New life in the Spirit

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have “crucified” the flesh, with its passions and desires ([Gal] 5:24). While a relapse is always possible, and would be extremely serious (6:7-8), Paul’s chief concern is to celebrate the fact that the Spirit creates a new mode of existence, exposing the multi-headed Hydra of “the flesh” (5:19-21) and slaying it by a superior power (5:16, 24). The new community is not fated to repeat the failures and dysfunctions of “the flesh.” The creative power of the Spirit has fashioned a new alternative.—J. M. G. Barclay, Paul and the Gift, 428