Galatians – Chapter Five XXX

by Ed Urzi

“Now the works of the flesh are evident… idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions” (Galatians 5:19-20 ESV).

In addition to factions (CSB), sects (YLT), and group rivalry (CEB), the final characteristic given to us here in Galatians 5:20 can also be translated as divisions or heresies (KJV). These terms refer to the act of substituting a choice or opinion for the truth, thus leading to the creation of factions among others as a result. A person who refuses to change his or her opinion to gain (or maintain) an advantage is someone who might be covered by this general definition.

In a larger context, a “heresy” is a belief or teaching that does not correspond with genuine Biblical truth. Heresies are destructive in the sense that they misrepresent the truth about God and subsequently prevent others from establishing a genuine relationship with Him, But how does a heretical teaching fit in with these other, more obvious works of the flesh like adultery, fornication, and idolatry?

Well, this idea becomes easier to understand if we bring the concept of motive into our discussion. For instance, lets consider the example of a person who claims to possess a new spiritual revelation or someone who advocates for a novel interpretation of God’s Word. Unlike those who seek to bring a fresh application of Biblical truth to meet the needs of a changing culture, the person in our illustration is someone who claims to have an exclusive insight into spiritual truth that others do not possess.

If the individual in our example begins to attract a following, he or she will inevitably become a focus of interest for a growing number of others. For the person who is motivated by a flesh-oriented desire for attention, the opportunity to gain recognition as the exclusive channel of spiritual truth may be too great to resist. Thus, a heretical teaching not only becomes something wrong but a self serving work of the flesh as well.

Finally, one commentator summarizes each of the flesh-oriented characteristics given to us in Galatians 5:19-20 with the following observation…

“These are each ‘people’ sins. They are sins that primarily express themselves in how we treat others. God cares about our sexual and moral purity, and He cares about the purity of our religion and worship. But He also passionately cares about how we treat one another. The fact that Paul uses more words to describe these interpersonal sins shows how important our treatment of each other is to God.” (1)

(1) Guzik, David Galatians 5 – Standing Fast In the Liberty of Jesus © Copyright – Enduring Word https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/galatians-5/