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Galatians 5:13 and the Other Verses of Galatians 5:13–18

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“As Moses lifted up the serpent [the serpent made of bronze described in Numbers 21:8–9] in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life, for God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten [uniquely born] Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“…for by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest any man should boast.”

Above is the content of John 3:14–16 and the content of Ephesians 2:8–9, respectively.  Itʼs worthwhile to refrain from receiving the mark referenced in Revelation 13:11–18 and to instead receive eternal life for free by believing that Jesus is the Savior.  Before doing any Bible studying and before praying to God the Father, it is useful for a person who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior to try to think of any sins that one might have committed since one last confessed oneʼs known post-salvation sins to God the Father, and if one has indeed committed any, to then silently confess those sins to God the Father—confessing only one time for each sin—in accordance with what is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This webpage could be periodically updated.  If there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, and if the original author of this webpage is amongst those people disappearing en masse, then it is possible that this webpage will no longer be updated.  Also, if there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, it is worthwhile to consider the possibility that those people have exited from the earth on the occasion known as the Rapture instead of assuming that that mass disappearance involves extraterrestrials abducting those people or involves the annihilation of those people or involves anything else other than the Rapture.  

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Also, it is possible that it is worthwhile to print this content in case of time periods involving lack of Internet connectivity.  

When studying the Word of God, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Hebrews 4:12:  

“Indeed, the Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and of the joints and the marrow and is a critic of thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Note:  The heart refers to the mind.  

It is also beneficial to keep in mind the content of 2 Timothy 3:16–17 when studying the Word of God:  

“All Scripture is God breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be mature, having been thoroughly furnished unto all good work.”

It is the responsibility of a pastor-teacher to endeavor to correctly understand the Word of God and then to accurately teach the Word of God, as per the content of 2 Timothy 2:15:  

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth.”

A pastor-teacher is a communicator rather than a crutch on which to be leaned.  In that regard, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping a pastor-teacher.  Likewise, a believer should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping anyone other than the Trinity [God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit], as per Joshua 24:15, the content of which references Joshua speaking to the Israelites:  

If it is disagreeable/bad/evil/wrong/wretchedness/displeasing in your sight to serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, choose for yourselves today whom you serve/worship:  whether the gods ['elohiym / false gods] which your fathers have served/worshiped which were beyond the river or the gods ['elohiym / false gods] of the Amorites in whose land you are living.  As for me and my house, we serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.

Note:  Joshua, the leader of the Israelites after Joshua had been serving as the assistant of Moses while Moses was the leader of the Israelites, set the example for the Israelites.  Joshua chose to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship God the Father rather than Joshua choosing to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship the lesser of multiple evils amongst multiple choices of 'elohiym [el-oh-HEEM].  The word 'elohiym with a lowercase e can refer to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges.  The word 'Elohiym with a capital E refers to the Trinity.  The word 'elohiym can also be used to refer to might as in mightiness.  In that regard, the use of the word 'elohiym in reference to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges involves the connotation of mightiness in comparison to an average human.  When a person puts oneʼs trust in and thereby serves as a devoted follower of and thus worships an angel or human, that angel or human is that personʼs false god.  Regarding the foregoing, the content of Joshua 24:15 involves Joshua calling attention to the choices that the Israelites had, and that content involves Joshua permitting the Israelites to make their choices while Joshua led by example with his choice.  

The gift of pastor-teacher is for the purpose of each pastor-teacher functioning as a messenger who communicates the Word of God rather than functioning as a priest between the Trinity and mankind.  In that regard, the time period that can be referred to as the Church Age started fifty days after the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, and all Church Age believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are priests.  The Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest of Church Age believers, and believers should be willing to acknowledge/confess/profess to people the believersʼ faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as per Hebrews 4:14–15:  

Therefore, since we have a great High Priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the acknowledgment/confession/profession.  Indeed, we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek [mel-KIZ-uh-dek], who was the ruler of Salem when Abraham was still named Abram.  Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, as per Genesis 14:18, which references Melchizedek greeting Abram:  

Then Melchizedek king of Salem has brought out bread and wine, and he is a priest of 'El [AYL] 'Elyown [el-YOHN] / God [focusing on God the Fatherʼs power] Most High.

The Lord Jesus Christ is also both a king and a priest because the Lord is the Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, as per Hebrews 7:14–17:  

Indeed, it is evident that our Lord has arisen from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.  Also, it is still much more evident:  that according to the similarity of Melchizedek, Another of a different type of priest arises, Who has become such not on the basis of a law of fleshly command / physical requirement but according to the power of an indestructible life.  Indeed, it is attested:  “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER, ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”

Note:  The Lord Jesus Christ is from the tribe of Judah.  Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is qualified to be a priest because He was resurrected and therefore has an indestructible body.  The above content in all capital letters is a reference to Psalm 110:4.  

Because a king is royalty, a king who is a priest is a royal priest.  In that regard, Church Age believers are royalty because they are members of the Lord Jesus Christʼs family.  Therefore, all Church Age believers are royal priests, as per 1 Peter 2:9–10:  

However, you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR ACQUISITION/PRESERVATION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are GODʼS PEOPLE.  You had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

Note:  Before the Church Age, Gentiles were not Godʼs people.  In the Church Age, both Jewish and Gentile believers are Godʼs people.  The content of 1 Peter 2:10 references Hosea 2:23.  In that regard, Peter uses references involving Israel in the Old Testament to refer to Church Age believers.  

Itʼs the message rather than the messenger that should be the focus of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Put succinctly:  itʼs the message rather than the messenger.  In that regard, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Revelation 22:8–9, which was written by the apostle John, who, in addition to writing The Revelation to John, wrote The Gospel According to John, The First Epistle of John, The Second Epistle of John, and The Third Epistle of John:  

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things, but he says* to me, “Do not do that.  I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book.  Worship God.”

*Note:  The word says is in the Greek historical present tense.  By means of the Greek historical present tense, past action or future action can be described from the perspective of someone seeing the action as it occurs.  

Regarding messages, believers should use the Word of God to examine what is being communicated.  That is what the Bereans who are mentioned in Acts 17:10–12 did:  

The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, who, when they arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews.  Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness / readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.  Therefore, many of them believed, and not a few prominent Greek women and men.

Note:  The phrase not a few means “quite a few.”  

Today, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to meet believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds on the occasion of the Rapture is one day closer than it was yesterday.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  While it is possible that the Rapture will occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh]—which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during August, September, or October of 2026, it is worthwhile for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to get into the habit of being prepared every day for the return of the Lord, just in case the Rapture will occur on a day other than the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah.  Furthermore, it is worthwhile to be in the habit of being prepared for the Rapture so that if it does occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah, one can be prepared for that day because of already being in the habit of being prepared.  Examples of being prepared for the Rapture include applying the content of 1 John 1:9 whenever one sins, being unselfish, and whenever circumstances are such that an opportunity arises, sharing the gospel—the good news that believing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior Who was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity is the means by which a person is able to have eternal life.  Regarding sharing the gospel, one could also have a written or printed message containing the gospel with that written or printed message located somewhere where it could be easily noticed so that if a person or people were to read or hear that written or printed message either before or after the Rapture occurs, that person or people would thereby read or hear the gospel by means of that written or printed message.  

Regarding information about the Rapture, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52:  

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again—and we do indeed believe that Jesus died and rose again—so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.  Indeed, this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive who remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep, for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with a voice of an archangel and with a trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive who remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:51–52

Behold, I tell you a mystery:  we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

After the Rapture will be the seven-year Tribulation.  The believers who will be alive on the earth when the Rapture occurs will escape the Tribulation.  1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 covers that topic.  In that regard, in the book 1 Thessalonians, the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 is immediately followed by the content of 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.  

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you, for you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.  However, you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief, for you are all sons of light and sons of day.  We are not of night nor of darkness; therefore, let us not sleep as others, but let us be alert and sober.  Indeed, those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.  However, since we are of day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and benevolence/goodwill, and as a helmet, the hope / absolute confidence of deliverance, for God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining deliverance through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.  Therefore, comfort one another and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Note:  In this context, the day of the Lord is the time period that consists of the Rapture, the seven years of the Tribulation, and the Second Advent.  In that regard, deliverance from the Tribulation is the deliverance in this context.  Also, unspecified is who will be saying “Peace and safety!”  In this context, sleeping refers to a lack of alertness.  The alertness in this context involves being ready for the Rapture.  In order to be ready for the Rapture, a believer needs to be filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and to pay attention for historical trends such as people saying “Peace and safety!” and for historical trends that match the pattern of the world being on the brink of tremendous calamities like those that will occur during the Tribulation.  Regarding being filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  

The verse of the day for May 22nd is Galatians 5:13.  The title of the book Galatians [guh-LAY-shuhnz] is also known as “The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians” and “The Letter of Paul to the Galatians.”  Galatians was a letter written by the apostle Paul to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who were located in Galatia [guh-LAY-shuh or guh-LAY-shee-uh], which was a province of the Roman Empire.  

The capital city of the Roman Empire was the city Rome.  The word Rome can be used to refer to the city Rome, to the kingdom of which that city was the capital, to the republic of which that city was the capital, or to the empire of which that city was the capital.  The settlement that became the city Rome was founded in the 700s B.C.  Rome eventually became a kingdom.  That kingdom is known as the Roman Kingdom.  Then Rome became a republic.  That republic is known as the Roman Republic.  After that, Rome became an empire.  That empire is known as the Roman Empire.  

Below is a link to a map that shows the location of Galatia.  The map also shows the locations of the seven churches of Revelation.  The key for that map is located in grid coordinates B3 and C3.  Galatia is located in grid coordinates C1 and C2.  

https://Classic.NET.Bible.org/images/maps/nt2.jpg

If the above link is inaccessible, the below link can be tried instead.  

https://NETBible.org/media/images/maps/nt2.jpg

Below is a link to a map that shows the location of the capital city Rome.  Jerusalem is also on the map.  At the time that the apostle Paul wrote the book Galatians, Jerusalem was under the control of the Roman Empire.  At that time, it was within the Roman province of Judea [joo-DEE-uh or joo-DAY-uh].  The word Judea can also be spelled Judaea or Judæa.  The character æ is a ligature [LIG-uh-chuhr or LIG-uh-choor] of a and e.  Before the Romans conquered the region known as Judea, the name of the country of the Jewish people was Judah.  The inhabitants of Judah can be referred to as Judahites [JOO-duh-ights].  The inhabitants of Judea can be referred to as Judeans [joo-DEE-uhnz or joo-DAY-uhnz].  

https://NETBible.org/media/images/constable/45Rom-1.jpg

It is worth noting that the New Testament was written in Koine [KOI-nay] Greek.  Koine Greek was the lingua franca [LING-gwuh FRANG-kuh] of the Roman Empire at the time that the New Testament was written.  A lingua franca is common language used as a means of communication by speakers of different languages.  For many people today, English is a lingua franca.  In the Roman Empire at the time that the New Testament was written, even though Latin had been the language of Rome for quite some time and continued to be so, many people within the Roman Empire communicated with each other by means of Koine Greek.  

Because it is useful to study verses that share the same context, below is content related to Galatians 5:13–18.  

Galatians 5:13

Indeed, you were called to freedom, brethren—only not the freedom for an opportunity for the flesh, but through benevolence/goodwill serve one another.

Note:  In Galatians 5:13, the word brethren refers to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The content of Galatians 5:13 indicates that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have volition (free will).  In addition, the content of Galatians 5:13 indicates that a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ must use his or her free will to choose to refrain from being controlled by his or her old sin nature (OSN), which is referred to metaphorically in Galatians 5:13 using the word flesh.  Every human except the Lord Jesus Christ has acquired an old sin nature, and each humanʼs old sin nature is in the body of that human.  The old sin nature, which is referenced in Ephesians 4:22 with the term old man, can also be referred to as the sin nature.  It is also referenced using the word flesh in Ephesians 2:3 and Galatians 5:16.  The content of Romans 6:6 associates the sin nature with peopleʼs bodies, and the content of Romans 7:17–18 references the sin nature being in peopleʼs bodies.  Adam and Ishshah [ish-SHAW] (the name of Eve before Adam renamed her Eve) were created without old sin natures, and they acquired old sin natures when they sinned.  All other human beings have been conceived.  Only the Lord Jesus Christ was conceived without an old sin nature.  All the other humans that were conceived have been conceived with old sin natures.  Likewise, all humans in the future will be conceived, and the conceiving of each of them will involve each of them receiving an old sin nature at the moment that each of them will be conceived.  

In Galatians 5:13, the Koine Greek noun that is translated as “flesh” is σαρκί [pronounced sahr-KEE and transliterated as sarki].  That noun is an inflected form of the root word σάρξ [pronounced SAHRKS and transliterated as sarx].  Various English words that start with sarc are derived from the Greek noun sarx.  

Galatians 5:14

Indeed, the whole Law is fulfilled in one saying—in this:  “YOU SHALL EXHIBIT BENEVOLENCE/GOODWILL TOWARD YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

Note:  In Galatians 5:14, the word Law refers to the Mosaic Law.  The term Mosaic Law refers to the laws communicated by Moses to the ancient Israelites.  Because Moses communicated those laws, they are known collectively as the Mosaic Law.  When the Lord Jesus Christ was judged for the sins of humanity, He fulfilled the Mosaic Law.  Also, this verse references Leviticus 19:18.  In that regard, the word neighbor metaphorically refers to everyone.  Also, the word yourself is a reference to the fact that most people typically exhibit benevolence/goodwill toward themselves.  

Absent from the context of Galatians 5 is any reference to allowing people to harm oneself or to harm innocent life forms (whether people or animals).  With that in mind, absent from the context of Galatians 5 is any reference to the exhibiting of benevolence/goodwill involving allowing people to harm oneself or to harm innocent life forms.  Regarding those who try to harm oneself or to harm innocent life forms, one can exhibit benevolence/goodwill while preventing the attempts to harm or while stopping the attempted harm that is in progress.  In that regard, the one who is doing the preventing or stopping of harm must do so in a polite manner, even while being resolute/determined when dealing with any opposition from those seeking to harm or in the process of trying to harm.  

Being polite while preventing or stopping the harm of oneself or of the innocent can be accomplished by remembering that vengeance belongs to the Lord and also by praying to God the Father that God the Holy Spirit enable oneself to resist any temptations to succumb to arrogant anger.  Doing so can enable oneself to exhibit benevolence/goodwill by refraining from using excessive force in dealing with a person or animal that is seeking to harm or in the process of trying to harm oneself or the innocent.  In addition, once those seeking to harm or trying to harm are prevented or stopped, one can exhibit benevolence/goodwill by being magnanimous rather than condescending.  In being magnanimous, one can refrain from trying to humiliate those who were prevented or stopped from harming the innocent.  

Galatians 5:15

However, if you keep on biting and keep on devouring one another—and you do indeed keep on biting and keep on devouring one another—take care that you are not consumed/destroyed by one another.

Note:  In the content of Galatians 5:15, Paul was indicating to the recipients of this epistle that they were metaphorically biting and devouring one another.  In other words, the Galatian Christians to whom Paul was writing were involved in such intense strife toward one another that it was as though they were wild animals biting and devouring each other.  Paul warned them that if they continued to behave in such a manner, they would metaphorically consume each other, which means that they would destroy each other.  Unspecified is how they would destroy each other if they continued with their misbehavior.  

In Koine Greek, there are four classes of conditions.  In the translation of Galatians 5:15, the type of if is called a first-class condition.  The first-class condition in this verse involves the Koine Greek conjunction εἰ [pronounced AY and transliterated as ei] followed by two Koine Greeks verb in the indicative mood.  The first of those Koine Greek verbs following the conjunction ei in this verse is translated as “keep on biting.”  That Koine Greek verb translated as “keep on biting” is δάκνετε [pronounced DAHK-neh-teh and transliterated as daknete].  That verb is an inflected form of the root word δάκνω [pronounced DAHK-noh and transliterated as daknō].  The second of the Koine Greek verbs following the conjunction ei in this verse is translated as “keep on devouring.”  That Koine Greek verb translated as “keep on devouring” is κατεσθίετε [pronounced kah-tehs-THEE-eh-teh and transliterated as katesthiete].  That verb is an inflected form of the root word κατεσθίω [pronounced kah-tehs-THEE-oh and transliterated as katesthiō].  

Certainly, for those believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who choose to remain out of fellowship with the Trinity, they will at some point experience a departure to Heaven that is earlier than it would otherwise have been if they had gotten back into fellowship with the Trinity.  Such an early departure of a believer to Heaven can be referred to as the sin unto death.  In that regard, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  

Regarding the content of Galatians 5:15, if a believer has been selfish in such a manner that that believerʼs selfishness has contributed to strife, it is important for that believer to—in addition to confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins—apologize to the people to whom the believer was behaving in a selfish manner if those people are aware that the believer was behaving in a selfish manner toward them and if there is an opportunity to apologize to them.  Refraining from apologizing in such a situation is a new sin that then needs to be confessed/acknowledged to God the Father.  If the believer then again refrains from apologizing in such a situation, that believer keeps sinning each time he or she refrains from apologizing.  Of course, if a believer has refrained from committing any sins related to the strife and has instead simply been the victim of strife engaged in by someone else, there is zero obligation for that believer to apologize for the strife.  In that regard, it is important to be alert about oneʼs thoughts, words, and actions so as to make sure that one has indeed refrained from committing any sins related to the strife.  

With regard to oneʼs thoughts, words, and actions, there are three broad categories of sins:  mental-attitude sins, verbal sins, and overt sins.  Verbal sins can also be referred to as sins of the tongue.  They can also be referred to as communicative sins because that category also encompasses non-verbal communication that involves sinning.  Communicative sins can also involve physical means of communication such as facial expressions, other forms of body language, tone of voice, and demeanor.  

With regard to being alert, levels of alertness can be categorized in terms of a mindset color code that involves four colors.  The mindset color code describes states of awareness.  The mindset color code can be utilized for matters outside oneself; for example, the color code can be applied to both physical dangers and also to the dangers of stumbling blocks that can lead a Christian to sin.  Also, the color code can be utilized introspectively with regard to the temptations that can originate from oneʼs sin nature.  Below are the conditions of alertness of the mindset color code and descriptions of them.  

Galatians 5:16

However, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the lust/desire of the flesh.

Note:  The phrase walk by the Spirit refers to living oneʼs life while being filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  As with verse 13, the word flesh in Galatians 5:16 refers to the old sin nature.  In that regard, the old sin nature is a source of temptations to sin.  In Galatians 5:16, the Koine Greek noun that is translated as “flesh” is σαρκὸς [pronounced sahr-KAHS and transliterated as sarkos].  That noun is an inflected form of the root word σάρξ [pronounced SAHRKS and transliterated as sarx].  As mentioned in the notes for verse 13, various English words that start with sarc are derived from the Greek noun sarx.  

The content of Galatians 5:16 indicates that God the Holy Spirit provides the power to resist temptations to sin.  Of course, when a believer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit chooses to sin, that believer then immediately becomes out of fellowship with the Trinity and is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  Such a believer then needs to confess/acknowledge to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and filling with the power of God the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  

With regard to being in fellowship or out of fellowship with the Trinity, it is useful to use the term status quo [STAT-uhs kwoh or STAY-tuhs kwoh], which means “existing condition.”  When a believer is out of fellowship with the Trinity, that believer has a status quo of carnality.  The term carnality refers to a person being controlled by that personʼs old sin nature.  The English word carnality came from Middle English [the English language from circa A.D. 1150 to circa A.D. 1470] via Old North French [the dialects of Old French (the French language up to circa A.D. 1400) spoken in northern France] via Latin.  The word circa [SUHR-kuh] means “approximately”; circa is used before dates.  Also, the abbreviation c. can be used for the word circa.  The abbreviation A.D. means “Anno Domini.”  The phrase Anno Domini is Latin for “in the year of the Lord.”  The abbreviation A.D. should be placed before the numerals of a date but after the spelled-out words of a date.  Latin is a language that started as the language of ancient Rome.  The Latin word from which carnality is derived is carnālis [kahr-NAH-lees], which can be translated as “fleshly.”  The Latin word carnālis is derived from the Latin word carō [KAH-roh], which can be translated as “flesh.”  

An unbeliever always has a status quo of carnality.  Also, when a believer is out of fellowship with the Trinity, that believer has a status quo of carnality.  In contrast, when a believer is in fellowship with the Trinity, that believer has a status quo of spirituality.  In that regard, spirituality is the condition of being in fellowship with the Trinity and filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  

Some people incorrectly believe that an emotionally out-of-control state is spiritual.  Similarly, some people incorrectly believe that spirituality involves following oneʼs feelings.  In reality, following oneʼs feelings involves following the temptations of oneʼs old sin nature.  Regarding the foregoing, the Biblical usage of the word spiritual refers to a believer who is in fellowship with the Trinity and thereby filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  

In Galatians 5:16, the Koine Greek word that is translated into English as “lust” or “desire” is ἐπιθυμίαν [pronounced eh-pee-thoo-MEE-ahn and transliterated as epithymian].  That word is an inflected form of the root word ἐπιθυμία [pronounced eh-pee-thoo-MEE-ah and transliterated as epithymia].  Regarding the definition of that word, below is a quote from the Outline of Biblical Usage section of the webpage at https://www.BLBClassic.org/lang/lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1939&t=NASB95.  

“desire, craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden, lust”

Also regarding the definition of the word epithymia, below are quotes from the Strongʼs Definition section of the webpage at the same above link.  

“a longing (especially for what is forbidden)”

“concupiscence, desire, lust”

Lusting is a manifestation of arrogance.  In other words, lusting is a manifestation of selfishness.  By way of application, some examples of lust are listed below.  

A greedy person lusts to have something or some things.  A person who is greedy for money has monetary lust.  A person who is greedy for material possessions has materialism lust.  A distinction between those two types of lust is that the person with materialism lust has specific items or categories of items in mind, while the person with monetary lust is focused on the money.  Also, a person could have both of those types of lust.  A person could have other types of lust, too.  In addition, a person could be greedy for power.  Such a person has power lust.  A greedy person can also be described as covetous because lusting to have something or some things can also be described as coveting something or some things.  In addition to covetousness referring to greediness for money, material possessions, or power, covetousness also more broadly encompasses lusting to have people.  A person with such lust treats people like objects.  

A spiritual bully has crusader lust.  Such a person has a “holier-than-thou” attitude, which is an attitude of self-righteous arrogance—he or she believes that he or she is more righteous than others.  With regard to the crusader lust, the spiritual bullyʼs self-righteous arrogance can manifest in the form of crusader arrogance—he or she conducts a personal crusade in which he or she attempts to “whitewash” the devilʼs world by trying to force other people to be as righteous as he or she perceives himself or herself to be.  In that regard, the spiritual bully disrespects the free will of each person over whom the spiritual bully lords himself or herself.  

A narcissist might lust to dominate a person and thereby try to control that other personʼs life, violating the free will of that person.  Such a narcissist has power lust.  Also, the co-dependent victim of such a narcissist might lust for sympathy from others or even lust for approval from the domineering narcissistic persecutor—or even lust for both.  

A man who is a womanizer has approbation lust (a lust for approval or praise) and sexual lust.  Such a man uses women like objects in a futile attempt to gratify himself through the worshipping and the sensory experiences that he receives from the women whom he exploits.  In that regard, such a man forms a phallic cult with the purpose of making himself a god on which that cult is focused.  Because such a man is inferior to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, that womanizing man is merely a false god.  Also, a womanizer is a narcissist because he is self-absorbed.  In his selfishness, when he grows tired of one woman, he will reject her in favor of another woman or women, thereby treating the rejected woman as a discarded object.  In that regard, such a man will have a woman or women who are his favorites, with the other woman or women being what some men refer to as “side chicks.”  A side chick is a woman whom the womanizer uses when the other woman or women are unavailable.  A side chick essentially has a lower rank than that of the other woman or women who are members of the womanizerʼs phallic cult.  In that regard, side chicks are like concubines.  A concubine has lower rank and less privileges than a wife.  Regarding concubines and wives, the men whom the Bible mentions as having more than one wife or as having one or more concubines in addition to a wife were men who were womanizers.  

Below is a list of different types of lust.  There could also be other types of lust absent from the list.  Hopefully, this list illustrates that lusts can involve a variety of forms.  Also, this list will hopefully help with recognizing the various forms of lusts.  In that regard, some of the below-listed variations of lusts are related to each other.  Also, some of the types of lusts in the list have descriptive names.  

Approbation lust (a lust for approval or praise)

Lust for attention (also known as look-at-me-look-at-me lust)

Popularity lust (a lust for admiration)

Lust for fame (including either positive fame or infamy/notoriety)

Lust for immediate fame

Lust for lasting historical fame

Power lust (a lust for power)

Control-freak lust

Crusader lust

Lust to fulfill oneʼs plans/dreams for oneʼs life (instead of accepting God the Fatherʼs plans for oneʼs life)

Lust for success

Lust to be king of the hill (a lust to be superior to others or to be perceived as superior to others)

Lust to win competitions

Lust to win debates/arguments

Lust for favoritism

Lust to be envied by others

Lust to be idolized

Social-ladder-climber lust (a lust to be a member of a seemingly more prestigious strata of society)

Lust for respect

Lust for recognition

Lust for an honorific title or titles

Victimhood lust (a lust to be perceived as a victim)

Lust to be perfect

Lust to be perceived as perfect

Misery-demands-company lust (a lust to make others as miserable as—or even more miserable than—the one with the lust)

Criminal lust

Revenge lust

Lust for violence

Competition lust

Lust to view a sporting event in which people harm other people

Lust to view a sporting event in which people humiliate other people

Lust to view a competition in which people humiliate other people

Idolization lust (a lust for an idol in the flesh)

Tribal lust (a lust to be a member of a group)

Lust to be associated with a victorious sports person or sports team

Lust to be associated with a victorious person or team involved in a competition

Lust for elation

Lust for elation from a victory (either experienced or viewed)

Chemical lust

Lust for alcohol (It is possible to consume alcohol without lusting for it.)

Lust for drugs

Sweet-tooth lust (a lust for sweets) (It is possible to consume sweets without lusting for them.)

Lust for foods that quickly raise the blood-sugar level

Lust for food in general (gluttony) (It is possible to experience hunger without lusting for food.)

Lust for entertainment

Materialism lust

Keeping-up-with-the-Joneses lust (a lust to have what others have or do what others do—or both)

Lust to take into oneʼs own possession what belongs to others

Monetary lust

Pleasure lust

Sexual lust

Lust for sexual conquests like King David did (People with such a lust are pieces of garbage [to put it mildly] and should be avoided at all costs.)

Lust for stimulation

Lust for thrills

Lust for comforting circumstances

Lust for comforting words

Lust for paradise or an approximation thereof

Lust to give birth

Lust to be a parent

Lust for something new

Lust for security

Galatians 5:17

Indeed, the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, for these are in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things that you are inclined to do.

Note:  In Galatians 5:17, the old sin nature is personified in order to teach that temptations to sin are the opposite of what God the Holy Spirit wants for the believer.  Sinning causes self-induced misery; therefore, God the Holy Spirit wanting the believer to resist the temptations of the old sin nature is a manifestation of God the Holy Spirit wanting the believer to be happy.  In that regard, the Koine Greek verb translated as “desires” in Galatians 5:17 can have either a positive or negative connotation.  In this verse, the Koine Greek verb that is translated as “desires” is ἐπιθυμεῖ [pronounced eh-pee-thoo-MAY and transliterated as epithymei].  That verb is an inflected form of the root word ἐπιθυμέω [pronounced eh-pee-thoo-MEH-oh and transliterated as epithymeō].  Regarding the desiring that comes from the old sin nature, such desiring involves a negative connotation.  In that regard, that desiring can also be categorized as lusting.  Regarding the desiring done by God the Holy Spirit, such desiring has a positive connotation.  

In Galatians 5:17, the first instance of a Koine Greek noun that is translated as “flesh” is σὰρξ [pronounced SAHRKS and transliterated as sarx].  That noun is an inflected form of the root word σάρξ [pronounced SAHRKS and transliterated as sarx].  The second instance of a Koine Greek noun that is translated as “flesh” in this verse is σαρκός [pronounced sahr-KAHS and transliterated as sarkos].  That noun is also an inflected form of the root word σάρξ [pronounced SAHRKS and transliterated as sarx].  As mentioned in the notes for verses 13 and 16, various English words that start with sarc are derived from the Greek noun sarx.  

In Galatians 5:17, the phrase so that you may not do the things that you are inclined to do refers to God the Holy Spirit providing the power for a believer to refrain from committing sins.  Without the filling power of God the Holy Spirit, the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is inclined to sin.  God the Holy Spirit is more powerful than the old sin nature; therefore, a believer in fellowship with the Trinity and thereby filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit has the power to resist temptations to sin.  When a believer who is filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit chooses to sin, such a believer is making a decision from his or her own free will to stop utilizing the power of God the Holy Spirit and to instead enslave himself or herself to the old sin nature.  

Galatians 5:18

However, if you keep on being led by the Spirit—and you indeed keep on being led by the Spirit—you are not under the Law.

Note:  As mentioned in the notes for verse 15, there are four classes of conditions in Koine Greek.  In the translation of Galatians 5:18, the type of if is called a first-class condition.  The first-class condition in this verse involves the Koine Greek conjunction εἰ [pronounced AY and transliterated as ei] followed by a Koine Greek verb in the indicative mood.  That Koine Greek verb, which is translated as “keep on being led” in this verse, is ἄγεσθε [pronounced AH-gehs-theh and transliterated as agesthe].  That verb is an inflected form of the root word ἄγω [pronounced AH-goh and transliterated as agō].  

Rather than believers in the Church Age being under the regulations of the Mosaic Law, the believers in the Church Age instead have available to them the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit.  The Israelites were under the Mosaic Law until the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the Mosaic Law by being judged on the cross for the sins of humanity.  Now that the Lord Jesus Christ has been judged on the cross for the sins of humanity, people are no longer under the Mosaic Law.  

With regard to the Church Age, below is a synopsis of human history as categorized into time periods known as dispensations.  In the below synopsis, there is the term hypostatic union [high-PUH-stat-ick YOON-yuhn].  This refers to the Lord Jesus Christ being 100% Deity and 100% humanity.  The English word hypostatic is derived from the Koine [KOI-nay] Greek word ὑπόστασις [pronounced hoo-PAH-stah-sees and transliterated as hypostasis].  After the Lord Jesus Christ was judged for the sins of humanity, His body was in the grave for three days and three nights.  He was then resurrected, and He was on the earth for forty days after He was resurrected.  He then ascended to Heaven, and ten days after that, the Day of Pentecost [PEN-tih-kahst] occurred.  The Day of Pentecost was the beginning of the Church Age.  The word Pentecost is derived from the Koine Greek word πεντηκοστή [pronounced pen-tay-kah-STAY and transliterated as pentēkostē].  That word is derived from the Koine Greek word πεντήκοντα [pronounced pen-TAY-kahn-tah and transliterated as pentēkonta], which means “fifty.”  Therefore, the word Pentecost is derived from the fact that that day occurred fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  In that regard, the Church Age began fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  The Church Age will end with the Rapture.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  Absent from the Bible is anything specifically indicating the precise date and time when the Rapture will occur, although it is possible that the Rapture will occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh]—which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during August, September, or October of 2026.  

Regarding the word judgment, the proper way to spell that word is without an e between the dg and the m.  In that regard, the e of the root word judge is dropped when the suffix ment is added to that root word.  The formation of the word judgment is shown below.  

judge −e +ment

= judg +ment

= judgment

Another way to categorize human history is by means of civilizations.  Civilizations begin only with believers.  Regarding the timing of civilizations and dispensations, the first civilization began with Adam and ended on the occasion of the Great Flood (also known as the Flood).  That civilization is known as the antediluvian civilization and the predulivian civilization.  In that regard, the prefixes ante and pre mean “before.”  Also, there are various spellings of the adjectives that refer to the time before the Flood.  Those spellings include antediluvian, ante-diluvian, prediluvian, and pre-diluvian.  

After the Flood, there were only eight believers on the earth:  Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their sonsʼ wives.  With the removal of the unbelievers from the earth on the occasion of the Flood, a new civilization was started.  That civilization is known as the postdiluvian civilization (also known as the postdiluvial civilization).  Regarding the terminology, the prefix post means “after,” and the adjectives diluvian and diluvial mean “having to do with a flood.”  Also, there are various spellings of the adjectives that refer to the time after the Flood.  Those spellings include postdiluvian, post-diluvian, postdiluvial, and post-diluvial.  The postdiluvian civilization will end on the occasion of the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.  On the occasion of the Second Advent, the Lord will remove all unbelievers from the earth.  Their removal will be by means of physical death just as the removal of all unbelievers was by means of physical death on the occasion of the Flood.  This is called the Baptism of Fire, which is either a metaphorical description because fire can be used to represent judgment or a literal reference to the use of fire in the judgment of unbelievers on the occasion of the Second Advent.  The Baptism of Fire is referenced in Matthew 3:11–12; Luke 3:15–17; and 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9.  

Just as a new civilization started after the Flood, so also a new civilization will start after the Baptism of Fire.  That civilization is called the Millennium.  The Millennium is both a civilization and a dispensation.  The Eternal State is also both a civilization and a dispensation.  

The content of Galatians 5:18 is repeated below for reference.  

Galatians 5:18

However, if you keep on being led by the Spirit—and you indeed keep on being led by the Spirit—you are not under the Law.

Sincerely,

John