Galatians 6:1-10

Galatians 6:1-10

Doing Good to All

^“1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. ²Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, ⁵for each one should carry his own load.

⁶Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

⁷Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature^[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”  NIV

In this particular book of the Bible, Paul is addressing believers from the churches he established in Galatia. They had already heard his message of the Gospel and had received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, but after their conversions, they had been heavily influenced by legalistic outsiders who were telling them that he (Paul) was not an apostle of the Lord and that his message was not reliable. These false teachers, therefore, were preaching a different message; a mixture of Christianity and Judaism, of grace and law, of Christ and Moses. In this letter to them, he sought to restore their faith and beliefs to the truth.

1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

What do you need to do before this restoration?

One of the obvious answers to this would be prayer. When we, as believers, observe or learn of another believer behaving in a sinful manner, it’s very important that we pray… not only that the stray believer would realize his or her condition and turn from it, but also for ourselves; that God would reveal to us whether or not He wants us to be the ones to help…seeking the guidance of His Holy Spirit. While we may be “feeling” that it’s our place to help, we need to make sure we’re not doing it with our own selfish motives in mind. Either because we wish to harm the other person emotionally or  by reputation, or because we want to receive all the praises and glory from others, making us look better than they are. God may have some other way of working in this person’s condition or situation other than through us. And you can bet your sweet bippy… if we have THAT attitude about it, He’ll definitely use someone else.  We need to be open to seeing the situation through His eyes, being mindful of His ways and purposes. And ultimately, the outcome should result in HIS receiving all the glory.

We should also pray for God’s armor (Eph 6) so that we’re protected from any temptations we, ourselves, might experience from this.  We, as believers, are ALL capable of straying and falling into wrong ways and that fact should constantly be in the back of our minds. Every day we face situations or circumstances that may lead us to stray or fall. None of us is an exception. And above all, this has to be handled with the utmost attitude of love toward the person. It’s very helpful to a fellow brother if they feel that you have an attitude of humility and are being empathetic, with a willingness to help them. Don’t be  judgemental,  or condemning, and don’t be legalistic or confrontational. We shouldn’t be condescending or “holier than thou” as the case can sometimes be. By approaching the person with a gentle and loving attitude of grace, they can be made aware of their slip and then be led to the path of restoration.

2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

In what way is this fulfilling the law of Christ?

³⁷Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”   Matthew 22:37-40 NIV

³⁴“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  John 13:34 NIV

“Burdens” here refers to failures, temptations, testings, and trials. And instead of standing off in the distance, criticizing and pointing fingers, we need to rush to the side of a fallen or troubled brother in distress, offering encouragement and help in any possible way we can.

3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

(never harbor an attitude of superiority, or apathy toward a brother in need)

4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,

(pride here is not a selfish pride….not with motives for your own gain or benefit in mind. A man should prove his own work in the light of the God’s will and not in the shadows of someone else’s achievements. There is no room for competition in the kingdom of God. We seek no glory of our own and rejoice in the blessings received by others just as if we had received them for ourselves.)

5 for each one should carry his own load.

Is this (v. 5) in contrast to verse 2?

Not at all. In verse 2, Paul tells us that we should share one another’s sorrows, sufferings and problems. Here he is making the point that we are each responsible for our own actions with regard to the Judgement Seat. No blame shifting allowed.  Verse 2 is a reference to hardships, where verse 5 is a reference to personal obligations or responsibilities in behavior that each man must bear for himself.

6 Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

What does “all good things” mean to you?

While there are generally two schools of thought here…one being that “all good things” has a material or monetary meaning, and the other being that the phrase refers to spiritual or experiential blessings, we, of the study session, came to the collective opinion that the second meaning would be more appropriately taken. This is not to say that it doesn’t mean monetary or material blessings, because it very well may mean that. God blesses us in many ways and He calls us to bless others through and with the blessings He bestows on each of us…not just in our experiences and lessons, but in our material blessings as well. I have heard it said that since God has promised us that He will provide for us all that we need for each day, anything we have over and above that we should give away or share with others in His name to further His kingdom, edify His church and glorify His name. We are commanded to not store up treasures. (but that’s another topic for another day, I’m sure)

But in light of the context of this particular passage where Paul is talking about brotherly love and encouragement, spiritual blessings might fit better.  I, myself, can identify with the spiritual point of view completely in that I have learned so much from so many “teachers” in my personal walk with Christ and am all too anxious to share the ways that I have been blessed through those teachings with the one who taught me. What a wonderful way to encourage and bless your “teacher” by showing how God is working in your life through his or her guidance or leadership. And it is indeed a “trickle down” effect or rather “trickle out” might be a better way to put it. They bless you,…. and then your blessing, in turn, blesses and encourages them, ….and then you bless someone else, they bless someone else, and on, and on, etc. and etc. All of you receive the collective blessings and will grow in your own spiritual walks. And God receives the glory. Oh, if we only knew just how many lives we’ve touched through our outward display of our love for Christ! But then again……maybe it’s just as well we don’t….for we might be more prone to boasting. 🙂

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

(you get back what you give out)

8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

(God sees everything we do and knows everything we think….No one who does anything with selfish motives will be blessed Him. To any degree)

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

(Everything for His glory, His honor and His praise. To increase His kingdom and edify His church. In due time, …in His time, we will have our glory in Heaven, with Him)

10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Why should we especially do good to believers?

As a family of believers, we are obligated to one another for encouragement, guidance and growth. We should always have God’s kingdom in mind, and we should see the world through “Christ-colored” glasses. By doing good to one another we are establishing and maintaining unity in the body of believers, or the church, if you will. And by golly….we certainly need unity. In this day and age, fighting the battles that are waging…we need to stick together. By doing good to other believers, we are contributing tremendously to their growth…not just spiritually, but emotionally, professionally and/or financially. We are one body and by doing so we are thereby building and strengthening that body. This goes back to the “trickle out” concept.

He writes “as we have opportunity” – meaning not when we feel like it

And…. here we are again…..back to our selfish nature. Too often, when presented with a situation, we can get caught up in our own selfish needs or desires and altogether fail to think of God’s plan and purposes. And actually, we can be quite effective in quenching the Holy Spirit in some cases. There are times when God has shown us an opportunity to work through us and we either don’t see it (’cause we’re blind to His ways most of the time) or we decide to not be involved. Not that He won’t use someone or somehow else, but by “opting out” of it, we’re completely missing out on the blessings from it. And so it goes…..oh my gosh….we don’t have time for it ….. we’re busy with something else, something “more important” , or we’re prideful…..”I’m above that”, or we’re apt to be selfish with time or money “I have better things to do”…..”let someone else deal with it”…”there are lots of other people more suited or equipped for that”…..any excuse we can think of to avoid it. The trouble is…there are too many people who feel these sentiments, and too few who don’t. We each have the tendency to live and stay in our own little worlds and fail to wear those “Christ-colored” glasses. I’m guilty of all of these things, myself…..I, too, have said  every one of these very things. However, through a lot of struggling with my own “self” issues, I have learned and continue to learn daily to keep my eyes on Him. Trying to see every situation, and every opportunity as an opportunity that He may have placed before me to share Him with others…be they believers or not. Seeking His guidance in hopes that He needs me to be His hands and feet in whatever I see at that particular time. Every morning I ask Him “Please Father, help me to see every opportunity that You place before me. Help me to not miss any way that You need me to be there for You. Help me to see every person, or situation as a way that I can do Your will. Guide me and lead me in all my ways…everything I say and everything I do, to bring glory, and honor and praise to You.” Amen.

It is important to note that all of the commentary notes written after each of the above listed questions are a summarization of the thoughts, insights and expressed experiences of all the participating study session attendees. These explanations and commentaries are NOT the sole opinions, ideas or expressions of this blogger. And of course, God had a lot to do with it too.

And please remember….if you live in the Mt. Vernon area, you are always welcome to attend our Bible study sessions held every Wednesday at 6:30pm at the Gospel Supply Shop. We would love to see you.