I like Legos. I really like Legos. And while modern building kits expect
you to separate the pieces into like colors before beginning to build, I prefer
to dump all 800+ pieces into one pile and dig through it until I find the piece
I need. For me it’s part of the experience that makes Legos so much fun. And I took
a few pictures last night that sort of show what I mean. Legos are meant to
interact with each other. They are not meant to be segregated by color or even
by type. So here we see characters interacting and segregated by their roles:
droids in a group, pilots in a group, and mechanics in a group,
and
here we see them how they should be: all interspersed and interacting with each
other,
And
I bring all that up because that is a very easy way to illustrate the point of
what Paul is saying in Galatians 5:25-6:5. Based on everything he’s said up to
this point, this passage screams, “Put it into practice!” Let’s get back into
the context.
Paul writes in Galatians 5:16-6:10,[1] “I say
then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires
what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t
do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the
law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral
impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy,
outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy,
drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in
advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit
the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against
such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. We
must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing,
you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit,
watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted. Carry one
another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if
anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives
himself. But each person should examine his own work, and then he will
have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in respect to someone
else. For each person will have to carry his own load. The one who is taught the message must share all ⌊his⌋ good things with the
teacher. Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he
will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap
corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal
life from the Spirit. So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will
reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have
opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong
to the household of faith.”
So at this point, Paul has theologically proved that we don’t need the
Law any longer as believers. He’s proven that if you return to the Law you are
returning to slavery. He’s proven at the same time that as believers we are to
fulfill the Law, but we do it not by obeying rules, but by loving others. And
then Paul says that the Spirit—which wants to express love—is harassed and assaulted
by the flesh. Paul then described what a life in the flesh is characterized by,
and he contrasted it with a life characterized by the Spirit’s power. And that’s
where we find ourselves today.
The first thing Paul does is connect back to 3:2-3. There he had
written, “I only want to learn this from you: Did you
receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are
you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made
complete by the flesh?” And here,
in 5:25, Paul answers that question: “Since we live by the Spirit, we must also
follow the Spirit.” John MacArthur understands “live by the Spirit” to refer to
the new life that believers have because of Christ, and “walk by the Spirit” to
refer to their new way of life.[2] Thus Paul is clear that a
person who claims to be a Christian, whose life remains unchanged, is deceived,
and actually not alive at all. John Calvin says of this verse, “The apostle
draws from the doctrine a practical exhortation. The death of the flesh is the
life of the Spirit. If the Spirit of God lives in us, let him govern our
actions.”[3] And that’s exactly what the next
eleven verses (5:26-6:10) focus on.
Paul starts with the negative exhortation to conclude chapter 5. “We
must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” There
are many things to say about this verse. MacArthur notes one aspect: “The
pursuit of holiness can be perverted into self-righteous, proud piosity. No sin
does greater damage to the church or is more offensive to God than
self-righteousness.”[4] However, it doesn’t need to
just refer to self-righteousness. According to one dictionary, the word
translated “provoke,” literally means, “to call forth to oneself
(challenge),
i.e. (by implication to irritate).”[5] Paul wants believers in the
Galatian church, and us in our churches today, to refuse to be irritants to
other people.
Now don’t hear what I’m not saying. I’m not saying that if someone in
your church has an annoying habit or annoying hobby that Paul is saying they
need to stop. That’s not it at all. What Paul is saying, is that if something
is being done habitually that causes another brother or sister to stumble into
sin (for instance flaunting a relationship that you are super proud of, that
causes another believer to be filled with jealousy, anger, and bitterness), you
need to reassess your decisions within that relationship. (Note that I did not
say you need to break off the relationship.) In the church—especially on a
Sunday morning—biblical teaching would argue that everyone is equal, and
special relationships between people should be hung up when coming through the
door. Galatians 3:28 says, “You are all one in Christ,” the same word for “one”
that Jesus uses in Matthew 19:5 to explain the “one flesh” relationship between
a husband and wife. Unity is better shown when couples aren’t fawning over each
other in the pews.[6]
And just so we’re clear, true biblical love—fruit of the Spirit—will allow
believers to interact with others’ husbands and wives in a church service with
complete respect and holiness, and it will not make for potential affairs and
the like. (Outside the church gathering is different, because in the church
gathering there are multiple people around, while there isn’t necessarily anyone
else around in other settings.) Rant over.
Paul then writes 6:1-5 where he explains what the positive practical
application is. “Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are
spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for
yourselves so you also won’t be tempted.
Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of
Christ. For if anyone considers himself
to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each person should examine his own work,
and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in
respect to someone else. For each person
will have to carry his own load.” If we act like the Legos in the first picture
above, we only practice this passage with the other believers we approve of.
However, true unity, and fulfillment of the Spirit’s fruits looks like the
second picture. John MacArthur writes, “Though a Christian’s first concern must
be for his own holiness and purity of life, God’s Word makes clear that he also
has a responsibility for the holiness and purity of the rest of the church.”[7] Note that he does not say “part
of the rest of the church,” but “the rest of the church.” This is huge! Paul’s
exhortation to positive love can be broken into two subsections: bearing with
others and watching ourselves.
Verses 1-2 explain bearing with others: “Brothers, if someone is caught
in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a
gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you
will fulfill the law of Christ.” Here’s a mind-blowing thought: this should be
what the church is known for. It should be happening day in and day out in the
lives of church members. And what follows is a saddening truth: it doesn’t
happen like it should, even though churches claim to preach love all the time. Too
often, we’re okay with our group of like-minded—like-dressed—Lego friends—be
them hipsters or thugs, black or white, or old or young—and let the ones
different from us take care of themselves. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:10
should sting our ears into change, “Now I urge you, brothers,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and
that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.”[8] In churches these days,
people think it’s a good idea to have “foot washing services” in order to
demonstrate love for fellow believers, and it’s because they’d rather do a
ritual that is totally meaningless today than get their hands dirty “bearing
with each other.” When this passage says, “in this way you will fulfill the law
of Christ,” Paul is saying, “This is how you fulfill the law—loving one
another.” And just to take it even one step farther, when Jesus says in Matthew
11:28-30, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My
yoke is easy and My burden is light,” and when Paul says, “Carry one another’s
burdens,” they are together saying that Jesus carries our burdens in life
through other believers carrying our burdens. If you don’t get involved in the
lives of other believers, and bear their burdens with them, you are casting a
blasphemous picture of what Jesus is like. We must all repent of our failures
in this area!
Galatians 6:1 ends by saying, “Watching out for yourselves so you won’t
be tempted,” and verses 3-5 explain what this looks like: “For if anyone
considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each person should examine his own work,
and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in
respect to someone else. For each person
will have to carry his own load.” I initially understood the charge in
Galatians 6:1 to mean that, for instance, helping a struggling brother try to
overcome a pornography addiction might open me up to that temptation, and while
I don’t doubt that reality, I think it works itself out differently. Paul is
saying, “When you help someone else overcome a sin or temptation, you need to watch
out for temptations toward pride because you don’t struggle with that specific
sin; if you allow pride to creep in, remember that ‘pride comes before
destruction’ (Proverbs 16:18).” This is where verse 3 comes into effect. You
deceive yourself if you think you’re too good to be tempted to certain sins.
Then verses 4-5 explain that the only person we’re ultimately responsible for
is ourselves. For this reason we should desire others to help us bear our
loads, and we should likewise eagerly seek to help others bear theirs. When
only one person in a church is actually interested in loving biblically, that
church will not be healthy, and the one loving person can become easily
provoked (5:26), and if there’s no one there to bear his burden with him, he
falls and falls farther and farther.
Before closing out this post, I want to demonstrate how every fruit of
the Spirit is manifested through these six verses. Love is very clearly shown
through the phrase, “in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” By
interacting with believers in this way, we can’t help but to show love. Martin
Luther said, “The Law of Christ is the Law of love. Christ gave us no other law
than this law of mutual love: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love
one another.’ To love means to bear another’s burdens.”[9] Joy is shown in the fact that
1) it should bring us joy to love others in this way, 2) we should be joyful in
our practicing this task, and 3) doing this helps others to have joy. Peace is
shown because if we all bear with each other and carry each other’s troubles,
we won’t consider ourselves to be what we are not (6:3). Patience is shown by
continually “bearing with each other” and “carrying one another’s burdens” even
after months of already doing so. Kindness was discussed last time as being from
the same root as Christ, and as such kindness is shown by being Christ to
others by fulfilling His law of love. Goodness is shown because it is good to
love others. Faithfulness is shown as a pattern of life that seeks to be
faithful to the Spirit (5:25), and that is done no better way than by bearing
with one another in love as a pattern of life. Gentleness is shown if we do
this rightly; the same word as the manifestation of the Spirit (5:23) appears
in 6:1 (“with a gentle spirit”).
Self-control is shown because we are supposed to watch ourselves for pride in
our hearts. Paul has now commanded believers to practice all the fruit of the
Spirit through the act of bearing with one another in love.
In conclusion, as believers in a local church we must interact in each
other’s lives. There is no such thing as a church member who doesn’t deserve
your care and concern. Be the Legos in the second picture; don’t let the first
picture describe you!
Til next time.
Soli Deo
Gloria. Solus Christus.
[1] 5:25-6:5
are bolded because those are what this post is focusing on.
[2]
John MacArthur, Galatians, 171.
[3] John
Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistles of
Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians.
[4]
John MacArthur, Galatians, 175.
[5] James
Strong, Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary, (Austin, TX:
WORDsearch Corp., 2007), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under:
"4292". Emphasis in original.
[6]
Thinking back, my stance on this specific issue may have contributed to my ex
breaking up with me. I wouldn’t treat her differently at church than I’d treat
any other woman there. Church is not the place for PDA.
[7] John
MacArthur, Galatians, 175. Emphasis
added.
[8]
Emphasis added.
[9] Martin
Luther, A Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians.
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