Paul has set up a contrastbetween Flesh/human sinful nature and The Spirit/Life in the Spirit. He now spells out in detail what those types of life look like.
A look at the text (Galatians 5:19-21)
Paul says that “the works of the flesh/human sinful nature are obvious”. It doesn’t take too much to work out what you shouldn’t be doing and what the consequences of a sinful life are like. He lists sexual immorality, impurity, and licentiousness first.[1] These seem to be closely linked around sexual morality but each word places a different emphasis showing that it isn’t just about adultery nor even about our sinful actions (sexual immorality) but also our thought life (impurity)[2] and our appetites/desires (licentiousness).[3] All of these are out workings of our fallen nature (v19).
Paul then talks about things that reflect false worship and religion, idolatry and sorcery. He goes on to talk about selfish ambition, division and quarrels with the implication that there is a link. Perhaps the focus there is on what happens when God’s people come together (c.f. 1 Corinthians 11), what are the things that distract us from worship of the true and living God? These can be literal idols and the overt pursuit of demonic encounters but also our jostling for position arises out of heart idolatry, we seek our own prominence and is an opening to demonic influence in the church (v20).
He then lists “envy, drunkenness, carousing.” Envy links to the theme of ambition and quarrels in v20 but I think it also links forward because the final examples might be considered to do with a lack of self-control and the way that this shows a lack of love and concern for others. There is a prominent selfishness to these behaviours. Now, if the works here are comparable to the fruit of the Spirit to come, then they are the fruit of the flesh, or the result of life in our sinful human nature. The fruit shows the roots and someone displaying these qualities does not appear to belong to the Spirit. So, Paul concludes that they are not heirs of God’s kingdom. In other words, they are still slaves, they are not sons (v21).
Digging Deeper
The way that Paul sets up this list is to take his readers away from a focus on external rituals such as circumcision to what is going on in the heart. Whilst specific practices, condemned by the Law are mentioned, notice that a lot of what he describes goes beyond that and focuses on relationships and attitudes. Whilst he does not use the language at this stage, I believe that he is pointing away from circumcision to heart circumcision.
A look at ourselves
One of the dangers with legalism is that it focuses on one or two headline sins. Do we give as much attention to addressing all of the issues listed here, whether in our public comment and debates or in our preaching, teaching and discipleship? How are you doing personally in these matters?
[1] Some manuscripts list adultery and sexual immorality separately.
[2] The word used to do with uncleanness, the ceremonial category found in the Law. The inclusion in the context of sexual sin reminds us that uncleanness is not in fact about failure to keep ceremonies or observe food laws but the affect of the heart and thought life on our status. C.f. Moo, Galatians, 359. See also Keener, Galatians, 510-511.
[3] The word means “lack of self constraint which involves one in conduct that violates all bounds of what is socially acceptable” or “an open and reckless contempt of propriety.” BDAG, 141. Moo, Galatians, 359.
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