Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Gal 6:1, 2 and following. Indeed, here we learn how to act towards a falling brother, without losing sight of our own responsibility, towards those who are burdened by burdens, towards “those of the house of faith”, and towards all, doing good (Gal 6:10). Currently we are sowing, with a view to harvesting “in due time”. But one principle is obvious: the harvest will inevitably be of the same nature as the seed. Only a madman could expect to collect the wheat where he planted thistles. The flesh always begets corruption, while the fruit of the Spirit germinates for eternal life (Gal 5:22-25; Os 10:11-13). It is therefore now that we must choose; later any regret will be in vain.
The Christian has already been declared dead to the Law (Gal 2:19-20) and dead to the flesh (Gal 5:22-25). Here he is recognized as dead to the world and vice versa (Gal 6:14). Now the world has no more rights over me than I have over it. Between him and me stands an impassable barrier, and that is “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,” my deliverance and my glory. On the one hand”a new creation,” on the other “nothing” that God recognizes (Gal 6:15). May we agree with Him in principle and in practice.
The first ten verses contain practical conclusions drawn from the entire doctrine of this epistle. Let us also note that the first two chapters had shown us the case that we had to make man in the work of God. The death sentence was pronounced against him. Only the second man, Christ, could subsist before God as well as all those who, being born of the Spirit, belonged to this second man. But the new man still having the flesh or the old man in him, can let himself be surprised by some fault, return to some act that can only be attributed to the old man or the flesh. Those to whom the Apostle speaks are spiritual men, those who realize, in their walk, the fruit of the Spirit and have not fallen for having forgotten the character of the new man. What do they have to do? Straightening such a man, but not in a legal spirit that can only condemn without remission. The spirit of the spiritual man is a spirit of gentleness. He knows that he too can be tempted and fall, like the one he is called to straighten. This makes him take care of himself, preserves him from pride and fall. Thus, living by the Spirit, he also walks by the Spirit.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. If someone thinks they are something, even though they are nothing, they are abusing themselves. Let each examine his own works, and then he will be subject to glorify himself for himself alone, and not in relation to others; for everyone will bear his own burden”(Gal 6:2-5)
The exhortation is now addressed to those who were spiritual not as to their attitude towards the one who had committed some fault, but as to their relations with each other. They had to carry the loads of one another. Love alone could lead them down such a path; each forgetting his own charge to carry that of his brother. Was this not the example that the adorable person of Christ had given them in perfection? If they did this, the law of Christ was fulfilled in them. Was there no need to add another act? The burden was carried and continued to be carried. Being nothing, they thought they were something and seduced themselves. For sure they could not boast of what they were doing now, for it was others who had done the work among the Galatians. And certainly it was not the burden of their brothers that they thought of carrying, but each of them would carry his own burden when their responsibility was questioned.
“Let him who is taught the word share all his possessions with the one who teaches it.” (Gal 6:6)
This passage introduces an indisputable truth. On the one hand, our selfish hearts while willingly receiving the teaching of the Word are easily much more concerned with their own interests than with those of the workers sent by the Lord and would be willing to restrict their liberalities towards those who teach us. Does this way of doing things respond to what we are told here: “to involve the one who teaches us in the Word, in all goods”? That’s a lot to say. The question of hospitality, food, clothing is dealt with thoroughly by such a sentence, without excluding financial aid.
But the false brothers had another purpose than money: they wanted to acquire people “zealous towards them”, to create followers by excluding the apostle.
“Make no mistake: God is not mocked. What a man has sown, he will also reap. He who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh; but he who sows eternal life for the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. Let us not get enough of doing good; for we shall reap at the right time, if we do not relax. So, while we have the opportunity, let us practice good for all, and especially for brothers and sisters in the faith.” (Gal 6:7-10)
This passage returns to the capital and immutable subject of the epistle. Indeed, the religion of the flesh cannot absolutely be reconciled with that of the Spirit. The alliance of the two is impossible; they are two completely separate lots. To want to confuse or bring them together is to seduce oneself, much more, it is to “mock God”. For the one who sows for the flesh, there is only one possible harvest: corruption; and this entire epistle shows that the religion which was sought to be imposed on the Galatians was nothing other than the religion of the flesh. What was she driving to? We have also seen it throughout this epistle. But where did the opposite march lead? “He who sows eternal life for the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” And what is eternal life, if not a spiritual and divine life responding to the nature of God, capable of knowing him and enjoying him, a holy and irreproachable life before God in love, a life that is summed up in the knowledge of one person: Christ.
No mixing is possible with sowing and harvesting flesh. It was to mock God to prefer them to the harvest of the Spirit, to the boundless happiness of fellowship with Christ and the enjoyment of God’s life. And yet, this eternal life had to be shown not only in communion with Christ, but in doing good. Let us not fail in these sowings and we will harvest in the proper time; and let us not forget that if we are called to rescue especially those of the “house of faith”, we occasionally have to rescue and encourage with our sympathies all those who, not being part of this house, go through the miseries and sufferings of this poor world, bent under the consequences of sin. How the exhortation contained in these verses was proper to deliver the Galatians from the yoke that was sought to impose on them and to bring them back into the enjoyment of true happiness and the full freedom of grace!
“All those who want to make themselves pleasing according to the flesh compel you to be circumcised, only so as not to be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For the circumcised themselves do not observe the law; but they want you to be circumcised, to glorify themselves in your flesh. As far as I am concerned, far be it from me to glorify myself with anything other than the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified for me, as I am for the world! For it is nothing but to be circumcised or uncircumcised; what is something is to be a new creature. Peace and mercy on all who will follow this rule, and on the Israel of God!” (Gal 6:11-16)
The apostle shows here all his solicitude for these dear assemblies whose dangers he measured. He had not written in his own hand an entire letter for any other assembly. He unravels the motives of those who wanted to have them circumcised, because they were thus evading persecution because of the cross of Christ. We have seen, all along, since the beginning of this epistle, that the cross of Christ puts an end to man and to the flesh. So what does the law mean? “I died to the law.” “Those who are of Christ have crucified the flesh.” But those who force the Galatians to be circumcised do not keep the law themselves. So why circumcision? They take advantage of it for themselves, in order to glorify themselves in their flesh. The fact is that they recoiled from christ’s opprobrium and clung to the religion that retains the Judaic forms because they could not bring themselves to look bad, nor could they completely repudiate the flesh as something that deserves only the cross (Gal 5:24).
It was a glory, even before the pagans, to belong to a religion that recognized one God, but not to a religion that condemned the world. The Jew in the flesh was offended, even more than the Gentile, because this religion made him lose the glory he had been invested with before others because of his knowledge of the one true God. But, if they were crucified with Christ, where would be the opportunity to glorify themselves? But the apostle cries out: “But let it not happen to me (when they have such designs) to glorify me, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That is the last word. This epistle is the cross applied to all that is of man and the flesh. But he adds another word that summarizes, completes and dominates everything: “the cross by which the world is crucified to me, and I to the world”. This final word thus joins that of the beginning: “He gave Himself for our sins, so that He takes us out of the present evil century.” What is left? Man has disappeared in condemnation with all that is of the flesh and with all that is of the world.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Carrying burdens on one another:
- The Golden Rule
Mt 7:12 Whatever you want men to do for you, do the same for them, for it is the law and the prophets. Lk 6:31 What you want men to do for you, do the same for them.
- Spiritual Restoration of the One Who Repented:
Ps 51:14 Give me back the joy of your salvation, and may a spirit of goodwill sustain me! Isaiah 57:18 I have seen His ways, and I will heal Him; I will serve as his guide, and I will console him and those who weep with him. Jer 3:22 Come back, rebellious children, I will forgive your infidelities. -Here we are, we go to you, for you are the Lord, our God. Jer 30:17 But I will heal you, I will heal your wounds, says the Lord. For they call you the repulsed, that Zion of which no one cares. Os 14:5 I will be like the dew for Israel, He will bloom like the lily, And He will grow roots like Lebanon. Mi 7:19 He will still have compassion on us, He will put our iniquities under His feet; You will throw all their sins to the bottom of the sea.
- Spiritual Joy(special causes):
-The dedication of the house of God: Ezr 6:22 They celebrated with joy for seven days the feast of unleavened bread, for Jehovah had rejoiced them by arrquiesing the king of Assyria to support them in the work of the house of God, of the God of Israel. Ne 12:43 Many sacrifices were offered on that day, and rejoicing was given, for God had given the people a great subject of joy. The women and children rejoiced too, and the cries of joy from Jerusalem were heard in the distance.
-The return of captivity: Ps 126:2 Then our mouth was filled with cries of joy, and our tongue with songs of joy; Then it was said among the nations: The Lord has done great things for them!
-The blessings of a spiritual life: Isaes 61:10 I will rejoice in Jehovah, My soul will be delighted with joy in my God; For he clothed me with the garments of salvation, He covered me with the mantle of deliverance, As the bridegroom adorns himself with a diadem, As the bride adorns herself with her jewels.
-The delights of the Word of God: Jer 15:16 I have collected your words, and I have devoured them; Your words have made the joy and joy of my heart; For your name is invoked upon me, Jehovah, God of hosts!
-The times of spiritual refreshment: Acts 8:5, 6, 8, 39 Philip, having descended to the city of Samaria, preached Christ there. 6 The whole crowds were attentive to what Philip said, when they learned and saw the miracles he was doing. 8 And there was great joy in this city. 39 When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took away Philip, and the eunuch no longer saw him. While, joyfully, he continued on his way; Rom 5:11 And not only that, but also we glorify ourselves in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now obtained reconciliation. 2 Co 7:4 I have great confidence in you, I have every cause to glorify myself of you; I am filled with consolation, I am filled with joy in the midst of all our tribulations.
-The love of Christ:1 P 1:8 he whom you love without having seen him, in whom you believe without seeing him yet, rejoicing in an ineffable and glorious joy,
From all the above, we note that thelaw, when it comes to the Christian, no longer finds who to turn to. Nothing remains of what has to do with the ancient creation; only what has to do with the news remains. “In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor incircumcision is nothing, but a new creation”: this is everything. For the Apostle invokes peace and mercy on all those who walk according to this rule, that of the new creation. He embraces in the same blessing the Israel of God. It is the Israelites who now believe in the gospel and who have, as reason, all the approval of God, all his favor. “Let no one now hurt me, for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body. Brethren, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit! Amen!” (Gal 6:17, 18). From now on the apostle does not want new troubles on this subject. Everything is said. As for him, he shows in his body what the truth he proclaims highly attracts to the faithful. Let these adversaries show on their bodies these same traces. These are the marks of the Lord Jesus. They will be seen, as witnesses, eternally on his body to Him. “May the grace (this expression goes well with the content of the epistle) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the only thing He wishes them!) or with your spirit, brethren” (the flesh having no blessing to expect from grace). This broad love embraces all who are of Him! Ultimately, any return to the law was the abandonment of the promise and work of grace in Christ; it was to return to the flesh as sin and lost, it was to return to it as if there could be no relationship between it and God; it was to deny grace and even the true effect of the law, and also to deny the real state of man proved by the cross. It was paganism. For observing the days presupposed the man living in the flesh, and was not the end of the old man by grace in the cross. Then we have Christ as our life, or without it death would naturally leave us without hope. But we do not have in the epistle the Christian position, us in Christ and Christ in us. It is the discussion of the work that brings us to where and where man is, and in this respect it is of vital importance. Man in the flesh is totally outside of any relationship with God, and he cannot be formed of any. There has to be a new creation. Our prayers support you all in your efforts in this direction.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may be shining in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby watering point to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow on “God’s eternal promise, the richness of grace in Christ.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.