Galatians 5:20 is Paul’s warning that certain attitudes and habits, including idolatry, hatred, quarrels, and factions, belong to a way of living driven by the flesh rather than by God’s Spirit. The verse is a list in a longer passage that contrasts two ways of life, and it names the kind of behavior that splits communities apart. Paul wrote it in his letter to the churches of Galatia, a group of congregations in the Roman province of Galatia in what is now central Turkey.
Idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies…
Galatians 5:20 (WEB)
What Galatians 5:20 Means
The word “idolatry” in this verse points to placing something other than God at the center of your life, whether an object, a status, or a desire that takes over your loyalty. “Sorcery” refers to attempts to control or manipulate spiritual powers, a practice common in the ancient world. Paul also lists “hatred,” “strife,” “jealousies,” “outbursts of anger,” “rivalries,” “divisions,” and “heresies,” which are relational and social failures. He describes them as the fruit of a life lived for self rather than for love.
The verse does not describe a single bad moment. Paul’s list is about patterns, the habits and attitudes that become normal when a person or community is not being led by the Spirit. It does not say that a believer will never feel anger or disagree with someone. It describes what happens when those feelings are allowed to shape how you live together with others. Read carefully, the verse is a diagnosis that invites honest self-examination, not a promise of perfection.
The Context of Galatians 5:20
Galatians was written to correct a serious problem. Some teachers had come into the Galatian churches insisting that Gentile believers must keep the Jewish law, including circumcision, to belong fully to God’s people. Paul argues that people are made right with God through faith in Christ and that the Spirit, not the law, is what produces a changed life. Chapter 5 turns from the question of how we are justified to the question of how we live once we are free.
Verses 17 through 23 set the flesh against the Spirit. Just before verse 20, Paul lists sexual sins, and just after it he lists envy, murders, and drunkenness, before describing the fruit of the Spirit. Seen in that frame, the list in verse 20 is not a random catalog of vices. It belongs to a sustained contrast between a life of self-centered conflict and a life shaped by love, joy, and peace. Reading the verse alongside its neighbors shows that Paul is describing a whole way of life, with its roots in the heart and its results in the community.
Key Phrases in Galatians 5:20
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
(WEB)
These verses describe the fruit of the Spirit, the positive counterpart to the works Paul lists in verse 20. Reading them together shows that Paul is not only warning against vices but also describing the character that God’s Spirit cultivates in those who belong to Christ.
Romans 12:18
If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.
(WEB)
Paul’s counsel to live peaceably with others echoes the concern in Galatians 5:20 about strife and division. It offers a practical way to respond when conflict arises, focusing on what you can do rather than on controlling another person’s response.
A Short Prayer From Galatians 5:20
Lord, you know the places in my heart where jealousy, anger, and pride have taken root. I confess that I often look to other things to make me feel secure, and that I sometimes want my own opinions to win more than I want peace among your people. Search me and show me what needs to change. Fill me with your Spirit so that I can love the people around me, especially when we disagree. Help me to be a person who builds unity rather than division, for the sake of your name. Amen.
