SCRIPTURE Galatians 5:16–21 “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”   

COMMENTARY Christians who live in a sinful manner after coming to Jesus Christ will not enter the kingdom of God.  Paul contrasts the difference between being indwelt by the Holy Spirit and walking in the Holy Spirit four verses later in Galatians 5:25. This cannot be written to unbelievers for several reasons.  First, if Paul is telling the unsaved Galatians that stopping bad works is the basis of their initial salvation (that is they must stop doing such things to be saved), he has deceived them by not faithfully representing the gospel that initial salvation is by faith alone.  But secondarily, Paul tells the Galatians in v16 to walk by the Spirit, something unbelievers cannot do since they don’t have the Spirit. Finally, to Paul the idea that they shall not inherit the kingdom of God suggests this is related to final salvation.  That is they will not receive the consummation of their salvation leading to eternal life.