Study/Discussion Outline for Galatians 5:16-25
Fairlawn Mennonite Church, Sept. 21, 2014
Scriptures are from the NIV unless otherwise noted
May be read online from
Gal.5:16-25, Chap.11, “Gospel Character” in “Galatians for You” or study it at
v16-18, Learning to Walk Again
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.17For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
“Walk” is a good word there. Life is a moment by moment walk through experiences that include emotions, actions, reactions and decisions of all kinds. It includes facingsituations and people we like and those we don’t.
The Greekepithymia simply means a strong desire or craving for something, and it can speak of either good or evil. Obviously, what the flesh desires for us is different than what the Spirit desires, and they are in conflict within us!They are opposed to each other andare mutually exclusive.
Since the fall of man in which Satan was given dominion over the earth, we are born with a “bent” toward a sinful, self-centered, God-rejecting view of life and its experiences and values. We inherit that from Adam and even the Law could not release us from it. However, Jesus came to condemn that power over us! Read Rom. 8:1-5 now and note v3!
And then note v5 and the place of our mind in this “walk.” The thing that we set our mind on determines how we walk through the moments of life. This is big! See also v6-17there, and Col. 3:1-3.
When we are born again, we receive a new nature which is inclined toward God, and we are now learning to walk according to the desires of the Spirit and not the flesh.
1) Do you think of your Christian life as being a “walk”?
2) Do you actively watch where you walk?
3) Are you keenly aware of the voices within you that want to tell you where to put your next step?
4) Are you increasingly choosing to respond to the Spirit?
v19-21, The Acts of the Flesh
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions21and 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.
“Acts” is actually a bit weak there, as the Greek ergonincludes the agenda behind the acts, not just the acts alone.
The flesh has agenda. All sin is the expression of the attempts of broken humanity to satisfy the emptiness within - - the vacuum that is there because of the absence of the worship of and fellowship with God that we were created for. Sin is “worship gone wrong” and it can get really ugly.
The tension between the flesh and the Spirit represents the contest between God and Satan for men’s hearts. Our “insides” are a spiritual battleground. It is so when we hear God’s call to Life and we decide between Him and Satan, and it is there as long as we live. However, God is always on our side and He actively enables us to live forHim and to refuse the desires of the flesh - - if our mind is set on Him!
5) Do you sense Satan’s agenda behind the flesh and its desires?
6) Which “act of the flesh” are you most deliberately working to overcome at this stage in your spiritual walk?
v22-25, But - - the Fruit of the Spirit is - -
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Wow – this is like coming out of a stinky pig barn into the fresh air. Breathe deeply and take those verses in!
Fruit is a product. It identifies where it came from and represents its source of life.The “Fruit of the Spirit” is as natural to the presence of Jesus and the rule of His Spirit in us, as apples are to an apple tree. (Mt. 7:16-20)
7) What does v25, “let us keep in step with the Spirit” mean and what does it require of us?
8) Which “fruit of the Spirit” are you most actively working to implement at this stage in your spiritual walk?
9) Agree/disagree? “One of the best ways to overcome an expression of the flesh’s agenda is to deliberately replace it with an expression of the Spirit’s agenda.” (Eph. 4:22-24, 28, Col. 3:8-10) For example, discipline yourself to replace gossip with words that build others up. Or to perform an act of giving-love toward one you have disliked. Or to pray for another’s success rather than being jealous of or envying them.
Prepared by Ken Stoltzfus, your fellow pilgrim and bondservant of Jesus.