What should the lives of those who are free in Christ look like? In other words, how should Christians live if we are not under the law of Moses? Paul has answered that question in two ways so far. First, Christians must not squander our freedom in Christ, which is freedom from under the law, by serving only ourselves (Galatians 5:13–15). That leads to a laundry list of sinful lifestyles. Instead, Paul has written, those in Christ should allow God's Spirit to lead them into powerful service to others motivated by love (Galatians 5:16–21).

Now Paul begins to offer a new list. This describes what those in Christ should expect to see flowing from their lives when they let the Holy Spirit lead them. Paul calls this the "fruit of the Spirit." It's helpful to understand this is meant to imply a single fruit—the Greek term is singular. This is not a list of nine separate fruits, but nine characteristics of the (single) fruit of the Spirit. In Christ, we should expect to see all of these characteristics showing up together as we give God's Spirit control. They come in no particular order, or rank, or schedule.

Paul begins with love, from the Greek term agapē. This is famously described as "selfless love," or an attitude that considers other people more than ourselves, without expecting anything in return. God's Spirit in us produces God's unconditional love in us for Him and for others (1 Corinthians 13:4–13).

Joy is translated from the Greek chara, which does not necessarily imply happiness. "Joy," in a biblical sense, is best described as an inner confidence. This allows us to declare to our soul that all is well with us, now and forever, because of our place in Christ. Supernatural peace comes as a result of trusting God and is not dependent on our circumstances (Philippians 4:4–9).

Peace is the concept of restful, assured stillness. This is different from something frozen or fearful. It's not the same as being restrained, nor does it mean a lack of motivation. Biblical "peace" involves emotions such as assurance, and an overall sense of spiritual calm.

Patience is the ability, in the Spirit, to wait on God's perfect timing even when our personal agenda seems to be failing. Translated from the term makrothymia, "patience" includes controlling our response to circumstances. This contrasts with the error Paul gave in verse 20, translated "fits of anger," from the related word thymoi. Scripture uses the term "patience" to mean an ability to endure hardship—to "weather the storm."

Kindness may be simple, but it is not always easy. The original term, chrēstotēs, includes concepts of being good and gentle. In the Spirit, we can be kind to anyone, even those who are challenging and offensive.

Goodness is the ability to do the right thing in every circumstance. The term agathōsynē implies a moral decency: this describes someone respectable, honorable, and righteous.

Faithfulness is a crucial word, from the Greek term pistis, frequently translated simply as "faith" in the New Testament. This represents a kind of endurance, driven by trust. In the Spirit, Christians can keep going in the right direction, even when we don't fully understand all God is doing.

Galatians 5:16–26 focuses on how God's Spirit gives those in Christ the power to serve others in love. We must allow the Holy Spirit to lead, however. When we don't, our selfishness will lead us into all kinds of sinful lifestyles. When we live by the Spirit, on the other hand, we gain more than just being able not to live in sin. What comes out of us are a collection of powerful, positive characteristics.

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.

Accessed 5/1/2024 8:06:08 PM

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