11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, awhy do I still suffer persecution? Then bthe offense of the cross has ceased.
12aI could wish that those bwho trouble you would even cut themselves off!
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only ado not use liberty as an bopportunity for the flesh, but cthrough love serve one another.
14 For aall the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: b“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Walking in the Spirit
16 I say then: aWalk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For athe flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, bso that you do not do the things that you wish.
18 But aif you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now athe works of the flesh are evident, which are:1 adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
21 envy,1 murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that athose who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But athe fruit of the Spirit is blove, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, cgoodness, dfaithfulness,
231gentleness, self-control. aAgainst such there is no law.
24 And those whoare Christ’s ahave crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25aIf we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26aLet us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Being self-serving and destructive leads to tearing one another apart, but serving in love builds the church. After redeeming us, God gave great freedom of mind, action, and choice, freeing us from the curse of the law, the death penalty, the fear of death, and enslavement to sin. Once freed, this freedom must be used to serve, becoming a slave of righteousness. God severed our relationship with our former master, sin, Satan, the world, then took us into slavery to Himself and to serving our brethren in righteousness, fulfilling the intent of God's law: love, outgoing concern, the way of give. Christians, being in union with the Spirit rather than the flesh, exercise a power and control, and must make the right choice.
Galatians 5:13-15
If we are self-serving and destructive, we will end up tearing each other apart, but if we serve one another in love, we will build the church. After He redeemed us, God gave us great freedom of mind, action, and choice. He has freed us from the curse of the law—the death penalty. He has freed us from the fear of death, from enslavement to sin, and so on.
Then He says, once we are freed, we need to use this freedom to serve. This is where the idea of being a slave of righteousness enters the picture. He severed our relationship from our former master (sin, Satan, the world), freed us, and then took us into slavery to Himself and to serving our brethren in righteousness.
Of course, as Paul said here, this fulfills the intent of God's law: love, outgoing concern, the way of give.
Romans 8:9 says that we, as Christians, are not in union with the flesh but with the Spirit. Paul means us to understand that we exercise a power here—a control. Thus, he says here, "Make the right choice! Don't use your liberty, your power, to satisfy your flesh, but by love serve one another."
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Being self-serving and destructive leads to tearing one another apart, but serving in love builds the church. After redeeming us, God gave great freedom of mind, action, and choice, freeing us from the curse of the law, the death penalty, the fear of death, and enslavement to sin. Once freed, this freedom must be used to serve, becoming a slave of righteousness. God severed our relationship with our former master, sin, Satan, the world, then took us into slavery to Himself and to serving our brethren in righteousness, fulfilling the intent of God's law: love, outgoing concern, the way of give. Christians, being in union with the Spirit rather than the flesh, exercise a power and control, and must make the right choice.