Galatians 6:1-4
Continuing with the theme from our previous lesson, in which
Paul spends time in a warning to not misuse the freedom he speaks of to walk in
the flesh (sin), but to walk in the Spirit (Ezekiel 36:27). Paul took time to highlight specific examples
of works of the flesh. Knowing that
humans will make mistakes, he now takes time to explain how to embrace and
restore each other when we falter. As we would expect from a good teacher, he
also took the time to identify characteristics of those walking in the Spirit
(fruit of the Spirit). Paul is taking
time to teach this assembly how to treat each other in difficult situations.
o
6:1 – Accountability among believers
§
The beginning “caught in any transgression,” sounds
a lot like spiritual police
·
Do we define “any transgression” as literally any?
·
Paul’s terminology requires consideration that
if a fellow believer is caught in any
transgression. This seems very
contrary to our politically correct culture today of minding our own
business.
·
This concept seems so abrasive to us today. However, if you would put yourself in the
“sandals” of those living when Paul’s letter was written, you would probably
consider this very different.
·
Many believers were meeting daily (Acts
2:46).
·
Common practice was to discuss the Torah
throughout the day within your community.
·
The scrolls of Moses were read every Sabbath in
the synagogues (Acts 15:21) There was a
weekly rotation of passages read, that rotated through all 5 books of Moses in
one year, which is still a practice today.
·
If we were still a body of believers that met
with all or at least some of our other community believers daily, worked with
them, discussed the law with them, lived in a fairly close community together,
and heard the law read every Sabbath in the synagogue, the likelihood of
transgression goes down because accountability goes up.
·
This was a community of believers that lived the
words of God as a practice of life.
·
Correction and accountability would have been
common practice. (consider the Pharisees that would correct Jesus or his
disciples)
·
It also seems that so many Christians are quick
to quote the passage “judge not, or you will be judged” when they are
corrected. Of course, this, like so
many other passages is not taken within context, or at its real meaning. There is a significant difference between
offering correction when someone is caught in transgression vs. attempting to
pass judgment.
§
Are we really supposed to correct each other?
Isn’t that jugmental?
·
James 5:16 “Therefore,
confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be
healed.”
·
Psalm 141:5 “Let
a righteous man strike me, it is a kindness; let him rebuke me, it is oil for
my head; let my head not refuse it.”
·
Matthew 18:15-17 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between
you and him alone. If he listens to you,
you have gained your brother. But if he
does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may
be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.”
·
2 Timothy 4:2-4 “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove,
rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not
endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for
themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from
listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
·
Proverbs 10:17 “Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects
reproof leads others astray.”
·
Proverbs 9:8 “Do
not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will
love you”
·
Ecclesiastes 7:5 “It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the
song of fools.”
§
Consider Paul’s statement closer. “you who are spiritual should restore him in a
spirit of gentleness.”
·
First of all, the condition “you who are
spiritual” is given. Paul is not
charging the responsibility to just anyone within the assembly. He is
specifically speaking to those that would be considered spiritual.
·
Who would Paul consider to be spiritual?
·
Back track to what he wrote in verse 5:16 “walk
by the Spirit”
·
We know this to be a reference to Ezekiel 36:27
that God is speaking of the new covenant that “I (God) will put my Spirit within
you, and cause you to talk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
·
I would deduce that Paul (or any leader at that
time) would qualify “you who are
spiritual” to be someone that is walking in the Spirit in such a way that
God describes in Ezekiel 36 or Jeremiah 31, in which the person has such a love
for God that they want to be
obedient.
·
Restore – paints a very different
picture than the word correct. To
restore means to bring back or reinstate.
·
Spirit of gentleness – Not with
judgment or condemnation, but with gentleness
·
In the true spirit of gentleness, Jesus restored
someone caught in transgression. John 8:10-11 “Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman where are they? Has no one
condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn
you; go, and from now on sin no more.’”
o
v6:2 – “bear one another’s burdens, and so
fulfill the law of Christ”
§
First of all, what is the law of Christ?
·
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide
in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy
may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved
you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his
friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:10-14)
·
The original law had clear instruction to love
your neighbor, so why was this a new commandment or the law of Christ?
·
First, Jesus expressed that real love was the
willingness to lay down one’s life for another
·
Second, Jesus showed how to obey the Father’s
commands out of love and not a sense of obligation.
§
Bearing one another’s burdens, within the
context of how Jesus told us to love each other is to come along side our
fellow believers and help during moments that are too much for one person. More details to follow and compared to verse
5.
o
v6:3-4 – Who should we compare ourselves to and
how to we test our own work?
§
It is basic human nature to compare ourselves to
others. We compare our possessions,
houses, cars, how we dress, personalities, and even how hard we work or the
actual work we do.
§
James 2:1-13 is a lesson in showing
partiality. James references the same
teaching Paul does earlier, “love your
neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18), which is more commonly credited to
Jesus’ teaching, but he too was quoting Leviticus.
§
Paul’s point and James’ point are slightly
different but can be drawn together in high similarity. While James’ point seems to be comparing the
statuses of other people and showing partiality, Paul’s point is more personal
in teaching that we should not consider ourselves any better than another.
§
“But let
each one test his own work, then his reason to boast will be in himself alone
and not in his neighbor.” (Gal 6:4)
·
Test his own work? Test it how? Test it against the scripture. Test it against God’s perfect standard, not against
another person’s imperfect standard.
·
Consider this analogy: You have a need to make
several cuts of wood or cloth that are identical in size. You start this task by creating a template
that is the exact size. Using this
template you cut your first piece. Then,
instead of using the template again, you use the first piece as a measurement
for the second piece. Then use the
second piece as a measurement for the third, and so on and so forth. When you get to the end of cutting 100 pieces
that are supposed to be identical, you realize that the pieces are not
correct. Each piece is slightly
different along the way. By not using
the perfectly measured template, every time you used another piece as a new
template your measurement was changing just a little bit. That’s what happens when we compare our work
to another imperfect measurement.
·
Paul is reminding us to compare ourselves to the
perfect standard.
o
v6:2 & v6:5
§
First Paul wrote to bear each other’s burdens,
and just a few sentences later wrote to bear your own load. Paul used terms that were very relevant to
the community.
§
In verse 2, Paul used a derivative of the Greek
word baros (burden) which was used
to describe the weight of an overloaded ship
§
In verse 5, he used the Greek word phortion (load) which is used to
describe a properly distributed cargo or weight on a ship.
§
It is critical that when a fellow believer is
weighted down, to the point that they cannot function correctly and perhaps are
in jeopardy of failing, others come along side and help with that burden.
§
However, in contrast, it is critical that we
attempt to work through our issues, leaning on God to guide us through potential
tests (loads).
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