Galatians 5:18 (DRB)

Passage

But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law.

Nearby Context

Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the spirit: and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the spirit: and the spirit against the flesh: For these are contrary one to another: so that you do not the things that you would.

Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest: which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury,

Galatians 5:20 Idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit" and "under". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "under", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "For the flesh lusteth against the spirit..." into verse 19's "Now the works of the flesh are...", so "Spirit" and "under" belong inside that flow. In Galatians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "under" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.