Galatians 5:13-25

Pastor Jeff covers Galatians 5:13-25, addressing the opposite danger from legalism: libertinism. Christian freedom is not license for the flesh but freedom from sin's bondage to serve one another, the doulos service of a willing bondservant modeled on Christ himself. The whole law is fulfilled in loving one's neighbor, and the law still offers good instruction even though it cannot save. Paul's remedy for the flesh-versus-Spirit conflict is to walk by the Spirit, which is both an encouragement, the Spirit empowers resistance to fleshly desires, and a test, a pattern of yielding to the flesh signals one isn't walking in step with the Spirit. The works of the flesh, common and even celebrated in Greco-Roman culture, stand opposed to the fruit of the Spirit, characteristics natural to the new nature believers receive in Christ. That old nature has already been crucified; the call now is simply to keep in step with the Spirit who leads the way.