Galatians Chapter 5

vs 19-21

It's a long list. And as I often like to do when I see these long lists, I like to know exactly what we're talking about. It's not really necessary - the translation is pretty good, and the idea of the verse is not to build up a new Law (after all Paul just said about the Law!) but to realise that there is a lifestyle commitment which ns required of Christians.

Porneia - illicit sexual intercourse (so basically any sex outside of marriage, or with animals, dead people, close relatives - you name a wrong thing to do with sex, that's what the word means)

Akatharsia - literally means "uncleanness", but is often used metaphorically to talk about impurity of thoughts and actions

Aselgeia - quite hard to define in English, but basically it means outrageous, unbridled excessive lust.

Eidololatreia - you should recognise it from the word. Idolatry.

Pharmakeia - looks like pharmacutical, because it's the root of that word, and literally means administering drugs or poisons. That's how it became linked with witchcraft. But don't let that lead you into thinking that Paul is condemning herbal medicines or something, or that this is a precursor to all those celtic druidic old ladies being burned at the stakes in the 13th century (that's a lie anyway - but I've not got the time to go into it). It is almost always found in the context of idolatry, and the practices fostered by it. Metaphorically, the word means "the deceptions and seductions of idolatry", which shows you just how close this link is. So it is the use of potions and so on in magic in service of idols. Hence evil. Hence in this list.

Echthra - Enmity is a good translation. So hatred is equally good.

Eris - Not to be confused with eros, this word is of unknown affiliation (so they're not sure what it's a root of or what root is is from) but it basically means quarrelling and arguing, almost wrestling.

Zelos - literally zeal. And zeal isn't a bad thing usually, but it can have the sense of being envious and jealous, and that is why it's in this list. If you see the word zelos in amongst sexual immorality and arguments etc, then you can be sure it is meaning the bad kind of jealous zeal.

Thumos - the kind of anger which boils up quickly, but then quickly subsides again. So fits of anger or angry outbursts is a good translation.

Eritheia - translated "selfish ambition", it literally talks of people who encourage partisanship in order to push themselves forward. So the kind of ambition that is not people-friendly, bad ambition.

Dichostasia - literally means division or dissention. So those who divide people, who are not reconcilers, are on this list.

Hairesis - this is the word from which "heresy" comes. You'll be interested to know that it literally means "to lay siege to a city". It comes from the word "to choose", and hence why it means heresy. But here it is focussing more on the idea of choosing a faction to be a member of - the word in that way is often used negatively of the Pharisees etc.

Phthonos - this word also means envy, but there are two things to be noted. Firstly, this word has a very different root to zelos - this one comes from "to corrupt or destroy". Secondly, this word is linked to the factional idea of the previous word (in the same way that witchcraft is linked to idolatry, although not as strongly). So there is a difference between a zealous jealousy, and a factional envy.

Methe - they would hit the meth way back then, it seems, because it means intoxication or drunkenness.

Komos - in one way it's hard for us to imagine a komos. A lot of the time they were half-drunken parties held after a feast which would flow down the street with torches in honour of Bacchus or Dionysus or someone or other. We just don't have these 'gods of pleasure', so it's hard to imagine people doing this in a religious way. But of course, all of us in Australia know what it's like to have groups of drunken youths tear up the street with absolutely no religious conviction, mearly enjoying themselves. This sort of behaviour was taken to extremes by people like Emperor Nero, who Penny tells me was very much like a Droog a-la "Clockwork Orange", getting very much involved into ultra-violence and rape and the like. Hence you can see why this is on the bad list.

Don't forget "and the like" - this is not by any means an exhaustive list. Perhaps a list which picked on the Galatians and what they were up to or used to be up to, but anything like this sort of lifestyle is completely against God, and as such these people are not the kind of people who inherit the Kingdom of God. Having said that, of course, Paul doesn't mean that people who act nice and don't do these things, but aren't Christian, will inherit the Kingdom - merely that people who call themselves Christian but do these things won't.

vs 22-23

Thank you Mal Key for putting these verses to song. Now I will never ever forget them, and that is wonderful.

Should I do a list of these things? Probably.

Agape - the famous greek love word. The kind of benevolent, active brotherly love that Christians should show.

Chara - the word means joy, but my understanding is that it is very much linked in with a relationship with someone. If you were to say "my joy comes from you" or "you are my joy" you would use this word. So it most probably means not the joy of a happy day or a nice comfortable life, but the joy of being in relationship with God.

Eirene - this is the word you use when there has been a cessation of violence and war, either between nations or between individuals. From this flows its other definitions - safety and prosperity (only possible in peacetime), the peace of salvation (only possible because of our peace with God), the lack of fear of death and judgement because of that salvation, and the blessed state of the righteous after death (like "rest in peace").

Makrothumia - it alomst literally means "long-lasting". So endurance, perseverance, patience all fit under this idea. Reverend Lovejoy might say "sweet, sweet constancy".

Chrestotes - really means moral goodness and benignity. So kindness is a good word. But it's not just a pitiful kindness, it is a kindness out of morality.

Agathosune - this word means something similar, but the focus is more on the uprightness and propriety of your life and actions. If righteousness is a status, then this is the action of that status.

Pistis - faithfulness, either in something or to something.

Prautes - it really means meekness or mildness. The idea is one of non-retaliation or reliance on your own strength. A person who understands and relies on God's strength to take care of things that are happening, rather than trying to correct them herself, is a meek person. It doesn't mean doing nothing - it means relying on God to do things. When you look at it this way, it's not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of incredible strength.

Egkrateia - the person who controls her appetites and desires.

And of course there is no law against these things! Like Peter says, who is going to persecute you for doing good? The answer is that people will, but God will never judge you as wrong when you are doing these things for him.

vs 24

Another mark of the Christian is their putting to death (by crucifixion of course) of the passions and desires of their sinful nature. It would be easy to get the word "passion" wrong though, because this word (pathema) is the word that is used when people talk about "the passion of the Christ". It is a word very much linked to suffering. So a not-incorrect translation could be the "sufferings and lusts of the sinful nature". When you think about the passion of the sinful nature as a suffering, an evil affliction, it makes a hell of a lot more sense to put it to death.

vs 25

It's only sensible that if we live by the Spirit, then the Spirit should guide our steps. We should ive a spiritual walk by the cadence of the Spirit.

vs 26

I really don't know why we do this, but of course we do. We build ourselves up as the righteous one, and then we provoke other people into arguments about the things we are "so right" about, and we challenge them on it. Far out, what a way to cause divisions and factions! No wonder Paul speaks out against these things.