Galatians 5

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Paul warns that accepting circumcision as necessary means severing oneself from Christ and grace; what counts is “faith working through love.” He calls them to use their freedom not as an opportunity for the flesh but to “serve one another through love,” fulfilling the whole law in loving one’s neighbor. He contrasts “the works of the flesh” with “the fruit of the Spirit” — “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” — and urges them to “walk by the Spirit” and “keep in step with the Spirit.”