I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (17) 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. (18) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (19) Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanliness, lewdness, (20) idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, (21) 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. (22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law. (24) And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
The letter to the Galatians was written by the apostle Paul. The gospel he preached was being corrupted by the false teachers in Galatia who followed him as he planted churches in all the known world and they tried to teach Christ Jesus PLUS as necessary for salvation – plus the Law, plus the rites, plus the ceremonies. But Paul preached that man is made right with God in grace by faith in Christ Jesus and sealed by the then indwelling Spirit. That’s it basically – no more ceremonial bondage or reliance on the works of man which can never earn salvation.
It seems the Galatians differed about doctrine which was destructive to the churches and the people causing great friction and strife; there was ambition, pride,slander, injustice, fraud, violence etc, tearing apart the unity of the churches. Paul writes of the remedy for this potential catastrophe which would be to yield to the direction of the Spirit of God. To obey the Spirit and oppose the natural inclinations of the flesh (which includes the mind) are the two great goals of Christians. At the moment of faith we are reborn – transformed into new men and women and the Spirit becomes indwelling in the faithful. The Spirit makes men free and cannot be indwelling without being manifest in our actions – here listed in our verses as the fruits of the Spirit
In the middle of our verses today – verse 21 – Paul writes of the consequences of indulging in the evil fleshy nature of man – those people will be cut out from the kingdom of God and from all hope of salvation. These threats will hopefully call men to repentance as forgiveness in Christ Jesus is now promised. The death of the flesh is the life of the Spirit. We celebrate today as Pentecost Sunday and the birthday of the church of Jesus Christ.