Galatians
Chapter Five
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Preface
It is important that when one comes to God’s Word there are only two avenues of approach, which, depending on the one taken, will either facilitate or impede one’s understanding of His Word. These two avenues also represent the two avenues man takes in order to obtain the approbation (favor) of God. One leads into His presence and eternal bliss; the other to eternal doom. In his own “wisdom” the avenue man selects is one steeped in self-effort and legalism. This avenue places the prominence on man, which is “man’s effort in finding God.” This is man’s way. The other avenue is one of grace (God’s unmerited favor toward man) and love (of God for mankind), which is by faith alone in Christ alone. This avenue places the prominence on God. It is God seeking and revealing Himself to man, because man in his wisdom will never find God. This is God’s way.
So it is when one comes to God’s Word. The Bible student may either depend on (trust in) his own ability and intellect to identify, comprehend and appreciate Bible truths; or, he may simply give over the matter to God in faith, knowing that only God through His Holy Spirit can enlighten his mind and reveal God’s truth. One may approach God’s word by self-effort (works) or by grace.
These two principles also apply to the Christian’s approach to all matters during this life. In all concerns, endeavors or concerns during a Christian’s life they should all be addressed through the principle of faith; that is, with a continual and abiding trust in God to show the way and bring about results.
All life is a grace-gift from God. It is only man’s failure to recognize this that keeps him on the wrong course. This is true regarding the salvation of man’s eternal soul. Even when God in His mercy and grace reveals the correct course, which is faith alone in Christ alone, man is allowed by God to make a personal decision to either take or reject God’s way. It is also true of sanctification (spiritual growth), which again is faith alone in Christ alone. And in this believers still have the same choice.
In 1:11-2:21, Paul shows that he was divinely commissioned as an apostle and as such was not answerable to the Twelve in Jerusalem. In chapters 3 and 4, he defends his doctrine of justification by faith alone, against the Judaizers who added works to faith as the necessary conditions for salvation. In 5:1-6:10, the inspired apostle presents practical teaching and exhortation designed to correct the havoc which the teaching of the Judaizers was causing in the personal lives of the Galatian Christians. In 4:19 Paul expresses the wish that the Lord Jesus might again be outwardly expressed in their lives. The Galatians had lost His beauty which before the coming of the Judaizers had been so prominent in their experience. The Lord Jesus was not being expressed in their lives as heretofore. This was the direct result of the Judaizer’s legalistic teachings. The Galatian Christians, instead of depending upon the indwelling Spirit to produce in their lives the beauty of the Lord Jesus, now were depending upon self-effort in an attempt to obey law. Accordingly, Paul’s practical teaching emphasizes the ministry of the Spirit, and the Galatians are exhorted to put themselves again under His control. (Galatians in the Greek New Testament by Kenneth S. Wuest) Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
The Christian life should never be envisioned as one of drudgery and self-imposed constraint. So often this is the case, or at least it is the perception that Christians give to the uninitiated and lost world around them. The Christian life, as God intends for it to be lived in accordance with the power He provides, is one of liberty and freedom. It is a life governed and ruled by grace and love....and joy. This is far different than what a person experiences under law (legalism). Christ suffered a most terrifying death on the cross of Calvary in order to provide this eternal life of liberty for everyone. It is a life of freedom from the law. Under law a person has no liberty or freedom. Under law a person is always under a guardian. He has no freedom of action; he has no right of self-determination. He may only function under a set of rules prescribed by his guardian. He is not mature enough to act on his own. He is always under severe restrictions.
Another way of expressing the true Christian experience is that it is a “life of rest.” It is not a life of confusion, drudgery or turmoil, which are manifestations of a life under legalism. In Hebrews 3 & 4 the “rest” that God would have His people Israel enter into (after their “salvation” from Egypt) was denied to them due to their absence of faith.
It is the same for the Christian. The spiritual life, the life of “rest,” is centered in faith—faith in God’s Word. It is not a life centered in a person’s self-efforts to keep any law. Just as a person receives Christ Jesus in the matter of salvation (by faith alone in Christ alone), so is that person to walk (live) in Him (Colossians 2:6).
The Galatians, having been saved by grace and placed as adult sons into the family of God by the indwelt Holy Spirit and made free from the law, were now attempting to put back on the straight-jacket of the law. They were being persuaded to become immature children once again, submitting themselves needlessly under guardianship. They were in danger of again becoming “entangled” (Gk. enecho—to be held within, to be ensnared) in the web of legalistic Judaism.
The last verse of chapter 4 describes the believer’s position—he is free. This first verse of chapter 5 refers to his practice—he should live as a free man. Here we have a very good illustration of the difference between law and grace. The law would say: “If you earn your freedom, you will become free.” But grace says: “You have been made free at the tremendous cost of the death of Christ. In gratitude to Him, you should stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made you free.” Law commands but does not enable. Grace provides what law demands, then enables man to live a life consistent with his position by the power of the Holy Spirit and rewards him for doing it. (The Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald)
Galatians 5:2-4 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
It is important to take this passage within the context of Paul’s central theme for the Galatian believers. Paul is not speaking about being justified (saved), which is a person’s “standing” before God. His message is to believers who, after being saved—justified before God—are now attempting to live spiritually (sanctification—spiritual growth) but in an erroneous fashion. Thus, should the Galatians submit to circumcision, they would be placing themselves back under the law, which would deprive them of the ministry of the Holy Spirit—the only true means of sanctification.
For the Galatian believers to submit again to law would mean, as Paul puts it, “Christ will profit you nothing.” The Greek word for “profit” is opheleo, which denotes “to further, help, profit, be of use.” For the believer to turn back to legalism for his spiritual growth is to nullify the power of Jesus Christ (Holy Spirit) in his life. Christ then becomes of “no further benefit or advantage” to the believer in his spiritual life.
For the Galatian believers to submit to circumcision was to then submit to the entire law. As Paul puts it, “a debtor to keep the whole law.” Legalism requires the keeping of all the law. Anyone “under law” cannot pick and choose which laws to obey. Thus a person is entirely under law or not under law at all. If a believer chooses to be under law, then Christ is valueless to him. Jesus Christ must not only be a complete Savior, but also an exclusive Savior. Legalism means the abandonment of Christ as one’s only hope of achieving true spirituality (sanctification) in this life.
The believer is free from the law in three respects. First, he is free from the condemnation it imposes upon the one who would disobey it. Second, he is free from the law as means of justification. Third, he is free from the obligation to render obedience to its statutes. (Galatians in the Greek New Testament by Kenneth S. Wuest)
Paul says that submitting again to legalism makes the believer “estranged from Christ.” Again, Paul is not referring to the Galatians’ justification but to their spiritual lives as Christians. He is not referring to their “standing” but to their “experience” before God. The words, “estranged from Christ,” are from katergeo, which means “to be without effect from, to be unaffected by, to be without effective relation to.” The word is applied to any destruction of growth or life, physical or spiritual. Joined with apo (from), it speaks of the loss of some essential element of life by the severance of previous intimate relations. Thus, it is best understood as “you have become unaffected by Christ,” or “you have become without effective relation to Christ.” The idea is that by placing themselves back under legalism, the Galatians would quench or nullify Christ living through them by the power of the Holy Spirit—the only true means of sanctification.
The words used by Paul, “fallen from grace,” are used by many misguided students of God’s Word to refer to the belief that one may lose one’s salvation. This doctrine, if indeed it can be referred to as such, is foreign to and contradicts the over-all, consistent testimony of the New Testament to the effect that everyone who by faith alone in Christ alone is born again and is therefore eternally saved, that no sheep of Christ will ever perish, and that salvation depends entirely on the finished work of the Savior, and not on man’s abilities or efforts (John 3:16, 36; 5:24; 6:47; 10:28). The sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on the cross is either efficacious or it is insufficient. Jesus being God can only be efficacious—never insufficient!
In depriving themselves of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the living of a Christian life, they have fallen from grace. The words “fallen from” are from “ekpipto” which means “to fail of, to lose one’s hold of.” The Galatian Christians had lost their hold upon the grace for daily living which heretofore had been ministered to them by the Holy Spirit. God’s grace manifest itself in three ways, in justification, sanctification, and glorification. The context rules. All through chapter five, Paul is talking about the Holy Spirit’s ministry to the believer. Therefore “grace” here must be interpreted as the daily grace for living of which the Galatian Christians were depriving themselves.
But because they had lost their hold upon sanctifying grace, does not mean that God’s grace had lost its hold upon them in the sphere of justification. Because they had refused to accept God’s grace in sanctification is no reason why God should withdraw His grace for justification. They had received the latter when they accepted the Lord Jesus. That transaction was closed and permanent at the moment they believed. Justification is a judicial act of God done once for all. Sanctification is a process which goes on all through the Christian’s life. Just because the process of sanctification is temporarily retarded in a believer’s life, does not say that his justification is taken away. If that were the case, then the retention of salvation would depend upon the believer’s works, and then salvation would not depend upon grace anymore and we find ourselves in the camp of the Judaizers, ancient and modern. (Galatians in the Greek New Testament by Kenneth S. Wuest) Galatians 5:5, 6 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
Paul declares that “through the Spirit” believers wait for the “hope of righteousness,” which is a product of faith. He did not say that believers “hope for righteousness.” They had already been made righteous in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21) by faith alone in Christ alone, and this is a permanent, irrevocable standing before God. Here Paul is speaking of sanctification righteousness, which is a progressive experience while alive and which will reach fruition when the Christian goes to be with Christ, either by death or the Rapture.
The Christian waits for the “hope” of righteousness. The word “hope” does not connote any doubt as to outcome. It may be understood as “confident or unquestionable expectation.” Romans 5:2, 5 and 15:4, 13 states that hope is a product of the Holy Spirit, which is strengthened and reinforced by “patience” (waiting upon the Holy Spirit) and “comfort of the Scriptures” (learning Bible doctrine). To the Christian, hope means at a minimum the following:
But it could not have been said any better than by John, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:3) This sums up the “hope of righteousness” for which Christians wait and which Paul targets in his letter to the Galatians. The Christian’s hope or confidence is in (1) that he is a child of God and (2) eventually he will be like Jesus Christ. This is the hope (confidence) that leads to true sanctification. And it is all the product of faith—a person is saved through the agency of faith and then is empowered by the Holy Spirit to live holy through the agency of faith. Never by obedience to the law!
For obedience to the law, as represented in this passage by the act of circumcision, avails the believer nothing. An examination of this in the Greek indicates that obedience or disobedience to the law provides no power to or for the believer. The law (legalism) is simply not applicable to the person under grace. Under grace (in Christ) the only thing that matters is “faith working through love.” It is only by means of faith that a person may live spiritually. It is only by the agency of faith, undergirded by the motivation of love, that a Christian can please God. And both come by submission to the Holy Spirit, so that Christ may be magnified in the person of the believer. Galatians 5:7-12 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!
Paul’s argument now turns to the Galatians’ past experiences wherein he uses one of his favorite metaphors, that of a Greek runner. The words “ran well” are in the imperfect tense, referring to a continuous action going on in past time. The word “hinder” is from enkopto, which means “to cut in, to make an incision, to hinder.” The figure is of an athlete running a race, but at some point in the race his course of direction is cut into by another runner, thus slowing his progress. The Galatians had started their race—their Christian experience—well, but now the Judaizers with their insistence on legalism had cut in and were impeding the Galatians’ spiritual progress. By accepting the erroneous teachings of their inhibitors the saints were disobeying the truth of God. The word “persuasion” refers to the Judaizers’ act of inducing the Galatians to believe their teachings. Paul informs the Galatians that this activity does not come from the One who called them into salvation, namely, God. Thus the belief that law-keeping (legalism) must be added to the message of grace by faith (faith alone in Christ alone) did not come from God but from Satan. The fact that the doctrine of legalism was evil is emphasized by Paul using the word “leaven” in the next verse.
Leaven is always a symbol of evil in the Bible. The Jews before the days of unleavened bread, would remove every particle of leaven from their homes. Leaven, which operates on the principle of fermentation, is an apt symbol of moral and spiritual corruption. A very small lump readily permeates the entire bread dough. Our Lord used it as symbol of the false doctrines of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 16:6-12). In 1 Corinthians 5:6, Paul uses the symbol of the immoral conduct of a few in the church which was endangering the life of the entire local assembly. . . The insidious work of these Judaizers was slowly permeating the . . . Galatian churches. The verb is in the present tense, indicating that the process of doctrinal fermentation was going on, but that it had not yet corrupted the entire church structure. It had made but a little progress. Paul was more alarmed over its insidious nature than over the extent to which it had permeated the churches. (Galatians in the Greek New Testament by Kenneth S. Wuest)
But even in light of this corrupting movement within the Galatian churches, Paul remained optimistically confident that the Galatian believers, as they looked to their Lord Jesus Christ, would not be turned away from the doctrine of grace. In this case the Savior was not primarily the object of trust, but the One who is the basis or grounds for Paul’s confidence. He was also just as assured that the judgment of God would fall on those who sought to dissuade the Galatian Christians from the doctrine of grace—a most certain judgment awaiting anyone who seeks to nullify the true meaning of the cross.
The cross (on Calvary) was the specific location where Jesus Christ took upon Himself the sins of world (mankind—past, present and future) and where He suffered the penalty (separation from God the Father) for these sins as man’s substitute so that individual men and women who by faith alone in Christ alone would never need to pay the price for their sins. Because of this, the cross was an affront to the Jews and to every doctrine that promoted legalism in order to secure the approbation (favor) of God upon earth. The cross continues to be an affront to “religion” today.
The Judaizers said that Paul was still preaching circumcision when it suited his purpose. It was true that Paul had Timothy circumcised prior to his accompaniment of Paul since Timothy’s mother was a Jew and his father a Greek, as is reported in Acts 16; but this was not as a requirement, but only as an accommodation to facilitate the spreading of the Gospel among the Jews. He allowed it so as to not offend the Jews, which could have impeded the Gospel message.
Paul answers the charge of the Judaizers by calling the attention of the Galatians to the fact that he was still being persecuted, implying that it was for his anti-legalism preaching and teaching.
Legalism does away with the offense of the cross. Paul now answers the absurd charge that even he at times preached the necessity of circumcision. Paul now answers the absurd charge that even he at times preached the necessity of circumcision. He is still suffering persecution at the hands of the Jews. This persecution would stop instantly if he preached circumcision, because that would mean he had abandoned preaching the cross. The cross is an offense to man. It offends him or stumbles him because it tells him that there is nothing he can do to earn salvation. It gives no place to the flesh and its efforts. It spells an end to human works. If Paul were to introduce works by preaching circumcision, then he would be setting aside the whole meaning of the cross. (The Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald)
The cross was offensive to the Jews because it set aside the entire Mosaic economy by offering salvation by grace through faith alone. It totally abrogated the Mosaic Law. It totally denied works performed by the sinner in an effort to merit eternal salvation; all of which demonstrated that the Jews of the first century had an erroneous conception of the Mosaic Law, for that system never taught that a sinner was accepted by God on the basis of good works.
Paul’s last statement in this passage, if studied in the original language (Greek), is a most severe one. Paul essentially is saying that he could wish that the troublemaking Judaizers would use the circumcision knife and go so far as to castrate themselves. Even though the Apostle Paul could be both gentle and kind when speaking to Christians, he could also be quite harsh with those who corrupted God’s message of grace through faith. Galatians 5:13-18 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Paul now addresses one of the principal misunderstandings of God’s message of grace. The gospel of grace has always been accused of permitting men to live as they like. Paul tells the Galatians that they are called to “liberty” (freedom from legalism), but they were not to use this freedom “for the flesh” (as an excuse to indulge in sin).
To those who had been accustomed to regard the law as the only controlling factor regarding sin, that stood in the way of self-indulgence and free rein in sin, and to those who were unaccustomed to a high standard of ethics, the gospel of grace—liberty in Christ—might easily mean that there is nothing to stand in the way of the unrestrained indulgence of one’s own impulses. This objection by the legalist was common in Paul’s day, as it is today. The questions in Romans 6:1 and 6:15, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” and “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” were asked by those who did not understand grace. Paul’s answer to such questions was always, “Certainly not!” In fact Paul answered these questions in Romans 6 by showing that the power (control) of the “sin nature” over an individual is broken the moment he accepts Jesus Christ as his personal Savior by faith alone, and the divine nature is imparted to him. The divine nature, which is the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer, empowers the child of God to hate sin and love righteousness, enabling him with both the desire and power to keep from sinning and to do God’s will. In fact, the indwelling Holy Spirit exercises a stricter supervision over the believer than law ever did over the unbeliever.
Christians are free from law, but they are never free from lawlessness. The Holy Spirit always sees to this. A person saved by grace is no longer under any form of legalism, but as the “temple of God” he will always be under the constraint and influence of the Spirit of God.
On the other hand, while Christian liberty does not permit sin, it wholeheartedly encourages loving service. Love is the primary motivation of Christian behavior and service, whereas under law, the motive is fear of punishment. In fact when Paul declares that “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” he is essentially saying that what the law demanded, but could not produce, is the very thing that results from the exercise of Christian liberty.
Legalism invariably leads to quarreling, and apparently it had done so in Galatia. How strange! Here were people who wanted to be under the law. The law requires them to love their neighbors. Yet the very reverse has happened. They have been backbiting and devouring one another. This behavior springs from the flesh, to which the law gives a place, and on which it acts. (The Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald)
This should come to no surprise to any seasoned Christian, one who is mature in the faith. The problem comes to those who are new in the faith. Often it is the immature Christian who sees the results of legalism in a local assembly and thereby determines that he wants nothing of it.
The foundation stone of legalism is pride. It is pride within man who wants to “do it his way.” It is pride that demands the approval of God to be based on merit through good works and self-effort. It is pride that caused Satan to fall. It is pride that Satan endeavors to energize in every human being, lost or saved; because when pride enters and takes control, legalism abounds and grace is quenched. The casualty from the takeover of pride is “empowerment by the Holy Spirit.” This leads Christians to devour other Christians—a terribly destructive process flamed by gossip, backbiting, innuendo, suspicions, distrust and lies—none of which has any place in the local church or the Church (the Body of Christ).
There is only one way that a believer can defeat such a take-over of pride. There is only one way he can truly live in liberty, outside the law, a life pleasing to God. That way is to “walk in the Spirit,” which is another way of saying “walk in Christ.” To walk in the Spirit (Christ) is to be subject to the personal control of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is the same as “being filled with the Holy Spirit.” The word “filled” simply means “to be controlled by.” Once a person becomes a Christian and permanently possesses the Holy Spirit, he continues to have choice in how he is to live on earth. He may allow the flesh (sinful nature) to have control in his life, or he may allow the divine nature (Holy Spirit) to have it.
There are two primary factors governing the “filling of the Spirit” in a Christian. The first is the presence or absence of “known sin.” The Christian is responsible to routinely confess (own up to, acknowledge) any known sin in his life (1 John 1:9); this clears out any hindrance to the control of the Holy Spirit. The second is to procure the control (empowerment) of the Holy Spirit by faith alone (Colossians 2:6). This is in effect the being submissive to God’s Spirit in one’s daily living.
Paul wanted the Galatian Christians to know that there would always be a conflict between the flesh (sinful nature) and the Holy Spirit (divine nature) in their lives. This is his meaning when he says, “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.” The words “lusts against,” in the Greek denotes “a strong desire to suppress or oppose.” The meaning is clear.
Within a Christian these two natures will always be in conflict with one another, until he eventually receives his resurrected, glorified body. The mature Christian understands this. He also understands that he always has the choice of which nature may have control. To allow the flesh is to be under law, but Paul closes this passage assuring the Galatians that when the Spirit is leading (in control) they are not under the bondage of law. 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.
Paul now enumerates various manifestations of the sinful nature that are evident (well-known) when it is in control. He does this to reinforce his exhortation of verse 13 to the effect that the Galatian Christians are not to use their liberty from the law as a means to cater to the flesh. Such a list “hits them between the eyes.” By reviewing such an inventory of evil they would easily recognize that such is the product of being submissive to law.
In relation to law, it is important to note that Paul’s catalog of sins is designated as “works of the flesh.” The emphasis here is on “works.” Why use this particular word in describing the activity of the flesh? It is because the entire focus of the Judaizers—the legalists—had been on works. They promoted a “grace plus works” gospel, which was totally contrary to the message of God, which is “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8, 9)
It is important to understand that “divine works,” those performed by the Holy Spirit through a believer, are not under consideration here. Legalism will only recognize self-effort or human good (works). Divine works (those prepared beforehand by God) come after salvation and are recognized appropriately in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
The word “practice” comes from prasso, which denotes “a habitual practice.” It refers to the basic nature of a person, rather than to random acts. The Word of God bases its estimation of a person’s character (standing before God) not upon his infrequent or out-of-the-ordinary actions, but upon his habitual ones, which is a reflection of his true nature. Those who habitually practice the litany of sins Paul records will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Paul in this passage pictures a totally opposite situation for the believer in Christ. It is significant that he distinguishes between works of the flesh, and the fruit of the Spirit. Works, at least in the context of this chapter, are seen as a product of human energy (self-efforts). Fruit is grown as a branch (Christian) abides (by faith) in the Vine (Jesus Christ)—John 15:5.
Note that “fruit” is in the singular, not plural. The Holy Spirit produces one kind of fruit, which is Christ-likeness. All the virtues that Paul lists are ingredients of the Spirit-led life, and all are foreign to the human nature. They follow:
Paul states that against this “fruit of the Spirit” there is no law. These words are an understatement of Paul’s argument, and are for the purpose of rhetorical effect. This assertion has the effect of an emphatic statement that these elements of “fruit” meet the demands of the law.
In the remainder of the passage (chapter) Paul recognizes the basis of sanctification. It is rooted in one’s acceptance of the cross, which is to say its practical application to a person who has by faith alone in Christ alone been born again. He has in effect, upon receiving Christ as Savior, become spiritually linked to the crucifixion of Christ, in which the power of the flesh (sinful nature) is defeated. Since this is the case and Christians now by faith alone “live in the Spirit,” Paul exhorts the Galatian Christians to “walk in the Spirit.” It is only by being controlled by God’s Spirit a Christian can accomplish divine good, that the fruit of the Spirit can be manifest in his life.
Paul beseeches the Galatians to avoid that which is contrary to “walking in the Spirit,” which is a life under the bondage of legalism that can only give rise to conceit, provocations and envy. |