Bible Study Galatians 6: 1-18

 

Bible Study Galatians 6: 1-18

Our text:

Bear One Another’s Burdens

6 Brothers, even if [a]anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, each of you looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 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. 5 For each one will bear his own load.

6 And the one who is instructed in the word is to share in all good things with the one who instructs him. 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 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. 9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 10 So then, [b]while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

11 See with what large letters I [c]am writing to you with my own hand! 12 As many as are wanting to make a good showing in the flesh, these are trying to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted [d]for the cross of Christ. 13 For those who [e]are circumcised do not even keep [f]the Law themselves, but they want to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through [g]which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new [h]creation. 16 And those who will [i]walk in step with this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

17 From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Verse by verse commentary

Verse 1: “Brothers, even if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, each of you looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”

Those who are walking with the Holy Spirit and denying the flesh, should reach out to the believer whom sin has ensnared, but should be cautious lest sin also ensnare them in the process. Paul provides this excellent method of dealing with those caught in sin. Notice, it does not include embarrassment, gossip or verbal attacks. The Greek word translated “restore” means put in order, mend; to make complete, equip, train; to prepare. Think about the next time you may find yourself needing to restore someone. Make sure you mend, make complete, and train that one that needs help. That is fulfilling the law of love.

Verse 2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

“Burdens” are extra heavy loads, which here represent difficulties or struggles people have trouble dealing with, sometimes self-inflicted. “Bear” means carrying something with endurance. The “law of Christ” means the law of love which fulfills the entire law from God’s Word. This can be difficult because people’s lives can be messy and need a lot of time from us. We are to look to Christ as our model. Christ never compromised with sin and neither should we. Stand firm for the truth and do it in love.

Verse 3: “ For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”

We are all made out of the same dust. When we see a brother commit sin, we should remember that it might have been ourselves. Stand in love, be compassionate, but don’t compromise the truth of God’s Word in the names of tolerance or inclusion. The old expression was, “the hills we die on.” This meant the doctrine or teaching was so important that we could not bend on that point. These are the essential doctrines relating to salvation.  If a Christian has a superiority complex, it is a form of self-deception. Certainly we should never think that bearing others’ burdens is beneath our dignity. We are called to do this for the body of Christ.

Verse 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.”

Paul exhorts the Galatian Christians to examine themselves as individuals before God, rather than drawing false confidence from relative comparisons with others. We like to compare ourselves to others and like to compare others to God. This is unfair and dangerous. We should live our lives looking to Christ and not others. The only boasting we should have is to boast in the cross of Calvary where the Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself to pay our sin debt.

Verse 5: “For each one will bear his own load.”

This is a different Greek word from the “burden” referenced in chapter 6 verse 2. Paul is signaling a shift in the metaphor. He encouraged Christians to help others with the “burden” of overcoming temptation, but here Paul means that we should not take pride in how much better Christians we are when we compare ourselves and look hypocritically at other professing believers, for God alone is our Judge. Let us never forget that everyone of us will give an individual account of our life to our Supreme Judge when our days on earth are over. Live each day as if it is your last.

Verse 6: “And the one who is instructed in the word is to share in all good things with the one who instructs him.”

Although this expression “good things” could refer to the giving of money to the teacher, the context suggests that Paul is primarily referring to the spiritually and morally excellent things learned from the Word, in which they share a common bond. 

Verse 7: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

This farming principle, applied metaphorically to the moral and spiritual realm, is universally true. This law is a form of God’s wrath. God will one day pour His wrath on those who have rebelled against Him and rejected the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The unsaved shall reap an eternity of Hell fire because they rejected Christ. When we started our real estate business, this verse was one of our cornerstone principles. Too often, people think just about money, but this verse is much more important than just dollars. In our business, we wanted to sow into the lives of those working for us and we knew we would reap the blessings of helping and thinking about others. 

Verse 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.”

The word “flesh” used here speaks of giving into the lusts and cravings of your flesh. . c From The Greek word for translated “corruption” means decaying food. Sin always corrupts and, when left unchecked, always makes a person progressively worse in character. I remember being a new minister and an older preacher told me the following: “Sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you ever wanted to pay.”  “Sowing to the Spirit means to walk by the Holy Spirit. “Reap eternal life” describes not only a life that endures forever but, primarily, the highest quality of living that one can experience. Your best life now is being a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 9: “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

We see this principle in the life of David. His sin was glaring, and many think of him as being an evil, sinful man. But sin did not characterize David’s life. It is interesting that a drop of black ink on a white tablecloth can be seen from a long distance, but a drop of black ink on a black suit would never be noticed. Other kings during that period of time were so bad that, when they committed a sin such as David did, it would not be noticed. But in David’s life it stands out like a horrible blot. David had a heart for God. Even in his confession, he reveals his hunger and thirst for God. But David sowed sin and reaped a terrible harvest in the lives of his own children. The message of this verse is not to give up and keep doing what you know is right, and eventually you will reap what you have sown. 

Verse 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.”

The church has a responsibility to help relieve the suffering of those outside its fellowship, but it has a special responsibility to help brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need. This must be our response to the needs of others. If we have the ability to help, we should help. We need to live our lives looking for opportunities to show Christ’s love to those in need.

Verse 11: “See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand!”

Oftentimes, Paul dictated his letters to a secretary who wrote his words down, but customarily wrote the conclusion himself. His “large letters” may mean that his eyesight was poor. No one knows for sure what Paul’s physical limitations were. Only that he sought healing but God responded that His grace was sufficient for him.

Verse 12: “As many as are wanting to make a good showing in the flesh, these are trying to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.”

The Judaizers were motivated by religious pride and wanted to impress others with their external piety by making a public show of their religious behavior. I have called these types of people today as “unsaved religionists.” They want your respect not Christ’s provision for sin. They want to rely on their obedience as opposed to the offensive cross at Calvary. By adhering more to the Mosaic law than to the gospel of Jesus, they hoped to avoid social and financial persecution from other Jews and maintain their protected status as Jews within the Roman Empire. They valued their lives more than they did their souls.

Verse 13: “For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they want to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.”

The Judaizers are the subjects of this verse. They zealously worked to win Gentile converts to the Law so they could brag about their effective proselytizing. Again, they were building their kingdoms, not God’s Kingdom. We see this often in churches in the USA who focus on the numbers, money and programs. We need a return to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and focus on His Plan and Will.

Verse 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.”

The Greek word translated “boast” is a basic expression of praise, unlike the English word, which necessarily includes the aspect of pride. Paul glories and rejoices in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Paul’s boast was a “Praise the Lord.”  The word “world” means the evil, Satanic system and all its efforts to cause you to compromise. Paul says that the world has been crucified to him. The world is spiritually dead to believers, and they are dead to the world. To be dead to the world is to live the Spirit-filled life. The old term was to be consecrated which means generally to have surrendered all to the Lord, your past, present and future.

Verse 15: “For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”

The Holy Spirit’s activity in the believers’ lives reverses the effects of the Fall and creates a new person. This is one hundred percent the work of God. Man only brings his sin into the process. There is nothing of value in man that God owes him anything. Man is a sinner. The Father made a covenant with the Son in ages past to die for the elect, and the Holy Spirit covenanted to apply the Truth of the Gospel message to the hearts of those who would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The verse stands for the proposition that you are never saved by your will or works, you are only saved through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 16: “And those who will walk in step with this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”

Salvation brings major changes in your life. The old saying is that the old dog on the back porch will know when you get saved by the way you treat him. I have used the illustration that if you moved from Los Angeles to New York, you would change where you get your mail, shop, or buy groceries. You would have left LA behind because now you live in New York. It is the same with salvation. You become a new creature in Christ with a new heart.  “Peace” means the believer’s new relationship to God, and “mercy” is the forgiveness of all his sins and the setting aside of God’s judgment. “Israel of God” means all Jewish believers in Christ, i.e., those who are both physical and spiritual descendants of Abraham.

Verse 17: “From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.”

Paul is referencing the physical results of persecution (scars, wounds, etc.) that he experienced as one who had suffered for the Lord. Let us never forget those who are persecuted for their faith everyday. Ponder that thought. Everyday, there is a brother or sister in Christ that pays a physical penalty everyday for refusing to deny the Lord Jesus Christ. Never forget the persecuted.

Verse 18: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.”

This verse is a fitting conclusion to the letter in which Paul is most intensely focused on God’s grace. The benediction summarizes Paul’s hope that among the Galatians the gospel of God’s grace will triumph. Let us never forget the central message of the book of Galatians: salvation is by grace. God doesn’t owe us salvation. The only reason anyone is ever saved is because of God’s grace. Amen and amen.