GALATIANS

GALATIANS 5:1-4, 5:19-21

GALATIANS 5:1-4

When interpreting passages out of the Galatians' epistle, two important foundational thoughts need to be kept in mind. First there is the all important key of context and theme; certain ones in Galatia are seeking to be saved by a false gospel, and virtually everyone among the churches of the Galatian region have been influenced by people called "Judaizers." Paul battles the Judaizers and their influence through this epistle, and seeks to set the true Christians straight. A key statement for illuminating the Galatian thrust is found in the passage we are concerned with in this section, where Paul says, "You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law." Secondly we must approach Galatians recognizing that Paul incorporates various, and somewhat confusing, usage's of pronouns, such as you, we, us, and they. Close exegetical scrutiny must be applied to each pronoun reference to determine who Paul is concerned with in each point a pronoun is used. With these considerations in mind, we read, Galatians 5:1-4,

"1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." (Galatians 5:1-4)

Contextually, in the previous chapter, Paul just addressed the Gentile Christians who were beginning to follow some of the Judaizer's decrees that bring free Christians under religious bondage. In Galatians 5:1-4, Paul shifts his emphasis to an exclamation. He starts with "Behold I, Paul." Paul is asserting his authority as a Jew of Jews who is both an expert in the Law and an apostle of the grace gospel of Christ in His New Covenant. Then Paul says that if you receive circumcision, Christ is of no benefit to you. Paul then says to "every" man who receives circumcision that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.

According to the typical NEST interpretation of Galatians 5:1-4 the implication is that every man who receives circumcision is under obligation to keep the whole Law. Additionally, the NEST asserts, based upon this passage, that saved people have the ability to seek salvation in other ways, even after being saved. In seeking to be justified (righteousified) from sin, by law, the truly saved, are said to have been severed from Christ. Two things will clear up wrong interpretations of the NEST rather quickly:

1) who Paul is talking to;

2) what Paul has done.

In the last section of this book which deals with Galatians 1:6 the pronoun usage of Paul concerning who he is talking to, is dealt with extensively. In clarifying who Paul is talking to, we will continue, through context, to identify who each personal pronoun applies to in each of Paul's points. The other point concerning what Paul has done, will be made more apparent as we proceed. To get the foundation for this, we must look at the Acts chronicle. In Acts 15 we read,

"2 and he [Timothy] was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted this man [Timothy] to go with him; and he [Paul] took him [Timothy] and circumcised him ..." (Acts 16:2-3)

Here we recognize something that is absolutely essential to a full and proper understanding of our passage under study; namely, Paul circumcised Timothy. The same Paul who said, "Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you," is the same Paul who circumcised Timothy, thus making Timothy receive circumcision. Keep this in mind as we continue,

"... he [Paul] took him [Timothy] and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek." (Acts 16:3)

This event happened about AD 49. Paul wrote Galatians between AD 49 to AD 54. The main point being that yes, Paul circumcised Gentile Timothy who is saved according to the gospel of grace of the New Covenant, but Paul did it for a certain reason. It was a strategy to protect Timothy from the prejudice of Jewish hostiles in the regions that Paul traveled. Paul did not circumcise Timothy so that Timothy would attain favor with God. Paul did it so that Timothy would be ignored by hostile Jews who otherwise would have considered Timothy unclean. This was necessary because Paul visited the synagogues wherever he went. In standing against circumcision at the Jerusalem counsel that had just took place (cf. Acts 15) Paul recognized that circumcision is nothing (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:19). Yet, Paul recognized something else,

"For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath." (Acts 15:21)

Paul's wise actions, to deminish undue attention to Timothy by hostile Jews, demonstrate to us that the real danger of doing things that are contained in the Law codes of the Old Covenant has to do with the reason why someone chooses to do them. Remember, Paul said,

"2 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you." (Galatians 5:2)

Does this then mean that Paul was condemning Timothy to eternal damnation by circumcising Timothy? Only an inept interpreter would say that Paul condemned Timothy through circumcision. But Paul continues in Galatians,

"3 And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law." (Galatians 5:3)

According to Paul's actions in circumcising Timothy, if we were to take Paul's statement here at highlighted face value, it would appear as if Paul has inducted Timothy into a life of Mosaic Lawism where Timothy will now fruitlessly fall from grace into the dark realm of empty works--being damned for it all in everlasting sorrow. Fortunately, we know that such a curse is not what has happened to Timothy. Further, we know that Paul is not confused, or being a hypocrite in this instruction, because it has to do with reasons. The reason for circumcision is why the next verse is so important. Not surprisingly, Paul brings in another "you." It is the particular you that Paul uses to identify lost people (not Timothy). Timothy is saved. Paul identifies the "you" of the unsaved person who receives the damning type of circumcision.

"4 You have been severed from Christ, [who?] you who are seeking to be justified by law; you [Anyone seeking to be justified by Law.] have fallen away [ESV] from grace." (Galatians 5:4)

These Judaizers and their followers have been severed from the Israelite Messiah that they claim to follow according to the Mosaic Law. They have turned away from God who calls (cf. 1:6), and they have fallen headlong away from the grace of God. In the next verses, 5 and 6, Paul is going to reference, "we" again, as indicating true Christians who are awaiting the hope of being transformed in pure righteousness in the resurrection, where John says we will be like Him, meaning Christ--we will be pure righteousness in Him as super-righteous beings (cf. 1 John 3:2), and then Paul continues the thought through the following verses where he refers to "you" Christians who are part of the "we" Christians. Paul says,

"7 You were running well. ..." (Galatians 5:7)

["You" here is a reference to the true Christians of Galatia who previously had rejected anything of the Judaizers according to Paul's prior discipleship. Paul goes on,]

"Who hindered you from obeying the truth?" (Galatians 5:7)

[Paul is upset with the specific people who have come in and are reeking all this havoc on the churches. They are distracting, and they are hindering the Christians from complete obedience to every area of that which is not false]

"8 This persuasion is not from Him who calls you." (Galatians 5:8)

[Paul said that some of the Galatians turned away from Him Who calls in Galatians 1:6]

"9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump." (Galatians 5:9)

[Paul is saying that the Galatian Christians can not allow this influence to stay around any longer. It produces bad fruit. It is like leaven in a lump of dough. It spreads and infects everyone's minds and actions. We must pay attention to what Paul says next to the true Christians. Paul prophesies,]

"10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is." (Galatians 5:10)

Paul knows, in the Lord, that God preserves those whom are his. If such is not the case then Paul could have no such confidence that the saved ones will take no other view than his. This means that God preserves all who are spiritually saved. The bottom line for us to realize is that anyone who is getting circumcised to be justified before God, for a spiritually salvific purpose, has sought another gospel, so they are severed from Christ and fallen from grace. Unless there are people who are specifically doing this today, then the curse of this passage does not apply to them. Further, anyone who is circumcised, yet not for the purpose of getting saved, is of course, like Timothy, still saved.

Based upon all the considerations covered, we recognize then that this passage does not suggest that one can lose one's eternal spiritual salvation, gain eternal spiritual salvation by humanistic self effort, or maintain keep eternal spiritual salvation secure by humanistic self effort.

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GALATIANS 5:19-21

"19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21

According to the typical NEST interpretation concerning this passage, it is asserted that any saved person, who willfully commits any of the types of sins listed, is lost and will experience eternal damnation rather than the eternal kingdom of God.

One ambitious man who holds to the NEST uses this passage, but realizes the box he nailed himself into with his theory. Therefore, in the midst of the volumes of pages of his works based view of sin and salvation, he found himself slipping in this little caveat: he said,

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that every act of sin makes you lose your salvation. It's the willful practice of sin that makes one an unbeliever."

Explaining it a bit more in his section (oddly enough) on how to be saved, he says,

"Now even though Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins by His death on the cross, we are not to continue to willfully sin. For if we sin willfully (as opposed to sins committed inconsiderately, or from ignorance, or from weakness) after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins ..."

This man's statement is very revealing. It demonstrates the need of those who hold to the false doctrine of the NEST, to come up with some kind of consolation for their sin. One of the first errors we recognize in the statement is the claim that it is the willful practice of sin that makes someone become unsaved ("an unbeliever"). But such a statement reverses the order. It is not the willful practice of sin that makes one an unbeliever. It is the unbeliever that makes the willful practice of sin. Further, it is the saved person that makes the willful practice to sin whenever a saved person sins. The philosophy that suggests a difference in sins committed inconsiderately, ignorantly, or from weakness, between something called sins committed willfully, is a philosophy that is contrived around a false dichotomy. All sin is sin. To make the argument work for the purposes of the NEST, a category is put forward as sin that is safe to commit. The problem with this specious position is that:

a) Committing sin inconsiderately is to commit sin willfully;

b) Committing sin ignorantly is to commit sin willfully;

c) to commit sin in weakness, is to commit sin willfully.

Though we may think we need to offer some excuse for sinning, as people who are once saved in eternal spiritual salvation, we can not get around the fact that we sin because we want to according to our natural desire. Aside from philosophy, biblically, the Greek words for will, willing, willed, and wills, are synonymous with determine, determination, determining, determined, and determines. Christians always determine to sin whenever they sin. People who hold to the philosophy of the NEST, though, have a foggy time explaining why they, or any Christian, still sins in weakness, or why their own particular habit of sinning and confessing, and sinning and confessing, and sinning and confessing, is any different for them, than for someone else. The bottom line is that whenever one sins, the sin is willful. More, time will reveal that sooner or later the Christian's act of sin is going to be on one of Paul's lists of the affinities of the lost; for example, "outbursts of anger." That one sin designation alone haunts those who hold to the NEST, who think that willfully doing any of the sins in the list makes one lose one's spiritual salvation.

Paul's sin and vice lists are dealt with in other segments of this book. Paul uses lists as a literary device to describe the affinity of those who are in the image of fallen Adam. Being in the image of fallen Adam is to be lost. Such a state is an existence that is often succinctly stated as being "of the flesh" depending on the context. This is important to recognize because there were non-Christians in Galatia who were congregating among the churches. Paul in his earlier evangelism work there obviously addressed many of these issues, (contrasting the lost with the saved), so Paul says here in reminiscent fashion,

"I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:21)

Paul's reminder is to show the contrast between the regenerate and the unregenerate. The unregenerate are still solely in the lost flesh of fallen Adam. They are in contradiction to those who are in the image of the last Adam Christ, which would be all people who are saved spiritually, judicially, and positionally in Christ in His New Covenant work. Saved people are according to the Spirit; are in the Spirit, and are of the Spirit. This is true of all saved people even though they have flesh. This is an existence that is often succinctly stated as the miracle of being "born again." On the other hand, the flesh distinction of the unregenerate world is often designated by Paul as their one (singular) lost nature. He says,

"Among them [the unsaved] we too [Christians] all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." (Ephesians 2:3)

The Spiritless cursed flesh of unregenerate people is their one lost "nature" of wrath. When we recognize this, it is easy to understand that this Galatian passage is another one of those listings that Paul uses to describe the affinities practiced by people who are lost.

With all the above consideration in our minds, let us now look into examining the context of our passage under study. Coming into chapter 5, we see that Paul is rebuking Judaizers who are bent on circumcising people and generally bringing people under Mosaic Law codes. Then Paul gets to verse 5, and says,

"5 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness." (Galatians 5:5)

What we need to notice is that Paul does not say that we, saved people, hope for righteousness. He says that we, saved people, through the Spirit, (because only saved people are the ones who do anything through the Spirit), by faith, (faith that is a gift from God according to 2 Peter 1:1, Romans 12:3, Ephesians 2:8, John 6:28-29, Philippians 1:29) are waiting for the hope of righteousness in our resurrected state. In the meantime, we are already made righteous in Christ. In fact we are the very righteousness of God in Jesus Christ by faith,

"... the righteousness of God has been manifested, ... even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;" (Romans 3:22-23 cf. 5:17, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Philippians 3:9, etc.)

At this time of our stay on earth, we are not in our future tense aspect of salvation where the old flesh will be done away, and we will be purely righteous in every respect. Galatians 5:5 is an important verse then, in that Paul is showing what all of us Christians are waiting for. We are waiting for our transformation into glorified super-people in the future aspect of the kingdom of God, where we will be more like Christ. At that time we will receive a glorified body and we will sin no longer.

Still looking at the contextual flow, Paul finishes preaching against the attempts of people to be justified by their own flesh in a false works based gospel, and then he comes into verse 13, which establishes so much concerning his point. He says here to Christians,

"13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)

Paul wants the Christians to understand that they are free from Law codes. In fact they (as all Christians) are so free they need to be careful. Evidently Paul thinks it is necessary to tell truly saved people not to turn their freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. The reason why Paul says this, is because Paul knows that born-again people still have a natural ability to sin (sometimes referred to as one of "two natures."). In other words, Paul knows that saved people still sin against the imperatives, though indwelt by the, indicative, empowering, life giving, Spirit. Before being born again, everyone has just one nature. It is the singular nature of the lost. It is called the carnal nature. It is called the sin nature. It is called the Adamic nature. It is commonly called the nature of the flesh. As the only nature unsaved people have, it is condemned. It will not inherit the kingdom of God. When a person is born again spiritually, judicially, and positionally by miracle, the person gets a new nature from God--a regenerate nature. The person gets Christ's nature, or as Peter calls it, "the divine nature," 2 Peter 1:4. It is the life that comes from the Holy Spirit. After salvation, people still walk around in their flesh, but they are saved. This condition means two sobering things: One, is that the saved person's immediate body is subject to death. Secondly, saved people can still sin in this condition. The reason is because the body has not experienced the transformation into a super-body yet. The person is saved spiritually, judicially, and positionally in eternal life, but they have not yet put on the immortal flesh that they will experience in the future kingdom of God where they will be like Him; 1 John 3:2. So right now, Paul is saying you Christians are free, but though free, Paul encourages you not to turn your spiritual freedom nature into an opportunity for the flesh nature. You need to be about living to the Spirit rather than to the flesh. This is basic theology that Paul proclaims throughout his epistles--repentance, obedience, sanctification. The next thing that we must focus on in this immensely key verse has to do with Paul's subject of love.

"13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)

This is Paul's consistent teaching that love, and doing things through love is the outward and spiritual fulfillment of the inward spiritual Fulfiller of the Law. The inward Fulfillment of the Law is already in us saved people. He is Jesus Christ who came to fulfill the Law, (cf. Matthew 5:17, & Romans 10:4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."). He is in all saved people. Listen to how Paul explains this same thing in Romans. In chapter 8 Paul says,

"3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:3-4)

This is New Covenant Theology. The inward fulfillment of the law is living inwardly in us. The outworking of the inward Fulfiller of the law is love. Saved people are to do the Law fulfillment through loving. Paul explains it in Romans just as he does here in Galatians. He says in Romans 13,

"8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For this, 'you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,' and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Romans 13:8-10)

This is Paul's consistent teaching that love, and doing things through love, is the outward fulfillment of the inward Fulfiller of the law, which is Christ in you the hope of glory, (cf. Colossians 1:27). In Galatians here, Paul goes on in context, explaining how the spiritual man (the saved person) fulfills outworking the Law as the fruit of the Spirit of the New Covenant. Let us look at the continued flow in verse 14, which parallels Paul's same point as in Romans,

"14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another." (Galatians 5:14)

What we are doing is grounding ourselves in the chapter's context so that we will understand Paul's flow of thought as we are entering the sentences used to build the NEST. What we have just seen is that Paul is telling true Christians among the wider audience of Galatia, to love. Love is the greatest spiritual gift. Saved people are the only ones who can love by the Spirit under the New Covenant. Paul brings us back to that truth by connecting us back to the Holy Spirit again. He continues,

"16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, [This is the Holy Spirit connection] and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh [This is the contrast to the Holy Spirit]. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please." (Galatians 5:16-17)

This is an absolutely pinnacle passage in this whole section, and it is an important key in unlocking Paul's meaning. Paul still has in mind here the subject of fulfilling the law by practicing love as the fruit of the Spirit, but the reason why this is key is because Paul is talking to Christians, which are saved people, and in talking to Christians, Paul identifies the two different realms here. There is the flesh realm here in one aspect, where we Christians have flesh and any and all sinful desires come from the remnant of Adam we Christians carry around with us in our flesh. Then there is the Holy Spirit realm, which is according to the third person of the Godhead, Who is also our very Life in salvation. When saved people walk by the Holy Spirit, Whom saved people already have, then they will not carry out the desires of the flesh. This is so easy to follow when we take notice of the fact that Paul personifies flesh as a separate category in and of itself in his grouping. It is a separate category, but it is still the saved person. Looking at the passage again, we notice that Paul says,

"16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, [One entity] and you [the Christian as another entity] will not carry out the desire of the flesh [the third and other aspect, which is part of the saved person, and in this context, the desire of the flesh is not to love.]." (Galatians 5:16-17)

With this in mind, we notice what Paul says next,

"17 For the flesh [spoken of as a separate aspect] sets its desire ..." (Galatians 5:17)

[The flesh has its desire in very close language to being described as a separate aspect altogether. The flesh sets its desire, and its desire is to sin. Its desire is to not love. Continuing,]

"For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; ..." (Galatians 5:17)

[Those are the two extremes: Cursed flesh, and Holy Spirit. Paul goes on,]

"... for these are in opposition to one another, ..." (Galatians 5:17)

[They are both opposed to each other in the extreme, but we see where they are existing in this tension in what Paul says next,]

"... so that you may not do the things that you please." (Galatians 5:17 emph. mine)

Paul is not describing some sort of schizophrenia. This is simply a revelation of the way God says it all works. It is the Christian who is composed of flesh that is not yet perfected in super-glorification, and it is the Christian that has life by the Holy Spirit, and it is the Christian who may not do the things that the Christian pleases. The reason is because the Christian willfully sins through the flesh nature. The Christian is the realm that this tension exists. This is the important flow of what Paul is saying as he comes into verse 18, which is the passage that is wrongly interpreted by some according to the NEST. Paul says next,

"18 But if you are led by the Spirit, ..." (Galatians 5:18)

["You" meaning Christians and only Christians. Christians are led by the Spirit even though the flesh aspect is in opposition to the leading. So, those who are led by the Spirit, if of course they actually are, then,]

"... you are not under the Law." (Galatians 5:18)

["You" can not be under the Old Covenant Mosaic Law (which includes the decalogue) because you are Christians of the New Covenant. The non-Christians that Paul has been talking about in the context pertaining to this Galatians letter, are trying to live under the Old Covenant Law of Moses, and as such are condemned by it, and are cursed. Saved people are not under that Law. The fulfillment of the Law lives in saved people. They are free. Nevertheless, Christians need to manifest the Person of the indwelling fulfillment of the Law. Paul goes on with what the deeds of pure flesh are, which are contrary to love,]

"... 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21)

It is vital that we look at some things that must be understood with this.

/1/
First, When Paul says "those who practice such things," he is talking about people who are in the flesh, according to the flesh, who necessarily can only do the deeds of the flesh, since, as only flesh nature, they are void of the Holy Spirit. They are lost. They are never led by the Spirit, (verse 18), because they can not be led by the Spirit outside of the process of the effectual call of salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ. To clarify more, there is only flesh in "those;" (cf. verse 21) there is no Holy Spirit in "those," and of course "those" as the unsaved are necessarily being 'led' by their unsaved natures in bondage to sin. There is just themselves (void of the Spirit) as those who are unsaved flesh in the image of fallen Adam.

/2/
Secondly, we must notice that Paul says that the deeds of the flesh of "those" are evident. Simply put, Paul is saying that there is no mystery as to what the deeds of the Spiritless-flesh are. It is not a difficult thing to figure out. The deeds of the flesh (void of the Spirit) are clearly apparent, and love from the Spirit is not among them. All we need to do is look at the example list to figure this out, (which of course is not a list of everything that can be listed, but Paul is giving the list to get the idea across to show the contrast between the affinities of the flesh and the affinities of the Spirit). Affinities of the cursed flesh are,

"immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these." (Galatians 5:19-21)

Paul says, "and things like these." These are not Holy Spirit things, which means they are not God's "love" things. You do not find those things in Paul's list that is coming in (Galatians 5:22-24) of what is in the perfect kingdom of God, of which is referenced as a future inheritance, of which the Law of the kingdom is love from the Spirit which is the fulfillment of the Law.

/3/
This leads to a third important observation. Paul says that the things he listed are deeds of the flesh, and along with that, the people in this sin state are "practicing" these things of the flesh. Paul's particular usage of the Greek word, prassontes for "practice" here is important because it shows that Paul is talking about unsaved people who are immersed in their affinity toward sin. Paul is intentional in using this word because practice here is a present participle that means "consistently habitually persisting." This is an attribute of the unsaved and is expected to be. This consistent, habitual persisting in sin has to do with their state of being. They persist in things like Paul just listed as their affinities; void of love. In other words, unsaved people do not practice-prassontes the fruits of the Spirit, which Paul is about to mention, rather they are practicing their nature in lost Adam. Christians can have temporary lapses into sin but it is different from prassontes-practicing. All honest Christians know that while in this current earth-bound condition, there are times that we fail to heed the leading of the same Spirit that gave us life. Nevertheless, saved people also practice--but what do saved people practice that is different than what the lost practice? The saved practice being led by the Spirit. With those three initial considerations in mind, we can look at the remainder of the passage and see that Paul taught the Galatians beforehand that there will not be anyone in the inherited future aspect of the kingdom of God who will be practicing the affinities of the flesh. Unless you are being led by the Spirit in salvation then you can not inherit the kingdom of God in eternal spiritual glorification. It is impossible. There is only perfection there in the resurrection aspect of God's glorious kingdom. There is only "the hope of righteousness" there, 5:5.

Now that Paul has established the contrast, he goes on to give more clarity in his point on the great exchange. Paul gives another list,

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:22-24)

At this point in our exegesis, we must notice the first fruit of the Spirit that Paul has here. It is love. This is the continuation of what Paul started back in verse 14, where he said,

"14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another." (Galatians 5:14-15)

This is still Paul's context in describing the difference between the non-loving flesh realm, which is temporal, and the loving Spirit realm which goes on forever into the resurrected and super glorified state of every saved person. But look at verse 24,

"those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires," (Galatians 5:24)

The questions arise of, where, and how, does this happen? Paul just told us three chapters earlier what this means in 2:20. He said,

"20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20)

The principle is that being crucified has already happened to saved people. But, we must notice Who the life is. The life is Christ. Further, we must notice where the life lives. The life lives in Paul. We must also notice that the life that Paul lives is "in the flesh." But, in noticing this, we must also recognize the very important clarification; it is "crucified" flesh, yet Paul now "lives" in it. So, you see, when Paul says back here in 5:24,

"24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24)

Paul is saying that those who are Christians, have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer they who live, but Christ lives in them; and the life which they now live in the flesh they live by faith in the Son of God, who loved them and gave Himself up for them. It is Spiritual life. This is a description of everyone who inherits the kingdom of God in both its present and future aspects. All Once Saved In Eternal Spiritual Salvation people have Christ's righteousness appropriated through Him into their crucified and born again existence forever. It is that "faith in the Son of God" that makes them judicially, positionally and spiritually righteous, no matter what. They "belong to Christ." What this means practically is that saved people are able to manifest the fruits of the Spirit; the main one being love, and since saved people can do this, then saved people are urged to do this; and Paul sees the need to do this urging in the next line, saying,

"25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another." (Galatians 5:25)

This is a very key passage that must be noted, and must be explained properly. Paul's directive is in what is called the instrumental case; "if we live by the Spirit, let us walk by the Spirit." The instrumental case shows that Paul is saying that if we have our saved life by the Spirit, then we should be about walking by that same life giving Spirit. The passage is an exhortation. Christians can become boastful, challenging, and envying. When they are manifesting these types of things, then they are manifesting flesh things, which are non-love things that will not be found in the perfect Kingdom of God. So if we live by the Spirit (and we do, in a kind of first class conditional sense, because the Spirit gives the eternal life of salvation) then we are urged to also walk by the very same Spirit in respect to manifestations of love that Paul started writing about back in verse 14. This is absolutely beautiful because Paul's whole point has really been quite simple: let us not become boastful and challenge one another or envy one another. Paul is demonstrating classic preaching.

Galatians 5:19-21 is not a teaching that one can lose one's eternal spiritual salvation. Rather, it is an urging for Christians to walk by the Spirit that they already have, showing the contrast between the affinities of lost flesh (lost flesh that can not inherit God's perfect kingdom), and the love affinity with the fruits of the eternal Spirit, which is something that Christians evidently must be encouraged to manifest now. One last quick look at the passage with brief bracketed commentary should demonstrate the proper understanding;

"19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, [deeds of not walking by the Spirit] which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, [all things that Christians can do, but lost people, who are void of the Spirit, can only do as part of their one lost nature, so Paul says] of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice ["practice" is prassontes in the Greek. Those unsaved people who practice as the present participle that means "consistently habitually persisting" according to their lost natures] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God [Only saved people inherit the kingdom of God, so quit acting like the unsaved as an exhortation to godliness]." Galatians 5:19-21

Therefore, we recognize that this passage does not remotely suggest that one can lose one's eternal spiritual salvation. Gain eternal spiritual salvation by personal self effort, or maintain keeping it secure by personal self effort.