Galatians 5:19-21 (JDV)

Galatians 5:19 Now the achievements of the flesh are obvious: whatever results in sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity,

Galatians 5:20 idolatry, alternative spiritual experiences,¹ hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish passions, dissensions, heretical cults,²

Galatians 5:21 envy, drunkenness, excessive partying, and anything like these. I am warning you about these things– as I warned you before– that those who are practicing such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

an insult sandwichThe contrast between the two meanings of KKK becomes a surprisingly helpful doorway into Paul’s tone in this passage. The first meaning from the American South evokes fear, hatred, and domination. The second meaning from the Philippines—kiss, kick, kiss—describes a rhetorical strategy: soften the blow, deliver the hard truth, then reaffirm affection. Paul’s words in Galatians 5 carry exactly that rhythm. He is not lashing out in uncontrolled anger. He is speaking as a pastor who loves these congregations enough to confront them, but who also refuses to leave them without hope.

The “kick” in this section is unmistakable. Paul names the traits in verse 20—hostility, rivalry, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions—because these are the very behaviors being stirred up by the Judaizing faction. These traits are not random sins. They are the social fallout of a theology that replaces Christ with human effort. When people begin to believe that righteousness comes through law‑keeping, the result is comparison, competition, and division. The heretical teachers were producing exactly that atmosphere in Galatia.

But Paul also lists the traits in verses 19 and 21—sins the Galatians assumed they had left behind. They thought those belonged to their pagan past. Paul’s point is that all of these behaviors, whether “religious” or “irreligious,” come from the same source: the flesh. The flesh is not the physical body but the old self, the old way of being human apart from the Breath of God. It expresses itself differently depending on the environment. In a pagan setting, it produces obvious immorality. In a religious setting, it produces pride, division, and spiritual posturing. But the root is the same.

This is why Paul refuses to let the Galatians imagine that the Judaizing heresy is a harmless theological preference. It is the flesh dressed in religious clothing. It promises holiness but produces hostility. It claims to honor God but undermines the work of Christ. The resurrection life cannot grow in that soil.

Paul’s call is therefore direct: if the resurrection life is to flourish, the works of the flesh—whether respectable or scandalous—must be put to death. The Breath has given new life, and that life must be guarded. The Galatians cannot walk in the newness of Christ by returning to the old patterns of the flesh. Only by yielding to the Breath can the community bear the fruit that reflects the character of the risen Lord.

Lord, you have brought us to new life by your Sacred Breath. Show us how to live consistently according to that new life.