"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," Galatians 5:17-21.
Paul mentions 17 works of the flesh which are these:
1. Adultery. According to the Dictionary, adultery is: “Violation of the marriage bed; sexual intercourse between a married man and a woman not his wife, or between a married woman and a man not her husband.” (Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridged – Second Edition.)
Adultery is an obvious violation of the seventh commandment. In the Old Testament, adultery was punished with the death penalty by stoning those involved in such a transgression. The Word of God condemns this sin in serious terms. Through the prophet Malachi, the Lord declared: “And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that He regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. Yet ye say. Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously; yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not He make one? Yet had He the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That He might seek a goodly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that He hateth divorce: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts; therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously,” Malachi 2:13-16.
2. Fornication. “Voluntary sexual intercourse between an unmarried woman and a man, especially an unmarried man.” (Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridged – Second Edition.) This is also a transgression of the seventh commandment (Exodus 20:14). “[The seventh] commandment forbids not only acts of impurity, but sensual thoughts and desires, or any practice that tends to excite them. Purity is demanded not only in the outward life but in the secret intents and emotions of the heart. Christ, who taught the far-reaching obligation of the law of God, declared the evil thought or look to be as truly sin as is the unlawful deed,” Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 308.
3. Uncleanliness. This “work of the flesh” is the opposite of cleanliness. It includes both moral and physical impurity. In His sermon on the mountain, Christ declared: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8. Nothing that defiles will enter into the city of God (Revelation 21:27). All who are to be dwellers in heaven will have become pure in heart here. A growing distaste for careless manners, unseemly language, and coarse thought will manifest in one who is learning of Jesus. When Christ abides in the heart, there will be purity and refinement of thought and manner.
“But the words of Jesus, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart,’ have a deeper meaning—not merely pure in the sense in which the world understands purity, free from that which is sensual, pure from lust, but true in the hidden purposes and motives of the soul, free from pride and self-seeking, humble, unselfish, childlike.” —Thoughts From the Mount of Blessings, p. 25.
4. Lasciviousness. A tendency to excite lust, an intense desire for sensual pleasure.
5. Idolatry. The worship of either physical or mental idols. “By idolatry [Paul] meant not only the worship of idols, but self-serving, love of ease, the gratification of appetite and passion. A mere profession of faith in Christ, a boastful knowledge of the truth, does not make a man a Christian. A religion that seeks only to gratify the eye, the ear, and the taste, or that sanctions self-indulgence, is not the religion of Christ.” —The Acts of the Apostles, p. 317.
6. Witchcraft. “1. The power or practices of witches; sorcery; black magic; bewitching attraction or charm; enchantment; irresistible influence; fascination.” (Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridged – Second Edition.)
"The very name of witchcraft is now held in contempt. The claim that men can hold intercourse with evil spirits is regarded as a fable of the Dark Ages. But Spiritualism, which numbers its converts by hundreds of thousands, yea, by millions, which has made its way into scientific circles, which has invaded churches, and has found favor in legislative bodies, and even in the courts of kings—this mammoth deception is but a revival, in a new disguise, of the witchcraft condemned and prohibited of old.” —The Great Controversy, 1888 edition, p. 556.
7. Hatred. We need to make recognize the distinction between hating sin and hating individuals. God hates sin but loves sinners (Hebrews 1:9; 1 John 4:16; John 3:16). Sinful human beings hate other sinners but love sin. Christ emphasized the principle of love by giving us a perfect example of loving not only His friends and brothers but even His enemies and murderers. Before leaving His disciples and returning to heaven, He declared: “This is My commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this than a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12, 13. And John, the beloved disciple, wrote: “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15).
8. Variance. This word is synonymous with discord, contention, dissension, difference, strife, and conflict.
9. Emulations. “It is the desire or ambition to equal or surpass. Emulation is an ardent desire for superiority arising from competition." (Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridged – Second Edition).
10. Wrath. Violent anger; vehement exasperation; indignation; fury. Here, we need to recognize the difference between divine wrath and sinful human wrath. God hates sin. Sinful human beings hate other sinners who are like themselves. The apostle Paul declares: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. For it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19 Revised Standard Version.
11. Strife. (see Variance, point 8).
12. Seditions. Dissension. The stirring up of discontent, resistance or rebellion; insurrection. (Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridged – Second Edition).
13. Heresies. “A doctrine, opinion, or set of opinions or principles at variance with established or generally received views or doctrines. A doctrine or belief that is contrary to the fundamental doctrine or creed of any particular church." (Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridged – Second Edition. ) Paul admonishes us: “A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.” Titus 3:10, 11. “Paul was about to finish his course, and he desired Timothy to take his place, guarding the church from the fables and heresies by which the enemy, in various ways, would endeavor to lead them from the simplicity of the gospel.” —The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 506, 507. According to our understanding, heresies are doctrines contrary to a “thus saith the Lord.” They are teachings against the revealed Word of God.
14. Envy. “Invidia , hatred, ill will. A feeling of discontent and ill will because of another’s advantages, possessions, etc.; resentful dislike or another who has something desirable. Desire of some advantage or possession belonging to another” (Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridged – Second Edition).
15. Murder. In His sermon on the mount, Christ declared: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire,” Matthew 5:21, 22.
“Through Moses the Lord had said, ‘Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart. . . . Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,’ Leviticus 19:17, 18.”
“The spirit of hatred and revenge originated with Satan, and it led him to put to death the Son of God. Whoever cherishes malice or unkindness is cherishing the same spirit, and its fruit will be unto death. In the revengeful thought the evil deed lies enfolded, as the plant in the seed. ‘Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him,’ 1 John 3:15.
“‘Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca [vain fellow], shall be in danger of the council.’ In the gift of His Son for our redemption, God has shown how high a value He places upon every human soul, and He gives to no man liberty to speak contemptuously of another. We shall see faults and weaknesses in those about us, but God claims every soul as His property—His by creation, and doubly His as purchased by the precious blood of Christ. All were created in His image, and even the most degraded are to be treated with respect and tenderness. God will hold us accountable for even a word spoken in contempt of one soul for whom Christ laid down His life.” —Thoughts From the Mount of Blessings, pp. 55-57.
16. Drunkenness. Intoxication; inebriation. The quality, habit, or condition of being drunk. “Wrong habits of eating and drinking destroy the health and prepare the way for drunkenness.” —A Call to Medical Evangelism and Health Education, p. 40.
“The same sins that brought judgments upon the world in the days of Noah, exist in our day. Men and women now carry their eating and drinking so far that it ends in gluttony and drunkenness. This prevailing sin, the indulgence of perverted appetite, inflamed the passions of men in the days of Noah, and led to wide-spread corruption. Violence and sin reached to heaven. This moral pollution was finally swept from the earth by means of the flood. The same sins of gluttony and drunkenness benumbed the moral sensibilities of the inhabitants of Sodom, so that crime seemed to be the delight of the men and women of that wicked city. Christ thus warns the world: ‘Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.’ [Luke 17:28-30.]” —Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, p. 11.