Galatians 5

Galatians 5:4:
Gal 5:4: You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

Christ will not be the Saviour of any who will not own and rely upon him as their only Saviour. Let us take heed to the warnings and persuasions of the apostle to steadfastness in the doctrine and liberty of the gospel. All true Christians, being taught by the Holy Spirit, wait for eternal life, the reward of righteousness, and the object of their hope, as the gift of God by faith in Christ; and not for the sake of their own works. The Jewish convert might observe the ceremonies or assert his liberty, the Gentile might disregard them or might attend to them, provided he did not depend upon them. No outward privileges or profession will avail to acceptance with God, without sincere faith in our Lord Jesus. True faith is a working grace; it works by love to God, and to our brethren. May we be of the number of those who, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. The danger of old was not in things of no consequence in themselves, as many forms and observances now are. But without faith working by love, all else is worthless, and compared with it other things are of small value. --Matthew Henrys

Christ is become of no effect unto you,.... Or "ye are abolished from Christ"; or as others by an "hypallage" read the words, "Christ is abolished unto you"; for by their seeking for justification by their own works, it was all one to them as if there was no Christ, and no righteousness in him, and no salvation by him; they had nothing to do with him, nor he with them: whosoever of you are justified by the law; that is, who sought to be justified by their obedience to the law, or who thought they were, and trusted in themselves that they were righteous; for otherwise, by the deeds of the law, no flesh living can be justified: ye are fallen from grace; that is, either from that grace which they professed to have; for there might be some in these churches, as in others, who were only nominal Christians, and formal professors; who had declared they saw themselves lost and undone sinners, destitute of a righteousness, and professed to believe in Christ alone for righteousness and strength, but now trusted in themselves, and in the works of the law: or from the scheme of grace in the whole of man's salvation, which will admit of no mixture of works; either it is one or the other, it cannot be both; wherefore by their taking on the side of works, they showed that they had entirely dropped the scheme of grace: or else from the Gospel of the grace of God, from whence they were removed, through the influence of false teachers; particularly the doctrine of free justification by the grace of God, through the righteousness of Christ; which was entirely set aside by their seeking to be instilled by the works of the law; and from this they might be said to be fallen, who were on such a bottom.
--Gills Exposition

Fallen from grace—Ye no longer "stand" in grace (Ro 5:2). Grace and legal righteousness cannot co-exist (Ro 4:4, 5; 11:6). Christ, by circumcision (Lu 2:21), undertook to obey all the law, and fulfil all righteousness for us: any, therefore, that now seeks to fulfil the law for himself in any degree for justifying righteousness, severs himself from the grace which flows from Christ's fulfilment of it, and becomes "a debtor to do the whole law" (Ga 5:3). The decree of the Jerusalem council had said nothing so strong as this; it had merely decided that Gentile Christians were not bound to legal observances. But the Galatians, while not pretending to be so bound, imagined there was an efficacy in them to merit a higher degree of perfection (Ga 3:3). This accounts for Paul not referring to the decree at all. He took much higher ground. See Paley's Horæ Paulinæ. The natural mind loves outward fetters, and is apt to forge them for itself, to stand in lieu of holiness of heart.

Bob Wilkin

I have had people point to Galatians 5:4 and say, "Doesn't Paul say that at least some of the Galatian Christians had fallen from grace? And, if they could fall from grace, so can we today." How did they take the verse out of context? We would agree that the book is addressed to Christians (Galatians 1:6,9; 5:1). We would also agree that some of the readers had fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4) and some were on the verge of doing so (Galatians 5:2). We would even agree that it is possible for believers today to fall from grace. The text clearly does not limit this falling to the Galatian Christians only. Any Christian who reverts to seeking to be justified by law has fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4). The problem is in the conclusion we draw, not in the premises. The whole issue here is what falling from grace means. Does it mean that the believers in question have fallen from their positional standing in grace? If it does, then Paul contradicts himself because in other passages he clearly states that is impossible (cf. Romans 8:38-39; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; Colossians 2:13-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:10; 2 Timothy 2:13). Since scripture is God's Word, it cannot contradict itself. Thus, whatever Paul meant by falling from grace he did not mean falling from one's position as a child of God. Is there not another obvious alternative, one which fits the context and Pauline and biblical theology perfectly? Falling from grace means that a believer who reverts to pharisaical thinking and practices has fallen from a present experience of grace. While our position in the grace of God is secure, our experience of His grace is not. If a believer today is unwittingly duped into joining a works-salvation cult, he will cease to experience God's grace until he leaves the cult. In fact, if a believer joins any group, cult or otherwise, which teaches that we must produce good works in order to maintain our salvation, he will cease to experience grace. Even the linking of assurance to the quality of our lives can lead a believer to fall from a daily experience of grace. Falling from grace is a real problem today. May we proclaim the gospel and assurance clearly so that we can help people begin anew or continue to experience God's grace in their daily lives. --Bob Wilkin

Galatians 5:6:
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor circumcision; but faith which worketh by love."

The faith which justifies is the faith which works. Those who say, and do not, are not men of faith. The obedience which is pleasing to God is the fruit of that faith which takes God at His word, and submits to the working of His power, being fully assured that what He has promised He is able to perform. This is the faith which is reckoned for righteousness.

Galatians 5:7:
“Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?”

Someone's conversation is hindering the following of the One "that calleth you" (vs 8). It happened in Paul's time, and it happens now, hour by hour. We need to spend some time in conscious prayer that we may not "hinder" someone else from following what the Lord is calling that one to do, whether it be for a day or a year. It is a serious thing to hinder carelessly another one of the Lord's children from quickly obeying. It is a serious thing to do the very opposite of what God admonishes us to do. When we are told in Galatians 5:15 that there is danger "if ye bite and devour one another," it is in the area of conversation. We are being warned with a flashing light that there is danger when we depart from talking with love, kindness, long-suffering, concern, compassion, and a desire to help rather than to hinder the Lord's leading. --Edith Schaeffer; A Way of Seeing; 1977

Galatians 5:13:
"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another"

Neil T Anderson Files

There is no way that we can commit a sexual sin and not use our body, including our brain, as an instrument of unrighteousness. When we commit a sexual sin, we allow sin to reign in our mortal body. When this happens, are we still united with the Lord? Yes. We are still joined with Him because He will never leave is nor forsake us. We would not lose our salvation, but the sinful act would certainly have an effect on the degree of freedom that we experience. "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another" (Gal 5:13).
-Neil T Anderson; Overcoming Addictive Behavior; [c]2003

Galatians 5:16:
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Sara Ivill Files

Paul’s exhortation, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16), warns us that there’s a war within our hearts. There are two desires within us, those of the flesh and those of the Spirit, and both cannot win. Although “the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2), these fleshly desires are so strong that we often succumb to them. Thankfully, there is hope. God’s power “has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). The truth that there are two opposing desires within you may seem daunting, but don’t let it be debilitating. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in our hearts to empower us to fight the battle with the Word of God and prayer.
You will know if the flesh is winning the war of your heart, or your loved one’s heart, because works of the flesh are obvious. Paul gives us some examples—sexual immorality, idolatry, strife, anger, and envy (Gal. 5:19-21). Sadly, several of these sins are acceptable today, even in the church. But Paul gives a sober warning, “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21). Paul is not speaking here about the Christian person who commits a sin like anger, confesses it to the Lord, then strives to turn away from it. Every true believer will inherit the kingdom of God (Rom. 8:28-30). But this warning should still lead us to carefully examine our hearts. If we are indulging in works of the flesh on a regular basis, we need to evaluate our relationship with the Lord.
--Sara Ivill; The War of the Heart; 6.15.23

Roy Della

The true Christian, led by the Holy Spirit, has a hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6), but is impeded by the old nature which hungers after the fulfillment of fleshly desires. This is why it is important for a Christian to daily spend time in prayer and Bible study, and to also unite with a Bible-believing local church. These things help us to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Again, as Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia to help them overcome: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 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 5:16, 17). In the succeeding verses he describes the contrast between the Spirit and the flesh. I encourage you to read them. -Rev Roy Delia; New Hope Baptist Church; Ontario, Oregon

Galatians 5:17:
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.

And it doesn’t get easier the longer you are a Christian and the more mature you grow. As Luther pointed out, the more godly a man is, the more he feels the battle. And Calvin put it this way: we don’t even perceive our full depravity until we mature like a tree. Our growth in sanctification is not a realization of how holy we are, but it is humiliation at how often the flesh gets its way.
Yes, the war between the flesh and the Spirit wages throughout our lives. This side of heaven, there is no armistice in this conflict—no peace treaty. Yet, this truth of our life, our ever struggle with sin, should not cause us to despair. At first glance, this battle is fairly discouraging: the flesh will get its sinful way until we die. -Beautiful Christian Life

Galatians 5:19-21:
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
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.

The first category Paul mentions is found in the first three words: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (19). These words represent sexual misalignment and overlap in meaning and emphasis. Sexual immorality, the first word, comes from the Greek word porneia, and refers to sexual activity of many types between unmarried people. Impurity, the second word, refers broadly to moral uncleanness through sensual thoughts, words, and deeds outside the sacred confines of marriage. And sensuality, the third word, speaks to uncontrolled sexuality, an atmosphere that is sensual. By starting here, Paul addressed a significant issue in the Greek and Roman world, but our world as well.
There are many views of sex in circulation today. Some treat sex as a god that defines, gives life, and is worthy of devotion. Some treat sex as a mere facet of nature to be pursued for personal gratification. Some treat sex as the expected response to feelings of affection. And many within the church have embraced the idea that sex is an unholy activity, dirty and undesirable.
But the biblical view is that God invented sex—it is natural, enjoyable, and intimate. Sex is so powerful that it should only be used in the safe confines of covenantal marriage because it requires you to give yourself to another. Fire belongs in a fireplace. You wouldn't start a fire on your living room rug. In a similar way, sex is so potent that it is only meant for a marital relationship designed for the giving of one's entire self. If any part of a person is held back, sex is too weighty for that relationship. --Nate Holdridge

Magic and witchcraft are socially destructive forces whose function it is to strike at the community and to disrupt it. The medieval cults of witches were active in destruction and were aimed at the over throw of Christian order. Because scripture recognizes the deadly consequences of witchcraft, it strikes at it sharply as a murderous force (Ex 22:18. Deut 18, 10, Rev 21:8). Witchcraft murders both indviduals and cultures in a deadly and anti-social force. The so-called “primitive” societies are rather degenerate societies in which envy and witchcraft is triumphed. The triumph of these evils in any culture will mark its decline into barbarism.

Our apostle having in the foregoing verses, exhorted the Galatians to walk in the Spirit, to be led and guided by the Spirit, and by no means to obey or fulfil the lusts of the flesh; he comes in these and the following verses, to discover how they might, with certainty and assurance, know whether they were spiritual or carnal, whether the Spirit or the flesh had a prevalency in them, or dominion over them.
Accordingly, he describes particularly the flesh and the Spirit, by their various and different effects, and gives us a catalogue of the one and the other; he reckons up no fewer than seventeen works of the flesh, all which, yea, any of which, continued in, and unrepented of, are damnable; after this, he enumerates nine special and gracious fruits of the Spirit, which qualify us for, and entitle us to the kingdom of heaven; The works of the flesh are manifest, &c.
Here observe, 1. That sin is called a work, thereby intimating to us the labour and toil, the drudgery and pains, which sinners meet with in a sinful course: The ways of sin are very toilsome, although in their issue very unfruitful; sin is no pleasurable service, but a laborious servitude.
Observe, 2. The apostle calls sin by the name of works, in the plural number, the works of the flesh; intimating, that sin never goes single, but has a dangerous train and retinue: He that yields himself a servant to one sin, shall soon find himself a slave to many.
Observe, 3. That sin is called a work of the flesh, because most sins are committed by the flesh; the body is the soul’s instrument, as well in the work of sin, as in the service of Christ; and the flesh is the object, about which these works are conversant, as well as the organ and instrument by which they are committed.
Observe, 4. These works of the flesh are here said to be manifest: But how so? First, they are most of them manifestly condemned by the light of nature: a natural conscience in men startles at them at first, till by custom and frequent practice they become habitual and natural to them. Secondly, they are all of them manifest by the light of scripture; the word of God, which is in all our hands, condemns all these works of the flesh to the pit of hell.
Observe, 5. The particular enumeration of the works of the flesh, here made by the apostle;
adultery, or the defiling our neighbour’s bed;
fornication, or the unlawful mixture of single persons one with another;
uncleanness, under which is comprehended all sorts of filthiness, and filthy lusts, whether natural or unnatural;
lasciviousness, by which is meant all wanton behaviour, either in speech or action, tending to excite filthy desires, either in themselves or others;
idolatry, whereby God is represented to corporeal eyes by pictures and images, and so brought down to human senses; properly, therefore, is idolatry, as such, called here a work of the flesh.
Again, witchcraft, a devilish art, whereby some men and women, having made a compact with the devil, either expressly or implicitly, are enabled, with God’s permission, and by the assistance of Satan, to produce effects beyond the ordinary course and order of nature, and these for the most part rather mischievous to others, than beneficial to themselves;
hatred, or a secret enmity in our hearts against our neighbour, either for real or apprehended injuries;
variance, or outward contention by words or action, arising from the forementioned enmity in the heart;
emulations, or an inward grief and displeasure at some good in others, or done by others, which eclipses and overshadows us;
wrath, or violent anger, and immoderate passion, depriving a man for the time of his reason, and transforming him into a beast;
strife, or a litigious spirit, a continual proneness to quarrelling and contending;
seditions, or rending of societies into factions, and divinding communities into parties; which dividing work, when it falls out in the state, is called sedition; when in the church, by the name of schism;
heresies, or dangerous errors in the fundamental points of religion; not arising purely from mistakes of judgment, but from the espousing of false doctrines out of disgust or pride, or from worldly principles, to avoid persecution or trouble in the flesh; these may well be accounted carnal lusts, and called works of the flesh, although they be mental errors, and their first seat is in the understanding and judgment;
envyings, a pestilent lust, which makes another’s good our grief; our eyes smart at the sight of what another enjoys, though we have never the less, because another has more;
murders, that is, the executing of private revenge, by shedding of blood, and taking away our neighbour’s life unjustly;
drunkenness, revellings, the one is intemperance in drinking, the other an excess in eating; all sinful abuse of the creatures of God, which he has given, not barely for necessity, but delight, is censured here as a work of the flesh.
Observe, 6. The solemn warning which the apostle gives the Galatians to watch against all these sins, and not indulge or allow themselves in the willful commission of any one of them; I tell you, says he, that such shall not inherit the kingdom of God, but be eternally banished from him.
Now, from the whole, learn, 1. That the ministers of the gospel must not satisfy themselves barely to reprove and condemn sin in general but must descend to particulars; though invectives against sin, at large, are of good use to expose the deformity of sin, yet, in order to the awakening of particular sinners, we must take into our consideration their particular sins, and endeavour to convince them of them, and turn them from them; so doth our apostle here, in the foregoing catalogue of vices.
Learn, 2. That the ministers of Christ must acquaint their people, not only with the danger of allowing themselves in the grosser acts of sin, as adultery, fornication, drunkenness, and revellings, and such like, but also with the danger of indulging themselves in secret sins, heart sins, sins which the eye of the world can never accuse them of, but God will condemn them for; such are hatred, emulation, envy, &c. not only the outward act of sin, but the inward desire, is dangerous and damning. It is easy for a man to murder his neighbour, in the account of God, by a secret wish, and a passionate desire; he that hateth his brother is a murderer, and he that looks upon a woman unduly, is an adulterer, in the sight of God.
Learn, 3. That the ministers of Christ can never often enough warn sinners of the danger of sin, and continuance in it; we must do it over and over again; every sabbath, and every sermon, must ring a peal in the sinner’s ears, of the fatal danger of a resolute impiety: Thus here, I tell you now, as I told you in time past, that they which do such things, shall not inherit - William Burkitt Commentary

Galatians 5:22-23:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The Greek word translated “fruit” refers to the natural product of a living thing. Paul used “fruit” to help us understand the product of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside every believer. The fruit of the Spirit is produced by the Spirit, not by the Christian. The Greek word is singular, showing that “fruit” is a unified whole, not independent characteristics. As we grow, all the characteristics of Christ will be manifested in our lives.
Yet, like physical fruit needs time to grow, the fruit of the Spirit will not ripen in our lives overnight. Like a successful gardener must battle against weeds to enjoy the sweet fruit they desire, we must constantly work to rid our lives of the “weeds” of our old sin natures that want to choke out the work of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to reject those old sinful desires. We can say “no” to sin and accept the “way out” God faithfully provides (1 Corinthians 10:13) by following the Holy Spirit’s leading. As we give the Spirit more control of our lives, He begins to do in and through us what only He can do - to shape us and grow us to look like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). -Kathy Howard

Only the Holy Spirit can produce His fruit. We cannot fake it. Should we try to do so, it would stick out worse then two sore thumbs. There are three sets of triplets in the fruit of the Spirit. In our hearts, He produces love joy, and peace!! In our relationship and fellowship with others, He produces long suffering, gentleness, and goodness!!! And, in our relationship and fellowship with our Lord, He produces faith, meekness and temperance! -James Crumpton; The Fruit of the Spirit

These are the fruit of the Spirit that are produced by the Spirit. He cultivates them through us, beyond our natural abilities. The Bible says our nature is in direct opposition to the Spirit. We cannot produce love, joy, or any other fruit without Him.
"For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish" (Galatians 5:17).
So, how do we live out the fruit of the Spirit when it doesn’t come naturally?
Pastor and theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, once said, “Fruit is always the miraculous, the created; it is never the result of willing, but always of growth. The fruit of the Spirit is a gift of God, and only He can produce it.” -Love Worth Finding

The Greek word αγαπϵαγαπϵ, describes a type of love which is “self-sacrificial,” devoted to someone… The love that is willing to serve others. This type of love is what makes it possible for believers to commune and be at peace with one another. (See 1 Cor. 13:4-13).

Growing in the fruit of the Spirit is expected of those who have decided to turn to God. These characteristics aren’t suggestions or possibilities; they are aspects of the mind of God. We are to grow to think and act more like God does, and the fruit of the Spirit helps outline the path of a Christian.
Yet many who claim to be Christian don’t display these fruits very well. It takes more than saying you are a Christian; it takes the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit.
Those who have been baptized and received the Holy Spirit should be demonstrating these traits more every day. In fact, without God’s Spirit, the full spiritual maturity of the fruit of the Spirit cannot be achieved. The human spirit can only achieve these characteristics on the surface level, and more often it produces the works of the flesh Paul describes in Galatians 5:19-21:
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God -Life Hope & Truth

When examining the state of the world, and the causes of one’s own sins, many issues seem to stem from impulsive mistakes or angry outbursts. Random acts of violence, foolish and rash decisions, and unhealthy cycles contribute to silly accidents at best, and the ruination of lives and relationships at worst. Many sins and mistakes come from a lack of patience, which is, “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.”
How long does it take for someone to lose their temper, storm off, or get exasperated? Being able to accept or tolerate problems allows people to work through issues, facilitate compromise, and prevents inappropriate behavior.
Some people say “patience is a virtue.” While this saying is true, it does not come from the Bible. It comes from a text called “Psychomachia,” written by the poet Prudentis in the fifth century AD. However, the colloquialism is in line with what the Word of God does say about it. The Apostle Paul wrote, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). -Bethany Verrett

“Religion can never give this to you. Only Christ can give you deep-down peace.” -J Vernon McGee

The apostle Paul tells us that patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit—in other words, patience is a byproduct of God's work within us. He describes it as "longsuffering" (Galatians 5:22, NKJV), a word that, according to Webster's dictionary, means "long and patient enduring of injury, trouble, or provocation."...............aul makes it clear that not only are we supposed to desire patience, we're to pursue it (1 Timothy 6:11). If you're like me, the thought of pursuing patience doesn't bring forth shouts of joy and excitement!
But when we chase patience, it pleases God. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:1-2: "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." --Stormie Omartian; The Power of Patience

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit’s work in the life of believer. That means that it is something more than an emotion we have in the right circumstances. Our joy, as Christians, is rooted in something much deeper. It’s source is in the work of Christ for our salvation.
Joy doesn’t mean that we go through life with happy-clappy attitudes and smiles plastered on our faces. There is a time for rejoicing and a time for sorrow. It’s appropriate to grieve and cry at times. But in those times, we have not lost our joy. We still have that sense of anticipation. Christ is the only joy that lasts. -Rachel Green Miller

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NIV).
“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins’” (1 Peter 4:8).

The fruit of self-control speaks to resisting the ways of the world and living a Godly life. It means that we are living by the Fruit of the Spirit instead of the works of the flesh. It takes self control to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us and live by love for others. This doesn’t mean love as the world loves, but the agape love of Jesus. -Bloggers for the Kingdom