FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: Galatians 6:1-10

Doing Good (verses 9-10). Growth in our relationships does not happen automatically; growth takes effort and with that effort it becomes more complete through practice. Hard work is required if broken relationships are to be rebuilt. In these two verses Paul simply encourages Christians to keep on working at building their relationships: Let us not grow weary of doing good. To say that Paul’s emphasis on faith means that he was against works is obviously an inaccurate interpretation. Although he warned against relying on the works of the law as the basis of blessing (Galatians 3:10-14), he clearly taught that true faith expresses itself through love (Galatians 5:6) and in the hard work of serving one another (Galatians 5:13) and carrying each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). Our blessing of our salvation is not based on the works we do, but rather the works we do are derived from the blessing of our salvation.

One of the greatest obstacles to rebuilding broken relationships is simply fatigue. We can easily lose heart and run out of strength when we come up against the same problems over and over again as we deal with others. Even Paul sounds discouraged when he talks about his efforts to rebuild his relationship with the Galatian believers: “I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain” (Galatians 4:11). Paul recognized that fatigue and discouragement might cause Christians to throw in the servant’s towel and quit. So he presents two incentives to keep us from giving up when we grow weary of serving others in love. First, he assures us of a reward for doing good: for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Sometimes the harvest is experienced in this life. When we sow acts of love, we reap a harvest of love in return. When we give generously and sacrificially to the needs of others, we reap a harvest of gratitude as those needs are met. When we sow the seed of God’s Word in needy lives, we experience the joy of response. But we must remember that reaping a harvest almost never happens on the same day as sowing the seed. We may not even see a harvest in this life from what we have sown. Nevertheless, we must never give up, because we know that in due season our Master will return and reward those who have been faithful servants.

Second, Paul motivates perseverance in service to one another by reminding us that we are part of a great family: So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Although there are no limits placed on the scope of our service to everyone, our priority is certainly to serve the household of faith; in other words, to those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Here Paul picks up a central theme of his letter. All believers are children of Abraham by faith in Christ, the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:6-29). All believers enjoy the full rights of the children of God (Galatians 4:4-7). All believers are the true children of the free woman; the heavenly Jerusalem is our mother (Galatians 4:21-31). These great truths about the family of believers should motivate us to keep on doing good to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We belong to one another in one family, since we, as believers, belong to Christ.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Galatians 6:1-10

Reaping What You Sow (verses 7-8) – Continued

Those who are sowing to please the sinful nature are destroying relationships with others. As we’ve shown before, they are biting, devouring, provoking and envying others, thereby consuming or destroying one another (Galatians 5:15, 26). In their arrogance they are seeking to pressure everyone to conform to the same ethnic customs and traditions that they themselves hold dear. Churches are being torn apart and destroyed by ethnic rivalries and social competition. Sowing to please the sinful nature will always result in a harvest of destruction, a destruction of relationships with others and with God.

Sowing to please the Spirit means “through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13), restoring one who has been caught in sin (Galatians 6:1), carrying or bearing the burdens of others (Galatians 6:2), giving generously to those who teach in the church (Galatians 6:6) and doing good to all (Galatians 6:9). Sometimes sowing to the Spirit has been defined in terms of private, personal holiness, as if it were something done in a closet by oneself. But sowing to the Spirit in the context of Paul’s teaching here involves building relationships based on love with others. Sowing to the Spirit cannot be done in isolation or separation from others. Carrying the burdens of others requires in-depth participation in their pain and sorrow. As we see in verse 9, sowing to the Spirit means doing good to others. If sowing to the sinful nature means selfish indulgence, then sowing to the Spirit means selfless service. The harvest of sowing to the Spirit is eternal life. The meaning of eternal life must be understood within the “already-not yet” structure of Paul’s thought in this letter. From Paul’s perspective, Christians have already been delivered “from the present evil age” (Galatians 1:4) and are already in the new creation (Galatians 6:15). But the battle between the Spirit and the sinful nature is not yet over (Galatians 5:17). In Christ we already have new relationships with God and with one another: we now relate not as slaves but as children who call God Father (Galatians 4:6-7); and we relate to one another not as people divided by racial, social and gender barriers but as people united in Christ, children of the Father, thus, brothers and sisters in Christ (Galatians 3:28). But since the battle between the Spirit and the sinful nature continues, we do not yet experience total harmony in these relationships. Those who continue to grow in these relationships by the power of the Spirit will ultimately experience the fullness of eternal life, perfect harmony in relationship with God and others.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Galatians 6:1-10

Reaping What You Sow (verses 7-8). The responsibilities listed so far present two opposite ways of life: the way of the Spirit and the way of the sinful nature or the flesh. The absolute contrast between these alternatives has been developed throughout Paul’s ethical appeal. Now it is the hour of decision. Now his readers must consider very carefully the consequences of choosing one way or the other. They cannot drift; they cannot remain neutral; they must decide whether they are going to walk by the Spirit or gratify the desires of their sinful nature. Since each individual must decide for themselves which way to live, Paul puts his challenge in a singular form.

Paul introduces his call for decision with a solemn warning based on an agricultural principle: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. When people think and act as if they will not reap what they have sown, or as if they will reap something different from what they have sown, they are deceiving themselves and mocking God. But since the inevitable law of reaping what is sown has always been proved true, the proverbial statement of warning God is not mocked is also true: no one can mock God and get away with it.

Yet there is a common tendency to think that there is one exception to this universal principle: “Though it proves true for everyone else, it is not true for me. I will not have to reap a harvest from the seeds I sow. I can sow whatever seed I want and still expect a good harvest.” This common line of thought only proves the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). Our capacity for self-deception is frightening. It is amazing how blind otherwise brilliant people can be to their own spiritual direction in life. In fact, the more brilliant people are, the more skilled they are at developing rationalizations to deceive themselves and to hide from God. The story of Adam and Eve’s hiding from God behind their skimpy clothes and even skimpier excuses is our common human experience. Paul’s warning needs to be heard, and to be heard often, to warn us against our most brilliant self-delusions.

Paul then applies the agricultural principle of reaping what is sown: For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Here we are faced with a decision, a decision that determines our destiny. We are not victims of fate, bad luck or even predestination. Our destiny is determined by our decision: shall we sow to the sinful nature or to the Spirit? The old proverb is true: “Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved