Exploring Paul’s Letters: Galatians Study Week 13

Week 13 of Word of God Home Fellowship's Study of Galatians.

Week 13

The Fruit of the Spirit and the Works of the Flesh

13 For you were called on the basis of freedom brothers and sisters, only do not let your freedom become a favorable opportunity for the flesh, but be a slave to one another through love. 14 For all the law has been fulfilled in one commandment, in that “You will love your neighbor as yourself.”

15 Now if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not destroyed by one another.

16 Now I say this, walk in the Spirit and may you never carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is against the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is against the flesh. For these things are opposed to one another, so that you may not do whatever you want to do. 18 Now if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are clear; they are sexual immorality, impurity, indecency, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strife, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, division, heretical division, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the likes of these, which I formally speak to you just as I previously have spoken that the ones who are doing these things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 Now the fruit of Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against these things. 24 But the ones who belong to the Anointed Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another or envying one another. My Translation

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. NIV11

Comment

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. NIV11

Paul transitions from his call to freedom to other matters that he has heard about the Galatians. Based upon the context, the matter of the Jewish law had caused some strife between the congregations and Paul finds himself in need to try to correct that. These divisions were causing the Galatians to treat each other in a way that is opposite from the way they should. The problem is not known today as there is not much evidence, but there was a correction nevertheless. Their freedom from the law was not to be used in treated each other in an unloving way.

The Greek word ἀφορμή has a base meaning of “a base or circumstance from which other action becomes possible, such as the starting-point or base of operations for an expedition, then generate the resources needed to carry through an undertaking”. I translate it as “a favorable opportunity”. The NIV11 translates it as “to indulge”. In other places in the NT, it simply means “an opportunity”.

There is little doubt that σάρξ (flesh) is being used as “the corrupted human condition”. As BDAG puts it: “In Paul’s thought especially, all parts of the body constitute a totality known as σάρξ or flesh, which is dominated by sin to such a degree that wherever flesh is, all forms of sin are likewise present, and no good thing can live in the σάρξ.” In this case, the people of the congregations in Galatia were doing something “fleshly” to each other that was unlike love.

Paul tells the Galatians that they should be a slave to each other (δουλεύετε ἀλλήλοις), but this must be done διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης (through love/the love). Up until now, Paul has explained the negative aspects of being a slave to the law and to sin. Back in 1:10, Paul stated that he was “a slave of Christ”. Now, the Galatians are to be slaves to each other (one another) through the love that they have for each other. He will go on to explain.

14 For all the law has been fulfilled in one commandment, in that “You will love your neighbor as yourself.” My Translation

14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” NIV11

It is indeed interesting that Paul now appeals to the very law that he has been fighting against. But Paul hasn’t forgotten that the law was God’s words. His defense has been that the law couldn’t bring righteousness to those who sought for it by performing the law. Paul now quotes Leviticus 19:18. He says that in this one commandment, the whole law is fulfilled. But the Galatians don’t have to perform the law in order to fulfill it. Their faith has created the love for one another that is required to fulfill the law without actually performing the law.

It is quite possible that Paul has concluded that this verse is a prediction of the coming Holy Spirit. For it is the Holy Spirit in one’s life that directs the form of love required to keep this commandment.

15 Now if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not destroyed by one another. My Translation

15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. NIV11

The “occasion for the flesh” is now fully exposed. The agitators had caused division among the Galatians with the introduction of the Jewish law. By adding this in, the Galatians are now acting towards each other in a way that they should not.

The image is that of a wild animals fighting each other until both are killed. This is not how the Galatians are to act. Indeed, “a little feast causes the who lump of dough to rise”!

What sometimes seems to be easy to understand may not be so easy to understand at all! The first verse is easy. If one walk in/by the Spirit, then one will not carry out the desires of the flesh. The first part of verse 17 is the same way. Of course both the Spirit and the flesh is contrary to each other. But the last part of 17 needs a bit of unpacking.

What jumps out at a person is this: “They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want”. Does this mean that if a person wants to do Spiritual things, the flesh prevents him from doing it? Or when a person wants to do fleshly things, the Spirit puts him in check? Or is a person completely hopeless as the flesh always stands in the way of the Spirit and the Spirit always stands in the way of the flesh so that there is a stalemate?

Perhaps the best way to look at this is two-fold. 1. The Galatians have freedom from the law, but that doesn’t mean that should be lawless or do whatever they want to do! The Spirit will lead them to the law of Christ (6:2). If they let their corrupt nature get in the way, then they can’t carry out what the Spirit desires. On the other hand, 2. Paul is still dealing with the Jewish law to an extent as verse 18 attests. If one is lead by the Spirit, that person is not under the law. But the law had been introduced to the Galatians by the agitators and now they are fighting among themselves. They were lead by the Spirit, but the introduction of the law has now gotten them to not love each other in the way that they should. In this letter, the law = sin, the law = slavery, and the law = flesh.

The law was unable to prevent people from sinning. In fact, it encouraged sin. The law and the Spirit are in contradiction to each other. The Galatians had started in the Spirit and were now trying to complete salvation in the flesh (3:3). This was keeping them from doing what the Spirit desired of them to do. But if one is truly walking by the Spirit, he is not under the law.

The main point is that the Spirit is enough to overcome what the flesh desires. In past, the law told people what they could and could not do. But the people couldn’t keep the law and it became a curse to them. The flesh, without the Spirit, will overcome a person, but a person with the Spirit will overcome the flesh. The Spirit is supreme to the law because it actually stands against what the flesh desires. The law, on the other hand, enticed people to sin more, thus making people more “fleshly”. The Spirit empowers a person to live apart from the law, so that the person may not do the things that a person might do by not living by the law.

Paul now defines what the works of the flesh are. We will look at each one. This is not an exhaustive list as Paul doesn’t limit this list by saying “and the likes of these” in verse 21.

πορνεία: “sexual immorality”. It mostly involved prostitution, but it becomes a general term of sexual misconduct through the NT.
ἀκαθαρσία: “impurity”. It refers to something dirty or unclean, but becomes a state of moral corruption in Paul letters.
ἀσέλγεια: “indecency/excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures”. BDAG defines it as “lack of self-constraint which involves one in conduct that violates all bounds of what is socially acceptable”.
εἰδωλολατρία: “idolatry”. The worship of idols.
φαρμακεία: “witchcraft/sorcery”. Potion mixing perhaps as the word leads to our modern day word “pharmacy”. It was to do harm to others here. Sorcery was even against Roman law.
ἔχθρα: “hatred/hostilities”. Both toward God and fellow people in many ways.
ἔρις: “strife/discord”. Engagement in rivalry or competition. There is no place in Christianity for competition, but it happens all the time.
ζῆλος: “jealousy/zeal”. The act of being jealous of one another always leads to bad things. It is not always bad, but Paul uses it in the bad sense here.
θυμός (θυμοί: plural in the text): “rage/anger/wrath”. Uncontrollable bits of rage.
ἐριθεία (ἐριθεῖαι: plural in the text): “selfish ambition”. The work of Christ has no place for this.
διχοστασία (διχοστασίαι: plural in the text): “division/dissensions”. The state of being in argumentative opposition. This was going on already with the introduction of the law to the Galatian congregations.
αἵρεσις (αἱρέσεις: plural in the text): “heretical division”. Transliterated as heresy. Certain people believing things that distinguishes them from the main group. This is very similar to διχοστασία.
φθόνος (φθόνοι: plural in the text): “envy”. Similar to ζῆλος. It is the act of being envious.
μέθη (μέθαι: plural in the text): “drunkenness”. Being drunk on wine. It probably goes with the next “fleshly work”.
κῶμος (κῶμοι: plural in the text): “carousing”. Excessive feasting or drinking; orgies.

Paul warns the Galatians that those who do such things can’t inherit the Kingdom of God. This language is more from the Synoptic Gospels than of Paul.

Paul now lists the fruit of Spirit. It should be stated up front that ὁ καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματός (the fruit of the Spirit) is the opposite of τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός (the works of the flesh). Also, “works” are something that are done, while “fruit” is something that is produced. “Works” are something that people do. In this case, “the works of the flesh” are human “works”. But “the fruit of the Spirit” is produced by the Spirit inside of a person.

We will go through them, but it must be stated that love leads the list. I should also state that “fruit” is a collective singular. Therefore “fruit” embodies the entire list as a whole. This list also seems to be how people are to treat each other.

ἀγάπη: “love”. Love for God and love for one another.
χαρά: “joy”. The experience of gladness. Together! This word was so highly thought of, it was used as a proper name just as it is today.
εἰρήνη: “peace”. Peace with one another.
μακροθυμία: “patience”. “The state of being able to bear up under provocation,” BDAG. In Paul’s letters, it is always used toward one another! We have to “put up with each other”!
χρηστότης: “kindness”. How we help each other or how we benefit each other. The quality of kindness.
ἀγαθωσύνη: “goodness”. The positive moral quality characterized especially by interest in the welfare of others.
πίστις: “faith/belief/faithfulness”. Faith in God. Paul has been dealing with this in this entire letter. Perhaps also faith in each other as a congregation.
πραΰτης: “gentleness, humility, courtesy”. “The quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance.” BDAG We all need healthy dose of this.
ἐγκράτεια: “self-control”. “Restraint of one’s emotions, impulses, or desires,” BDAG. Especially in sexual matters, feasting, and to one another. Here, it is probably the opposite of κῶμοι (excessive feasting).

And there’s the list. Paul adds that the law is not against the things in this list. The law was created for sin and its exposure. As Spirit-filled people, one doesn’t need a law to state “you shall not kill”. A Spirit filled person already knows that “killing” is unlawful. The law of Christ has been written on our hearts.

If one belongs to Christ (owned by Christ), then that person has crucified both the flesh and what it desires which is always against the Spirit. If the flesh is crucified, then it can’t work these things.

If one lives by the Spirit, one should also keep in step with the Spirit. The verb στοιχέω means to be in line with something considered as standard for one’s conduct. We encountered its cognate noun στοιχεῖον in 4:3 and 4:9. There, it was “basic elements” or “basic things in a series”. Paul now uses the verb to express the lining up with the Spirit as in marching along side of the Spirit.

Paul now gets back to why one must “keep step with the Spirit”. The introduction of the law had caused division and strife among the congregations. Paul wishes for them to put all of that to an end. He says “Let us not become conceited” or “don’t have exaggerated self-conceptions”. We shouldn’t “provoke” or “call one another out” as to challenge them to be hostile. We also shouldn’t be envious of each other.

Conclusion

Freedom from the law doesn’t mean a “free for all”. The Spirit empowers the Galatians to live their life in such a way that is Godly. Paul includes a list of bad things, and a list of Spiritual things. They describe the differences between one who is not of the Spirit and one who is. The Galatians have let the agitators cause division among them to the extent that they are not treating each other as Spirit people should. If one lives by the Spirit, then one should be in line with the Spirit in ethical things as well as how they treat each other. Paul will conclude his thoughts on this in the next section.

Exploring Paul’s Letters

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Galatians Study Week 13

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