Galatians 6
Support One Another
1 Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.
If a believer falls into sin because of weakness, he is to be restored by a spiritual Christian. There are three types of men mentioned in the Bible. The natural man is the unbeliever, who is not interested in the things of God. The carnal Christian is a baby Christian, who is either new to the faith, or an older Christian who has failed to mature. A spiritual Christian is one who is strong in the faith. It is the mature Christian who is restore the one who is weak. He is to do it gently, without condemning. He needs to be careful that his restoration ministry does not seduce him into the same sin. Sin is so powerful and seducing, it can snare even the more mature Christians.
2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
The Greek word for "burden" is βάρος (barks), meaning a heavy weight that carries personal and eternal significance. This weight is so heavy, that without assistance, it will cause the man to stumble and fall. This means that believers are to help other believers when they are overpowered by sin, temptation, or persecution.
This Greek imperative is an example of the Law of Christ. The Law of Moses had ended, but it was replaced with the Law of Christ. The Law of Christ are the Greek imperatives listed throughout the New Testament. The Law of Christ is not kept for salvation. Instead, it is studied and applied, because one loves Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Believers are not to have a high opinion of themselves. Believers are only in their present position, because God chose them before the foundations of the world. The doctrine of election and predestination should humble proud believers.
4 Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else.
The believer is to lead such a life, that when examined, others know exactly where he stands.
5 For each one will carry his own load.
God has predestined every believer to do a job. The believer needs to seek out God's will and do it.
Sometimes skeptics will falsely claim that verse 5 and verse 2 disagree. However, this is not the case, because there are two different Greek words used for "burdens. In verse 2, the Greek word for "burden" is βάρος (barks), meaning a heavy weight that carries personal and eternal significance. In verse 5, the Greek word for "load" is φορτίον (photon), meaning a burden that can possibly be carried by an individual. Therefore, it only takes one little Greek word to destroy the skeptic's argument.
6 Now the one who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with the one who teaches it.
The Bible student is to share his material earnings with the one who is instructing him. In this way, the bible student assists the teacher financially, so he can spend more time studying and teaching. The Bible student helps his teacher carry the load, so that he will not stumble and fall.
7 Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows,
The Law of Christ continues, as one reaps what he sows, either good or bad.
8 because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.
If one sows in the flesh, he will reap in the flesh. If one sows in the spirit, he will reap in the spirit.
9 So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.
Believers are to keep continually spreading and planting the seed of the Word of God, even if it takes a long time for the crops to grow and mature.
10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.
If one must decide between secular or Christian charity, then the choice should be Christian. If one must support a shallow-teaching or deep-teaching church, then it should be the one that teaches at the deepest level.
Final Instructions and Benediction
11 See what big letters I make as I write to you with my own hand!
Since Paul was given so much divine revelation, he was given a thorn in the flesh in order to keep him humble. The Philippians wanted to give Paul their own eyes. It is very possible that Paul had eyesight problems. If so, then this little blind man brought down the Roman Empire.
12 Those who want to make a good showing in external matters are trying to force you to be circumcised. They do so only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.
Paul gave three motivations of the Judaizers. First, they wanted to avoid persecution, which came with following the Messiah of the cross. Anyone who teaches the Messiah of the cross will be persecuted, especially in the region of Galatia during the time of the Roman Empire. Both Rome and Judaism were enemies of the cross.
13 For those who are circumcised do not obey the law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised so that they can boast about your flesh.
Second , those who were attempting to force the Mosaic Law on the Galatians were not able to keep the Law themselves. The Jews of Judaism created many excuses and oral laws as to why they could not keep certain parts of the Law themselves.
Third , they wanted to boast about how many Gentiles that they could circumcise.
14 But may I never 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 proper motivation for evangelization was glorifying the cross of the Messiah. When Christ was crucified by the world, Paul was crucified to the world. In other words, Jesus on the cross freed Paul from the Mosaic Law. He no longer had to carry this impossibly, heavy burden. He was dead to the world, but alive in Christ.
15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that matters is a new creation!
Circumcision will not save. Neither will water baptism, confessing sin, repenting of sin, saying a salvation prayer, walking down an aisle, confessing Christ verbally, or receiving Jesus into one's heart. These are all conditions of works salvation. Teachers who teach these methods are adding to salvation. In Acts 16:31, Paul gave the only condition of salvation, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." Grace alone by faith alone plus nothing equals salvation. Those who teach otherwise are guilty of teaching false doctrine and they place themselves under the anathema curse, as stated earlier in this letter (Galatians 1:8).
Jews are to be circumcised on the basis of the Abrahamic Covenant, but it it not a condition of salvation. Gentiles are never commanded to be circumcised (except for the once case of Timothy. who was half-Jew and half-Gentile).
The only thing about salvation that matters is that the believer is to be a new creation, meaning that he is born from above. Salvation is a complete gift of God. Man cannot even ask for it until the Holy Spirit wakes up his dead spirit so that he can hear and understand the call. The call is efficacious and cannot be resisted.
16 And all who will behave in accordance with this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on the Israel of God.
All of those who follow this Law of Christ knew that circumcision does not save, because the new birth was the only condition of salvation. Those who experience the new birth do so because of God's mercy. The new birth brings peace and mercy to the believer.
Man is a sinner who is an enemy of God. Man can make peace with God only through the new birth. Those who are the elect are given mercy. The only reason they receive mercy is because God chose them for salvation before the foundations of the world were even created. They were chosen by God before they even did anything good or bad.
There are two groups who will receive this peace and mercy, or salvation. The first group is the Gentile believers in whom Paul was writing. The second group is "the Israel of God." Gentiles are not "the Israel of God". The Israel of God is the remnant of Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah. Paul was writing to them as well in this letter, because the Galatian church was a combination of both Jews and Gentiles.
Many amillennialists are forced to spiritualize this passage in order to make it fit their false teaching that "the Israel of God" is the church. Literally, the Israel of God is the believing Jewish Remnant, which has always been small, even in the days of Elijah when there were only 7000 of them. The church never teaches about "spiritual Jews". This is a term invented by the amillennialists.
17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.
The Greek word for "marked" is στίγμα (stigma), meaning a brand mark that was burned into the skin.
There were four kinds of people who were branded during the Roman Empire of Paul's day. Soldiers were branded with the name of their commanders. Paul was a soldier of Christ. Slaves were branded with the name of their owners. Paul was a bond slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a slave who willingly followed his Master by love for life. Criminals were branded upon their body the name of their crime. Paul was branded for the Roman crime of preaching Jesus, an illegal religion in Rome. Pagan devotees were branded with the name of their gods. Paul was branded with the name of the Messiah.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.
Paul ends this letter with grace, a spiritual concept that the Galatians needed to master. The Galatians no longer needed the Mosaic Law. They needed the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
