Evidence of our faith in Christ is a changed life through the Holy Spirit.

5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is . . .^NKJV Paul’s introduction of the word fruit is filled with meaning. While we might have expected him to say, “The works of the Spirit are,” Paul needed to use a fresh term. He had used “works” enough throughout this letter. Besides, “works” indicates lots of activities that people must do. “Fruit,” however, is singular, indicating that all the fruits exist as a unit (like a bunch of grapes rather than many different pieces of fruit) and that all are important to all believers (unlike “gifts” that are dispensed differently to different people). So Paul conveyed the meaning of a full harvest of virtues. Also, “fruit” is a by-product; it takes time to grow and requires care and cultivation. The Spirit produces the fruit; our job is to get in tune with the Spirit. Believers exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, not because they work at it, but simply because they are filled with the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit separates Christians from a godless, evil world, reveals a power within them, and helps them become more Christlike in their daily lives. In contrast to the list it follows, Paul did not describe these characteristics as obvious. The previous ones reside in us; the following ones come as a result of the Spirit’s presence.

Again, the characteristics fall into categories. The first three are inward and come from God alone:

Love (agape)—Love as shown by Jesus, whose love is self-sacrificing and unchanging, and as demonstrated by God who sent his Son for sinners (Romans 5:5). Love forms the foundation for all the other fruit listed. Elsewhere, Paul breaks love itself down into various components (see 1 Corinthians 13), so that “love” turns out to bear little resemblance to the emotional meaning so often given to the word.

Joy (chara)—An inner rejoicing that abides despite outer circumstances. This characteristic has little to do with happiness and can exist in times of unhappiness. It is a deep and nourishing satisfaction that continues even when a life situation seems empty and unsatisfying. The relationship with God through Christ remains even in the deserts and valleys of living.

Peace (eirene)—An inner quietness and trust in God’s sovereignty and justice, even in the face of adverse circumstances. This is a profound agreement with the truth that God, not we, remains in charge of the universe.

The next three concern each believer’s relationships with others and only come from Christ:

Longsuffering (makrothumia)—Patiently putting up with people who continually irritate us. The Holy Spirit’s work in us increases our endurance.

Kindness (chrestotes)—Acting charitably, benevolently toward others, as God did toward us. Kindness takes the initiative in responding to other people’s needs.

Goodness (agathosune)—Reaching out to do good to others, even if they don’t deserve it. Goodness does not react to evil but absorbs the offense and responds with positive action.

The last three fruit present more general character traits that ought to guide a believer’s life:

Faithfulness (pistis)—Reliable, trustworthy.

Gentleness (prautes)—Humble, considerate of others, submissive to God and his Word. Even when anger is the appropriate response, as when Jesus cleared the temple, gentleness keeps the expression of anger headed in the right direction. Gentleness applies even force in the correct way.

Against such there is no law.^NKJV God gave the law to make people aware of their sin and to restrain evil. But no one would make a law against these fruit (virtues), for they are neither sinful nor evil. Indeed, a society where all people acted thus would need very few laws at all. Because God who sent the law also sent the Spirit, the by-products of the Spirit-filled life harmonize perfectly with the intent of God’s law. A person who exhibits the fruit of the Spirit fulfills the law far better than a person who observes the rituals but has little love in his or her heart.

5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.^NIV Paul made it clear in this letter that sinful human desires (sarx—the flesh) and the Holy Spirit oppose each other. Believers, while receiving the Holy Spirit, also have sinful desires within. So how do believers gain the victory? The answers lie in these last three verses.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus (believers) have victory over the sinful desires to the degree that they have crucified “the flesh” (sarx)—Paul’s term for the principle of sin and rebellion still at work in us (see 5:16-17). Believers know that this does not mean we actually die, for our sinful human desires don’t really die—life would be so much easier if they did! Instead, our sinful human desires continue to persuade and seduce us. Many Christians are confused because the “old self” (or “old man,” palaios anthropos) has been crucified (Romans 6:6; Colossians 3:9-10; Ephesians 4:22-24) and has died; but the “flesh” still attacks us and hinders the Spirit (even though its power over us is broken).

Like a real crucifixion, the death of our sinful human desires is slow and painful . . . and lifelong. In many ways, our sinful human desires may need to be “re-crucified” daily. But the picture conveyed by this “crucifixion of the flesh” shows us that God has broken the power of sin at work in our body. That remains a fact even when it may not feel that way to us. We need no longer live under sin’s power or control. God does not take us out of the world or make us robots; we will still experience the temptation to sin, and sometimes we will sin. Before we were saved, we were slaves to our sinful desires, but now we can freely choose to live for Christ (see also Colossians 2:11; 3:9).

But what happens when we sin? Christ’s death made forgiveness available to us. As believers continue to repent of sin, they will always receive God’s forgiveness—all because of Christ’s death on the cross on our behalf. We can experience victory over our sinful human desires because we are united with Christ in his death, having “crucified” that sinful nature. Our evil desires, our bondage to sin, and our love of sin have been nailed to his cross. Now, united by faith with him, we have unbroken fellowship with God and freedom from sin’s hold on us. Our conduct and attitudes change, and the fruit of the Spirit grows within us because of what Christ did for us.

Passions and desires (pathemasin, epithumiais) can be positive traits in other contexts. When they are used to summarize the character of the sinful nature, they are obviously negative (sinful), for the sinful nature can desire nothing else. The two nouns could be taken together to mean “passionate desires” and refer to wrong sexual longings.

5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.^NKJV The word if could also be translated “since,” for Paul was not expressing doubt as to the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life or in the Galatians. God gives new life; therefore, all believers live in (are alive because of) the Spirit.

Because it is the Holy Spirit who gives new life, believers ought to also walk in the Spirit. Apart from the working of the Holy Spirit, a person cannot please God. The verb translated “walk” means literally “follow in the steps of [or] stay right in line with.” When the Holy Spirit leads, believers must follow. We “follow the Leader” and should have no doubt about who is in charge. To the Colossian Christians Paul wrote, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him” (Colossians 2:6 niv). Since believers have been made alive by the Holy Spirit, he ought to direct the course of their lives. Unless we actively pursue contact with the Holy Spirit and obey his leading, we will be unable to resist the passions and desires of our flesh.

Paul used three key phrases for the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives:

1. LIVE by the Spirit (walk by the Spirit) (5:16, 25).

• Recognize that the Holy Spirit is a gift to us, not given because of our own merit (Acts 1:4, 8).
• Receive the Holy Spirit by believing in God’s promise in his Word (Galatians 3:2, 14).
• Be strengthened by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11; Ephesians 3:16).
• Acknowledge the Holy Spirit as the source of the gifts for ministry (Ephesians 4:7-12; 2 Timothy 1:6).

2. Be LED by the Spirit (5:18; Romans 8:14).

• Set your mind on what the Spirit desires (Romans 8:5).
• Show his love (Romans 5:5).
• Receive his joy (Romans 14:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6).
• Demonstrate hope (Romans 15:17).

3. Be GUARDED by the Spirit (in step with the Spirit) (5:25; John 14:26; 16:13).

• He aids in prayer (Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 2:18; 6:18).
• He inspires us to worship (Ephesians 5:18; Philippians 3:3).
• He shapes our character (Galatians 5:22-23).

5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.^NKJV This verse seems like a last-minute addition to a section that could have easily ended with verse 25. Paul probably focused on particular problems in Galatia. He explained that if they would “walk in the Spirit,” step-by-step, they could solve any attitude problems in the church. Perhaps even living by the Spirit might be used by some as an occasion for pride.

The apostle mentioned three particular problems. They are the opposite of serving, and they remain three prevalent sins in the church today. (1) Some were being conceited; they had an excessively favorable opinion of their own ability or importance. It could be that those who had not fallen prey to the Judaizers were acting this way, or those who had followed the Judaizers were acting conceited because they believed they were “more spiritual.” In any case, conceit causes problems where it flourishes. Don’t let pride over having the right point of view affect your church (see Philippians 2:3). (2) Everyone seemed to have taken part in provoking one another; they were causing annoyance and anger, the opposites of the virtues the Holy Spirit desired. Some people can’t resist starting verbal fights in church. Don’t bait others to get embroiled in conflict. Don’t be an irritant in your church. (3) Finally, they were envying one another; they wanted to have what others had earned or achieved, whether recognition, status, money, or even spirituality. This also could do nothing more than divide the believers and ruin the church’s unity in Christ. Don’t give in to envy.

Pride makes us perpetually vulnerable to temptation. When Satan can’t stop our spiritual growth, his tactic immediately changes to using pride. As soon as we notice progress, we should expect pride to set in. This will especially be true if we measure our growth against the progress others are making. Growth should be cause not for pride but for humility and thanksgiving because it comes from God.

CHART: OUR WRONG DESIRES VERSUS THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

The will of the Holy Spirit is in constant opposition to our sinful desires. The two are on opposite sides of the spiritual battle.

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Source: Bruce B. Barton et al., Life Application Bible Commentary – Galatians, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1994), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “GALATIANS 5:2-26”.