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Paul returns for a moment to the glorious gift of divine freedom stressed in verse 1 of
the chapter, but this freedom must not be abused. This freedom never means that a
believer is at liberty to do whatever he likes. As we have stated before, he is now free to
do what the Lord likes and to fulfil His will. The real Christian has to decide which of
the two natures he is going to follow and he is reminded in verse 16:
"This I say then, Walk in the spirit (the new nature) and ye shall not fulfil the lust of
the flesh (the old nature)."
These two opposite natures with their practical effects are now going to be described
by the Apostle so there could be no doubt as to what they involved in practice:
"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is
contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do
what you want. But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of
the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and
witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions,
and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who
live like this will not inherit The kingdom of God. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against
such things there is no law" (5: 16-23, N.I.V.).
The N.I.V. here consistently uses a capital "S" in "spirit", making it refer to the Holy
Spirit, but it is better to use a small "s", thus referring to the new nature, for it is these
two opposing natures in the believer that form this section of the epistle. At the same
time we do not forget that the Holy Spirit is the giver of the new nature implanted in the
believer and this is the sphere through which He works.*
[* - Dr. E. W. Bullinger's book The Two Natures in the Child of God can be
profitably considered here. It can be obtained from The Berean Publishing Trust.]
The Apostle Paul does not make an exhaustive list of the works of the flesh and
this is shown by the words "and the like" in verse 21. They seemed to be grouped in
four sections: (1) sensual passions, (2) superstitions, (3) disruptive movements, and
(4) excesses. All of them were rampant in the pagan world of the Apostle's day and
have become typical of the present time. The works of the flesh under the third heading
are, alas, never long absent from Christian circles:
"Hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings", and Satan
does not have much difficulty in ruining the testimony of any Christian movement where
these sins are permitted.
It is so refreshing to leave the uncleanness of the flesh, for the fruit of the spirit with
its wonderful cluster of graces. One list starts with hatred; the other with love and love
expands into a ninefold group that springs from the Spirit of Christ.
Chapter 5: of Galatians concludes with the words: