Notes on Galatians 5

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.

There is often confusion between liberty and license. Liberty in Christ does not mean we can do anything we want, and expect God to condone it in his grace. Some people who believe in the idea of eternal security also believe they can do whatever they want, because they'll get to Heaven anyway. There are several problems with this idea. One is that, if we truly belong to Christ, God changes our "want to's." Our desire is to please him; that's what liberty really means, the freedom to serve God as he created us to do. If we have no real desire to serve God, there is doubt we were ever saved at all. Another problem is that, even as Christians, we will be judged for the things we have done, either for gain or loss (Romans 14:12). Finally, sin always has consequences in this life, in body, mind, and spirit. It hurts not only others, but us as well.

Paul emphasizes again that works, or deeds, play no part in our salvation. Circumcision was a sign of the Jewish male's dedication to God as a child, and, like infant baptism practiced by some churches now, has absolutely no spiritual significance apart from that. Adult baptism also means nothing, except as a sign of a person's salvation. Just as circumcision did not save anyone, neither does baptism. Both are acts of obedience, under the old covenant and the new. Just as uncircumcised Jew was still a Jew, so an unbaptized Christian is still a Christian. The power within us, the power to have faith to believe in God's promises and the assurance of the hope of eternal life, comes from the Holy Spirit, not from our own self-will. Just as the core problem in the Corinthian church was spiritual pride, the idea that we can attain salvation through our own efforts, by obeying the provisions of the Law, is also based in spiritual pride. Both the false teachers and those who follow them face God's judgment, especially if some who otherwise would have come to Christ are deceived into believing the idea that they can attain to salvation without accepting him as Savior.

13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
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.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
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.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

License says we should serve our own selfish lusts and desires; love says that we should serve one another. The lusts of the flesh are aimed at physical and emotional gratification, no matter what the cost to others; the rule of the spirit seeks the good and well-being of others first. The two ideas, just like the flesh and the sprit, are opposed to each other. What does it mean to "walk in" the Spirit? When we become Christians, the Spirit takes up residence in us, but we are still in control of our lives. To the extent that we follow the Spirit's direction and leading, we are walking in the Spirit. This doesn't happen immediately; it's a process that continues throughout our lives. It takes time for a tree to bear fruit, and it takes time for fruit to ripen.

The list of the works of the flesh is not intended to be exhaustive. They all amount to two things: rebellion against God or mistreatment of others. The Devil has come to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), as a thief to steal what God has given us, and the flesh operates in that same spirit of destruction. The Spirit seeks to build up, to create, to foster the kinds of attitudes and behavior that strengthen us and others. Unfortunately, even when we become Christians we don't stop all of the kinds of behavior characteristic of the flesh. The difference is that they don't represent our habitual lifestyle, our nature. It's somewhat like the difference between mud, which has water in it, and muddy water, which is still water but carries mud inside it. Muddy water is no good for drinking or cleaning, any more than mud is, but it can be filtered and cleaned. The work of the Spirit is just that kind of cleaning, to make us fit for the Father's use.

Paul says we are crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20), which means, as he says here, that we have crucified, or killed, the flesh. This doesn't happen from one day to the next; we, like Paul, must die daily (1 Corinthians 15:31). We can only do that by continuing communion with the Spirit, in prayer and in the study of the Word, and by striving to be obedient to God's leading that this communion helps us understand. We can't hope for obedience apart from faith, because without faith, scripture says, it is impossible to please him (God - Hebrews 11:6). Like everything else good in our lives, faith comes only from the Holy Spirit. When we seek to build ourselves up in the eyes of others, we are adopting the world's strategy, not God's.

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