that the life of faith in Jesus Christ and life in the Spirit is characterized by freedom (5:1), freedom especially from the law and its curse. He then showed what this freedom meant regarding circumcision (vv. 2–12). His main point was that submitting to circumcision meant abandoning Jesus Christ and the grace of God. Paul now applies the doctrine of freedom to the issue of fighting off the “flesh” (Gk. sarx; translated “sinful nature” in the NIV; we will use the word “flesh” throughout this chapter).