Galatians 5:13 For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out, or you will be consumed by each other. BSB
Freedom liberates us to be who God means for us to be. Flesh refers to our human nature apart from God.
Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together. Seeing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” NHEB
When asked what is the greatest commandment, Jesus responds by quoting law from Deuteronomy and Leviticus in His answer.
Galatians 5:16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. BSB
If we are going to walk toward love and not use this freedom toward our fleshly nature, we are going to need help from the Spirit. In the Hebrew mindset, “walk” is to live into a truth, i.e., to embrace a truth. Living into this freedom is problematic because along with the challenge we face of our old selfish nature rearing its ugly head, we also have opposition (both worldly and otherworldly) trying to steer us away from this freedom we have received.
From Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible: “he does not say there shall be no flesh, nor any lust of the flesh in them if they walk spiritually; or that the flesh should not act and operate in them; or that they should do no sinful action; all which is only true of Christ; and the contrary is to be found and observed in all true Christians, though ever so spiritual; but that they should not fulfill or perfect the lust of the flesh; should not give up themselves entirely to the power and dictates of the flesh, so as to be under it and at its command, and be obedient servants and slaves unto it”.
The Spirit does two things. First is the assurance that we are children of God. Second, the Holy Spirit also engineers our sanctification, i.e., our perfection into the faith. We grow and are transformed – not as a result of something that we do on our own but rather through the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
NET Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as having been crucified? 2 I wish only to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law or by hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain, if indeed also in vain? 5 Therefore, the One supplying to you the Spirit and working miracles among you, is it out of works of the Law, or out of hearing of faith?
Paul is talking about the Spirit in the same way Jesus does in John 14. The language regarding conversion is usually about bringing Christ into your heart. Something happens to us as believers that causes us to change and walk in a different direction than before.
From the Jewish perspective of Genesis 2, man is formed from earth and spirit giving us a dual nature. So we have an impulse for good (the divine side) but also a worldly side with the inclination to bad. This presents a problem for Christians as this appears to make God the father of evil. The Jewish response is that our worldly side isn’t bad in and of itself but rather it is our misuse of that nature that causes problems. For example, we have to focus on ourselves in order to eat and live. Our favorite rabbi would say we have a capacity for good and also for sin and we would agree. The difference is that we would argue that it is a result of the Fall.
Galatians 5:17 For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. BSB
There are two impulses are described here: spirit versus flesh. In Romans 5, Paul uses Adam and Christ to describe the same thing while John uses light and darkness. It is a constant tug of war and we are free to do either.
1John 1: 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 2:11 My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. 2 And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. NHEB
Conversion gives us a renewed capacity to choose. That doesn’t mean we will always make the right choice as beside our own inner selves we also have opposition. (The church has traditionally referred to three enemies: the world, the devil and the flesh).
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, contentions, dissensions, factions, 21 envyings, drunkennesses, carousing, and things like these, as to which I forewarn you, even as I warned before, that those doing such things will not inherit God’s kingdom. BLB
Paul likes to use vice and virtue lists as do many of the Greek philosophers. Immorality comes from the Greek word porneia (4202. porneia). In the time it was written, the focus was against the use of harlots but later came to be recognized as also referring to sexual immorality. Impurity is the Jewish notion of cleanliness versus uncleanliness. Whereas porneia is the things we do outside the body, immorality is inside. Sensuality is sexual debauchery. The first three are all sexual in nature and point toward the common sexual practices in the Greco Roman world. The next three deal with religion. Idolatry is the worship of false gods. Sorcery is to manipulate forces to satisfy our desires. Jealousy refers to self-centeredness – my needs are more important than yours. Strife is the inward feeling of enmity while enmity is striking out at someone. Anger is outbursts of temper, i.e., a tantrum. The word is sometimes translated as wrath which contrasts with our view that God’s wrath is not emotional. Dissensions are disagreements. Factions are heresies.
“The best way to keep tares out of a bushel is to fill it with wheat” (Jamieson-Fausett-Brown Bible Commentary).