Chapter Five
Christ Has Set Us Free
5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Paul next points to the crux of what and why Jesus offered His life for humanity, He wants mankind to be free from the slavery of sin. It could not be accomplished by human effort, so He did it all. For our freedom, Jesus set us free, so stand firm, and don’t go back to being a slave to the law.
Some view this verse as a summary of what Paul so far has presented suggesting it should be at the end of chapter four. Others believe it is the perfect verse to introduce what follows. Regardless of viewpoint, it is a transitional verse one that shifts from a quick-to-argue Paul to a loving-and-desiring-to-offer-advice Paul.
Paul understood that freedom can have several enemies, in this situation the primary enemy was legalism. The taking of something that was considered good, to be essential.
5:2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
Paul points out that circumcision on its own has no value, the entire law must be kept without flaw (see James 2:10). He further points out that Christ will be of no advantage to those that do as they have fallen away from His grace. This is not a reference to the security of a believer but to understand that God’s grace and the law (or any works) don’t mix. If one pursues the law they forfeit grace and if they are under grace through faith in Jesus, they reject the need for the law.
5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
Paul emphasizes that through the Spirit (not the flesh) in faith (not works), we eagerly wait (not in anxious uncertainty of bondage of the law) for the hope of righteousness. He once again asserts that being in Christ that neither circumcision or uncircumcision counts for anything, only having faith working through love of Jesus counts. Christianity is framed around a relationship with Jesus not a religion that follows any protocols. Paul wrote in his epistle to the Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10, ESV) The works Paul is referring to is a product of our faith, not as a source of righteousness.
5:7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.
Paul notes that the Galatians were “running well,” as he often used athletic references in his epistles, he was saying that everything looked like they were doing well following Jesus, so why change? He asks who taught them to stop obeying the truth? This legalistic persuasion did not come from God, no version of legalism comes from God. Paul then illustrates how a wrong idea, misinformation, or an incorrect interpretation can quickly spread and affect others, or a whole church, by the phrase, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” From its first appearance (see Exodus 12:15-13:7) and throughout the Bible, leaven represents sin and corruption (see also Matthew 16:11; Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1; 13:21; 1 Corinthians 5:6-7).
Paul then states that he is confident in the Lord that they will accept no other view, only the true view, the gospel of grace. And that the one who was troubling them, the false teachers, will be judged accordingly. Jesus said, “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6, ESV)
Again, this is not about believers losing salvation, as a believer’s destiny is secure (see John 10:28-29). Jesus taught that believers listen only to Him, “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:4-5, ESV)
5:11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
Paul makes an interesting observation, if he was preaching that circumcision was required for salvation, then why is he still being persecuted. If that were true then the cross of Jesus would not be offensive to the Jews and he would not be persecuted by them. Paul reveals that he wished that the Judaizers that taught them that they needed to follow the law, would emasculate (Greek apokopsontai, meaning to cut off, some consider that it refers to castrating oneself, but in context Paul is likely referring to them cutting away from the church) themselves.
5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Going back to the theme of the first verse of the chapter, Paul tells his readers that all believers are called to freedom, but that liberty should not be spent on ourselves seeking compliance with the law, instead it should be focused on serving God, which is done by serving others (see Luke 22:24-27; 1 Corinthians 9:19; Philippians 2:5-7). Quoting Leviticus 19:18 and possibly reflecting on what Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40, ESV) God comes first, then others, Paul clearly points out that a believer should not be inwardly focused, but should be willing to serve others.
Paul makes a curious statement, “But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.” (Galatians 5:15, NLT) Paul saw how infighting can hurt churches (for example see 1 Corinthians 2:10-17; 3:1-23) and how counterproductive infighting can be. This is a serious problem that has caused significant damage to the church over the last two thousand years, just as Jude wrote that the church was infiltrated back then (see Jude 1:4).
Considerations
Infiltration
If someone denies that the church as a whole has been infiltrated by legalists or by those that propose alternate theologies, all one needs to do is ask them why are there so many denominations, different church teachings, etc. It’s truly mind-boggling, especially when we see that the majority of the errors come from ignorance of the Word of God, the Bible.
Legalism may have been one of the devil’s first big attack on the church, but since it worked so well, churches today still struggle with it.
Many Christians come from legalistic backgrounds. They grew up in churches where it seemed like almost everything was ultimately important—except that which in fact was. They recall painful congregational meetings where individuals seemed just as incensed about a change in the music ministry or the color of the carpet in the fellowship hall as they did about the adulterous affair of the choir director or the pastor’s tendency to soft-pedal substitutionary atonement. These are toxic places to be.[1]
But legalism is just one of Satan’s several tactics to render churches ineffective in God’s kingdom. There would not be any way to catalog every issue in every church, but if a church is willing to be used by God, even if it flies in the face of their own traditions, and seek guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Bible, there is hope! Start by praying and then pray again. God is faithful!
Walk and Keep in Step with the Spirit
5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Paul says that believers are to walk by the Holy Spirit and in doing so will not succumb to the desires of the flesh. He points out that desires of the flesh are opposite and not compatible with the desires of the Spirit. A Christian’s freedom does not include freedom to do anything they want as many of those desires are rooted in the desires of the flesh, that is why Paul notes that believers are to walk in alignment with the Holy Spirit. Some teach that this “Christian liberty” includes various indulgences, worldly entertainment, pornography, etc., it does not, these are desires of the flesh and not of the Spirit. Paul essentially concludes the discussion regarding legalism by stating, if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law. You can’t be both! So, one might ask how do you know if you are being led by the Holy Spirit? Paul says to check for fruit, but first he lists things that are truly contrary to the Spirit, those being works of the flesh.
5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
He notes that the works of the flesh are evident and lists fifteen specific works, plus one general work that are contrary to the Holy Spirit, they are: sexual immorality (Greek porneia, fornication, any sexual sin); impurity (Greek akatharsia, moral impurity, immorality); sensuality (Greek aselgeia, completely lacking in moral restraint, sexual licentiousness); idolatry (Greek eidōlolatria, the worship of idols); sorcery (Greek pharmakeia, the use of magic, to cast spells, often in conjunction with drugs); enmity (Greek echthrai, being an enemy, state of hostility, hatred); strife (Greek eris, conflict resulting in rivalry and discord); jealousy (Greek zēlos, strong feeling of resentment and jealousy, envy); fits of anger (Greek thymoi, state of intense anger, implication of passionate outbursts, fits of rage); rivalries (Greek eritheiai, feeling of resentfulness, implying resentment, contention); dissensions (Greek dichostasiai, division into opposing groups, discord); divisions (Greek haireseis, division of people into separate and opposing groups); envy (Greek phthonoi, a state of ill will towards someone, pain felt conceived at the sight of other’s success or happiness); drunkenness (Greek methai, to become drunk from drinking alcohol); orgies (Greek kōmoi, unrestrained indulgences in alcoholic beverages and accompanying with immoral behavior, revellings); and things like these, essentially anything that appeals to pleasing the body. Some manuscripts include murder on this list, the intentional killing of a person. Paul tells us that those who do (Greek prassontes, habitually or repeatedly, to make a practice of doing) such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. These unrepented deeds are all inwardly focused, self serving, and not God pleasing.
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Paul introduces the existence of the “Fruit of the Spirit,” just like the fruit of a tree, believers manifest outward ‘fruit’ that provides external evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit inside them. He lists nine attributes but calls them one fruit, as each should be evident in a believer’s life.
He begins with love (Greek agapē, unconditional love), a subject that Paul has written about several times, but is most remembered by what he wrote in his first letter to the church in Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 13:1-13). The love described there is clearly not some form of love that is common to mankind, as it can only be attained through God. Love is followed by joy (Greek chara, great gladness) often defined as a state of happiness, but happiness can come and go depending on circumstance (happenstance), instead joy is an ongoing gladness from God. Peace (Greek eirēnē, a state of freedom from anxiety) follows joy, this peace is beyond our ability to understand (see Philippians 4:7), just as Jesus promised, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27, ESV) We are to have faith in knowing that God will take care of us, this doesn’t mean that everything will be pain-free but that He will see us through whatever challenge comes our way. Patience (Greek makrothymia, forbearance, a state of emotional calm in the presence of provocation or misfortune) is listed next, perhaps the least liked, as patience often requires longsuffering and endurance, but as the Bible teaches it is part of every Christian’s life (see Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13; Luke 8:15; 21:19; Romans 8:25; 15:4-5; 2 Corinthians 1:6; 6:4, 6; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 1:11; 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 3:10; 4:2; Titus 2:2, Hebrews 6:12; 10:36, James 1:2-4; 5:10-11, 2 Peter 1:6, Jude 20-21; Revelation 3:10; 13:10; 14:12, just to list a few!) Kindness (Greek chrēstotēs, useful, something done that is beneficial to others) comes after patience. An attribute that is necessary when relating to others. Next is goodness (Greek agathōsynē, the act of generous giving, benevolent, active goodness) referring to a mindset of helping others in a positive way. Faithfulness (Greek pistis, trustworthiness, dependability, someone in whom complete confidence can be placed) follows goodness, Reliability is important as we see in the Old Testament how God viewed vows, they were expected to be fulfilled (see Leviticus 27:1-34; Numbers 6:1-21; 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21-23; Psalm 50:14; 61:8; 65:1; 66:13; 116:14-18; Ecclesiastes 5:4-6; Jonah 2:9). Christians need to be true to their word. Next is gentleness (Greek prautēs, a gentle attitude and behavior, not harsh) an attribute that is often described as power under control, a form of meekness. Then the last fruit of the Spirit is self-control (Greek enkrateia, exercise self-control in all circumstances, temperance). Believers are to retain control of their body, emotions, tongue, etc., regardless of cause, such as a loss of temper, being cutoff by a rude driver, watching an injustice occur, etc., it doesn’t matter what or why. Not doing what is expected (such as not yelling at someone or to remain courteous when encountering a rude person), is an excellent witness for Jesus. In his epistle to Titus, a fellow church leader, Paul gave instructions on how and what to teach (see Titus 2:1-15).
5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Paul tells us that if we are living by the Spirit we should also walk in sync with the Spirit. Since the flesh is dead (as well as its worldly passions) and that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we should then walk in a manner worthy of God! (see Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; 2:6-7; 1 Thessalonians 2:12). Paul then warns that we should not become conceited, nor provoke one another, envying one another. We need look carefully at our own lives and stop boasting or making it look like we are in any way greater or special. Everything we have comes from God, including our abilities, give praise and thanks to Him and accept no praise for anything.
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[1] Wilson, T. (2013). Galatians: Gospel-Rooted Living (R. K. Hughes, Ed.; p. 171). Crossway.