flesh are mentioned ( ; ). It is quite possible that Paul mentions these sins because these happened among the Galatian Christians. Paul presents as many as fifteen deeds of the flesh. The first three sins are sexual sins. “Immorality” is prohibited sexual contact. This concerns all sexual activities outside marriage and before marriage and not just sexual intercourse. “Impurity” refers to dealing with sexuality in an unclean way in thoughts, words, deeds and lusts, which can also happen within marriage. “Sensuality” is shameless behavior in sexual things without restraints and without caring what others think. This can also occur within marriage. “Idolatry” and “sorcery” belong together as sins directly committed against God by ignoring His exclusive rights. The remaining deeds of the flesh are sins which concern my neighbor or brother. Anyone who practices such things as a life practice – which is different from accidentally falling into one of these things once – has no part in Christ and is outside God’s kingdom. Now read Galatians 5:16-21 again. Reflection: In what ways do you experience the struggle of ?

‏ Galatians 5:16-26

The Spirit Against the Flesh

In Gal 5:1 of this chapter, Paul contrasted freedom with slavery. In Gal 5:13 he contrasted freedom with lawlessness. Now he shows how true freedom is experienced and manifested, namely in a life led by the Spirit.

Gal 5:16. The section of Gal 5:16-26 is one entity. Therein the Spirit is mentioned no less than seven times. Gal 5:16 is directly opposite to Gal 5:15. The latter verse refers to biting and devouring one another. However, if you walk by the Spirit, such things will not happen.

To “walk by the Spirit” means that you perform the purposes of the Spirit and that you make your decisions in the light of His holiness. It means that your conduct seeks to glorify Christ in your life, because that’s why the Holy Spirit came to earth (Jn 16:14). If you walk by the Spirit, the result is that you keep the flesh as dead. Actually, it is impossible to have Christ before your eyes and sin at the same time!

Gal 5:17. Indeed the Christian has two natures: the new life and the old life. The new life longs to be guided by the Spirit, the old life wants to meet the desires of the flesh. The Spirit and the flesh are contrary to one another as enemies. The flesh is committed to preventing you from walking by the Spirit, and the Spirit withstands the operation of the flesh to prevent it from performing its will.

So the flesh is still present in the Christian, it is not dead or exterminated. The flesh “lusts” still, but you are no longer obliged to listen to what it wants. When you were converted God could have taken away sinful flesh. Yet He has left it in us to remind us constantly of our weakness and by that consciousness to keep us continuously dependent on Christ.

Well, who wins that battle which is now going on in you and me? This is where our responsibility comes into play. Someone once compared the two natures with two dogs: a white one and a black one that are constantly fighting with each other. ‘Do you know’, he said, ‘who wins? The dog I give food to!’ You realize that the Spirit does not quite get a chance to lead your life if you, for example, watch bad movies on TV or the internet, or if you are reading bad books or magazines, or if you don’t live in peace with your neighbors. Then you give food to the black dog.

However, if you “keep seeking the things above, where Christ is” (Col 3:1), if you want to know Him more by reading the Bible and good books about Christ, if you like to tell those who surround you about the joy you have in knowing the Lord Jesus, yes, then you give food to the white dog.

So actually, it is a fight you yourself don’t have to fight. It's your business to be led by the Holy Spirit. That being led by the Holy Spirit is not an issue that would be applicable only to certain occasions, for example in the meetings of the church. No, it is a matter for everyday life. It is also not a matter for ‘well advanced’ Christians. No, it’s a matter for every Christian, because every Christian has received the Holy Spirit at the moment he believed the gospel of his salvation (1Cor 15:1-4, Eph 1:13).

Gal 5:18. Whoever is led by the Spirit, is lifted above self-preoccupation with the law and the flesh, and is engaged with Christ. Whoever is led by the Spirit, doesn’t have the law as the rule of life to be justified thereby.

It is remarkable to see that it looks like Paul constantly uses the law and the flesh intermingled. . Paul in this letter also clearly demonstrated that the law was given to a people in the flesh that thought to be able to meet God’s law. The law was given to prove that the flesh “does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able [to do so]” (Rom 8:7).

Gal 5:19-21. The law makes clear what the works of the flesh are. It is the whole activity of man who is not led by the Spirit of God. This obviously applies to people who are not born again, but it also applies to people who are, but who, instead of being led by the Spirit are led by the flesh.

Paul lists a number of deeds of the flesh. This list is not complete. In Matthew 15 and Romans 1, just to mention a few other places, other deeds of the flesh are mentioned (Mt 15:19; Rom 1:29-31). It is quite possible that Paul mentions these sins because these happened among the Galatian Christians.

Paul presents as many as fifteen deeds of the flesh. The first three sins are sexual sins. “Immorality” is prohibited sexual contact. This concerns all sexual activities outside marriage and before marriage and not just sexual intercourse. “Impurity” refers to dealing with sexuality in an unclean way in thoughts, words, deeds and lusts, which can also happen within marriage. “Sensuality” is shameless behavior in sexual things without restraints and without caring what others think. This can also occur within marriage.

“Idolatry” and “sorcery” belong together as sins directly committed against God by ignoring His exclusive rights. The remaining deeds of the flesh are sins which concern my neighbor or brother.

Anyone who practices such things as a life practice – which is different from accidentally falling into one of these things once – has no part in Christ and is outside God’s kingdom.

Now read Galatians 5:16-21 again.

Reflection: In what ways do you experience the struggle of Gal 5:17?

The Fruit of the Spirit

Gal 5:22-23. In Gal 5:19 we read about the “deeds [plural] of the flesh”. In Gal 5:22 Paul mentions the “fruit [singular] of the Spirit”. If you think of the deeds of the flesh, you see those deeds more as a result of what a man does. As to the fruit of the Spirit, you rather think of an inner attitude. It is a fruit, not of ourselves, as is the case with the deeds of the flesh, but of the Spirit. You could compare it to a factory and a garden. In a factory, people are working hard to realize a certain production. In a garden grows what is sown in it, without any work of man (except probably weeding).

The fruit of the Spirit is not the same as the gifts of the Spirit. Anyone who has received the Holy Spirit has also received certain spiritual gifts. Every believer has different gifts. With the fruit of the Spirit this difference is absent. It is a fruit which has to be present in every believer.

As mentioned, the word ‘fruit’ is in the singular. It is one fruit, but it is composed of nine parts. You can think of a diamond which is one stone, but with a difference in brightness, depending on how the light shines on it. You can also think of a flower with nine petals. If you remove a petal, the flower loses its beauty. Similarly, the nine parts of the fruit of the Spirit are not available separately. The Holy Spirit wants every part of the fruit to be fully exposed in unity with the whole.

The first part that is mentioned is “love”. That is understandable. It is the nature of God. God is love (1Jn 4:8 ; 16) and His love “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom 5:5).

The second part is “joy”. This is the joy which the Holy Spirit works in us as we think of God and what He has done for us in His Son, despite the difficult circumstances in which we can sometimes be. It is the joy “in the Lord” (Phil 3:1) and that is our strength (Neh 8:10b).

“Peace”, the third feature of the fruit, is the inner calmness and peace which is in God. It is the peace of God which, through the Holy Spirit, is worked in us if we are led by Him. Again, this peace will be ours, regardless of the difficult circumstances in which we can sometimes be.

Of these three, love, joy and peace, the Lord Jesus speaks of in John 14 and 15: “My love”, “My joy”, “My peace” (Jn 14:27 ; Jn 15:10-11). Between Him and the Spirit is a perfect agreement.

How important is “patience”, the fourth feature. How your patience is tested sometimes if you are in a difficult or hopeless situation or if you have to deal with difficult people.

A subsequent feature, the fifth, is “kindness”. In Titus 3, this feature is used for God (Tit 3:4). It shows His friendly mind and benevolent attitude to sinners. Are His mind and attitude, seen in your life? They surely are, if you are led by the Spirit.

“Goodness”, the sixth feature, shows that you are generously and compassionately looking for what is good for others. In Ephesians 5, goodness is connected with the fruit of the light (Eph 5:9).

You show “faithfulness”, the seventh feature, if people can trust you, if you are trustworthy.

“Gentleness”, the eighth feature, means that you are willing to take a humble position. It is not a spineless weakness, but an attitude you consciously take and for which you need much spiritual strength.

The list ends with the ninth feature, “self-control”. The Holy Spirit leads you to a disciplined life, in which you don’t yield to the impulses of passions and desires. He gives you the ability to control yourself.

This ninefold fruit cannot be worked out by putting yourself under the law. This fruit will only grow and prosper in all freshness if you are led by the Holy Spirit. We see this fruit in its full maturity in the Lord Jesus, with the exception of self-control because that word contains the idea of wrong impulses which have to be tamed. Of course such impulses were not present in the Lord Jesus.

Gal 5:23b. The fruit of the Spirit is beyond the reach of the law. But even if the law had had something to do with it, there is still nothing in the fruit of the Spirit that should fall under the judgment of the law. All the features or parts of the fruit of the Spirit are a delight to God, are useful for our fellow man and have a beneficial effect on our own spiritual life.

Gal 5:24. This fruit is found in “those who belong to Christ Jesus”. They have radically given up “the flesh” and all “passions and desires” which belong to the flesh. For you this means that you must put into practice what you acknowledged when you were converted. Then you made yourself one with the judgment God accomplished on the cross regarding the flesh.

Paul does not say to crucify the flesh, but to keep it as crucified. So it is not a painful and slow process of mortification, but a case of accepting in faith what God says. That is in retrospect to what happened on the cross.

Gal 5:25. At your conversion you received life by the Spirit. Now the point is also to walk by that Spirit. This refers to the present, the here and now. The thought is that a certain position, living by the Spirit, must be demonstrated in practice, walking by the Spirit.

Gal 5:26. The law could not give life; neither does it give strength to a life in which fruit is borne for God. The last verse indicates again where keeping the law leads to: the pride of one’s own flesh and the contempt of others.

Now read Galatians 5:22-26 again.

Reflection: Memorize the fruit of the Spirit off by heart.