Galatians 6 Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each man examine his own work, and then he will have reason to boast in himself, and not in someone else. 5 For each man will bear his own burden.
6 But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches. 7 Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.
11 See with what large letters I write to you with my own hand. 12 As many as desire to make a good impression in the flesh compel you to be circumcised; just so they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even they who receive circumcision don’t keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 As many as walk by this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on God’s Israel.
17 From now on, let no one cause me any trouble, for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus branded on my body.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
How do I live without rituals, rites and rules.
Don’t give in to religious legalism: Evaluate each religious mandate by asking, “What is the purpose of this requirement?” Circumcision: There are medical and customary reasons, but the Judaizers were telling the Galatians, you’ve got to do this to be right with God. Reject that. Confession and Penance through a Catholic priest. There’s nothing wrong with bearing your soul to a friend. But if you are doing it because you think it reduces your time in purgatory, it saves you. Reject that.
Live by the law of love. Evaluate your actions with the question, “Does my action show love toward God, and my neighbor?” And that covers many actions that were a part of the Old Testament law. There are many things I choose to do or not do because of love. I try to not be rude, because of love. I try to understand other people’s viewpoints, because of love. It’s not a law. I’m not in danger of being arrested for being a jerk. But, I want to express love.
Live by the Guidance of the Holy Spirit. As a Spirit-led Christian, I ask the question, “What would Jesus do?” And I can know the answer to that question, because I study God’s Word, I meditate on it. And God’s Spirit uses that reservoir of Biblical knowledge to guide me to right decisions. And as I make moment by moment decisions to obey the Word, the Spirit is energized within me so that I desire sin less and less, and righteousness more and more.
Now today, we are going to pick up with the last two principles of Christian living.
Do Good to others, and Don’t boast in anything but the Cross of Christ.
Prayer
I. Do Good to Others
Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each man examine his own work, and then he will have reason to boast in himself, and not in someone else. 5 For each man will bear his own burden.
6 But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches. 7 Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.
The key verse to this section is verse 10.
10 So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.
It’s pretty simple. As a Christian, you want to know how you’re supposed to live. Here’s another principle; Let me paraphrase verse 10. “If you have a chance to do something good, do it, and if you can do something good for a fellow Christian, really take that opportunity.”
In other words, fill up your life with as much “doing good things for people” as you can. Not as a way of buying your way to heaven, but because you are God’s Child. He does good for people out of love, and so should you.
Now Paul does get more specific about what that looks like in verses 1 through 9. So we’re just going to break some of those circumstances down, so we can understand what our “doing good” may look like. Verse 1 says, “Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.”
Doing Good means Restoring people.
The word “restore” here is used of setting a broken bone, or mending a fishing net. It means bringing someone back to wholeness. It specifically refers to circumstances where you discover that a fellow Christian has fallen into some sin. It is a good thing for you to help that believer come to repentance, and back to a Spirit-led life. How do you do that?
1. Realize that you have to approach them from a Spiritual position. Jesus said, “Don’t try to remove the speck in your brother’s eye, when you have a log sticking out of your own eye.” In other words, if you recognize sin in the life of another believer, analyze your own heart and life first. Repent of your own sins. Then you will have the proper humility to approach your brother or sister about their sin.
2. Realize that this means that Christians still sin. None of us are perfect, or complete yet.
3. Be gentle in the approach. Since you just went through a time of your own repentance, you will not approach a fellow believer with harshness, or condemnation. Remember, your purpose is to restore, not drive them away. That’s why Jesus set up a process where the first step is one person, speaking to another person, not calling someone out in front of a group.
4. Always be conscious of yourself. Approaching someone with condemnation may lead you to the sin of pride. And your pride and self-righteousness may lead you to your own fall from your puffed-up perch.
Doing Good means helping people who are over-burdened.
5. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. The word used for “burden” here refers to an excessive weight. Something so heavy that a person can’t carry it alone. This is directly connected to the previous verse. The burden you bear is your fellow Christian’s struggle with sin. You are helping them carry the load of their repentance and return back to a Spirit-led walk. So, doing good by restoring people not only means talking to them about the sin they’ve fallen into, but also offering yourself in helping to get back up. They need someone who they can call when they are tempted. They need someone to talk them away from the ledge. Maybe they need someone to hold them accountable.
6. And I think there is a broader principle here. Doing good means bearing each other’s burdens, not only the burden and struggle with sin, but just life in general. For example, if you were to see someone at the grocery store struggling to reach something on the top shelf, wouldn’t you go over and offer to get it for them? If you see someone struggling to load a heavy item into their car, do you not help? Why? Because you see that they have a load that they can’t bear on their own, so you step in to help.
Do you not know that people have mental and spiritual loads that they can’t bear?
Doing Good means Knowing when to Ask for Help
3 For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Paul has just said that we ought to help carry others burdens. But what if the burden is mine. Some people might say, “I don’t need any help.” “I can carry my own burdens.” But doing good not only means helping others, but graciously asking for and receiving help yourself. Look at verse 4-5.
4 But let each man examine his own work, and then he will have reason to boast in himself, and not in someone else. 5 For each man will bear his own burden.
Hold it, didn’t Paul just say that we should “bear one another’s burdens?” But now he says that “each man will bear his own burden.” Isn’t he contradicting himself?” No, because the word for “burden” hear is a different word than the one he used earlier. The word here indicates a lighter load than the one mentioned earlier. The word here describes a burden like a soldier’s back-pack. The word for burden earlier meant a load that was too heavy for one person to carry.
So doing good means that I not only look out for other’s burdens, I look at my own. And sometimes, I will evaluate my own burden’s and say, “This is my burden to bear, so I need to just buckle down and do it.” I think about that when it comes to charity. There are all kinds of people who are taking charity, who have the capability of providing for themselves. There are people who expect the government to take care of their parents or children, when they should be taking the responsibility themselves. That’s their back-pack to bear. So doing good means taking responsibility for your life, carrying your own weight when you are able to do so.
But doing good also means recognizing when your burden gets too heavy for you, and asking for help. And that help may be physical, spiritual, mental, or social.
Doing good means being generous.
So we are to do good when we are able to. We are take the opportunities to do good that come to us. And there are lots of them, aren’t there? Let me say this. If you are bored. If you have nothing to do. It’s your fault. There’s plenty of good to do out there. People talk about being unemployed. I can’t get a job. There’s not enough jobs. But there is never a shortage of one kind of job. It’s called a volunteer.
6 But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.
Now this verse specifically applies to providing for teachers of the Word of God. And it is the reason that people in churches take on the burden of paying the preacher. But I don’t want to appear self-serving here. This church has provided well for me as pastor, and I’m thankful for that.
But there’s another principle here. Paul says, “let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.”
The impression is that the person is not only giving, but they are giving generously. Now, once again, I am not trying to apply this to myself here, as needing greater generosity from you. But I’m just pointing out that doing good means being generous. And he continues that thought in the next verses.
7 Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
The picture Paul is painting here is of a sower of seed. In the 1st century, seeds were planted by hand. And that’s how gardening is done today. And here’s the rule; If you want a lot of tomatoes, you’ve got to plant a lot of tomatoes. You’ve got to be generous with the seed.
So, doing good means being a giving person, not a hoarding one. And more specifically, you are sowing lots and lots of good Spiritual seed. You are investing in eternity, in the kingdom of God. You are not investing in the temporary, your kingdom in this world. Because, look at what Paul says,
8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption.
If you are holding on, hoarding, accumulating this world’s money and goods, you are sowing to the flesh. You are accumulating things to satisfy your flesh, your ease, your comfort. And what will happen if you do that? You will from the flesh, reap corruption. The things of the flesh will decay, corrode, putrify.
But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
But if you do good by being a giving, generous person, with your time, money, resources, investing in the kingdom of God, you are passing those riches on to eternity. They say that you can’t take it with you. But you can. You just have to convert your money. Not from dollars to pesos, or rupes. But dollars to souls. Hours, minutes, dollars, and talents can be converted to the currency of heaven, which is love. The products of love will go on into eternity.
Conclusion of do good
How do I live? Deny legalism, love, walk in the Spirit, do the good that you have the opportunity to do
9 Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.