Paul has established in his letter to the Galatians, that we are not under the burden of the law, but are to walk in the Spirit. That the flesh and the Spirit are diametrically opposed to one another. And if we walk in the Spirit, then we will keep the spirit of the law, but not be under the bondage of the law.
At the end of chapter 5 he also gave us characteristics of living in the flesh as opposed to walking in the Spirit. He says in vs 19, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Those sins are the characteristics of living according to the flesh, and he said those that practice such things are not saved. The caveat is that they practice such things. It’s their life pattern. It’s not that those that are saved can never commit such sins, but they are not their life practice.
However, he goes on to say that the life practice of the saved exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Vs22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” The fruit of the Spirit is love, and all those things characterize love.
And in Vs24 Paul adds, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” Paul says we are to die to the passions of the flesh so that we might walk in the Spirit. But the implication there is that this is an ongoing battle with the flesh. It’s not a once and done deal where you no longer have to deal with the temptations of the flesh. But you are no longer held captive by the flesh.
Now in chapter 6, he continues to talk about this war between the flesh and the spirit. Notice that it is addressed to those who belong to Christ Jesus. He is speaking to the “brethren.” This last chapter is bookended by the word “brethren,” which is a word that is reserved for those who are saved, those who belong to Christ.
But inherent in this admonition, is the recognition that all we like sheep have gone astray. There is a tendency, even among those who are walking in the Spirit, to turn aside to the lusts of the flesh. This is speaking about Christians who have stumbled in their walk. This trespass is not their practice, it is their past, but nevertheless, they have fallen back in to sin.
So Paul speaks to that in chapter 6 vs 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.”
You who are spiritual, that is, you who are walking in the Spirit, then manifest the fruit of the Spirit, which is gentleness. I think that this is a broad admonition, which can be applied to all within the church. But I think Paul may have specifically in mind the pastor of the church when he says, you who are spiritual. And I say that because it is the shepherd’s job to correct the wandering sheep. That’s not to say that there aren’t other spiritual people in the church. We would seriously hope so. But the context of this section of scripture seems to be oriented towards the pastor more than the rest of the congregation.
But regardless of who catches someone in a trespass, the point is in how you deal with someone who has stumbled and fell into sin. The idea is approaching the person with the goal of restoration and with gentleness. Not harsh condemnation. Not some heavy handed approach that says you’re on double secret probation for the next year to make sure you never have this problem again. But with gentleness, with humility, lifting that person up from where they have fallen, and showing them the means by which they might be restored.
And as we discussed last week in our study in Psalm 27, when David had been caught in the double trespass of adultery and murder, the path to restoration was through repentance and forgiveness. The word restore comes from the Greek word “kataritzo” which means to ‘put in order’ and so to ‘restore to its former condition’. It was used in secular Greek as a medical term for setting a fractured or dislocated bone. It is applied in Mark 1:19 to the apostles who were ‘mending’ their nets.” So the idea is restoration of fellowship with the Lord. Sin always breaks fellowship. And you can’t walk in the Spirit unless you are in fellowship with Him.
But the one who is spiritual is to restore the fallen one in a spirit of gentleness because they recognize their own proclivity to the weakness of the flesh. Some pastor from many years ago made famous the remark upon seeing a saint of God that had fallen into sin, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” Jude said, in Jude 1:23 “And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” The fear is that but for the grace of God, go I. Realizing that we are all prone to the weakness of the flesh. We are all prone to being overtaken by the hounds of hell that assail us, and tempt us, and cause us to despair.
That’s why we need one another. We need help, we need encouragement, we need someone to lean on. In vs 2, Paul says, “Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” The picture that comes to my mind is one of two brothers in arms on the battlefield. One is wounded, and they have their arms around one another, holding each other up as they run.
The one wounded is not the enemy. He is your brother. He needs your support. He doesn’t need your condemnation or judgment. He doesn’t need you to gossip about him. He needs a brother in arms to help bear the burden of his sin. To help him to know forgiveness, even as Christ forgave us.
And that support that you give is called love. Paul says when you bear one another’s burdens you fulfill the law of Christ. What is the law of Christ? It’s the law to love one another. Jesus said in John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” You know, that whole list of sins which we looked at back in ch.5:19-21 are aberrations or perversions of love. The whole world is seeking love in all the wrong places, through all the wrong means, with catastrophic results. So much can be changed by the right kind of love. I’m not talking romantic love. I’m talking a love for one another. Someone who cares about you, listens to you, talks to you, has fellowship with you can eliminate a lot of temptations to find the wrong kind of love.
So rather than being condemning of others who may have fallen, be mindful of your own weaknesses. Paul says in vs 3, “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” First of all, be mindful of the sin of pride in your own life. Pride in thinking that you are not as bad as your brother. But in actual fact, you are a sinner saved by the grace of God, and only made righteous by the grace of God. It’s not your righteousness that saves you, it’s Christ’s. Your righteousness accomplished nothing.
1Tim. 5:24 says, “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their [sins] follow after.” That means some sins are more evident than others. Your brother might have problems with the temptation of drugs or alcohol. You might have trouble with the sin of pride and envy. You don’t think your sin is evident to others. It may or may not be. But it’s still a sin, and God sees it and wants you to deal with it, not deceive yourself by thinking you’re better than someone else.
Vs4 “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.” Instead of deceiving ourselves, we must make a careful and a sober examination of our works before God. If we don’t, and if we carry on under our self-deception, then we may think our works are approved before God, when really they aren’t. We want to have our work approved before God, so that our rejoicing on the day of reward can be for our own work, and not in the work of another.
Paul isn’t advocating taking pride in yourself. But in a honest examination of yourself. In 2Cor. 13:5 Paul says, “Test yourselves [to see] if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?” And he says in 1Cor. 11:31 “But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.”
And in the next verse Paul speaks of that judgment that each man will have to bear in vs 5, “For each one will bear his own load.” At first glance this might seem like Paul is contradicting himself. Earlier, he said, we are to bear one another’s burdens. Now he says, each must bear his own load/burden. But there is a different word in the Greek that is used for burden in those two verses. In vs2, he speaks of our need to care for others in the body of Christ. In vs5, Paul speaks of our final accountability before God.
So what he is saying in vs 5 is that each man will stand before the judgement seat of Christ when our works will be examined before the Lord. Rom 14:10 says, “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” And Paul speaks of that day of accounting again in 2Cor. 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” So rather than judging others, we should examine ourselves that we will not be judged.
As Christians, we are not going to be condemened at the judgement for our sins. Jesus was condemned in our place and He bore our punishment. So God will not be so unjust as to commit double jeopardy. He will not judge a sin twice. What we will be judged for though as Christians is our works. What we have done with what God has given us. What kind of steward have we been with what God has entrusted us with.
And to that, Paul speaks in vs 6, “The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches [him.]”. I take great pride in the fact that as a pastor I rarely speak of the need for giving to the church. We never make appeals for money. We purposefully don’t pass an offering plate at this church, as so many other churches are wont to do, simply to avoid looking like we are serving our own interests.
But when the scripture which we study verse by verse brings up the topic, I must expound the word then as diligently as I do other passages. But it is not a comfortable topic for me to talk about. Martin Luther, (not King, but the Reformer Martin Luther) said on this verse, “These passages are all meant to benefit us ministers. I must say I do not find much pleasure in explaining these verses. I am made to appear as if I am speaking for my own benefit.”
Nevertheless, to share in all good things has the idea of financial support, but it is not limited to it. One commentator said, “Of the variety of interpretations of Paul’s words here the most common is also the most likely: this takes share in the sense of active giving and all good things in the sense of material goods.
This is a basic, though sometimes neglected spiritual principle. Those who feed and teach you spiritually should be supported by you financially. Paul repeated this principle in several other places. 1 Cor. 9:11 says, “If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?” And 1 Cor. 9:14 says, “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should get their living from the gospel.” One more; 1 Tim. 5:17, “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.”
For those who are reluctant to share in all good things with those who teach them, Paul reminded them of God’s principle of sowing and reaping. Vs 7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” Their giving (to share in all good things with him who teaches) isn’t like throwing away money; it is like planting seeds, and whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. I would remind you that your giving should be as if you are giving to God, and not to man. And if you do it unto the Lord, then the Lord will reward you. And the Lord sees and the Lord knows what you sow and He will provide the increase.
If I had a choice, I would not mention this verse about sowing and reaping at all. It has been much abused by the television evangelists that promise that if you sow a seed by sending them some money, God will grant you health or wealth or whatever it is that you desire. Usually they promise you more money. I don’t want to sound like I am aligning with that fleecing of the sheep that goes on with those false teachers. But there is a spiritual principle here that the Lord advocates as a means of increasing your reward in heaven. I don’t suggest that it will enrich you on earth, but you will be enriched in heaven for what good you have done on earth. I would hope that is enough inducement for you to share.
And I would also say that under the OT law, the nation of Israel had to tithe about 25% of their income once you added all the special offerings and regular offerings and so forth that were mandated under the law. Now we are not under the Mosaic Law, as Paul has made expressly clear in Galatians. However, the principle of giving remains, and if we are walking in the Spirit, then we will give, but cheerfully and not under compulsion. So we are not mandated by the law to tithe, but we are asked to share as God has prospered you.
Vs8, “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.” Jesus relayed the principle in this way in Matt. 6:19-21 saying "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
So then, vs 9 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” It takes a long time to grow a crop and reap the fruit of that crop, doesn’t it? We should not expect to see an immediate response to our good deeds. We don’t always see a quick benefit to our pocketbooks. But in due time we will reap. Due time speaks of the appointed time. And that time which is appointed, when either we shall die, or the Lord returns, is coming in due time. Paul says don’t get discouraged. Don’t be like so many Christians, who are hot for a while, and then they go through a cooling down period. And then one day they are cold, stone dead. The Christian life calls for perseverance. Being faithful until the end. Being consistent in season and out of season.
It’s kind of like exercise. I was talking with my wife about my new year’s resolution to be more diligent in my exercise. I’m sure that’s a common resolution for many people. But I don’t get up in the morning and think about whether or not I feel like going out for my walk when it’s cold and dark outside. I don’t think about it. I just lace up my tennis shoes and put on my coat and walk out the door and begin my walk. If I waited until I felt like it, I would never do it. I imagine the same principle is true in the Christian life. Do what is right whether you feel like it or not, whether you are discouraged or happy. And that discipline will overcome the weariness that threatens to discourage you.
In summary then, Paul says in vs.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.” While we have opportunity. Jesus said in John 9:4 "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” There is coming a day, an appointed time, when for each of us our work will end. And then we will stand before God and give an account for the work that we have done or haven’t done. While we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
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