Study in the Book of Galatians
The Inescapable Conflict
Galatians 5:16-21
Father, help us now, as we turn to your Holy Word, to be able to concentrate. Free us from distractions and turn our gaze to Christ. For it’s in his name we pray. Amen.
I. Introduction
A. Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia because they were beginning to drift from the true gospel.
1) After he had preached Christ to them and established congregations throughout the region, other teachers arrived and began promoting what Paul calls “a different gospel” (Gal. 1:6–9).
2) These Judaizers insisted that faith in Christ was not enough—that salvation required faith plus obedience to the law.
3) Paul would not tolerate that message.
4) He argued with all his strength that we are justified by faith alone, and that good works flow from faith but never contribute to our standing before God.
B. In the opening chapters of the letter, Paul defends his calling as an apostle and recounts how the gospel he preached came directly from Christ (Gal. 1–2).
1) Then, in chapters 3 and 4, he unfolds the nature of saving faith and the freedom believers have as children of God.
2) By the time he reaches chapters 5 and 6, Paul begins applying these truths to the everyday lives of Christians.
C. The passage before us—Galatians 5:16–21—shows how the Holy Spirit works within believers.
1) Paul explains that the Christian life is not lived in our own strength but by walking in step with the Spirit.
2) And he contrasts the Spirit’s work with the destructive patterns that come from the flesh.
3) This section prepares us to see the difference between a life shaped by our sinful nature and a life shaped by the Spirit of God.
D. Beloved, we come today to a passage that is perhaps one of the most practical, yet profoundly theological, sections in all of the Pauline epistles. We are looking at the very mechanics of the Christian life.
E. Many people view the Christian life as a sort of "moral self-improvement project," where you pull yourself up by your own spiritual bootstraps.
1) But the Apostle Paul shatters that legalistic delusion.
2) He presents us with a battlefield—an internal, relentless war between two diametrically opposed natures.
F. Christians often feel as though they are walking a narrow high wire, suspended between two deadly extremes—legalism on one side and licentiousness on the other.
1) Legalism calls out to us with the promise of safety: “Stop risking the freedom Christ purchased for you. Come back to rules you can measure and control.”
2) Licentiousness whispers the opposite: “Stop restraining yourself. Give in. Chase whatever your heart craves.”
3) But God has not called us to either bondage or recklessness.
i. He calls us to keep walking in the freedom of Christ—steady, balanced, and dependent on Him.
ii. And if we’re honest, that path can feel frightening. It can feel impossible.
4) That is why Paul lifts our eyes to the deeper reality beneath our daily choices.
i. He presents us with a battlefield—an internal, relentless war between two diametrically opposed natures.
ii. The flesh pulls one way, the Spirit pulls the other.
iii. Yet Paul assures us that this conflict does not have to end in despair.
iv. If we walk by the Spirit, if we yield to His leading, our steps can be marked not by fear but by peace.
G. Contemporary Connection
1) We live in a cultural moment that constantly pulls us in opposite directions.
i. On one side, our world celebrates unrestrained self-expression—“Be true to yourself,” “Follow your heart,” “Do whatever feels right.”
ii. On the other side, we’re surrounded by voices demanding moral performance, public virtue, and flawless behavior.
iii. Social media has become a courtroom where people are judged, measured, and shamed for not living up to ever-changing standards.
2) Both pressures—self-indulgence and self-righteousness—mirror the very extremes Paul warns against. And both leave people exhausted.
3) Paul cuts through the noise by reminding us that the real struggle isn’t merely cultural—it’s spiritual.
i. The battle is not ultimately between us and society, or us and other people, but within us.
ii. The flesh pulls us toward self-centered desires; the Spirit pulls us toward Christ.
iii. Walk in the Spirit
II. The Divine Command
Galatians 5:16 (Keep in Step with the Spirit)
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
A. Paul writes, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16).
a. The word Spirit is rightly capitalized because Paul is speaking of the Holy Spirit Himself.
b. If you have been born of the Spirit and the Spirit of God dwells within you, then your daily life must be shaped by His leading rather than by the impulses of the flesh.
B. People sometimes promise, “Come to Jesus and all your problems will disappear.”
a. The day I came to Christ was one of the greatest joys of my life—but it was also the day the battle truly began.
b. Augustine once described life in the flesh as having a rider on your back; the devil himself.
c. Paul says something similar in Ephesians, describing our former life as “following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2).
d. Before Christ, Satan held the reins. His bit was in your mouth, and you followed his direction without resistance.
e. When you come to Christ, Satan does not simply dismount and walk away.
i. But the Holy Spirit now takes the saddle.
ii. He seizes the reins, and the enemy does everything in his power to wrench them back and regain control.
iii. This is why Paul insists that if you walk by the Spirit, you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.
C. When we hear “desires of the flesh,” our minds often jump immediately to physical or sensual sins.
a. When Paul says, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16), the word he uses for “flesh” is the Greek term s??? (sarx).
i. Paul is not simply talking about the physical body. In this context, sarx refers to the fallen, sin-dominated nature that still clings to believers.
ii. It describes the inner pull toward self-centeredness, rebellion, and moral corruption—the part of us that resists God’s will and opposes the work of the Holy Spirit.
iii. In other words, sarx is the old self with its distorted desires, attitudes, and impulses.
iv. When Paul warns us about “the desires of the flesh,” he is pointing to the entire bent of our sinful nature, not just outward or sensual sins.
b. The “flesh” refers to the entire fallen nature—our corrupted desires, our twisted affections, our rebellious thoughts.
c. The flesh expresses itself through the body, yes, but also through the mind, the mouth, the imagination, and the will.
III. The Internal Conflict
Galatians 5:17-18
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
A. Most of us are well familiar with the work book and made into several movies "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", by Robert Louis Stevenson, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is a classic novel about "Right and Wrong" "Joy and Despair" "The struggle of Good and Evil" or struggle of the natural mans vs. the Spiritual man.
1) Mr. Stevenson was once asked, "Where did you find the model for your character of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." He said, "I found it in my nature. He was a Christian and had learned that there is indeed inside of every child of God a BEAST. Every saved person has a New Nature and an Old Nature. I find that there is always a struggle with the "BEAST THAT LIVE WITHIN ME."
B. Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
C. Paul describes the Christian life as a battleground in both Galatians 5 and Romans 7, but he approaches the conflict from two complementary perspectives.
1) The Same War: Flesh vs. Spirit / Flesh vs. the Inner Man
i. In Galatians 5:16–21, Paul speaks of a conflict between:
1. the flesh (s??? — the fallen, sinful nature)
2. the Spirit (the Holy Spirit dwelling in believers)
ii. He writes, “the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh” (Gal. 5:17). These two forces are “opposed to each other,” pulling the believer in opposite directions.
iii. In Romans 7:13–25, Paul describes the same internal struggle, but he frames it as a war between:
1. the law of sin in his members
2. the desire of his renewed inner self to obey God
iv. He says, “I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out” (Rom. 7:18). The flesh pulls him toward sin; the inner man longs for obedience.
v. Both passages describe a believer who feels torn, pulled by competing desires that cannot coexist.
2) Galatians Emphasizes the Source of Power; Romans Emphasizes the Depth of the Struggle
i. In Galatians, Paul’s focus is empowerment:
1. “Walk by the Spirit” (5:16)
2. “Be led by the Spirit” (5:18)
ii. The emphasis is on how to overcome the flesh: by yielding to the Spirit’s leadership.
iii. In Romans 7, Paul’s focus is frustration:
1. “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (7:15)
2. “Wretched man that I am!” (7:24)
iv. Romans 7 exposes the depth of human inability apart from the Spirit’s power. It shows how strong the flesh is when we try to fight it in our own strength.
v. Together, the two passages give a full picture:
1. Romans 7 shows why we cannot win the battle alone.
2. Galatians 5 shows how we can win through the Spirit.
3) Galatians Lists the Fruit of the Flesh; Romans Describes the Experience of the Flesh
i. In Galatians 5, Paul names the “works of the flesh”—a catalog of outward sins:
1. sexual immorality, idolatry, jealousy, fits of anger, divisions, drunkenness…and more (vv. 19–21).
2. These are the visible results of a life controlled by the flesh.
ii. In Romans 7, Paul describes the inner experience of the flesh:
1. Confusion, frustration, bondage, self-contradiction, moral weakness
iii. Romans 7 is the desires of the flesh; Galatians 5 is the behavior of the flesh.
4) Both Passages Lead to the Same Hope
i. Romans 7 ends with a cry:
1. “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (7:24)
2. And the answer: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:25)
ii. Galatians 5 gives the same hope in different words:
1. “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (5:16)
iii. Both passages point to the same solution: Only the Spirit of Christ can free us from the power of the flesh.
D. Romans 7 shows the agony of the battle; Galatians 5 shows the strategy for victory.
1) Romans exposes our weakness; Galatians reveals the Spirit’s strength.
2) Romans shows the war inside us; Galatians shows the One who empowers us to win.
IV. The Manifestation of the Flesh
Galatians 5:19-21(A)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
A. Before we look at Paul’s list of the “works of the flesh,” we need to ask a basic question: What is sin?
a. Many people think of sin only in terms of the most extreme behaviors—murder, violence, theft.
i. But Scripture paints a far broader picture.
ii. Sin includes failing to do what God commands as well as doing what He forbids.
iii. At its core, sin is anything that falls short of God’s perfect standard.
b. Because of that, sin becomes a barrier, first between us and God.
i. Just as light and darkness cannot occupy the same space, the holiness of God cannot coexist with the corruption of sin.
ii. Sin disrupts fellowship, distorts worship, and keeps us from enjoying the fullness of life with Him.
c. But sin also fractures our relationships with one another.
i. You don’t have to look far to see the evidence.
ii. Our world is marked by hostility, violence, division, and fear.
iii. Whether it’s global conflict or the brokenness in our own communities, the fallout of sin is everywhere.
d. And sin is not merely the presence of something evil; it is also the absence of something good.
i. It is a deprivation, a lack of the righteousness, love, and wholeness God designed for us.
ii. Sin is not a substance; it is a rupture, a break in our relationship with God and with others.
B. This is why Paul’s list in Galatians 5:19–21 is so sobering.
a. These “works of the flesh” are not random behaviors; they are the visible symptoms of a deeper spiritual disease.
b. They reveal what happens when the sinful nature is in control rather than the Spirit of God.
C. Paul’s list of the “works of the flesh” can be grouped into four broad categories, each exposing a different facet of our fallen nature.
a. Sins of a Sexual Nature (v. 19)
i. Paul begins with “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality” (Gal. 5:19).
ii. These terms encompass every form of sexual sin—whether committed publicly or privately, inside or outside of marriage.
iii. Paul is not limiting his concern to one type of behavior; he is naming the entire spectrum of sexual practices that violate God’s design for holiness.
b. Sins of False Worship (v. 20a)
i. Next Paul mentions “idolatry” and “sorcery” (Gal. 5:20a).
1. Idolatry is giving ultimate devotion to anything other than the living God, whether that idol is power, success, money, pleasure, or even the self.
2. Sorcery refers to attempts to manipulate spiritual forces, often through occult practices.
3. In the ancient world this frequently involved potions or substances used to induce altered states; an early parallel to the modern pursuit of “spiritual experiences” through drugs or mystical experimentation.
c. Sins That Destroy Relationships (vv. 20b–21a)
i. Paul then turns to a long list of relational sins: “enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy” (Gal. 5:20b–21a).
ii. These attitudes and behaviors tear Church and people apart.
iii. They reveal a heart driven by pride, insecurity, and self-interest rather than love. Every one of them is a sign that the flesh; not the Spirit; is in control.
d. Sins of Excess and Self-Indulgence (v. 21a)
i. Finally, Paul names “drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Gal. 5:21a).
ii. These refer to uncontrolled indulgence; moments when a person abandons restraint and gives themselves over to whatever their desires demand.
iii. Paul’s phrase “and things like these” reminds us that this list is not exhaustive.
iv. These are representative examples of a life ruled by the flesh.
V. The Solemn Warning
Galatians 5:21(B)
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
A. All of these behaviors; whether sexual, spiritual, relational, or indulgent; are examples of how far a believer can drift when the flesh is allowed to rule instead of the Spirit. Paul is not giving an exhaustive list; he is showing the kinds of sins that flow from a life controlled by the sinful nature.
B. Then Paul issues a sober warning. He writes, “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21b).
1) At first glance, that statement can sound as though a Christian might lose salvation. But that is not Paul’s point.
2) The key lies in the phrase “those who do such things.”
3) In Greek, the verb is in the present tense, describing ongoing, habitual practice.
4) Paul is talking about a settled pattern of life, someone whose behavior is consistently shaped by the flesh with no evidence of repentance or spiritual transformation.
5) A continual lifestyle of these sins reveals a heart that has never been made new by the Spirit.
C. By contrast, believers may stumble into these sins at times, but those lapses grieve them, and the Spirit draws them to repentance. Occasional failure is the struggle of a Christian; unbroken, unrepentant practice is the mark of someone still spiritually dead.
D. So, the question becomes deeply personal: Which pattern describes you?
1) If your life is characterized by ongoing, unrepentant sin, then you still need the saving work of Christ.
2) But if you belong to Him and have fallen into sin, the call is clear, turn back, repent, and walk by the Spirit.
E. Application: How Then Shall We Live?
1) Acknowledge the Battle:
i. Do not be surprised by the presence of sinful desires. The fact that you feel the "tug" of the Spirit against the flesh is actually evidence of life.
ii. A corpse doesn't struggle.
2) Starve the Flesh:
i. Do not make provision for the flesh.
ii. What are you watching? What are you reading? Who are you with?
iii. You cannot walk by the Spirit while feeding the enemy.
3) Saturate in the Word:
i. The Spirit works through the Word. To be "filled with the Spirit" (Eph 5:18) is synonymous with letting "the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Col 3:16).
VI. Conclusion
Maybe you feel unsteady today—caught between the pull of legalism on one side and the lure of the flesh on the other. Perhaps you’ve stepped off the path of freedom and found yourself drifting toward self-reliance or slipping into sinful indulgence. Wherever you are, if you belong to Christ, the Spirit of God has not abandoned you. He is ready to steady your steps and restore your balance.
Paul’s call is simple but demanding: “Walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16). That is not a one-time decision but a daily posture. Let me offer two practical commitments that help us live this out.
Begin each day by yielding to the Spirit
Before your feet touch the floor, entrust the day to the Spirit’s leading. Ask Him to govern your desires, guide your choices, and guard your heart. Spiritual steadiness begins with surrender.
Stay in step with the Spirit throughout the day
As the hours unfold, keep pace with the Spirit’s direction. Don’t drift toward the flesh, and don’t retreat into legalism. Freedom in Christ is not the absence of restraint—it is the presence of the Spirit. He will strengthen you, protect you, and empower you to walk in obedience. Your part is to follow Him in faith.
Father, thank You for giving us Your Spirit, who leads us into freedom and away from the works of the flesh. Teach us to walk by the Spirit, to listen for His voice, and to keep in step with Him each day. Where we have stumbled, grant repentance. Where we are weary, give strength. Shape our lives so that they reflect the character of Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
