Bible Study - Galatians Chapter 6
Bible Study - Galatians Chapter 6
| 1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. |
This first verse is an excellent example of how Paul can put so much theology and doctrine into a single sentence. First, in order for a person to be caught in a trespass, which means caught in a sin, other Christians must have witnessed it and judged it to be a sin. The "judge" word to some people is like showing Dracula the cross. But people who are living right shouldn't fear it. So first, we must deal with one of the most misquoted and misused verses in scripture. People who are doing wrong like to misquote Matthew 7 and say we aren't supposed to judge. Ironically, in saying that they are judging that the other person is judging. And they are judging that judging is wrong. It's a logical impossibility. We can't say not to judge without judging ourselves. Matthew 7:1-5 "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Nowhere does it say not to take the speck out of our Christian brother's eye. It says not to be a hypocrite. The person who tells others they shouldn't judge is not just misusing this scripture, but is actually violating it. What it is saying is we cannot help our brother with his sin unless we have that same exact sin fixed in our own lives. This would seem to be common sense, but it's not common at all. People routinely accuse others of the sin they are doing themselves. Often, the person they are accusing is actually innocent. So we are supposed to judge, but not hypocritically. This verse has a couple of conditions for us to restore others. First, we must be spiritual. That is, we are walking in the Spirit, not the flesh. This doesn't mean being without sin. It means people who are deliberately and intentionally walking in the Spirit. This is an intentional and regular habit. Second, we must restore them in a spirit of gentleness. Those who don't have that gifting should refrain from at least the initial confrontation. Failure to do it in gentleness is more likely to drive them away from God than to Him. Finally, Paul gives a warning. We must examine ourselves to make sure we are walking right, because in correcting someone else it is possible and even likely to fall into the same sin. When trying to rescue someone from quicksand we must be firmly rooted on solid ground or risk being pulled in with them. Most people's path to sin and/or addiction begins with who they associate with. |
| 2 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. |
This verse is often taken out of context, and without its context it means nothing. The burden is sin, and not being aware of it being sin. We are to help our brothers out of their sin, and to help them learn to discern it for themselves. Essentially, we are helping them stay on the spiritual path. It is a big deal that Paul declares that this is how we fulfill the law of Christ. In 5:14 Paul declares that the whole law is fulfilled in the statement you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said the whole law and prophets depend on that and loving God with everything we are in Matthew 22:37-40 and elsewhere. The bottom line is, if we do nothing about a brother in sin, we are not helping them with their burden. Therefore we do not love him. And we are not fulfilling the law of Christ. Although it doesn't say how we are to go about this. My opinion is we are to use the gifts we have been given to the best of our ability. Some have to ability to restore in gentleness. Others have the ability to teach so people will be able to discern for themselves. And others have the ability to encourage and build up. |
| 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. | This verse is in support of verse 2. Verses 3-5 appear to be using a Greco-Roman maxim or proverb, although there is no record of it. (That is not surprising. Most such things were lost in time.) Either way, this is a proverb-like saying supporting the conclusion of the previous verse from the opposite point of view. The person who thinks they are something is someone who holds an unwarranted and narcissistic view of themselves. Whereas a person who humbly puts themselves in a position to help their brother bear their burdens seems to be putting themselves in a subservient position in the view of the world. But in the Christian worldview they are fulfilling the role of Christ, and are therefore greater and more Christ-like. This ties in with the instruction of 5:25-26. |
| 4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. |
While it is Christ-like to bear the burdens of our brothers and to do so requires that we judge where they are at in their walk, we must examine ourselves more thoroughly and more often than we examine others. We cannot bear another's burden if we have that burden ourselves. A parallel is Matthew 7:1-5 which really says that before we can help our brother we must have fixed the same sin in ourselves. Only when we are right in our own life with that sin can we help our brother bear his. However, how we help others is not a cause for boasting. We are not responsible for how others advance in their walk. We are only responsible for our own walk in Christ. And while our helping our brother with their burden is right and good, their improvement is for them to boast of and not ours. |
| 5 For each one will bear his own load. | On casual reading this appears to contradict verse 2. However, that is not the case. In reality this is in support of verse 4. Essentially, verses 1-5 are about two concepts that must be kept in balance. One is individual responsibility, without which the second is not possible. And the second is community support, which also enables the first. We are made to live in community, and in community we can help each other stay on the straight and narrow path. However, ultimately each person is responsible to God for their own walk as Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:10. A person's failure is not the group's failure, and the same goes for their success. Supporting each other is following God's command and plan. But the result in others is not our responsibility. |
| 6 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. |
Here Paul turns to support in a material sense. In essence, he is acknowledging a church office of teacher, and stating that those who are taught ought to support their teacher financially. As those who taught were taking time they away from supporting themselves, this was only right. This also explicitly makes teaching one of the ways we bear one another's burdens. In the early church there was an administrative leader, who had to be right with the gospel and able to teach. However, teaching was not their primary duty. It seems that any teaching they did was to the other offices under them as needed, particularly for correction and exhortation. The primary duty of the administrator was to decide policy and oversee the other church workers. The first overall administrator was James, the half-brother of Jesus. Then there were teachers who gave instruction in the gospel, scripture, and doctrine. This was the primary duty of the rest of the apostles, as well as many hundreds of others appointed by Paul, Timothy, and others. Then there were the deacons who were the primary care givers. They oversaw food and money distribution to the poor and widows, comforted the sick, and maintained the church. All were under the leadership of James. In modern times we lump all these offices together under the title "pastor". Ironically, in my experience those churches that claim they are trying to be like the first century church are the furthest from in it in how they set up their church. |
| 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. |
Sowing is another word for planting. Reaping is another word for harvesting. At first glance this appears to be further instruction on financial giving. However, from here through verse 10 go far beyond just financial giving. These verses cover all of Christian life. God sees how we operate. Nothing is hidden. This principal applies to all areas of life. That we reap what we sow is a law of nature. If we plant poisonous plants, we harvest poison. If we plant good things to eat we harvest good things to eat. If we plant nothing we only have weeds to harvest. A farmer who does nothing, then complains it isn't fair their neighbor who worked hard has an abundance to harvest is a fool. When the idle fool tries to get the government to make it "fair" they are a liar and a thief. They got what was fair because they planted nothing and got weeds. To take the produce of their neighbor they did nothing to earn is to steal their labor. It's a backdoor version of slavery. One who skips school and plays video games will not get a high-value job. One who is self-disciplined and works hard will achieve. One who spends all they earn will never get ahead, and will find themselves in a disaster when normal challenges of life happen like their car breaking down. One who saves a portion for later and gives into the Kingdom of God will prosper. A person who neglects or misuses their God-given talents will face God's judgement. Those who use them properly and for the advancement of the Kingdom will be rewarded. We have freedom in Christ. But those who abuse it will face the consequences. This verse contradicts our pagan society and flips it on its ear. The left, and most of academia teach that that there should be equity, that is equality of outcome regardless of behavior, choices, or skill. Except some people should get more based on their group identity. This is utter nonsense, and impossible to achieve. Those who try always end up giving themselves special outcomes far above the misery they give to everyone else. Prov. 22:8 He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, And the rod of his fury will perish. Job 4:8 According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble harvest it. |
| 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. | While how we use our money is related to this verse, it is more tangental than its subject. What this is really about is behavior in general. Our flesh and spirit are in opposition. So the question is which will we favor. A person who has the habit of doing the desires of the flesh will bring corruption in their life. A person who makes a habit of walking in the Spirit brings life, and that more abundantly. Self-gratification is self-destructive. Seeking to be more Christ-like results in becoming a better person and reward in heaven. Our actions have eternal consequences. |
| 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. |
Farmers are patient. They prepare the field, plow it, plant it, weed it, fertilize it, watch and protect it. And after months of waiting they are rewarded with a bountiful harvest, many times bigger than what was planted. If they give up too soon all their labor is in vain. In like manner, when we study scripture, learn the gospel, gather to worship, and use our gifts for the benefit of God and others, we reap the benefits. If we neglect that and instead indulge our sinful desires, we reap destruction in our lives. To be clear, this has nothing to do with salvation. This is about having a successful Christian life here, and reward in heaven. However, the consequences of sin are in this life and the next. |
| 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. |
This is the conclusion to the teaching that began in 5:13. While we have the chance, now and in this life, we should do whatever good work we can put our hand and mind to. There is a significant principle here that some get backwards. Our priority should be to do good to those who are in the church. There is a tendency of some to virtually ignore those who are in the church and only focus on outreach to those who aren't. The reality is there are many in the church that need our help, whether it is encouragement, teaching, correction, financially, help with problems at their home they don't have the skill to fix, helping them find a job, and so on. We should be doing outreach, but not at the expense of helping our own. |
| 11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. |
Paul writes this to emphasize, in a written form of foot-stomping, that what is to follow is very important. The evidence is clear that Paul at least sometimes used a secretary to write for him. He ends 1st Corinthians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians with a postscript that he writes in his own hand. That doesn't mean the other letters were written by a secretary rather than Paul himself. That he is emphasizing he is writing big in his own hand implies he was using a secretary, but it isn't for sure. It really doesn't matter. The takeaway is that the end of this letter is significant. |
| 12 Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. |
What is so important is to lay bare the bad motivations of the Judaizers. And therefore, remove any incentive to follow their un-Christian instructions. Essentially, these Judaizers were doing this for purely selfish reasons. They were getting pressure from other Jews about being Christians. But if they could show that they were turning Gentiles into Jews that would placate their families and associates. And circumcision is the sign of becoming a Jew. Instead of being concerned with God's opinion, they were solely focused on themselves and the opinions of non-Christian Jews. |
| 13 For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. | These Judaizers were embracing the freedom of Christianity in not following the law. But they were being hypocrites trying to bring Gentiles under the law they no longer followed unless they were around other Jews. By being able to brag about the gentiles they had circumcised they were able to present the false appearance of Judaic piety. |
| 14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. | Here Paul points out the primary failing of the Judaizers. They were boasting about something they were hypocrites on and to the wrong people. The only thing to really boast about is that Christ was crucified for us, and by that we are saved and are his. In us, all that is worldly and of the flesh has been crucified. It is dead and gone. And we are dead to the world. Christ is our world now. |
| 15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. | Circumcision or not, it is meaningless. That we are a new creation in Christ is the real thing. |
| 16 And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. | Uncharacteristically, Paul qualifies his blessing to be upon only those who walk by this rule, which leaves out the Judaizers. He adds that it also be upon the Israel of God. However, this is not really an addition. The Israel of God is the Israel that is following God. Those that reject the Messiah are not followers of God and are excluded from Paul's blessing. |
| 17 From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus. | Paul's scars are a sign and symbol of his commitment and identification with Christ. And they are proof of the sincerity of his preaching. No matter the opposition or how much pain he had to endure, he stayed faithful to the gospel. |
| 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. | This is a typical benediction to Paul's letters. Brethren, adelphoi in Greek, can accurately be translated as brothers and sisters as it is in the NIV. This word is inclusive. The final word, Amen, is the same in Greek, Hebrew and English. But many do not know what it means when they use it. Literally, it means "truly", a strong affirmation of what was just said. |
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.