We are all familiar with some of the key verses in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. The fruit of the spirit vs. the works of the flesh, being set free for freedom, not using our freedom to indulge our sinful nature and Paul’s well known exclamation: “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you!”
Traditionally these scriptures have been understood to talk about sin in the sense of ‘doing bad things’ like lying, fornication or idolatry, etc. However, I’ve decided to take a fresh look at these verses, with a special focus on their context.
The topic of Galatians as a whole is the contrast between that which is by faith and that which is by works. The letter was really written to alert the Galatian believers to the dangers of “any other gospel” and to encourage them to stick to the gospel Paul preached to them. Paul then re-iterates what the gospel is and illustrates the differences between the truth and the lie for clarity.
The letter is written for no other reason but to help the Galatians stand firm in the faith they have, and not to be lured into a false gospel.
The false gospel which the Galatians had been facing, had to do with adding works to their faith. We see in chapter 1 and 2 that those who were preaching the false gospel came from the Jews, probably the church in Jerusalem, and were trying to convince the gentile believers that there was value in obeying the Law of God. These were very persuasive and obviously intimidating people, because even Peter seemed to be under their spell when he visited Galatia. Paul says that men came from James (the church in Jerusalem), who had obviously had a hard time holding onto a life of faith because we see in Acts 21:20, “When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.”
Paul introduces the first key concept, “the flesh” in Galatians 3. We see clearly that in this context, the term “flesh” refers to religious effort, especially Jewish religious practise. Paul actually uses “works of the Law” and “the flesh” to refer to the same thing in Gal 3:2+3. The Greek word here is: “sarx” and it is also translated in Galatians by the NIV and NLT; “human effort”, “sinful nature . The ESV and NKJV use “flesh” throughout.
The translation by the NIV and NLT of “sarx” into “sinful nature” is unfortunate, since it is misleading. Clearly Paul is talking about ‘religious work or effort’ when referring to “flesh”, and not ‘wrongdoing’.
We can apply this meaning of the term “flesh” through the rest of the letter. It yields some surprising results:
Galatians 4:23
“His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.”
“Flesh” refers to Abraham’s effort, acting according to his natural understanding. He slept with Hagar and she bore him a son. The fruit was achieved, but not in a spiritual way. Abraham was still living as a slave to the “basic principles of the world” (Gal 4:3). He still thought in terms of physical capability and constraints.
Galatians 5:13
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Having established the context of “flesh” we see that “Indulging the flesh” here actually has nothing to do with ‘doing bad things’ as the traditional understanding of this verse implies, but rather, indulging the flesh is talking about allowing yourself to work for your salvation. Indulging the flesh here is talking about allowing yourself to be circumcised, not about allowing yourself to be tempted to commit some sin, like adultery. Paul is saying that we shouldn’t let any kind of self-righteousness get a foothold in our lives, do not allow the little bit of leaven, just allowing yourself to feel like you could ever earn the promises of God even a little bit, because the leaven will spoil the whole batch.
Galatians 5:16
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
Keeping to the meaning of the term “flesh” allows us to see this scripture in a whole new light. “Gratifying the desires of the flesh” has nothing to do with looking at porn but with doing religious GOOD WORKS! Our flesh needs to be justified by works, we have this constant draw to try and work for our justification. THAT is what Paul is trying to get across. This is what Hebrews 9:14 is talking about, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
While we have the burden of religious guilt, we are bound and cannot serve God. Gal 5:17 says it clearly, “…so that you do not do whatever you want”.
Galatians 5:19
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 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.”
Wow! Does this scripture have new meaning! Paul is showing us, religion, human effort, self-righteousness, GOOD LAW ABIDING MORAL LIVING, will only result in all kinds of evil. He is not saying the dirty drunk man at the bar will do these things. He is actually saying it is the religious, those who take pride in their own works. Fortunately we see this clearly in the religions of the world, even the religious Christian church. Just look at the history of the Catholic Church, a great example.
Galatians 5:24
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. “
To have “crucified the flesh” gets a whole new meaning too. It means that we have decided to give up trying to earn salvation. Like Paul says, it is all faeces! To become a believer, you have to recognise the futility of self effort and give it up! That is what it means to crucify the flesh in Galatians.
Galatians 6:1
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
Again, new light brings new revelation. If you read the rest of this chapter, (Gal 6) it becomes obvious that being caught in a sin is being religious! That is why Paul says “Each one should test their own actions.” Because the only person who knows if what you are doing is prompted by faith or religion is yourself.
I have really enjoyed this revelation, and hope it benefits you. Do comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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