Galatians 5: Freedom, Love, and Walking by the Spirit
5:1–6 Freedom in Christ
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery. Take notice: I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. What matters is faith expressing itself through love. (BSB)
Says Paul opens from the freedom already in view at the end of chapter 4. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”. The Greek is τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἡμᾶς Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσεν (tē eleutheria hēmas Christos ēleutherōsen, “for freedom us Christ set free”): the noun is dative, not a phrase with a preposition, and the Greek order is “us” before “Christ,” where the BSB has “Christ” before “us”. “Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery”. SBLGNT, WH, Treg, and NA28 print a full opening clause and then the command; RP 2018 and the TR join the dative to “Stand firm” by a relative (see τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἡμᾶς Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσεν· στήκετε οὖν / τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ οὖν ᾗ Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἠλευθέρωσεν στήκετε). WH marks the first clause as printed; no verdict is given on those marks. The wording is treated in For freedom Christ set us free (5:1); the yoke is treated in The yoke of slavery (5:1).
Implies Because the readers are told not to be encumbered “once more”, and because chapter 4 has already said they were enslaved and are now children of the free woman, taking up the law as a way of standing with God would be a return to a yoke, not a step beyond freedom. Christ has set believers free.
Says “Take notice: I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all”. The verb ἐὰν περιτέμνησθε (ean peritemnēsthe, “if you let yourselves be circumcised”) is present. “Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law”. The one circumcised is ὀφειλέτης (opheiletēs, “a debtor”) to do ὅλον τὸν νόμον (holon ton nomon, “the whole law”). The wording is treated in Severed from Christ, and fallen from grace (5:2–4). The law’s demand and the curse are already treated in Christ became a curse for us.
Says “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace”. The Greek has κατηργήθητε ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ (katērgēthēte apo Christou, “you were severed from Christ”), the present δικαιοῦσθε (dikaiousthe, “you are being justified”), which the BSB gives as “trying to be justified,” and τῆς χάριτος ἐξεπέσατε (tēs charitos exepesate, “you fell from grace”). The wording is treated in Severed from Christ, and fallen from grace (5:2–4) and Fallen away from grace (5:4). Related statements on law and grace stand in Do not let sin reign: not under law but under grace, and no license to sin (Romans 6:12–15) and No condemnation in Christ Jesus: God sent his Son as an offering for sin, so that the law's requirement is fulfilled in us (Romans 8:1–4).
Uncertain What “fallen away from grace” means, beyond the verbs themselves, is open. Calvin, on 5:4, writes, “We see then that the smallest part of justification cannot be attributed to the law without renouncing Christ and his grace.” He also paraphrases 5:4 as “If ye seek any part of righteousness in the works of the law, Christ has no concern with you, and ye are fallen from grace.” Luther, on 5:4, writes, “to seek righteousness by the law, is nothing else but to be separated from Christ” Wesley, on 5:4, writes, “Ye are fallen from grace — Ye renounce the New Covenant.” These are their readings; no verdict is given. The exegetical note is Fallen away from grace (5:4).
Says “But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness”. The Greek is ἐλπίδα δικαιοσύνης ἀπεκδεχόμεθα (elpida dikaiosynēs apekdechometha, “we eagerly await a hope of righteousness”). “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value”. “What matters is faith expressing itself through love” (πίστις δι’ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη (pistis di’ agapēs energoumenē, “faith working through love”)). The wording is treated in The hope of righteousness, and faith working through love (5:5–6).
Uncertain What the “hope of righteousness” is is open. Lightfoot, on 5:5, writes that the noun is “here used in a concrete sense, ‘the thing hoped for’” Burton, on 5:5, writes of “‘a hope of righteousness,’ standing for ‘a hoped-for righteousness’” Calvin, on 5:5, more guardedly, says the words probably contain the exhortation “Let us continue stedfastly in the hope of righteousness which we obtain by faith.” Beside them, Wesley, on 5:5, more guardedly, glosses “the hope of righteousness — the full reward of it.” These are their readings, set side by side; no verdict is given.
Uncertain The form ἐνεργουμένη (energoumenē, “working”) can be middle or passive. Lightfoot, on 5:6, writes, “‘working’; the middle voice according to the general usage of St Paul” He also writes, “Both assert a principle of practical energy, as opposed to a barren, inactive theory.” This is his reading; no verdict is given. The language note is The hope of righteousness, and faith working through love (5:5–6).
Implies Justification is not by the law. Circumcision has no value “in Christ Jesus”. What avails is faith working through love, whatever further decision is left open on the voice of the participle.
Says The movement of 5:1–6 is therefore tight. Freedom is named first, as the purpose of Christ’s act, and only then comes the command to stand firm. The yoke they are not to take up again is immediately given a present shape: circumcision, undertaken as a way of justification, would make Christ of no value and would make the man a debtor to the whole law. 5:4 states the same turn in two clauses, severance from Christ and a fall from grace, both said of those who are seeking to be justified in the law. 5:5–6 then name the other way: by the Spirit, from faith, they await the hope of righteousness, and in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails.
Implies Because 5:2–4 treat circumcision as a bid to be justified by the law, and because 5:6 says that in Christ Jesus it avails nothing, the text presents the issue as the way of standing with God, not as a private mark left unexplained. The free woman’s children of 4:31 are here told how that freedom is kept, and how it is lost if the law is taken up again as the way of justification.
Says Paul names himself in 5:2: “I, Paul, tell you”. The warning is personal, as the later appeal of 5:11 will also be. The present περιτέμνησθε (peritemnēsthe, “you let yourselves be circumcised”) and the present δικαιοῦσθε (dikaiousthe, “you are being justified”) keep the action in view as something now being undertaken, not only as a fact already complete. The aorists of 5:4, κατηργήθητε (katērgēthēte, “you were severed”) and ἐξεπέσατε (exepesate, “you fell”), state the result of that seeking.
Implies The “once more” of 5:1 and the “again” of 5:3 belong together with the slavery of chapter 4. The readers had been under a yoke; they have been set free by Christ; they are now being told not to step back under it by seeking justification in the law.
Says The English display text of 5:1 puts “Christ” before “us”; the Greek puts “us” before “Christ.” For freedom Christ set us free (5:1) gives that phrase in the Greek order. At 5:10 the Greek likewise has “you” before “Lord.” Neither difference changes the substance of the sentence: Christ set us free, and Paul’s confidence is in the Lord. They do keep the reader from treating the BSB’s English order as if it were the Greek.
5:7–15 Love fulfills the law
You were running so well. Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth? Such persuasion does not come from the One who calls you. A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough. I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be. Now, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those who are agitating you, I wish they would proceed to emasculate themselves! For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another. (BSB)
Says “You were running so well. Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth?” The verb ἐνέκοψεν (enekopsen, “cut in on”) is the one the BSB gives as “obstructed.” “Such persuasion does not come from the One who calls you”. “A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough”. Paul uses the same words in 1 Corinthians 5:6 (see Gal 5:9 → 1 Cor 5:6). The proverb stands between the question of 5:7 and the judgment of 5:10, as The leaven proverb (5:9) notes. The wording is treated in Hindered, and a little leaven (5:7–10).
Says The Greek of 5:10 has εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν κυρίῳ (eis hymas en kyriō, “toward you in the Lord”): “you” before “Lord,” where the BSB has “I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view”. “The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be”. The confidence is ἐν κυρίῳ (en kyriō, “in the Lord”); the troubler βαστάσει τὸ κρίμα (bastasei to krima, “will bear the judgment”).
Implies Because the persuasion is “not come from the One who calls you”, its source lies elsewhere. Paul’s confidence rests in the Lord, not in the readers by themselves. A little influence, named as leaven, is treated as able to work through the whole.
Says “Now, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?” “In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished” (τὸ σκάνδαλον τοῦ σταυροῦ (to skandalon tou staurou, “the stumbling-block of the cross”); see σκάνδαλον). The wording is treated in The offense of the cross, and cut themselves off (5:11–12).
Uncertain What lay behind the charge that Paul still preached circumcision is open. The historical note Early readings of Galatians 5: preaching circumcision and Timothy (5:11) sets the readings side by side and does not close the question. Chrysostom and Wesley connect the charge with Paul’s circumcision of Timothy, as Acts 16:3 states in the BSB; Lightfoot takes it as the form the slander of Paul’s enemies would take, and Burton, more guardedly, says Paul had never objected to the circumcision of Jews; 1 Corinthians 7:19, also in the BSB, says that circumcision and uncircumcision are nothing. These are their readings; no verdict is given. The text itself presents his persecution as evidence that he did not preach circumcision.
Says “As for those who are agitating you, I wish they would proceed to emasculate themselves!” The Greek is ὄφελον καὶ ἀποκόψονται οἱ ἀναστατοῦντες ὑμᾶς (ophelon kai apokopsontai hoi anastatountes hymas, “I would that those unsettling you would even cut themselves off”), the verb in the middle. The BSB’s “emasculate themselves” is an English rendering of that wish.
Uncertain The force of ἀποκόψονται (apokopsontai, “they will cut themselves off”) is open. Lightfoot, on 5:12, writes that the verb “was the common term for this mutilation” Chrysostom, on 5:12, speaks of “those who dare to mutilate themselves” These are their readings; no verdict is given. The language note is The offense of the cross, and cut themselves off (5:11–12).
Says “For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh”. The clause μὴ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν εἰς ἀφορμὴν τῇ σαρκί (mē tēn eleutherian eis aphormēn tē sarki, “not freedom as an opportunity for the flesh”) has no verb in the Greek; the BSB supplies “do not use.” “Rather, serve one another in love” (διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης δουλεύετε ἀλλήλοις (dia tēs agapēs douleuete allēlois, “through love serve one another”)). “The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”” The verb πεπλήρωται (peplērōtai, “has been fulfilled”) is perfect. The citation of Leviticus 19:18 is treated in Gal 5:14 → Lev 19:18; the same command in Romans is treated in The debt of love and the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8–10), Rom 13:9–10: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18) in the MT and LXX and Rom 13:9 → Lev 19:18. The wording is treated in Freedom, love, and the whole law (5:13–15) and Freedom to serve in love (5:13–15).
Says “But if you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another”.
Implies Serving one another in love is the right use of the freedom for which they were called, and it fulfills the whole law. That use stands over against biting and devouring one another. The whole law is here gathered into the one command to love one’s neighbor.
Says The second section therefore turns from the troubler to the church’s own life. 5:7–12 deal with the one who cut in on their running and with the charge about circumcision; 5:13–15 take up the freedom already named in 5:1 and show its proper use. Freedom is not an opening for the flesh. It is service, the service of slaves, done through love, and in that service the law reaches its fulfillment. The proverb of the leaven and the wish of 5:12 stand on one side of that turn; the command to love and the warning about mutual destruction stand on the other.
Implies Because 5:11 asks why Paul is still persecuted if he still preaches circumcision, and because he adds that in that case the offense of the cross would have been abolished, the text binds circumcision-preaching and the cross together as alternatives. The cross remains an offense where circumcision is not being preached as the way.
Says The “little leaven” of 5:9 is not named further in the verse itself. It stands between “Who has obstructed you” and “the one who is troubling you.” Paul can use the same proverb of a church’s inner life, as 1 Corinthians 5:6 shows. Whether in Galatians the leaven is the teaching, the teacher, or both, is left where The leaven proverb (5:9) left it, open. What the text does say is that a small influence works through the whole batch, and that the one troubling them will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.
Implies The confidence of 5:10 and the warning of 5:15 belong to the same readers. Paul expects them to take no other view, and he also warns them that if they bite and devour one another they will be consumed. Freedom in Christ does not cancel the danger of that consumption; it is the reason they are to serve one another in love instead.
Says The perfect πεπλήρωται (peplērōtai, “has been fulfilled”) presents the fulfillment of the whole law as already accomplished in that one word, not as a task still waiting to be started. The command itself is not new: it is Leviticus 19:18, given here as the decree in which the law is fulfilled, and given again in the Romans notes already cited. Paul does not set love beside the law as a second standard; he says the entire law is fulfilled in that one decree.
5:16–26 Walking by the Spirit
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another. (BSB)
Says “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”. The command is πνεύματι περιπατεῖτε (pneumati peripateite, “walk by the Spirit”); the result is stated with οὐ μὴ τελέσητε (ou mē telesēte, “you will by no means fulfill”), an emphatic negation. The BSB’s “you will not gratify” is an English rendering of that denial. A related walk is in view in Gal 5:16 → Rom 8:4 and The mind of the flesh and the mind of the Spirit: the indwelling Spirit and putting to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:5–13). The wording is treated in Walk by the Spirit; flesh against Spirit (5:16–18).
Says “For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh”. “They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want” (ἀλλήλοις ἀντίκειται (allēlois antikeitai, “they are opposed to one another”); ἵνα μὴ ἃ ἐὰν θέλητε ταῦτα ποιῆτε (hina mē ha ean thelēte tauta poiēte, “so that you may not do the things you would”)). A related struggle is in view in Gal 5:17 → Rom 7:15 and The law is spiritual, but I am of flesh: willing and doing, and the thanksgiving (Romans 7:14–25).
Uncertain Which wishes 5:17 keeps from being done is open. Chrysostom, on 5:17, more guardedly, writes, “that you may not suffer the soul to proceed in its evil desires.” Calvin, on 5:17, writes, “This refers, unquestionably, to the regenerate.” He also writes, “The things that ye would must mean, not our natural inclinations, but the holy affections which God bestows upon us by his grace.” and, further, “The highest result does not correspond to their wishes and desires.” Lightfoot, in his paraphrase of 5:16–17, also guarded, writes, “you would fain follow the guidance of your conscience, and you are dragged back by an opposing power” These are their readings, set side by side; no verdict is given. The exegetical note is Walk by the Spirit (5:16–18).
Says “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law”. The verb is πνεύματι ἄγεσθε (pneumati agesthe, “you are led by the Spirit”). The Spirit is the one who leads, as 5:16 is the one by whom they walk, and as 5:22–23 is the one whose fruit is borne.
Implies Flesh and Spirit are opposed. The Spirit is a person who leads, and those led by the Spirit are not under the law. Walking by the Spirit is given as the way in which the desire of the flesh is not fulfilled.
Says “The acts of the flesh are obvious” (τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός (ta erga tēs sarkos, “the works of the flesh”); the BSB has “acts”). “sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery”; “idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions,” “and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like”. SBLGNT, WH, Treg, and NA28 begin the list without μοιχεία; RP 2018 and the TR add it (see πορνεία / μοιχεία, πορνεία). SBLGNT, WH, and NA28 print φθόνοι without φόνοι; Treg, RP, and the TR add φόνοι (see φθόνοι / φθόνοι, φόνοι). On either reading the list is not complete: it ends with “and the like.” “I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”. A related list and warning stand in Gal 5:21 → 1 Cor 6:9–10. The wording is treated in The works of the flesh (5:19–21); the lists are treated in Lists of vices and virtues (5:19–23).
Implies The works of the flesh are sin. The text itself says that “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”.
Uncertain Whom that warning addresses, beyond those who practice such things, is open. Calvin, on 5:21, writes that Paul “does not threaten that all who have sinned, but that all who remain impenitent, shall be excluded from the kingdom of God.” He also writes, “The saints themselves often fall into grievous sins, but they return to the path of righteousness”, and, further, “therefore they are not included in this catalogue.” This is his reading; no verdict is given. Related statements stand in Do not let sin reign: not under law but under grace, and no license to sin (Romans 6:12–15), No condemnation in Christ Jesus: God sent his Son as an offering for sin, so that the law's requirement is fulfilled in us (Romans 8:1–4) and The mind of the flesh and the mind of the Spirit: the indwelling Spirit and putting to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:5–13). The exegetical note is Works of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit (5:19–23).
Says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,” “gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law”. The noun καρπὸς (karpos, “fruit”) is singular, with one verb before the nine nouns (see καρπός). The BSB’s “faithfulness” renders πίστις (pistis, “faithfulness”) here, as The fruit of the Spirit, and keeping in step (5:22–26) notes. The Spirit produces this fruit; against such things there is no law.
Says “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires”. The verb ἐσταύρωσαν (estaurōsan, “they crucified”) is aorist. SBLGNT, with RP, prints οἱ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ (hoi de tou Christou, “those of Christ”); WH, Treg, NA28, and Tischendorf add Ἰησοῦ, which the BSB follows with “Christ Jesus” (see τοῦ Χριστοῦ / τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ). The printed base is the shorter name; the longer reading is stated beside it, with no verdict. Crucifixion with Christ is already treated in Crucified with Christ.
Uncertain How the crucifying of 5:24 is to be timed is open. Burton, on 5:24, more guardedly, writes of “an act of no specific point of time, best translated by the English perfect” He also writes of “the death of Jesus on the cross which has impelled us to slay the power within us that makes for unrighteousness.” Calvin, on 5:24, also guarded, writes, “The word crucified is employed to point out that the mortification of the flesh is the effect of the cross of Christ.” He also writes, “The flesh is not yet indeed entirely destroyed; but it has no right to exercise dominion, and ought to yield to the Spirit.” These are their readings; no verdict is given. The exegetical note is Crucified the flesh (5:24–26).
Says “Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit” (εἰ ζῶμεν πνεύματι, πνεύματι καὶ στοιχῶμεν (ei zōmen pneumati pneumati kai stoichōmen, “if we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also keep in step”)). “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another”. The last verse returns to the communal danger already named in 5:15, now under the heading of keeping in step with the Spirit. The wording is treated in The fruit of the Spirit, and keeping in step (5:22–26).
Implies Life by the Spirit and a walk in step with the Spirit belong together. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh; they are still told to keep in step, and not to become conceited, to provoke, or to envy.
Says The third section therefore moves from the walk and the conflict, through two lists, to crucifixion of the flesh and a shared step. 5:16–18 name the Spirit as the one by whom they walk and by whom they are led, and the flesh as the opposing desire. 5:19–21 make the works of the flesh plain, with a warning already given in person, as Lists of vices and virtues (5:19–23) notes. 5:22–23 set over against those works a single fruit, against which there is no law. 5:24–26 then speak of those who are Christ’s, of a walk in step, and of the same community vices already feared in 5:15.
Implies Because the Spirit leads (5:18) and bears fruit (5:22–23), and because flesh and Spirit “are opposed to each other”, the text presents the Christian life of this chapter as a life under the Spirit’s lead, not as a life under the law, and not as a life that makes peace with the works of the flesh. What further decision is left open on the wishes of 5:17, on the audience of 5:21, and on the timing of 5:24 has been named above and is not closed here.
Works of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit (5:19–23)
Minor variants
The printed text is SBLGNT. Four units have their own notes: τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἡμᾶς Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσεν· στήκετε οὖν / τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ οὖν ᾗ Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἠλευθέρωσεν στήκετε (5:1 τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ as an opening clause, or joined by ᾗ to “Stand firm”), πορνεία / μοιχεία, πορνεία (5:19 with or without μοιχεία), φθόνοι / φθόνοι, φόνοι (5:21 with or without φόνοι), and τοῦ Χριστοῦ / τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ (5:24 τοῦ Χριστοῦ, or τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, which the BSB follows). The remaining differences, from the SBLGNT apparatus compared with RP 2018 and the TR, are noted here only. 5:4 ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ (SBLGNT, WH, Treg, NA28) / ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ (RP, TR). 5:7 τῇ ἀληθείᾳ (SBLGNT, NA28, RP, TR) / ἀληθείᾳ (WH, Treg); ἐνέκοψεν (SBLGNT, RP) / ἀνέκοψεν (TR). 5:10 ὅστις ἐὰν ᾖ (SBLGNT, WH, Treg, NA28) / ὅστις ἂν ᾖ (RP, TR). 5:14 πεπλήρωται (SBLGNT, WH, Treg, NA28) / πληροῦται (RP, TR); σεαυτόν (SBLGNT, WH, Treg, NA28) / ἑαυτόν (RP, TR). 5:17 ταῦτα γὰρ (SBLGNT, WH, Treg, NA28) / ταῦτα δὲ (RP, TR); ἀλλήλοις ἀντίκειται (SBLGNT) / ἀντίκειται ἀλλήλοις (RP, TR); ἃ ἐὰν (SBLGNT) / ἃ ἂν (RP, TR). 5:20 ἔρις, ζῆλος (SBLGNT, WH, Treg, NA28) / ἔρεις, ζῆλοι (RP, TR); WH prints the singulars within its marks and has the plurals in the margin. 5:21 καθὼς προεῖπον (SBLGNT, WH, Treg, NA28) / καθὼς καὶ προεῖπον (RP, TR). No further verdict is given on these box lines.
The chapter therefore runs from the freedom for which Christ set us free, through a warning not to take up the yoke of the law again, to the troublers and the offense of the cross, to freedom used in love, which fulfills the whole law, and to a walk by the Spirit, the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit, and the crucifixion of the flesh by those who belong to Christ. Christ has set believers free; justification is not by the law; circumcision has no value in Christ Jesus. The whole law is fulfilled in the command to love one’s neighbor as oneself. The Spirit leads and produces fruit; flesh and Spirit are opposed. The works of the flesh are sin, and those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Where careful readers differ — on the fall from grace in 5:4, on the hope of righteousness in 5:5, on the voice of ἐνεργουμένη in 5:6, on the charge behind 5:11, on the wish of 5:12, on the wishes kept in check in 5:17, on the audience of the warning in 5:21, and on the timing of the crucifying in 5:24 — their holdings have been named, attributed, and left open. The four units of variation, and the remaining differences gathered in the minor-variants box, are noted with brief evidence and left without a further verdict. No application is drawn from those open points.