Context of Galatians 5:13—18
Below, we discuss the context in which Paul speaks about the fruit of the Spirit and how we can produce it in our lives.
Galatians is divided into three parts:
Chapters 1—2 are understood as autobiographical and apologetic; Chapters 3—4 as
doctrinal; and Chapters 5—6 as a practical application or as a section of
exhortations.[1]
Paul explained the inadequacy of the Torah in chapters 3—4 and now the question
in chapters 5—6 is how a person in Christ (right standing with God) lives a Christian
life. He answers: (a) The essence of God's law is encapsulated in the directive
to love one another (5:13–15). (b) Love is the fruit of the Spirit. (c) The
love flourishes in those who live by the Spirit. On the contrary, the old order
of the 'flesh' manifests in people through a distinct set of attitudes and behaviours
called the acts of the flesh (5:19–21).
Even though we have freedom in Christ, it
does not mean that we can live in the flesh (5:13). The Pauline term ‘flesh’ (5:13)
is used to refer to the old nature, the sinful nature and the fallen nature of
human beings. Flesh is in conflict with the Spirit (5:17; Rom 8:7—8). A
born-again Christ-follower is expected to overcome flesh consistently and
produce the fruit of the Spirit. How is this possible? The key is to walk by
the Spirit. Let us look at Gal 5:16 and 18:
So I
say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Gal
5:16, NIV). But if you are led by the
Spirit, you are not under the law (Gal 5:18, NIV).
The verb “to walk” is derived from a Jewish background that depicts a way of life that one must live. Paul uses this term to refer ethical life of a believer. The present tense of “to walk” is used here, indicating a continuous walk by the Spirit. The “walk” of a Christ-follower is determined by the Spirit who directs and empowers a person for Christian living.[2] As a result of this, a believer will not gratify the desire of the flesh. Further, the phrase “led by the Spirit” is commonly understood as a specific leading of the Spirit to do something. In the context of Gal 5:18, the phrase indicates “the idea of being continually influenced by and directed by the Spirit.”[3] Thus, a believer can produce the fruit of the Spirit only through the Spirit—influencing, directing and empowering works of the Spirit. When we yield to the Spirit, we overcome the flesh and produce the fruit of the Spirit. The life of a born-again believer is characterized by the Spirit and the ethical life of such a person is the result of his or her walk in the Spirit. When a believer produces the fruit of the Spirit, that person reflects the image of Christ through his or her life (cf. 2 Cor 3:18, Rom 8: 29).
Discussion Questions
1.
What is the context in which
Paul discusses the fruit of the Spirit?
2.
How do you explain the conflict
between flesh and the Spirit from your own practical experiences?
3.
What do you understand about
“walk by the Spirit” and “led by the Spirit”?
4. How can we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit?
Love: Galatians 5:22—23
The list of the fruit of the Spirit begins
with love. Love has a central place in the ethics of the New Covenant. Classical
Greek used three words for different types of love: philia for general
love, erōs mainly for sexual love, and storgē for
the love among family members. However, Paul uses a different word agape
in Gal 5:22; and the New Testament uses this word to mean the self-sacrificial
love that Christ has for us (Rom 5:5,8; 8:35) and our love for God and others. In
the modern cultural context, love is equated with good feelings towards one,
gifts, physical attraction, infatuation and so on. However, Paul gives a
Christian view of love: “Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour
others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of
wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Cor 13:4-7, NIV)
God is love. God’s love is unconditional,
eternal and unchanging. God’s self-sacrificing and self-giving love for us is
manifested to us most powerfully when God sent His Son to die on the cross for
our sins (Rom 5:6—8). This God’s love is poured out into our hearts (Rom 5:5)
through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are loved by God and we are filled with
divine love.
Since we have experienced the love of God, we
need to love God and others. The greatest and the first commandment of God is
that “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Jesus asked Peter three times: “Do you love
me?” (John 21:15—17). This is the heart of God for every believer that we
should love God.
We are called to love one another. The second
greatest commandment of God to us is to love others. We must love one another
(1 John 4:7). If we do not love, we do not know God who is love (1 John 4:8).
As we abide in love, we abide in God (1 John 4:16). We can love others like
Christ loves us only when we nurture divine love in our hearts. When our hearts
are being rooted and established in the depth of the love of God (Eph 3:16—19),
our hearts become tender and compassionate to love others. Further, we also
need to consistently overcome hurt, unforgiveness and bitterness to love
others.
In sum, God is love. He loves us. He fills our
hearts with his divine love through the Holy Spirit. We are expected to love
God and others.
Discussion Questions
1.
How is Christian love different
from other concepts of love in our modern society?
2.
What are the characteristics of
God’s love?
3.
How do we express our love to
God practically?
4.
How can we develop a heart that
can love others like Christ loves us?
Love: Galatians 5:22—23
Joy is an emotion that is closely connected
to pleasure in the Greco-Roman world.[4] In
Paul, however, joy is not mere happiness and it is more than a mood or an emotion.
In Philippians, the words “joy” and “rejoicing” occur 16 times. In the context
of this letter, joy is a settled state of mind that is characterised by
“peace,” an attitude to look at life with all its ups and downs with equanimity
and a confident way of looking at life that is rooted in faith in the Lord.[5]
The joy enables one to see beyond all events to the sovereign Lord who stands
above all the circumstances and controls over them.[6]
This joy does not depend upon the
circumstance but it comes from the Lord (Phil 4:4). If it depends upon the
circumstances, it cannot be experienced all the time (Phil 4:4). Rather, the
Lord is the source of joy for Christians. The joy in us is produced by the
Spirit (1Thess 1:6) and that exists even when we face difficulties and trials
(2Cor. 7:4; 1Thess. 1:6). Paul exhorts us to rejoice all the time and all occasions (Phil 4:4).
Joy is a characteristic of life in the Kingdom
of God. The good news of Jesus creates great joy in those who believe it (Luke
2:10). It is the joy of salvation and the hope of eschatological blessings that
brings joy into our hearts. Paul says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter
of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”
(Rom14:17, NIV). Life in the Kingdom is a life of righteousness, peace, and joy
in the Holy Spirit. As we allow God’s sovereign rule over us, it results in
peace and joy that the Holy Spirit brings into our hearts.
Paul says that “I am filled with comfort.
In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy” (2 Cor
7:4). Manyhave experienced how quickly a small thing can take away our joy. Then,
how can Paul say he is joyful in affliction? He says in 2 Cor 7:4 that he was
overflowing with joy, which can be translated as follows: “I am overjoyed,” “I
am overcome with joy,” and “I bubble over with joy.” From jail expecting
capital punishment, he wrote that “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will
say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4). Joy is the
fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 4:22), not the fruit of something else. The Holy
Spirit gives joy to us (1 Thess 1:6). If our reason for joy in every season is
God, our joy will be constant. Our relationship, intimacy, and trust in God
should take us into a place of divine peace, hope, and comfort in our hearts.
As a result, our joy no longer depends upon anything in this world but God
alone. We can be joyful in all the seasons of life, including seasons of
affliction, if God is the reason and source for our joy.
Discussion Questions
1.
What is Paul’s concept of joy
in Philippians?
2.
How do we experience joy at all
times and on all occasions?
3.
How does life in the Kingdom
bring joy to us?
4. What are your practical suggestions to experience the joy of the Lord in your heart daily despite your circumstances?
Peace: Galatians 5:22—23
Greek eirene, “peace” like Hebrew shalom
denotes a positive state of wholeness, soundness and prosperity. In the LXX,
this word denotes “health of body, welfare and security, perfect serenity and
tranquillity, life and a state in which a man in perfectly related to his
fellowmen and to his God.”[7]
For Paul, the source of peace is God (Rom 15:33; 16:20; 2 Cor 13:11). Jesus is
the price of peace and “the Lord of peace” (2Thess 3:16). Let us look at three
different aspects of Christian understanding of peace:
Firstly, we have peace with God. We were
enemies of God, but Jesus brought peace and reconciliation between God and us
by offering himself as an atoning sacrifice on the cross (Rom 5:1, 10). Jesus
paid the price for our peace with God.
Secondly, we can have God’s peace within
us. Jesus gave his peace to us: “Peace I leave with you; the peace I give to
you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid” (Jn. 14:27). “Peace I leave with you” is not simple
Jewish greetings like our “good morning” or it is not the absence of problems.
Instead, Jesus would leave real peace with his disciples so that they would
experience God’s peace in their hearts instead of fear, worry, and disturbance, even if they go through troubles. This is not like peace from this world that a
person may enjoy for a moment at a drink, watching a movie, visiting someplace,
or any such thing. Jesus gave us HIS PEACE. We are called to live in his peace,
not in the momentary peace of this world. Moreover, Paul says that we can live
in the heavenly peace that surpasses all our worrying thoughts and disturbing
emotions (Phil.4:7). We are called to live in the peace of God.
Thirdly, we are expected to live in peace
with others, especially in our Christian community. As a result of the
reconciliation work of Jesus on the cross, the hostility between Gentiles and
the Jews was removed and they were brought into peace and unity (Eph 2:13—19).
Jesus told us “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of
God” (Matt 5:9). We are called to be peacemakers and peacemakers are sons of
God. Being a peacemaker does not mean that we should appease everyone. Peacemakers
mean we are the people who take the initiative to end strife and quarrelsome
atmospheres. We are called to end enmity as Jesus did. We are called to end
strife and bring reconciliation. Peacemaker overcomes evil with good.
Often, peace-making becomes a reality only
when we die to ourselves. The ego needs to die. We do not need to get our way
always and always win over everyone. We need to get rid of our bad feelings.
Instead, keep going on and on over bad feelings and our ways, we need to consistentlybe humble and overcome our bad feelings, ego and selfishness to make peace with
others. Peacemakers are true children of
God, and they truly belong to the family of God.
Discussion Questions
1. What are the
differences between the peace we have in God and peace in this world?
2. What are the
practical steps that we can take to receive the peace of God within our hearts?
3. How can we
become peacemakers, especially in the context of conflict?
4. How can you help
someone who lost peace to restore peace in his/her heart?
Faithfulness: Galatians 5:22—23
The Greek word pistis used in Gal
5:22. It is Paul’s primary word for faith. In LXX, pistis is used to
denote God’s faithfulness. Faith as a meaning here may not have much
theological problem. However, in the context of Gal 5:22, it is surrounded by
other virtues and therefore there is no doubt that pistis refers to
faithfulness.[8]
God is faithful (Ex 34:6). The faithfulness
of God is an attribute of God that points out God’s trustworthiness based on His
unwavering commitment to His children through His promises and covenants to
them. When God declared His faithfulness, mercy, steadfast love, and grace to
Moses in Ex 34:6, Israelites sinned and went away from the Lord. God’s
faithfulness is revealed on this occasion that He did not abandon the Israelites, His
people, even though they did sin against Him. Though the Israelites abandoned God
several times and faced the consequences in the Old Testament times, God never
abandoned them and restored them always. Whenever they cried to the Lord and
turned to Him, God came for their help. God is faithful to His people. God
always kept His promises (Heb. 10:23), and God will not lie anything to His
people (Num. 23:19).
We will look into two areas where our
faithful God expects us to be faithful: (a) God expects us to be faithful
stewards (1 Cor 4:2; 2 Tim 2:2). God entrusted us with different gifts and
responsibilities. God expects us to use them faithfully (Mt 25:14—30). The
parable of the talents in Mt 25:14—30 makes it clear that God rewards those who
are faithful with what is entrusted to them. (b) God expects us to be faithful in our
prayer (Rom 12:12). Prayer is vital to developing an intimate relationship with
God and receiving the power of God to live on this earth. Daniel prayed three
times a day (Dan. 6:10). Jesus taught us about persistence in prayer. Psalmists
speak about their prayer time: “I rise
before dawn and cry for help” (119:147); “Evening and morning and at noon I
utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice”(55:17); “O LORD, in the
morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and
watch” (5:3). Jesus used to pray early morning and sometimes all night (Mark
1:35; Luke 6:12). These examples point out the fact that we need discipline to
be faithful in prayer. We do not want to create a religion, legalistic
mentality, or ritual in our lives, but we need to discipline and prioritize our
time and energy to spend our lives with Jesus in prayer. Developing
faithfulness in prayer is the key to our spiritual growth and creating a
personal spiritual history with God.
Faithfulness, as the fruit of the Holy
Spirit, comes from our continuous dependency and upon the Holy Spirit. God’s
Spirit will enable us to be faithful in our personal walk with God, in our
daily responsibilities and in our God-given talents.
Discussion Questions
1.
What is your understanding about
God’s faithfulness?
2.
How do you rely on God’s
faithfulness in difficult seasons of life?
3.
Why should we be faithful in
whatever God has entrusted to us?
4.
What are the practical steps
that you would take when you face pressure to become unfaithful in your
responsibilities such as in your job, family life or personal responsibilities?
Self-control: Galatians 5:22—23
Self-control is the ability or power to
rule and regulate one’s personal life. As a result, one may not be driven by
the desires of the flesh, the desire of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John
2:16). The opposite of self-control is self-indulgence (Matt 23:25), the lack
of ability to keep one’s passion under control or to resist temptation. Self-control
is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Self-control is the discipline given by the Holy
Spirit that allows Christians to resist the power of flesh or sinful responses
and reactions. It is a Spirit-given ability to keep oneself in check. God has
given us a spirit of self-control, power and love (1 Tim 1:7). We need self-control
in several areas:
(a) We need self-control over our thoughts
and emotions. Self-control is often paired with “sober-mindedness” (1 Tim 3:2;
Titus 2:2; 1 Pet 4:7). A person does what he or she thinks in his or her mind
(Pro 23:7). Therefore, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we need to set our
mind on the things of the Spirit rather than things of the flesh (Rom 8:5—8).
(b) We need self-control over our bodies. Paul
disciplines his body and keeps it under control. Disciplining the body and
controlling bodily instincts are needed to overcome sins such as gluttony and
sexual impurity. Paul instructs the Thessalonian church that “It is God’s will
that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that
each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable,
not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God” (1 Thess 4:3-5,
NIV). Lack of self-control can be exploited by Satan to tempt married adults
probably in the area of sexual purity (1 Cor 7:5).
How do we bring self-control in the areas
where we are weak and often tempted? Jesus taught us to pray “And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt 6:13, NIV). He told
his disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Matt
26:41, NIV). A key to overcoming our weaknesses and areas where we are tempted
is to pray and surrender those areas to God. As we depend upon God’s power to
overcome our weakness and surrender ourselves to the Lord, God’s Spirit will give
us his power and grace to exercise self-control and overcome temptations.
Discussion Questions
1. What does
self-control mean to a Christian?
2. What are the
practical measures that we can take to control our minds?
3. What are the
practical steps to have self-control in maintaining sexual purity?
4. What are the
ways that we can bring self-control to our weak areas?
Further readings:
Pneumatology of Paul and the Old Testament
Bibliography
Fee, Gordon D. God’s Empowering Presence: The
Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul. 6. print. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson,
2005.
———. Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God.
3rd print. Peadbody, Mass: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999.
Fung, Ronald Y. K. The Epistle to the
Galatians. 1st edition. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1988.
Hawthorne, Gerald F., Ralph P. Martin, John D. W.
Watts, James W. Watts, and Lynn Allan Losie. Philippians, Volume 43: Revised
Edition. Edited by Bruce M. Metzger, David Allen Hubbard, and Glenn W.
Barker. Revised edition. Zondervan Academic, 2015.
Moo, Douglas J. Galatians: Edited by
Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert Stein. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2013.
[1] Gordon D. Fee, God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the
Letters of Paul (Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson, 2005), 420–21.
[2] Douglas J. Moo, Galatians, ed. Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert Stein
(Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2013), 353.
[3] Moo, Galatians, 357.
[4] Moo, Galatians, 364.
[5] Gerald F. Hawthorne et al., Philippians, Volume 43: Revised Edition,
ed. Bruce M. Metzger, David Allen Hubbard, and Glenn W. Barker, Revised
edition. (Zondervan Academic, 2015), 217.
[6] Hawthorne et al., Philippians, Volume 43, 217.
[7] Ronald Y. K. Fung, The Epistle to the Galatians, 1st edition.
(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1988), 168.
[8] Gordon D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God, 3rd print.
(Peadbody, Mass: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999), 121.