The Sinful Flesh vs. The Spirit-filled Life (Galatians 5)

Scripture reading – Galatians 5

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* Please note that words and phrases in brackets are the author’s amplification.

Today’s Scripture reading is from Galatians 5-6 and concludes our study of Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. This devotional is drawn from Galatians 5, with a second one to follow from Galatians 6.

Galatians 5

Paul challenged the believers in Galatia to “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” (Galatians 5:1a).

Many things might have shaken the faith of first-century believers in the Roman province of Galatia. These included the ever-present threat of persecution, rejection by family and friends, false teachers (who added their own interpretations to the Torah), and the pressures and influence of living amid a sinful, pagan culture. Understanding the cultural temptations surrounding them, Paul urged believers to “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).

What constitutes the “lust of the flesh” that the Spirit empowers believers to overcome? (Galatians 5:19-21)

The “lust of the flesh” is what Paul defined as the works of the flesh:

1. Sexual immorality: adultery, fornication (Galatians 5:19a)
2. Moral debauchery: uncleanness, lasciviousness (Galatians 5:19b)
3. Religious sins: idolatry, witchcraft (Galatians 5:20a)
4. Relationship sins: hatred [hostility], variance [contentiousness], emulations [envy; jealousy], wrath, strife, seditions [divisions], heresies [departure from the Truth], envying (Galatians 5:20-21a)
5. Moral corruption: murders, drunkenness, revellings [sinful indulgence] (Galatians 5:21)

Notice that the besetting sins of the first-century Galatians are the same as those of our 21st-century world.

Man’s heart has not changed, and the nature of sin is passed down from generation to generation, from father and mother to son and daughter. Nevertheless, while “the works of the flesh” characterize our fallen world and society, they have no place in a believer’s life. Paul warned that those who persist in lust and the works of the flesh “shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21b).

After admonishing believers about the “works of the flesh,” Paul turned to the spiritual graces the Holy Spirit should manifest in the life of a believer who is fully yielded to His work and leading.

The Fruit of a Spirit-Filled Life (Galatians 5:22-23) 

The fruit of God’s indwelling Spirit transforms a believer’s life: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy [gladness of heart], peace [tranquility], longsuffering [patient; restrains from vengeance], gentleness [kindness, without harshness], goodness [good deeds toward others], faith [conviction], ²³ Meekness [not soon angry; humility], temperance [self-control]: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

When a person is genuinely saved and the Holy Spirit is present, there will be the “fruit of the Spirit.” The degree of fruit evident in a believer’s life will depend on his walk with the LORD and obedience to His Word.

A believer is a “new creature” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). As he obeys God’s Word and yields to His Spirit, that new life becomes evident. Where hatred ruled, love reigns. Where envy festered, joy abounds. Divisions give way to peace. Where there was wrath, there is patience. Where there was contentiousness, gentleness abides. Where there was strife, there is goodness. Where there was heresy, there is faith. Where there was murder, there is meekness. Where there was drunkenness and self-indulgence, there is self-control.

How can this be? How might a believer overcome the “works of the flesh” so that his life and spirit evidence the “fruit of the Spirit?”

Paul answered: “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25).

I encourage you to take a few minutes to honestly evaluate your life and spirit. Is the “fruit of the Spirit” evident in your life?

Copyright © 2026 – Travis D. Smith 

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