The Run Down

Read Galatians 6:1-18

Within this text we will find….
Mutual correction.
Self examination.
Financial support of teachers.
Final warnings.
Salutation.

6:1-2 Paul thinks of the church as an extended family… where we should have the responsibility to take care of one another.

After his teaching on walking by the Spirit… Paul is realistic to know.. that some within the church will be “trapped” in transgressions.
“Caught”. “Overcome”. Not in the sense of passivity, but being weak to… like to heroine. You choose to transgress… but it’s so powerful.
So he prescribes the remedy.

The “community”…. Those with the Spirit… walking by the Spirit… are to
“restore”…. Mending broken fishing nets. Setting a broken bone. To make whole again.

In the background is Lev. 19:17. . . Preceding Lev. 19:18. No coincidence.
And the Fruit of the Spirit… .love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self control.
It is much easier to talk about the fruit of the spirit, the memorize the fruit of the spirit, to lift up the fruit of the spirit, than to grow in the fruit of the spirit.

Also:
2 Cor. 2:5-11; Matt. 18:15-18; Luke 17:3-4; James 5:19-20.

Not just instructed to do it… but how to do it….. with gentleness.
The fear of falling into sin could be the same sin… or the sin of pride…. And looking down on the sinner.

Vs. 2…. In bearing one another’s burdens… we fulfill the law of Christ.
Up till now… Paul has contrasted the Law and Grace…. The Flesh and the Spirit.
Now he speaks of the Law of Christ… as already defined by Lev. 19:18… loving neighbor as self Gal. 5:14.

The Law of the Christ… is not like the Judaizers are teaching… to become circumcised and follow the Law… no.. it’s the new Law of Christ… from Lev. 19 and the Spirit… and Grace….

Vs. 3 Spiritually Elite?
Maybe a Christian thinks he is above helping out his brothers/sisters…. Maybe they want to exclude or not help the fallen ones….
Don’t think you are above your brother/sister to help…
Yes… you need to be careful as you help and not get tempted… but don’t think you are beyond them… those sinners…

Vs. 4 But test your own work… test yourself… Paul is for self examination… 2 Cor. 13:5 …Romans 12:3; 1 Cor. 11:28.
Yes indeed… faith should produce fruits… works.
You can boast in your faithfulness to God… not in your comparison to your neighbor. 1 Cor. 4:3-5
You boast to yourself… “not to your neighbor”.

Vs. 5 For each will have to bear his own load. A different word is used here. Before… it was a bear one another’s “heavy burdens” in vs. 2… now it is a common term for a man’s “pack”…each should do his own pack of work.

We are all personally accountable to God for our own work… but we are also called in community together to bear one another’s heavy burdens.
We are called to both.
Also… might have eschatological overtones … of responsibility before God’s judgment.

Vs. 6 ho katechoumenos – the one who is taught… must share…
Financial support. Some in Galatia who are “teachers” to be supported.
Romans 12:7 and 1 Cor. 12:28.
“do good to all” was a euphemism for giving alms.

Vs. 7 Reap and sow from 2 Cor. 9:6 also about giving.
Or reverting back to the general principle concerning the flesh with the sins just above… of being trapped.. or prideful, which the flesh is what he next goes into.
Vs. 8 Could be mixing the two of flesh of sinful nature with flesh of circumcision…
To unequivocally denounce both for the Spirit which reaps eternal life.

Vs. 9 “Don’t grow weary… don’t give up.” Don’t quit. Luke 18:1; 2 Cor. 4:1, 16-18.
In due season… Kairos…. Time… the judgment…
Spirit led manifestations of doing good are a must… doing it by Law… are wrong.
5:6… like faith working through love.

Vs. 10 One commentator continues with the entire line of reasoning that this is about financial support… another… that this is doing good… at every opportunity…. Especially to those of the household of faith. Those in Christ. Following the Spirit. Not circumcision.

Vs. 11 Paul takes the pen from his amanuensis and will write the summary and salutation.
He will emphasize his main points.

The large letters…. Are either to emphatically express his thoughts… or due to his possible weak eyesight (2 Cor. 12:7 / Gal. 4:15) or due to being a laborer as a tent maker thus with crude writing abilities.

Vs. 12 A good showing in the flesh… boast… brag… success in religious teaching…. And also so they can avoid the persecution that comes from preaching the cross alone.
The cross of Christ… reminds us that God came and died for us, man is a sinner and needs saving, and that this is the only atonement for our sins.

Vs. 13 But even those that want you to follow the law… and be circumcised… don’t themselves follow the law… Paul knows this… he has tried… they want to boast in their actions… or works… as if this brings justification with God.
They also want to boast in their “conversions”. Something we too have to be careful about. Bragging about the numbers who were born again at our event… without really caring about those who were born again.

Vs. 14 Paul will boast only in the cross. This is the point Paul wants to leave them with. It’s all about this cross. Not just a teaching Messiah… who is incorporated into the Law… but a dying Messiah… and all the implications that flow from that.
The world is crucified to Paul.. and Paul to it.
It’s dead. He’s done trying to please it. He’s done trying to please his flesh. He’s done trying to please the Law. He’s done trying to please the religious.
Phil. 3:3-7 Jew of Jews… what I gained I count it as loss.

Vs. 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts… but a new creation.
Being born again. Saved. Converted. Holy Spirit coming inside of you.

Vs. 16 “Walk”… we are to walk by this rule. The new creation. The Spirit.
Peace and mercy. From trying to find justification from obedience to the Law.
“The Israel of God”. From the context must mean the true believers of God. His true… new people. Phil. 3:3 the true circumcision.
Strong words… Paul calling the Gentiles “the Israel of God”… and the judaizers are not!
Maybe could be saying a quick blessing on literal Israel. But not likely.

Vs. 17 Paul is not pleading to the legalizers… he is pleading that the Church not succumb to this teaching from them and cause him trouble.
He is speaking of the beatings he has received in his service for Christ. He bears the “marks” of Jesus… not boasting in marks of circumcision.

Vs. 18 Paul’s salutation. Paul still calls them brothers.