There Is No Freedom Except in Christ[a]
Chapter 5
Faith Expressing Itself through Love. 1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, stand firm and refuse to submit again to the yoke of slavery.
2 Listen to me! I, Paul, tell you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you. 3 Once again, I testify that every man who accepts circumcision is under obligation to observe the entire Law. 4 Those of you who seek to be justified by the Law have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from grace. 5 For it is through the Spirit and by faith that we eagerly hope to attain righteousness, 6 since in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor lack of circumcision is worth anything. All that matters is faith expressing itself through love.
Against Being Misled. 7 You were running a good race. Who kept you from obeying the truth? 8 This change did not come from the one who called you. 9 A little yeast leavens the entire batch of dough. 10 I am confident of you in the Lord that none of you will think differently, and that anyone who is trying to confuse you will be condemned, no matter who it is.
11 As for me, brethren, if I were still advocating circumcision,[b] why would I continue to be persecuted? If I were doing that, the cross would no longer be a stumbling block. 12 I wish that those who are confusing you would even castrate themselves!
13 Proper Use of Freedom. Brethren, you were called to freedom. However, make sure that you do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Instead, serve one another in love. 14 For the entire Law can be summed up[c] in a single commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you continue biting and tearing one another to pieces, at least be on your guard lest you be consumed by one another.
16 Hence, I advise you to be guided by the Spirit, so that you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit, and those of the Spirit are opposed to the flesh. They are in conflict with one another, so that you cannot do what you want. 18 But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.
19 [d]Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you previously, that no one who does such things will inherit the kingdom of God.
22 [e]In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 We should not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be envious of one another.
Footnotes
- Galatians 5:1 After an involved argumentation, Paul turns to a more direct style, using shorter sentences, and he becomes more pressing. He calls upon the Galatians to measure the gravity of their about-face. Any compromise is out of the question; they must choose between the Law and Christ.
- Galatians 5:11 Advocating circumcision: probably an accusation by Paul’s opponents that he also had advocated circumcision since he had allowed Timothy (whose mother was Jewish) to be circumcised (Acts 16:1-3). Cross . . . stumbling block: see 1 Cor 1:13.
- Galatians 5:14 Entire Law can be summed up: the whole spirit and intention of “the Law and the Prophets” is expressed by doing to others what you would want them to do to you (see Mt 7:12).
- Galatians 5:19 For other lists of vices, see 1 Cor 6:9f; Eph 5:5; Rev 22:15.
- Galatians 5:22 For other lists of virtues, see 2 Cor 6:6; Eph 4:2; 5:9; Col 3:12-15. Paul stresses that justification by faith does not mean advocating libertinism. He stresses that the Holy Spirit brings forth in believers Christian virtues and he lists nine of them. These have come to be known as “the fruits of the Holy Spirit.”
The text of the Vulgate originally listed three other fruits, making a total of twelve. This formed the basis for the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit listed in older catechisms, e.g., the Baltimore Catechism: charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, long-suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, continence, and chastity. In truth, the three fruits not named in the original Greek are contained in one or other of the nine named: “long-suffering” in patience, and “modesty” and “continence” in self-control.