◄ Galatians 5 Devotional Commentary ►

Galatians 5:1

Legalists and law-mongers decry the gospel of grace and accuse those that rejoice in the liberty that we have in Christ's finished work at Calvary, of promoting a dangerous doctrine that leads to a carnal lifestyle and a license to sin. But this is a serious misunderstanding of the gospel of grace and a gross misinterpretation of the apostolic teachings of Paul, who was Christ's chosen apostle to the Gentiles and through whom were given the marvellous mysteries of read more...

Galatians 5:4

Paul's energetic defence of the doctrine of grace was matched only by his equally passionate opposition to the perils of legalism, in his letter to the Galatians. Various forms of legalism have been entertained over the years by different religious groups, but the particular brand of legalism that he opposed so vehemently, was the one that rendered Christ's death on the Cross as insufficient, and the sacrificial offering of Himself for our sin as read more...

Galatians 5:4

The serious peril of legalism is the principle message of Galatians, because legalism devalues and discredits Christ's incredible offering of Himself as our sacrifice for sin. Legalism belittles the glorious grace of God by erroneously requiring some form of human merit to secure God's unconditional, free gift of salvation.

Paul had been called and chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ to be His primary apostle to the Gentiles. He read more...

Galatians 5:5

As believers, we are waiting for the: "Hope of righteousness." We do not hope FOR righteousness, for we are already in right standing with the Lord. We have already been made righteous in Christ, by grace through faith, and the day is coming when we will put off this old mortal body and finally be clothed in our promised, glorified body.

We are already clothed in the righteousness of God; forever accepted by the Father read more...

Galatians 5:7

There are many things in the world today that are attacking Christianity. There is a secular agenda, a communist agenda, an Islamic agenda, a relativism agenda, a new-world order agenda, an alien agenda, many cultish agendas, and a satanic move towards disintegrating everything and anything to do with the God of the Bible and His only begotten Son.

Every attack on Christianity has its roots in Satan's demonic agenda which is read more...

Galatians 5:9

Paul made some strong and vigorous denunciations of the Judaisers in Galatia. They were not only teaching a false, legalistic gospel but were discrediting Paul's God-ordained ministry, mission, and message.

Paul knew that tremendous devastation and destruction would be caused in the Body of Christ if the false message these Judaisers were read more...

Galatians 5:10

In the later chapters of Galatians, Paul concentrates on applying the truths he taught earlier in his epistle. Having defended his divinely appointed apostleship, clearly expounded the gospel of grace, and insisted that justification is by faith alone through faith in Christ, and not by works of the Law, he turns his attention on how to put his teachings into practice; how to live by faith.

Earlier, he taught about the freedom we read more...

Galatians 5:11

The main issue that Paul had to deal with in Galatians was legalism, where Jewish believers were reverting to Judaism and insisting Gentiles were circumcised. They believed keeping the Law was necessary for salvation, not realising that the rites, rituals, feasts, and sacrifices pointed to Christ.

The Law was designed to identify their sin and their need for a Saviour. It was given by God to point them to Jesus; the Saviour read more...

Galatians 5:13

We are not under the Law, but under grace. We were not born under the Law which was given to pre-Cross Israel, but have been saved by grace during this post-Cross, Church dispensation. However, the Christians in Galatia did not understand the freedom they had in Christ, preferring to revert to the old legalistic way.

We are no longer under the curse of the Law, for Christ was made a curse for us, at Calvary. Rather, we are under read more...

Galatians 5:16

As believers, we are called to live in the Spirit, to pray in the Spirit, and to walk in spirit and truth. As Christians, we are called to live a spiritual life and not to be carnal; to bear the fruit of the Spirit and not to produce our own works of the flesh; to live under grace and not under law. As disciples, we are to walk by the Spirit for in so doing, we will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

Scripture reminds us in read more...

Galatians 5:17

As descendents of Adam, we were born in the 'flesh' with an old sin nature which is at enmity with God, but as Christians, we are born again in Christ. As believers, we are born of the Spirit of God with a new Christ-like nature and reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus so that we may not do the things that we please, but those things which honour God.

Before we were saved, we had one single, sinful nature - the 'in-Adam' read more...

Galatians 5:18

We are to stand fast in spirit and truth. We are to walk in the Spirit and be led by the Holy Spirit of God, for when we submit to His leading and guidance we are delivered from a life of bondage to all sorts of fleshly inclinations and set free from legalistic practices, laid down by law.

When we are not being led by the Spirit, we are walking in the flesh and not living as God desires, in spirit and in truth. And the sad read more...

Galatians 5:22

The beautiful fruit of the Spirit comes out from the Holy Spirit and is perfected by Him, and each facet is a jewel that beautifies the life of a believer. Each grace stands alone and yet together, the fruit of the Spirit unites into one perfect gemstone which is rooted and founded on God's love.

The love of God pours forth a fountain of graces that are each uniquely attractive, but which intertwine together into a complimentary read more...

Galatians 5:22

The lovely characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit stand in sharp contrast with the ugly features produced by works of the flesh. While man's carnal behaviour exposes an inner, self-centredness mixed with a casual disregard for others, the deeds carried out in spirit and in truth identify a man or woman whose life is abiding in Christ and yielded to God.

The fruit of the Spirit is an inner grace that is produced in a read more...

Galatians 5:24

We were placed into the Body of Christ the moment that, by faith, we trusted Jesus for salvation, and all who would one day come to place their trust in His finished work at Calvary were crucified with Christ. As spiritual members of Christ's spiritual Body, we can honestly say with Paul: "I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I that live, but the life of Christ that lives in me."

Christ's death read more...

Galatians 5:25

We are all born dead in our sin. We all came into this world physically alive but spiritually dead; dead in trespasses and dead in sins. Before we were saved, we were motivated by the flesh with its worldly lusts and ungodly affections. Even our good deeds were seen by God as filthy rags. From the moment we were born into this world, it was our sinful, fleshly desires that empowered us, and our old sin nature which kept us enslaved to sin and estranged from read more...