Galatians 5:25

εἰ ζῶμεν πνεύματι κ.τ.λ. St Paul returns to the thought of Galatians 5:16 a, but by the way of contrast to Galatians 5:23 and of development of Galatians 5:24. It is not the Law but the spirit by which we must regulate our life, as I said in Galatians 5:16 a.

Yet St Paul, as usual, recule pour mieux sauter. As Galatians 5:16 a served as an introduction to the true means of holy living, so here he shows how life by the spirit will lead them to right relations to others. This, it will be noticed, had been slightly touched upon in Galatians 5:13-15, and indirectly in Galatians 5:20; Galatians 5:22.

πνεύματι is probably to be translated ‘by the spirit,” as in Galatians 5:16 Lightfoot translates it “to the spirit,” referring to “the parallel passage” Romans 6:2; Romans 6:10-11, and comparing Romans 14:6; Romans 14:8; 2 Corinthians 5:15. But in all these places the meaning is clear from the context. Here nothing suggests so sudden a change. On πνεῦμα see Appendix, Note F.

πνεύματι καὶ στοιχῶμεν ατοιχεῖν, Galatians 6:16; Romans 4:12; Philippians 3:16; Acts 21:24[153]. See note on συνστοιΧεῖν, Galatians 4:25. It is more than περιπατεῖν (Galatians 5:16), for it regards the walk in relation to others, who are also walking. It suggests unity, and perhaps discipline.

[153] Is affixed to a word it means that all the passages are mentioned where that word occurs in the New Testament.