Too bad the Holy Spirit’s notoriety often trumpets bizarre behavior! Here, with the Galatian troubles in view, Paul concludes his letter urging down-to-earth counsel about how to “keep in step with the Spirit” (5:25.
Bear Each Others’ Burdens (6:1-6).
My friends, if anyone is [caught] in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads. Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher (6:1-6, NRSV).
The transgressor, it seems to me, is caught in the Judaizers’ doctrine: faith in Christ + circumcision and law-keeping = ongoing justification (right standing) with God. The victim has been severed from Christ (5:4). Liked ripped fishing nets (Matthew 4:21), he must be mended. Who’s to effect this restoration? The pneumatikos: those who have received the Spirit through faith in Christ.
Rarely do we. Instead we adopt worldliness: it’s his business. I won’t butt in on what she’s doing. How, then, we do fail to serve one another in love (5:13)! For we are to “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way . . . fulfill the law of Christ”, which is the law of self-giving love (John 13:34,35).
Such restoration requires “a spirit of gentleness.” This is no place for legalistic sledge-hammering gleaming with the false light of religious pride. So “restorers” are “nothing:” when they measure their righteous works by those of their struggling sisters. Rather, each one must shoulder his own responsibility before God alone. And all must take the learner’s seat before their teacher, and humbly provide good things the teacher needs to teach.
Extremist behavior that attracts attention to itself doesn’t mark the Spirit-walking church. Lovingly, humbly bearing one another’s burdens does.
Don’t Weary of Doing Right (6:7-10).
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. (Galatians 6:7-10, NRSV).
Plant wheat, get wheat, not barley. No fooling the Creator of “nature”. Nor the Creator of man. Try to “plant” justification-by-law-keeping, we get moral corruption from our human nature. Simply insisting “Thou shalt!” and “Thou shalt not!” to our fallen nature will affect our behavior but little and not long. But if we “plant” to the Spirit, trusting his inward transformation of heart, we will get “eternal life from the Spirit.”
So shall we demand our sinning sister to try harder to do better? Or shall we meekly encourage her to trust the Spirit to bear his fruit?
Trouble is, fruit (even that of the Spirit) takes time to grow. And so many believers seem so stunted. “He’ll never change!” I confess I muttered at times to myself. “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.”
Our people need encouragement to build friendships and to care about those caught in a transgression. That requires time and humility and gentleness and perseverance. We rely too much on the pastor to do the “spiritual” work. We expect the elders to be the Spirit-ministers. We see “church” as a meeting to attend instead of the family that knows and loves. The bigger the better we think, never noticing the virtual strangers who fall through the cracks because of sheer numbers alone.
I pastored 44 years. Never found a solid solution for all these issues. But one thing I know we can all do is prayerfully look for the opportunity to love and “mend”, trusting the Spirit . . .
“So then, whenever we have opportunity
(look for it, Spirit-walking believer),
let us work for the good of all
(not limited to Christians)and especially for those of the family of faith.”
FOR HERE, MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS, ARE PICTURES OF THE SPIRIT-STEPPING CHURCH!
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