Galatians 5:19-26 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Galatians 5:19-26. Let’s go!
Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV)
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
On verses 19-21: Paul lists a number of examples of what it looks like when people live according to their sinful nature. These examples can possibly be broadly categorized as sexual sins (“sexual immorality, impurity [referring likely to an impure thought life] and debauchery”), sins of the spirit (“idolatry and witchcraft”), sins related to poor management of our emotions and relationships (“hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions”) and other sins (“drunkenness, orgies and the like”). When Paul says that “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (v21), he doesn’t mean that if you engage in sin after being saved that such sin will automatically disqualify you from God’s kingdom. Rather, Paul is likely saying that those who live without any regard for holiness, who treat God’s grace as an excuse to sin even more, have misunderstood the Gospel and were probably never saved in the first place.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
On verses 22-23: When the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives, we naturally bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When Paul says “against such things there is no law”, he probably means just that: there is no law against living in love, joy, peace, patience, etc. I appreciate how God seeks to limit what He knows will only destroy us (i.e. living according to the sinful nature) but He puts no cap on the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:24 (NIV)
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
On verse 24: What does Paul mean when he says that “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (v24)? It means that those who have trusted in Jesus Christ should consider themselves already dead to sin because Christ died on the cross on our behalf and for our sins. We are to see ourselves no longer as slaves to our sinful nature, but as new creations in Christ. (see Romans 7:4-6)
Galatians 5:25-26 (NIV)
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
On verse 25-26: We learned in looking at verse 16 that to live by the Spirit means to trust in God’s power, not our own, and to rely on and surrender to the Holy Spirit. In verse 25 Paul adds that we are to “keep in step with the Spirit”, that is, to continue living with the Spirit and to be ready to go where the Holy Spirit leads. Putting verses 25-26 together, it’s as if Paul’s message is: we can either be full of the Spirit or full of ourselves. Which one will you choose to be full of – God’s Spirit or yourself?
Holy Spirit, please fill me today to overflowing, that I would overflow with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
