Galatians 5:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

NIV: The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;

NASB: Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior,

CSB: Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity,

NLT: When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,

KJV: Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

NKJV: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

Paul has urged his readers not to waste their freedom in Christ to merely serve themselves. Some Bible teachers call this "license," as in having a license to sin. It means to decide that because we are already justified by our faith in Christ, we don't need to restrain any of our sinful desires. We can just do whatever comes naturally. Paul has made clear that God calls us to use our freedom, instead, to serve each other in love under the power of His Holy Spirit with us. According to Paul, we are absolutely able to allow God's Spirit to lead our thoughts, words, and actions instead of following our own sinful desires (Galatians 5:16–18).

Now Paul begins to identify some of the sins we are inclined to take part in when we refuse to walk by the power of God's Spirit. Why does he need to list them, especially if they are "evident" or "obvious"? Part of this tactic comes from Paul's point that Christians are no longer living under the law of Moses. The Law spelled out in great detail exactly what was sin and what was not.

Paul is not creating a new law to be followed; instead, he seems to say, "We all know what sinful lifestyles look like! Here's a list." He is giving examples of sinful behaviors, which don't correspond to living free in Christ, through the power of God's Spirit.

The first three sinful lifestyles Paul lists all fall within the category of sexuality. "Sexual immorality" is from the Greek term porneia, a catch-all term referring to any kind of sexual activity outside of biblical marriage. Adultery, bestiality, homosexuality, extramarital sex, promiscuity, and so forth are all covered under this idea.

"Impurity" is from the Greek akatharsia, referring to any kind of uncleanness in our thoughts, words, and actions. Thoughts motivated by lust, greed, or excess are part of this group.

"Sensuality" is a broad term, referring to a kind of shameless, open lifestyle that flaunts indulgence in doing anything that feels good, in spite of consequences or morals. The original Greek term, aselgeia, carries a sense of being out of control; it suggests a person lacking discipline, or any capacity for self-restraint.

Those who trust in Christ have been set free. Paul's readers were in danger of wasting that freedom, by veering off in one of two directions. On the one hand, false teachers were pressuring them into circumcision in order to be sure of being right with God. On the other hand, freedom can also be squandered on serving only our sinful desires instead of investing it through serving others in love. God's Spirit gives us the power to do that when we let Him lead us. Life in the Spirit bears powerful and positive fruit in a Christian's life.

Galatians 3—4 focused on theology. Galatians 5—6 focus on how Christians should live in response to those truths. In short, we must resist being dragged away from the freedom we have in Christ to follow the law. We must also resist wasting our freedom on serving our sinful desires instead of serving others in love. We can do this by the power of God's Spirit with us. When we give Him the lead, powerful, positive characteristics show up in us. Galatians 6 will show how to use those characteristics to serve each other.

Galatians is sometimes called “a short Romans” for its similar themes of justification and sanctification through faith. A group of Christians known as “Judaizers” were preaching a gospel of legalism, rather than grace. Paul’s main purpose in writing the letter to the Galatians was to reiterate the true nature of the gospel: we are justified (made righteous) and sanctified (made more Christlike) through our faith in Jesus Christ alone. This letter was probably written shortly before the church elders in Jerusalem issued their official refutation of the Judaizers, commonly called the Jerusalem Council.