Galatians 5

1 Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

2 Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing.

3 Yes, I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

4 You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.

5 For we through the Spirit, by faith wait for the hope of righteousness.

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision amounts to anything, but faith working through love.

7 You were running well! Who interfered with you that you should not obey the truth?

8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you.

9 A little yeast grows through the whole lump.

10 I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will think no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.

11 But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been removed.

12 I wish that those who disturb you would cut themselves off.

13 For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants to one another.

14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

15 But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you don’t consume one another.

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness,

20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies,

21 envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,

23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

24 Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit.

26 Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.

Around Galatians 5

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Galatians 5 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

The chapter begins like a shout. “Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free”. Paul warns that if the Galatians take up circumcision as a way to be right with God, Christ will profit them nothing. What counts is “faith working through love”. He regrets that someone has interfered, for they were running well, and a little yeast grows through the whole lump.

His answer to freedom is not license. They were called to freedom, and the whole law is fulfilled in one word: love your neighbor as yourself. If they bite and devour each other, they will consume one another.

He sets the flesh against the Spirit, lists the deeds of the flesh, and then paints the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control. “Against such things there is no law.”

Background

Paul writes to churches in Galatia, where some were pressing Gentile believers to be circumcised. The command in verse 14 comes from Leviticus 19. Verse 12 is a harsh line, and translators and readers take it in different ways. The list of the deeds of the flesh includes sexual sins, and the chapter says what the text says about them without sorting people. For the Spirit's work see also Romans 8.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 17 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes