Galatians 5:19-23 - Works of the flesh, fruit of the Spirit

5:19-21

If live under the law we are living under the control our our flesh, and Paul now reminds us of what some of the results of this are. The flesh produces things like sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. We might think, but they are trying to be good, how can this happen? Just look at the Catholic church! (Other churches have their own share of scandals as well.) They have strict teaching on sexual morality, Pope francis notwithstanding, even insisting on celibacy for their priests, yet there have been the most horrific  tales of abuse and cover-ups in recent years. Living by the flesh inevitably produces the sorts of things in Paul’s list. We need a whole new way of living, a whole new life.

5:22,23

Following the fruits of the flesh we get the fruit of the Spirit. These are the qualities that are produced in a person’s life if they live by the Spirit. Now we need to note that this is not simply stating that one list is a list of bad things and the other a list of good things. One is what living by the Law, which means living by the flesh, produces. This happens not because the law is bad, quite the opposite is the case, but because we are bad! The other is what the fruit will be if we live by the Spirit. We should certainly seek to cultivate these things, but we need to do so by faith in Christ. If we seek to do it by setting rules we will come a cropper. “Against such things there is no law”. Why does Paul say this? Maybe it is because some were saying that Paul’s approach was antinomian, and Paul is saying that this is what living by the Spirit will produce, and the law does not forbid such things.