Verses 1-6
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Verse 1. Staying in faith is a conscious effort. We must be intentional as to not drift into legalistic or performance-based thinking.
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Regularly remind yourself that you are not ultimately saved by your works, and that you need God's grace to do anything. This helps to keep one standing fast in faith.
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Verse 4. We will only get further and further away from Christ if we rely more and more on ourselves to secure our own salvation.
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Verse 5. Remember that by faith we wait for the final redemption, when we will receive new bodies; and the Spirit within us guarantees this (Romans 8:23-24).
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Verse 6. Therefore, focus on faith and love. Trust in Christ, not in yourself. And obey God's Word because you love Him. Do good to others because you love them.
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Verses 7-12
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It was shocking to Paul that the Galatians had been deceived so much. But even a little bit of bad influence or teaching can cause a lot of problems.
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Be very careful to follow the Word with precision, and listen only to teachings that you can find supported in the Word.
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You can be confident that God will help you believe the truth, but you do your part to cling to Scripture.
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And remember that God will judgment upon those who spread misinformation. You also be careful what you teach to others!
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Verses 11-12. To identify it, the truth of the Word angers the world, irritates the fallen man, and causes persecution. Whereas, false teaching will be well-liked (Luke 6:26).
Verses 13-15
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In Christ, being free from the law does not mean that we are free to sin all we want. Being free from the law means that we are free from sin, and free to truly serve God!
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Use your freedom to serve and love others. Even the law itself supports the preeminence of love.
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If you mistreat others, it will greatly harm you. So be careful how you treat people!
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Verses 16-18
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In Christ, the Spirit will cause you to resist sin even more, not less! And you are able, by the Spirit, to overcome sin! Live focusing on Jesus and setting your mind on His Word (Romans 8:5), and you will not give in to sin or succumb to temptation.
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Verse 17. The Spirit is always contrary to the flesh, fighting against the sinful urges of the flesh. The flesh tries to fight back. You feel this as turmoil in your mind when faced with temptation. This is meant to help keep you from sinning.
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Remember that what the Spirit wants will always be uncomfortable to the flesh, so go with what's uncomfortable!
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Verses 19-21
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Sin is obvious, and those who make a practice of sin—living in sin—will not be saved. Period. Without repentance, there is no salvation.
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Remember that the Spirit will never lead you into any of these sinful things.
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Verses 22-26
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A person who is saved, that has the Holy Spirit, will show it in their actions and in their character. As they grow, they will become more Christ-like.
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Practice and think about things that produce more of these qualities in your life. To have more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, integrity, faith, gentleness, and self-control.
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No one has ever made laws prohibiting a person from being loving, peaceful, joyful, kind, etc...this is one way that we know that the fruit of the Spirit is truly good.
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Verses 24-26. Because of the influence of the Spirit in us—making us more like Jesus—we know that we have crucified the flesh, so that we will not practice sin anymore. Since we are free from sin, we ought to walk without sin.
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Think this way: The sinful flesh is dead, so I will not live in sin. The Spirit in me is like Christ, so I will live like Christ.
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