Observation: These verses are Paul's famous "fruits of the Spirit", declaring those characteristics that we should see within ourselves when we are filled by the Holy Spirit. He ends the list with the line that is usually translated "against such things there is no law", but in this translation reads "the law is not against such things".
The interesting element is that it is "the law" Paul has been discussing for ... well, for this entire letter to the Galatians. "The law" is exactly that, the law of Moses; the law handed down by God to the Jews; the thing which we as Christians are free from, and that we must not be seeking to comply with. Over and over, Paul has said that the law exists to guide our earthly (or 'flesh') lives, and faith exists to guide our spiritual lives, and thus by faith in Jesus we can now live spirit-filled lives instead of being slaves to earthly flesh. And yet now, Paul provides a list of qualities we should have in our lives, and concludes that list by aligning them to that very law.
While I am not certain, I suspect that Paul is actually saying something deeper here, and something that continues his lesson about the law. In verses 19-21, he listed many behaviors that are "works of the flesh", and anyone can read this list and know immediately that all of them are addressed by some law. He then therefore highlights the next list of positive qualities are not addressed by any law. A better translation (in my opinion) might read "about these qualities the law is silent". This would be because - again - the law addresses our weak, earthly, flesh-driven behaviors. These qualities are pure and spirit-driven, therefore the law is silent as to them ... the law is not against them because they aren't even part of the earthly issues the law is designed to address.
In other words, the law exists to address our base sinful behaviors. The Holy Spirit instead leads us to an entirely different set of behaviors, and if we live in that spirit then the correction won't really matter, because we will be living differently. This is truly why we don't need to live by the law ... because if we live by the Spirit, we will live according to the law without even really trying.
Application: I cannot tell you how much I truly wish I lived with the fruit of the Spirit in my heart. It would change my life.
I know I am growing in this. I have SO much more of all these characteristics than I had 15 years ago. Yet I also know I am not filled with them, and struggle most with self-control. I feel this means the Holy Spirit has decided I am not yet worthy for him to fully embrace ... that somehow I push him away too often and so I have a little of him, but not a fullness. I wish this would change.
Prayer: Lord, with all my heart I desire more of you and your Spirit in my heart. May there be more of you, and MUCH less of me, within this earthly body. Amen.
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