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Galatians 5:21  (King James Version)
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<< Galatians 5:20   Galatians 5:22 >>


Galatians 5:16-25

"Bear[ing] fruits worthy of repentance" implies a process. Just as a tree does not produce fruit overnight, a Christian does not fully repent overnight. It is a lifelong process of making changes, and over time we will produce the fruit of the Spirit more consistently than the works of the flesh.

Martin G. Collins
Basic Doctrines: Repentance



Galatians 5:19-21

Adulterers will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But God will forgive an adulterer if he genuinely repents, and He can still give him eternal life ( II Samuel 12:13-14; John 8:10-11). However, the consequences of sin still have their harmful effect, as we see in the death of David and Bathsheba's child. Although forgiven, David and his household endured violence from that point forward because of his adultery and murder.

Martin G. Collins
The Seventh Commandment



Galatians 5:19-22

Consider these "works of the flesh," and notice how many of them are elements of disagreement. Do people commit adultery because they agree with the one they are fooling around on? Do people murder because they agree with their victims?How about people who are characteristically hostile, hateful, and contentious? Two of these are on the list. Do people live in agreement with one of whom they are jealous? Can people dwell together in unity when they are filled with such character flaws as outbursts of wrath (explosive tempers), selfish ambition (running over rivals in the rush to attain a desired thing or outcome), dissensions, heresies (holding ungodly opinions or doctrines), envies, drunkenness, and so on?

These actions do not reflect the nature of God, and if one does any of these regularly, then the person is probably unconverted—or converted but carnal and weak, as Paul says in I Corinthians 3—and he is not being led by the Holy Spirit. It is certainly possible for that to occur.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Division, Satan, Humility

Related Topics: Disunity | Division



Galatians 5:19-21

Hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, dissensions, envy, and murder are all related to anger. In addition, anger need not be in the form of rage or fury. Some have quipped that "depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." It is still a problem even when it does not have visible intensity. The seriousness of these attributes is revealed at the end of verse 21, where Paul warns that "those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." God considers these traits the opposite of eternal life in His Family.

Consider how contrary anger and its cousins are to the fruit of the spirit, found in verses 22-23: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Unrighteous anger will inhibit the expression of godly love. It will leech the joy out of life. Anger is certainly the antithesis of peace and longsuffering. It erodes kindness and is rarely in alignment with biblical goodness. Anger despises gentleness and resists attempts at self-control. In short, the fruit of the spirit will not be found in a person while he is practicing the various forms of ungodly anger.

Recall, however, that anger can be godly. It is an emotion created by God, and in the right circumstances, it is appropriate and even necessary. The Bible reveals God being angry and wrathful at times, and we can be sure His anger is always appropriate and in the right proportion.

However, He is motivated by love, not anger, which is certainly not the case with man. What men like to think of as righteous indignation may not be anything more than a self-centered temper. A person in God's image, though, is one who is angry on the right grounds, in the right manner, at the right moment, for the right length of time, and with the right words and actions. That, we realize, is a very tall order!

In "Anger: Spiritual Drano®" (Forerunner, December 1997), Dr. David Maas suggests that "the godly purpose of anger is to consume and destroy its target utterly. Nothing [is] to be left. . . . In every case in which godly wrath is exhibited, the target is sin, not people, although sometimes people get caught in it." Later, Dr. Maas writes,

Psychologists have taken a long time to discover that anger does not dissipate until it has totally and utterly consumed its target. Some advise their patients to "let it all out," but Proverbs 29:11 says, "A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back." Venting anger only brings in more "oxygen" to make the fire burn hotter and more destructively. Again, the only use for anger is to destroy everything in its path, a scorched-earth policy. This emphasizes how important a correct target for anger is.

However, anger that cannot reach and annihilate its target is turned inward, and as it was designed, it begins wreaking havoc. Physicians claim that anger turned inward can aggravate or cause digestive troubles, eye disorders, dental problems, skin diseases, hives, and ulcers. A person who cannot find a target for his anger becomes like a rattlesnake that, if restrained, will strike its fangs into itself, effectively committing suicide. Those with unresolved angers need to focus on the sins that keep the anger boiling.

Notice the principle that anger will acquire a target—whether wrong or right—and the anger will not dissipate until that target has been destroyed. The safest target for our anger, then, is our own sin—something that can and should be destroyed.

But what happens when anger is allowed to develop for the wrong reason? When it is directed against the wrong thing? When it is kept inside, held onto, nursed, and even secretly enjoyed? This anger eats away at a person, stealing his joy in life, limiting his potential, and keeping him miserable. It reaches out to injure anyone who makes a suitable target. What is especially alarming is that such anger can be hidden even to the person retaining it yet manifest itself in ways that are subtle, indirect, and illusive.

David C. Grabbe
Hidden Anger (Part One)



Galatians 5:19-21

If a person is walking in the Spirit, he has no conflict with the law of God. Paul uses "flesh" as a synonym for "carnality" or "human nature." The carnal mind, hating God's laws, does not subject itself to them (Romans 8:7). What we see in verses 19-21 is what carnality—what human nature—works at producing: the works of the flesh.

It produces adultery. Have you ever seen a young man—as carnal as the day is long—on the prowl after a sweet young thing? Maybe he stands on the corner, watching all the girls go by, trying to get a date, to pick her up. He has one thing in mind: conquering her and getting her in bed. He has to work at it. He turns on all his charm to seduce her.

It produces theft. Do robbers work at their thievery? Certainly, they do. Some of them actually consider it to be legitimate work, a skill. I recently heard of a church pastor who allowed himself to be convinced that gambling is legal according to God's law. The man who convinced him, a gambler by profession, labored long hours to perfect his skills in taking advantage of other people. He argued that gambling is lawful because he is working, not playing.

The flesh works at producing these things. But the Spirit is opposed to the flesh. They are at war with one another. If a person has the Spirit of God, he cannot allow his human nature to dominate his way of life. He must make a choice as to which way he will be led—by the flesh or by the Spirit of God.

The apostle says that if a person is doing these works, he is following the urgings of the flesh, not the law of God. Paul is by no means doing away with the law of God; that is the farthest thing from his mind, the last thing he would want these Christians to do. Note that he writes that people who practice the works of the flesh will not be in the Kingdom of God. Did Paul want Christians to be in the Kingdom of God? Of course, he did! But they must be guided and led by God's Spirit. If they are led by their carnal mind, they will not enter it.

Thus, the solution to sin and the struggle for salvation lies in the spiritual relationship between God and us. It lies in prayer, faith, study, meditation, and coming to know and love God with all of our being. It does not take long to realize that He is so desirable, and we want to do everything we can to please Him.

What pleases Him? When we imitate Him and live as He does. This great spiritual Being gives us elements of His mind so we can live the way He lives. God is love. And the bottom line of love, the place from which it starts, is the keeping of the commandments (I John 5:3).

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Eight)



Galatians 5:19-21

Consider this passage in light of the laws and beliefs that we frequently point to as setting us apart from the world. A person can keep the Sabbath, at least in the letter, and still display drunkenness, hatred, contentions, outbursts of wrath, and dissensions. One can reject the Trinity doctrine, the doctrine of eternal security, and the immortality of the soul yet promote and practice heresies, since a heresy is simply any deviation from truth. An individual can tithe yet exhibit selfish ambitions, envy, and jealousy. Someone can observe the laws of clean and unclean meats and still be unclean in his heart and in the decency of his life. A man can be physically pure in his relationships while living vicariously through revelries, which Adam Clarke's commentary defines as wild parties and obscene music.

The warning at the end of verse 21 is explicit: Those who practice such evils or make them a part of their lives will not be in God's Kingdom—they simply would not fit in. Their lifestyle is contrary to the quality of the life God lives and expects His children to live.

To put this another way, what kind of witness does a person make who keeps the Ten Commandments (including the Sabbath and holy days), eats only clean meats, tithes faithfully, and rejects false doctrines, yet has a temper, curses, tells dirty jokes, has a perpetual chip on his shoulder, always has a complaint against another, always looks out for "number one," drinks too much, and revels in perverse entertainment? Such a witness of nominal lawkeeping is useless to God, just as ancient Israel's witness to the nations gave the enemies of God an occasion to blaspheme (Ezekiel 36:20-23).

When Jesus Christ introduces Himself in the letter to the Laodicean church (Revelation 3:14), He highlights the fact that He is "the Faithful and True Witness." He points to this title to show where the Laodiceans fall short. They are so enamored of the world and so much a part of it that it is difficult for an observer to tell them apart from the rest of Babylon! Their lives do not glorify God because they do not demonstrate a separation from the world. They do not demonstrate holiness or sanctification.

In contrast, the result of the Holy Spirit being active in a person's life will be love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (meekness), and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These attitudes are not manifested all at once, which is why Paul calls them "fruit." Fruit takes time to develop and mature. Nevertheless, one whose life God dominates, who is led by His Spirit, will be exhibiting these things in addition to obeying God's law. He will be not merely obeying but also imitating God. He will be exhibiting these characteristics because he is a regenerated son of God who expresses the traits of his Father.

David C. Grabbe
The Pentecost Witness




Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Galatians 5:21:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
John 5:3

 

<< Galatians 5:20   Galatians 5:22 >>



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