Message Highlights

• Freedom in Christ isn’t the absence of rules—it’s freedom from sin, so you can serve others in love. Gospel freedom doesn’t lead to moral chaos; it leads to the cross.
• The works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit are not checklists. They’re pictures of two sources of life—and the root determines the result. 
• You can’t produce spiritual fruit through self-effort, willpower, or avoiding the wrong things. Walking in the Spirit—continually depending on the Spirit—is the only thing that actually transforms you.

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Conversation Starter

1. Think about a time when you tried hard to change a habit or pattern in your life. What approach did you take, and how did it go?
2. When you hear the word “freedom” in everyday life, what does it typically mean? How is that different from the way freedom tends to be talked about in church?

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Core Discussion Questions

Connection: What stood out to you from today’s message about why trying harder doesn’t work to produce spiritual fruit?

Context: Before today, how did you tend to think about the “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5? Did you picture mostly the “scandalous” sins—or did strife, jealousy, and factions feel just as serious to you?

Clarity: The message made the point that avoiding the works of the flesh doesn’t automatically produce the fruit of the Spirit—that the fruit is a result of walking in the Spirit, not the absence of bad things. How does that land for you? Does it change anything about how you’ve been approaching your faith?

Application: What’s one area of your life where you’ve been trying to change through willpower or self-effort rather than depending on the Spirit? What would it look like to surrender that to God this week?

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Additional Questions

• The message pointed out that even “good” religious activity done in self-effort and self-reliance is still “flesh.” Does that challenge or clarify anything for you?
• Paul says the whole law is fulfilled in one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” How does that reframe what obedience actually looks like day to day?
• Where do you see the tension between unity and division showing up in your life right now—at home, at work, or in this group? How does this passage speak to that?

Exploring the Scripture

Main Passage: Galatians 5:13–26 (CSB)

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By the time Paul writes Galatians, the churches in the region are in crisis. A group of teachers—often called the Judaizers—had followed Paul’s missionary work and were insisting that Gentile believers needed to be circumcised and observe the Mosaic Law in order to be truly right with God. Paul considers this a different gospel entirely (Galatians 1:6–9). His letter is an urgent defense of the grace-only gospel and a plea for the Galatians to stand firm in the freedom Christ has given them.

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Chapters 1–4 build the theological case: justification is by faith, not law-keeping. Beginning in chapter 5, Paul turns to the practical question that naturally follows: if believers are freed from the law, what keeps them from living however they want? This is the exact fear the Judaizers exploited. Paul’s answer is not to reintroduce law as a moral guardrail—it’s to point to the Spirit. The Spirit is not a substitute for law. The Spirit is what the law was never able to provide: a transformed heart.

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The “flesh” in this passage doesn’t simply mean the physical body. It refers to fallen human nature—what we are apart from Christ, the sin nature we inherited. The Spirit and the flesh are in direct opposition (v. 17). This is not a battle between the body and the soul; it’s a battle between two sources of life. When Paul lists the works of the flesh, he includes sexual immorality alongside envy, strife, and factions—deliberately placing what his audience would consider “respectable” sins next to the scandalous ones. Both come from the same source.

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The fruit of the Spirit (vv. 22–23) is presented as a single word in both Greek and English—“fruit,” not “fruits.” This is not a list of spiritual achievements to collect one at a time. It’s a unified picture of what naturally grows in a life surrendered to the Spirit. The Spirit produces what the law could only command. And against such things, Paul says, there is no law—because no law is needed where the Spirit is at work.

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Study Questions

Verses 13-15: 

Paul has already emphasized the believer’s freedom in Christ multiple times throughout this letter (Galatians 2:4, 4:3–7, 4:21-31, and 5:1). Understanding that this concept is one that could be easily confused or misinterpreted, he expands on the meaning to make it abundantly clear to the Galatians. 

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He begins by calling out three specific things that our freedom in Christ is meant to accomplish: 

1. Freedom is meant to oppose the flesh (our sinful, self-will)—so that we do not follow our own selfish desires, but God’s.    

• What do Romans 6:16-18, Hebrews 10:26–27, and 2 Peter 2:18-22 teach us about someone who chooses to continually persist in their sin? 
• Freedom is described in this passage as freedom from sin, not freedom to sin (Romans 13:14). What is the distinction? Reference Romans 6:15-23. 
• If we are truly saved, what keeps us from continuing in habitual, purposeful sin? Reference Romans 8:1-17. 
• For many people, Christianity feels more like restriction than freedom. How would you describe gospel freedom to someone who views faith as a cage? 

2. Freedom allows us to serve one another in love. 

• How does love function as the fulfillment of the law rather than a replacement for it? Reference Luke 22:24-27 and Philippians 2:5-7.
• We are not bound by the Law, but we will fulfill the moral elements of the Law when we are saved and guided by the Holy Spirit. Compare verse 14 with Matthew 22:36-40. What does it mean that “all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments?” Reference also Romans 13:8-10. 

3. Freedom keeps us from harming others. 

• Read Romans 14:1-3 and 13-21. How could practicing our freedom in Christ incorrectly cause another believer to stumble? How should we instead use this freedom to edify and encourage our brothers and sisters? 

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Having the understanding of what we have been freed both from and for, consider:

• What is the main reason WHY we should seek to constantly oppose our flesh and walk in the Spirit? 
• If our motive is not based on an external system of laws what/who should it be based on? Reference John 14:15, 21 and 2 Corinthians 5:14–15.
• If our motivation for avoiding sin isn’t rooted in love and gratitude for Jesus and what He has done for us, why are we much more likely to fail? 

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Verses 16-18: 

The more we try to force spirituality through legalism, the more we stifle the actual work of the Holy Spirit. 

• How then do we strike a balance of walking in the Spirit, but not doing so by making a checklist of dos and don’ts? 

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The greek word in verse 16 for “walk” (peripateo) is used in present tense, which indicates regular, continual action—an ongoing way of life. The Holy Spirit is the source and power behind our righteous living (Ephesians 3:16-17a), but it is up to each individual believer to continue to walk. 

• What can we learn from other examples where there is a paradox of the divine and human? Reference John 6:35-40, 2 Peter 1:19-21, Romans 8:31-39, and Colossians 1:21-23, 28-29. 
  
  • How do we make sense of this and apply it to walking in the Spirit? 

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This is not passive surrender but it also isn’t a checklist. The Holy Spirit provides the power—but ongoing commitment and action is required by us (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and Romans 6:11-14). 

• How do we balance this? Reference 2 Peter 1:3-11, Philippians 2:12-13, and Philippians 3:9-14.  

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Because we have not yet been fully sanctified, we are still subject to our sinful human nature. The Spirit-filled life is marked by a persistent struggle against the flesh that will endure until the day we are glorified.

• We continue to battle daily with our sin nature and our sinful selves. What does Paul tell us about his own experience with this in Romans 7:14-24? 
• Is victory then possible for us? Reference Romans 7:25 and 8:1–4 and 1 Corinthians 15:56. How so? Reference Hebrews 12:1–3. 
  
  

Verses 19-21: 

In order to emphasize a single key point, Paul includes lists of both the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit, neither of which is meant to be exhaustive.

• How do the phrases “and things like these” (v. 21) and “against such things” (v. 23) help us understand the intended purpose of these lists? How should this affect the way we read them? 

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The word “practice” used in verse 21 comes from the present active participle of “prasso,” indicating ongoing action. 

• What connection can we make here to what we learned about “peripateo” (walk) from verse 16? Apply this to 1 John 3:4-10, paying special attention to the word “practice” in these verses. 

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Both the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit naturally flow from each respective source. Pastor Anthony said that “the root determines the result.” 

• What does this mean when applied practically? Reference Matthew 7:16-20. 
  
  

Our biggest problem comes from within us (Mark 7:20-23). We don’t all struggle with the same sins, but we all exhibit the flesh in one form or another. Paul puts the “respectable” sins right next to the “scandalous ones”… all coming from the same source. 

• How should this humble us and help us realize the depth of our sin, no matter what our circumstances are?  

Verses 22-26: 

In contrast to the deeds of the flesh is the fruit of the Spirit—our outward indicator of salvation. Although the works of the flesh are plural, Pastor Anthony mentioned how the fruit of the Spirit is purposefully singular.  

• Why exactly is the fruit of the Spirit singular? 
• How does the fruit of the Spirit contrast with good works? Someone who isn’t saved can still perform good deeds—so what is the difference? Reference John 15:1-9. 
• The Lord desires much fruit from us (John 15:8). How can we continually manifest more fruit in our lives?

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Paul says those who belong to Christ have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Romans 6:6 and Galatians 2:20). 

• What does it mean that the crucifixion of the flesh is something that has already happened for those of us who are saved? How does this truth change the way we fight sin?
• If our flesh has been crucified, why then do we still struggle with sin?  

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We are to depend on the Holy Spirit daily for guidance and direction. Keeping in step once again indicates a continual, persistent action. 

• What does it look like practically to keep in step with the Spirit day to day, rather than only in moments of crisis?
• Pastor Anthony said that “the same grace that saved you is the grace that sustains you.” How does this truth challenge our tendency to rely on self-effort? How should this provide us with confidence moving forward? 

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Living It Out

What’s done in the flesh is sin:

Anything driven by self effort, self reliance, or self glory is done through the flesh. If something is not done by faith and if it is not flowing from dependence on God’s grace, it is still flesh, and it is sin.

• Have you ever witnessed or performed good deeds done in the flesh? What are some examples of this? 
• Have you previously thought of these actions as sin? 
• How do you distinguish between genuine Spirit-led obedience and religious performance? 
• How can we ensure our own actions are accomplished through the Spirit and not through the flesh? 
• What is our motive to begin with? What is our ultimate purpose and goal and how do we make sure we are properly aligned to Jesus?

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Reflect on your own life:

• In which areas are you more prone to act out of self-reliance? Why do you think that is? 
• How is your walk with the Lord affected when you act on fleshly desires? How are others in your life impacted? 
• What practical steps can you take to overcome tendencies that are destructive to you or others in your life that result from acting in the flesh?

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What’s done in the Spirit grows as fruit: 

The fruit of the Spirit isn’t a separate list to be checked off… it is best understood as one result. It’s not instant spiritual perfection… it’s a growing process.  It’s not meant to be collected piece by piece…  it’s God’s work of grace in our lives. 

• If we possess all of the fruit at once in the moment we are saved, how do we “unleash” it?  
• How do we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit without making a check list for ourselves? 
• What does it mean to “walk by the Spirit?” 
• How do you know when you are walking by the Spirit vs. acting out of your flesh? 
• Service of others, done in love, is one way Christ-followers can grow in Him. This week, think about who in your life you can serve and how you can serve them well. 

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The flesh will not produce the work of the Spirit:

Trying not to do bad things doesn’t mean we are doing good things. A common assumption is: if I just avoid enough bad things, good things will follow. 

• Where do you see this type of thinking show up in the church—and in yourself? 
• What’s the flaw in this logic?
• Identify one area of your life where you’ve been relying on willpower or rule-following rather than the Spirit. Spend time this week surrendering that specific thing to God in prayer—not asking him to help you try harder, but asking him to do what only He can do.

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Spirituality is not striving in the flesh, but continually depending on the Holy Spirit. 

• How can you cultivate a lifestyle that submits to the leading of the Holy Spirit instead of your own, often sinful, desires?
• What can you prioritize this week to walk more closely with God and reflect the fruit of the Spirit? 
• How might understanding that the fruit of the Spirit is singular alter the way you pursue things like patience, kindness, or self-control moving forward? What’s the difference between trying to be more patient and walking in the Spirit?
• The fruit of the Spirit grows as we walk consistently in the Spirit. Consider a few minutes each morning to acknowledge your need for God before the day begins, rather than turning to Him only when things break down.

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Prayer Focus

In today's teaching, we were told, “But spirituality is not striving in the flesh - It is continually depending on the Spirit.” 

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Jesus said in John 14:17, “He is the Spirit of truth… But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.”

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With these truths in mind, ask the Lord to remind you to keep your heart ever sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His leading.