You ran well: Though Paul is aware of their strong beginning in the faith, he also understands that a strong beginning is not sufficient. They remained in jeopardy of losing favor.

Who hindered you from obeying the truth? Paul was aware that the incorrect teaching was propagated by someone OTHER than Jesus.

At the root of it all, the Galatians were leaving Jesus to pursue the false and empty teachings of man, Paul referred to this as legalism.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump: It is emphasized that legalism and other ideologies that diminish Jesus are corrupting influences that are like leaven in a batch of dough.

A small amount will rapidly taint the entire mass.

In the minds of the Jews, leaven was virtually invariably a symbol of an evil influence.

Paul claims that although their current level of legalistic devotion may be modest, it is extremely hazardous and has the potential to ruin everything.

I have confidence in you: To end the confrontation on a positive note, Paul expressed his faith in the Galatians (which was really confidence in the Lord who is able to keep them).

However, Paul was equally certain that those who lead them astray and away from Jesus would face judgment.

Remember Jesus’ solemn warning against those who would lead one of these little ones astray:

If I still preach circumcision: Paul wished that those who demanded circumcision among the Gentiles would go all the way themselves

Paul also wished that these legalists would be cut off from the congregation of the Lord.

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty: Paul often emphasized that the Christian life is a life of liberty.

Jesus did not come to hold the captives in servitude or to make them slaves once more; rather, he came to set them free.

It is important to consider whether others perceive us as being free and independent. Christians are frequently perceived as being more rigid and petty than everyone else.

Only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh: The legalist's greatest worry is that freedom will be exploited for selfish purposes.

The great fear of the legalist is that liberty will be used as an opportunity for the flesh.

The idea is that people will just go out and sin as they please, then say to a spineless God, “I’m sorry, please forgive me,” and then go on doing whatever they want again.

Paul recognized the danger of this attitude, so he warned against it here.

Paul is writing to the brethren… sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26) … who were baptized into Christ and have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27).

As Paul put it earlier in the chapter, they have been made free by Jesus Christ, now they are called to stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free (Galatians 5:1).

They have been set free; now the question is, “How will they use their liberty?”

Do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh: Clearly, we can choose to use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh.

That option — that danger — is open to us.

We can take the glorious freedom Jesus has given us, spin it, and use it as a way to please ourselves at the expense of others.

Because the context focuses on the way we treat one another, Paul has in mind using our freedom in a way that tramples on the toes of others.

It is easy to think liberty is “the right to sin,” or “the privilege to do whatever evil my heart wants to do.”

Instead, this liberty is the Spirit-given desire and ability to do what we should do before God.

But through love serve one another: The flesh expects others to conform to us, and doesn’t care much about others.

But when we through love, serve one another, we conquer the flesh.

It isn’t through an obsessive, contemplative attitude that we overcome the flesh, but by getting out and serving others.

For all the law is fulfilled: This attitude of service towards one another fulfills the great commandment (You shall love your neighbor as yourself)

It keeps us from destroying ourselves through strife (beware lest you be consumed by one another!).

Bite and devour one another: This reminds us of a pack of wild animals.

That’s how the church can act when it uses its “liberty” as a platform to promote selfishness.

If you want to see some action, put two selfish people together.

Selfish people will eventually be consumed by one another.

Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh: Simply put, if we walk in the Spirit (instead of trying to live by the law), we naturally shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

The fear of the legalist was that walking in the Spirit gives license to sin.

They view legalism as the only way to remain holy, this is just plain wrong.

First, walking in the Spirit first means that the Holy Spirit lives in you.

Second, it means to be open and sensitive to the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Third, it means to pattern your life after the influence of the Holy Spirit.
When someone walks in the Spirit, they listen to what the Holy Spirit says as He guides us in the path and nature of Jesus.

And you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh: There is no way anyone can fulfill the lust of the flesh as they walk in the Spirit.

The two simply don’t go together.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t move in us to gratify our fallen desires and passions, but to teach us about Jesus and to guide us in the path of Jesus.

This is the key to righteous living walking in the Spirit, not living under the domination of the law.

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: The secret is to walk in the Spirit, but it's not always simple to do.

It's often a struggle. The Christian is engaged in a conflict within himself or herself between the spirit and the flesh.

The spirit and the flesh, according to Paul, are in direct opposition to one another and do not get along at all.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law: The antidote to the flesh is not found in the law, but in the Spirit and if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are evident: Paul has just written about the battle between the flesh and the Spirit in every believer.

Though it is an interior, invisible battle, the results are outwardly evident.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul needed to be specific.

Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness: These are all sensual sins, relating to sex. We are often appalled at the sexual immorality of our day, but we should remember that the times Paul wrote in were as bad if not worse.

Idolatry, sorcery: These are religious sins. They are sins of worship, and remind us that it isn’t only tragic to worship the wrong God, or seek the wrong spiritual power — it is sinful as well.

Hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envies, murders: These are each “people” sins.

Sins that primarily express themselves in how we treat others.

He passionately cares about how we treat one another.

Drunkenness, revelries: These can be thought of as social sins.

Sins that are often committed in the company of other people.

Of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past: This shows that Paul often instructed Christians in how they should live, and this wasn’t just an occasional emphasis.

Paul knew that we are saved by God’s grace and Jesus’ work alone, not by what we have done, are doing, or promise to do.

He also knew that those who are saved by God’s grace have a high moral obligation to fulfill — not to earn salvation, but in gratitude for salvation, and in simple consistency with who we are in Jesus.

Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God: To walk in these works of the flesh is to be in plain rebellion against God.

Those in plain rebellion against God will not inherit the kingdom of God.