IN BRIEF
Galatians 5:13–26
Living by the Spirit
48–55 CE Galatia, a province in modern-day Turkey.
Paul An Apostle of Christ who acted as a missionary in the early Christian Church, later writing letters to the churches he founded. Many of these epistles became books of the New Testament.
Galatians Lapsed followers of Christ from Galatia, a Roman province founded in the 3rd century BCE.
In his letter to the Galatians—new churches in a province in present-day Turkey—Paul delivers an impassioned affirmation of the importance of having faith in Christ, as he implores the people not to return to a sinful life.
In Galatians 5, in particular, Paul uses two lists in order to compare the vices produced by human effort to the virtues that are “the fruit of the Spirit” (5:22). The first list outlines “acts of the flesh,” listing qualities such as “sexual immorality … hatred” and “selfish ambition” (5:19–20) among the vices of sinful humanity. For Paul, these sins dominate a society that has become focused purely on its selfish impulses.
The second list establishes the virtuous alternative to sin as the “fruit of the Spirit”—love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. For Paul, those who have embraced these “have crucified the flesh” (5:24) within themselves and have been freed from their egotism, enabling them to better serve God. Although Greek and Roman philosophers often made lists of vices and virtues, Paul’s primary intention in Galatians is to draw attention to the inevitable choice between the sins of the self-righteous and living by the Spirit.
Paul focuses on vices that cause dissent among communities, such as jealousy, factions, and envy. The “fruit of the Spirit,” in contrast, emphasizes principles centered on healing communities; such as love, patience, and gentleness.
“So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
Galatians 5:16
See also: Council of Jerusalem • The Way of Love • The Power of the Resurrection