The Spirit has given us life is a conditional clause in the Greek (literally “if we live by the Spirit”). As in verse 18, the “if” clause refers to something that is presently existing, but it is usually better to translate “if” as “since.” In a number of languages one cannot speak of “giving life.” One can, however, say “the Spirit has caused us to live,” or possibly “… to really live” (as a means of indicating a significant new quality in life).

“To live by the Spirit” is related to two other expressions which Paul has used in this chapter, namely, “to walk by the Spirit” (verse 16) and “to be led by the Spirit” (verse 18). These expressions are essentially equivalent. If one wishes to make a distinction, perhaps “to live” would refer to the believer’s relationship with the Spirit, “to walk” would refer to the believer’s conduct, and “to be led” to the believer’s willingness to follow the Spirit’s guidance. But some translators understand “to live by the Spirit” as the Spirit being “the source of our life” (New English Bible), rather than the basis of the believer’s relationship with the Spirit (Jerusalem Bible “since the Spirit is our life”).

Since it is true that the Spirit has given us life, it follows that he should also control our lives. The Greek literally says “let us also walk by the Spirit,” and this is an exhortation to live in accordance with the implications of the believer’s relation to the Spirit. It is not the inevitable or automatic consequence of such a fact. This should not be understood as synonymous with the expression in verse 16, since Paul here uses a different word for “walk.” The word used here can be literally translated “to walk in a straight line” and probably means in this context “to behave properly according to accepted standards.” In this sense, then, the expression here is synonymous with the expression in verse 18. Some other ways of translating “walk” are “guided” (Phillips) and “directed” (Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible). He must also control our lives may simply be rendered as “he must be the one to tell us how to live,” “he should command how we live,” “we should let him command our lives,” or “we must let him tell us what we should do.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .