Galatians 5:14-16 - Walk by the Spirit

5:14,15

These verses confirm that backbiting was happening. The Judaisers were claiming that by following their way the Galatians would be following the Law and so pleasing God. In reality the exact opposite would be happening. Paul quotes one of the two greatest commandments, and note that it is the second one, loving each other. And he says that the heart of the Law is loving each other. Now this does not mean we can do what we like as long as “love” each other, if we break God commands we are not loving each other, no matter what we might claim. It is a key feature of Paul’s theology, especially in Romans, that it is only by trusting in Christ that we truly fulfil the Law. That is true in “theological” terms (ie we are justified through Christ, and His righteousness is imputed to us), but it is also true in practical terms. It is only if we live by faith in Christ that we will love God better and love each other better.

5:16

In understanding the last part of Galatians we need to appreciate the situation. Galatia was not Corinth. In Corinth all sorts of sins were on the go, that does not seem to be the case in Galatia. Rather it was a matter of a church wanting to please God, wanting to resist sin, but going about it in the wrong way. They thought that living by the Law would help them “not gratify the desires of the flesh”, when in fact it would do the complete opposite. It is only by living by the Spirit that enables us to “not gratify the desires of the flesh”.