Galatians 5:19-26 - "The Fruit of the Spirit"

Galatians 5:19-26

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another."

In Galatians 5:16–26, the apostle Paul unfolds the living reality of every true child of God. There is a continual conflict between the flesh and the Spirit, a warfare that does not cease while we remain in this body. The Spirit does not enter the believer to reform the flesh, but to rule the heart by directing it continually to the LORD Jesus Christ. To walk in the Spirit is to be led by Him, and that leading is always Christward.

Paul declares that walking in the Spirit prevents fulfilling the lust of the flesh. Yet this does not mean the flesh becomes weaker or more manageable. Scripture is clear that the flesh is utterly corrupt. Paul himself confessed in Romans 7:18 that no good thing dwells in the flesh. The lust of the flesh includes not only the outward sins listed later in Galatians 5, but anything that draws the heart away from Christ. The Spirit’s work is not self-improvement, but self-despair that results in faith resting wholly upon Christ and His finished work.

This conflict is neither accidental nor temporary. Christ Himself prayed in John 17:15 that His people would not be taken out of the world, but kept from the evil while remaining in it. The persistence of the flesh magnifies the Grace of God, for believers are preserved not by their strength, but by Divine Power. First John 1:8 and 1:10 confirm this reality: those who deny ongoing sin deceive themselves and make God a liar. The Spirit remains in the believer not because the believer is worthy, but because Christ has already paid the debt in full.

Paul lists the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19–21, declaring them manifest. These sins are not merely tendencies but realities present in the human heart. Were it not for Christ’s redemptive work, every sinner would stand condemned under the law. Revelation 20:12–13 reveals that those outside of Christ will be judged according to their works, while Revelation points to the Book of the Lamb slain as the sole reason for salvation. Deliverance is not found in moral restraint but in the substitutionary Satisfaction of Christ before the Father of His law and justice.

In contrast, Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23. This fruit is singular, not plural, because it is not produced by human effort. It is the effect of the Spirit revealing Christ to and in the heart. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance are not descriptions of the believer’s performance, but of Christ’s obedience imputed to the believer. Against such there is no law, because Christ has fulfilled every demand of the law perfectly.

This truth guards both against despair and pride. Believers are reminded that their Righteousness is seated at the Right Hand of God in the Person of Christ. Galatians 2:20 teaches that believers are crucified with Christ, and that the life now lived in the flesh is lived by the faith of the Son of God. The crucifixion of the flesh described in Galatians 5:24 is not an ongoing self-mortification but a completed judgment executed at the cross. The flesh may roar, but it cannot condemn, because its sentence has already been carried out in Christ.

To live and walk in the Spirit, as Paul exhorts in Galatians 5:25–26, is to live consciously under Grace. It is to rest in Christ’s finished work rather than striving for acceptance. The Spirit strips away vainglory and comparison, directing the believer away from self and toward Christ alone. John 15:1–5 reinforces this truth, declaring Christ the True Vine and believers as branches who bear fruit only by abiding in Him. The fruit of the Spirit is not found by introspection but by Faith. As the Spirit reveals Christ in His sufficiency, the believer is kept from condemnation and preserved in Hope. Thus, the Spirit glorifies Christ, and Christ remains the sole Righteousness, Peace, and Life of His redeemed people.