Love in Action

After reminding his audience of the new freedom they had received in Christ, Paul cautioned them not to misuse it. He urged them to recognise that though they were called to be free, this freedom should not be used to gratify the desires of the flesh, but instead expressed through humble service to one another in love. And that is the very message of Christ, the lesson He imparted to His disciples during the final meal He shared with them.

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Galatians 5:14 (NIV)

Loving Each Other

Believers often struggle to love one another because instead of walking by the Spirit, they are giving way to the desires of the flesh. Rather than building each other up, they fall into backbiting, looking for opportunities to tear each other down—or at least damage the image of others. This reveals a “holier than thou” attitude, where pointing out the shortcomings of others becomes a way of covering up one’s own.

In such an environment, building oneself up takes priority over building others up. Our Spiritual life, which should be a matter of living faithfully before God, gets twisted into a performance where one feels the need to prove our relationship with God to others. This reflects a lack of genuine love for God, and when love for God is absent, it becomes impossible to love others as He commands.

If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Galatians 5:15 (NIV)

Paul warns that when believers are busy devouring each other, they are not walking towards God but away from Him. Instead of serving one another humbly in love, they become consumed by rivalry and self-exaltation. This competitive spirit within the church destroys unity and blinds believers to the very freedom they have in Christ. True love can only flow when our focus is on God, and from that love for Him springs the capacity to love one another.

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Galatians 5:26 (NIV)

Conflict Between Flesh and Spirit

For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.
Galatians 5:17 (NIV)

The Spirit and the flesh stand in contradiction because they pursue entirely different ends. The Spirit seeks to accomplish the will of God, leading us into holiness and love, while the flesh strives only to gratify our own desires. The Spirit draws us closer to God, producing fruit such as love, joy, peace, and self-control, whereas the flesh pulls us toward passions and practices that are destructive, corrupt, and ultimately opposed to God. The desires of the flesh are evil because they are rooted in self-centredness and rebellion, and in this fallen world it becomes convenient to yield to them than to follow the path of the Spirit.

Yet a critical question arises: if the cross of Christ is before us, why do our passions and desires still follow behind us? The answer is that we are often unwilling to let them go. Unlike the man in Jesus’ parable who sold everything to purchase the field or the pearl of great value, we often desire the pearl without surrendering anything. Like window-shoppers admiring treasures while refusing to release what they already have, we long for the promise of life in Christ yet continue to cling to the fleeting satisfactions of the flesh. As long as we hold on to the old ways, we remain vulnerable to being consumed by them. To truly walk in the Spirit requires crucifying those desires, not merely restraining them.

Carry Each Other’s Burden

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:1-2 (NIV)

Carrying the burdens of others is not easy, especially when we feel weighed down by the weight of our own struggles. Paul calls us to bear one another’s burdens in order to fulfil the law of Christ. The key lies in recognising how Christ Himself bore our greatest burden—our sins. He was able to do so because He was sinless.

In the same way, we cannot truly help others if we remain trapped in our own sins. Only when we die to sin and surrender ourselves to God can we begin to support others without being crushed under its weight. Otherwise, it becomes like the blind leading the blind, where both stumble and fall.

To carry another’s burden requires first coming to God to lighten our own load. Jesus invites us to lay our burdens upon Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When we allow Him to strengthen and free us, then we are equipped to walk alongside others, helping them in their weakness and guiding them back to God.

Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else
Galatians 6:4 (NIV)

Testing our actions begins with coming into the presence of God and measuring ourselves against His standards, not against one another. Too often we fall into the trap of comparing ourselves with other believers, thinking their weaknesses excuse ours or their strengths condemn us. But Paul reminds us that each of us must walk our own road before God.

The journey of faith is not a communal marathon but an individual walk, where every step is accountable to Him. The only comparison worth making is between our present life and the grace of God at work within us—how He has transformed us and how we continue to grow in Him.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

Paul urges believers not to grow weary in doing good by reminding them that perseverance in godly living is rooted in God’s strength, not in immediate results or human recognition. People often become weary because the fruit of their efforts is not immediately visible. When they do not see change in others, they give up. Weariness also comes when good deeds are tied to expectations—hoping for praise, reward, or reciprocity.

At times, people may even do good with hidden motives, using it as a way to elevate themselves or to devour others. But this is not the good Paul speaks of. True goodness flows from walking in step with the Spirit and being led by God. When good works are born out of His leading, they are sustained by His strength, and therefore we will not grow weary. In due season, the harvest will come—not because of our striving, but because of God’s faithfulness.

This is the very essence of living by the Spirit: inwardly walking with God and outwardly doing good to all. It means doing good to everyone, shining the light of Jesus into their lives, loving even the unlovable, praying for those who persecute us, and helping to lighten the burdens of others. In this way, Spirit-led living is not just internal transformation but a visible witness of Christ’s love in action.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do believers often struggle to truly love one another, allowing a spirit of competition to take root within church relationships?
2. Why do our passions and desires continue to dominate our lives even when the cross stands before us?
3. How do we carry the burdens of others when our load is too heavy for us to bear?
4. Why are we so prone to comparing our spiritual life against that of other believers?