Chapter 5
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
5For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
7Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
8This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
9A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
10I 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.
11And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
12I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
13For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
15But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17For 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.
18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21Envyings, 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.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Overview
Paul declares that Christ has made believers free and urges them to stand fast in that liberty and not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. He teaches that in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love. He contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, listing love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
Key Themes
The Fruit of the Spirit
The Spirit produces in believers love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, which together form the character of Christ in His people.
Christian Liberty
Christ has set believers free, and this freedom is not a license for the flesh but an opportunity to serve one another through love.
Walking in the Spirit
Believers who walk in the Spirit will not fulfill the desires of the flesh, for the Spirit and flesh are in constant opposition.
Study Questions
What does it mean to 'stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free' (v. 1)?
How is Christian freedom different from lawlessness or doing whatever we want (v. 13)?
How does the fruit of the Spirit (vv. 22-23) differ from the works of the flesh (vv. 19-21)?
What does it mean practically to 'walk in the Spirit' (v. 16)?
Why does Paul say 'against such there is no law' regarding the fruit of the Spirit (v. 23)?
Connection to Christ
Christ is the author and sustainer of the believer's freedom. The fruit of the Spirit is essentially the character of Christ reproduced in those who belong to Him, for 'they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts' (v. 24).
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Galatians 5. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?