Galatians 6:1

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. (Galatians 6:1–5)

When right doctrine becomes real love: how Spirit-filled believers restore the fallen, carry each other's burdens, and sow generously into God's kingdom.

From Orthodoxy to Orthopraxy

Paul wrote this letter to a church that had received bad doctrine—not from him, but from false teachers who came in after he planted these four churches in Galatia and confused the believers. Through the first five chapters Paul has laid out sound doctrine very clearly. But when we come to chapter 6, we move from orthodoxy (having the right opinion or doctrine) to orthopraxy (having the right practice and action).

In every area, our Christianity must leave the place of theory and move into the place of reality. It cannot be merely a verse we memorize or something we ponder from time to time. It must become the practice of our lives. As Jesus said, they will know that you are my disciples by your love. This chapter shows love really practiced—and I love when things become practical. Algebra always remained theory to me; "x" is a letter and always will be. But here Paul shows love worked out.

Restoring the One Who Is Overtaken

That very first word in verse 1—Brethren—is important. He is speaking to the church, to believers. The world revels in the faults and failings of others; it becomes front-page news for weeks. On Friday I heard reports about Tiger Woods's car accident escalate into an affair scandal, and you will hear about little else this coming week at every checkout aisle. In our sinful, carnal nature we love the failings of other people.

Really, it is a defense mechanism. We recognize that we are wrong and wicked, and because of that guilt, a sinner justifies or hides his own sin while vilifying someone else and pointing out theirs. We are very good at seeing the failures of others and very poor at seeing our own. My wife will tell me later, "It was rude when you said such and such," and I'll insist I never said it. We have a hard time seeing our own faults.

But as Christians our reaction ought to be different. When someone fails, when overtaken in a trespass, we are to restore them rather than reject them, to seek them out rather than shun them. Sadly, the history of American Christianity has often been marked by shunning the sinner in our own ranks—because in some sick, twisted way it makes us feel better when someone else's error is exposed. That is carnal.

Who Are the "Spiritual"?

Paul says, "ye which are spiritual." We all want to claim that: I read my Bible, I pray, I tithe, I go to church—I'm spiritual. But that is not the context. We think of someone with a pious form of life, yet just a few verses before, in Galatians 5:22, we read:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

A spiritual person is one showing forth the fruit of the Spirit—not merely piety, but character. You who have the fruit of the Spirit, who are Christ's and filled with the Spirit, are the ones called to restore the fallen.

The word "fault" is also translated "trespass" or "offense." The Bible speaks of sin in different forms—iniquity, transgression, sin, and trespass—and in Exodus 34 we learn that God is able to forgive iniquity, transgression, and sin of every kind. The church has often revealed its lack of ability to do likewise. A trespass is like walking a hiking trail, coming around the bend, and being told, "This is private property." You didn't intend it; you simply found yourself somewhere you shouldn't be. The closer I draw to the Lord, the more I see areas of my life that are a trespass, brought to light only as I walk with Him.

Restore in Meekness, Considering Yourself

In the world, when a man falls, the mindset is to kick him aside and let him figure it out alone. In Christ it is completely different. The word restore means to amend, to make whole, to complete. We come alongside the broken one in love to make him whole again.

This does not mean glossing over sin. Paul told Timothy that some who sin must be openly rebuked before all, that the rest might fear (1 Timothy 5). We say plainly, "This is sin, and God has called you to repentance." Yet our Lord is the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to seek the one (Matthew 18), and He said, "I am come to call sinners to repentance" (Matthew 9:13). How many of you were that one gone astray, whom Christ found right where you were?

The Pharisees wanted nothing to do with the tax collectors and harlots, fearing defilement or feeling superior. But we are to restore that person, and the attitude matters: "in the spirit of meekness." Not condescendingly—"I'm so sorry you skinned your knee"—but gently, considering ourselves, lest we also be tempted.

Almost without fail, when I am counseling or teaching someone what God calls them to do, I am tested and tempted in those very things not long after. As 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." We are running a race (Hebrews 12), and when a teammate—really a brother or sister—falls by the wayside, the world says, "Good, one less competitor." But in Christ we are family, running together, called to restore one another in practical love. That is what the Levite and the priest refused to do in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Bear One Another's Burdens

To bear means to take up with our hands, to carry, to uphold, to sustain another's burden—a weight, a trouble, something that has caused them to buckle. There is a beautiful picture in Luke: as Jesus carries His cross to Calvary and buckles under its weight, the soldiers seize Simon of Cyrene to carry it for Him. Simon bore the physical burden, though he could not bear the spiritual one. We cannot release another's spiritual burden, but we can come alongside and aid them in tangible ways.

In a greater picture, Jesus carried our sin to Calvary—that which we could not bear, He took upon Himself. He who knew no sin became sin for us. He is our example and motivation. And bearing one another's burdens fulfills "the law of Christ." What is that law? In John 15:12 Jesus says:

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Isaiah 53:6 foretold the sin-bearing Savior 700 years before: "the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Last week we saw in 1 Corinthians 13:6 that love "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth." The world rejoices when someone fails; the Spirit-filled do not. Of Jesus it was prophesied that a bruised reed He would not break and smoking flax He would not quench. The world kicks the one who is down; Jesus binds up the broken and breathes upon the coal to ignite the fire again.

Pride: The Great Hindrance

"For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." Paul speaks both to the one overtaken and the one called to bear the burden. What hinders us from rightly loving people? I believe the number one thing is pride. Pride refuses to reach out, like the Levite and the priest. Pride says, "I won't associate with that wicked person," like the Pharisees. Pride says, "They got themselves into this mess; let them get out." And pride also says, on the part of the fallen, "I don't need your help, leave me alone."

The fact is, every one of us really is nothing. That is hard to admit in a culture that tells us from birth to grave, "You're something, you're perfect, you deserve it." It is fine to encourage the despairing of their worth, but we find our worth not in our intrinsic value but in God who is in us. Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart is desperately wicked. When we prop sinners up—"You're a liar, but a good one; maybe you should be a politician"—we simply pat them on the back on their road to hell.

Our culture is focused on posturing, positioning, and segregating into superior and inferior groups: by appearance, by speech, by car, by socioeconomic class. The Scriptures call that carnal. There is no true race reconciliation apart from Christ, for He breaks down the wall between Jew and Gentile, slave and free. Apart from Christ you likely would never identify with the person beside you today. A friend in ministry once said to me, "Apart from Jesus, we'd never be friends"—and it was true. Yet we tend to rebuild the very walls God tore down, even within the church. Paul rebuked the Corinthians for it: "I am of Paul," "I am of Apollos"—are you not yet carnal? Romans 10:12 says there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is rich to all who call on Him. So bear one another's burdens, not just the burdens of those like us.

Prove Your Own Work, Bear Your Own Load

"Let every man prove his own work." Circle the word own. Out of pride we are experts at examining the works of others—our neighbor, our spouse—but Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves." Plato understood that the unexamined life is not worth living, though he did not know this Scripture. It takes very little examination to find fault in others; our flesh rejoices in their wrongs because it makes our own lack of love less offensive to ourselves. Often we see a fault in another precisely because it is mirrored in us.

When we examine our own work and labor before God alone, we will have rejoicing in ourselves, "for every man shall bear his own burden." This seems to contradict verse 2—"bear ye one another's burdens"—but the Greek uses two different words. In verse 2 the burden is a heaviness that causes one to fall; in verse 5 it is one's own load or freight, like the backpack God has given each of us to carry. We stand or fall before God alone. We are responsible for our own work, working out our own salvation with fear and trembling—not our brother's, and not as busybodies meddling in everyone's affairs.

Men love darkness because their deeds are evil; we go to extreme lengths to avoid being exposed or embarrassed. But 1 John 1:7 says that as we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. When we are willing to be vulnerable among our brothers and sisters, yes, our failings may be exposed—but God's blood is greater, cleansing us from all sin as we confess.

Sowing and Reaping—and Supporting the Teacher

The principle of sowing and reaping is easy to grasp: plant apple seeds, get apples; plant corn, get corn. God created everything to reproduce after its own kind—one of the best death blows to evolution. Spiritually, if you sow to the flesh you reap corruption (the works of the flesh in Galatians 5); if you sow to the Spirit you reap everlasting life. If you entertain yourself with fleshly things, you will have fleshly thoughts and react in fleshly ways.

But notice the context in verse 6: "Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things." The word "communicate"—koinōneō—means to fellowship or partner. The one teaching the Word imparts spiritual seed; those being taught support the teacher in practical, financial ways. Lest you think I'm stretching this, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9 that the law "thou shalt not muzzle the ox" was written for our sakes: "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?"

In 2 Corinthians 9:6 Paul adds, "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." Give according as you have prospered, not grudgingly or of necessity, "for God loveth a cheerful giver"—literally a hilarious giver. If you gave today thinking, "I can't believe it," God doesn't honor it any more than He honored Cain's offering.

God does not need money; He owns all the silver and gold. He is the great giver—"For God so loved the world, that he gave." He is not growing bank accounts; He is growing children. Knowing our carnal leaning toward treasure, He calls us to give in order to transform us. And 2 Corinthians 9:8 says He will make all grace abound to us—not money—so we may abound in every good work. False teachers misuse these passages to promise a hundredfold return on dollars; that is a carnal misreading.

When, Who, How, What, and Why to Give

First Corinthians 16 answers five questions in a single verse. When? "Upon the first day of the week"—Sunday, when the early church gathered. Who? "Let every one of you." How? "Lay by him in store"—plan to give, come prepared. What? "As God hath prospered him"—no blanket figure, but according to your prosperity. Why? "That there be no gatherings when I come"—that there be no lack.

Martin Luther said of these passages, "I do not find much pleasure in explaining these verses; I am made to appear as if speaking of my own benefit." I relate to him completely—it can sound self-seeking. But it is what the Scriptures teach, and at Calvary Chapel we go through the whole Word.

Here is the striking thing: in the last two years nearly everyone in this room has lost money on every earthly investment—house, 401k, stocks, bonds. Trillions have been lost. But your investment in the kingdom of God has lost nothing; it yields dividends now and in the world to come. Jesus said to store up treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt and thieves cannot break in. God will make good on that investment.

This is an extremely giving church. For the last eight years we ended every year in the red—except 2006, when an anonymous $50,000 gift from a television viewer brought us into 2007 in the black. Yet 2009, perhaps the most financially difficult year for many in our fellowship, is the first year in eight that we end with a significant surplus. Over a million dollars has been given by this body, much of it spent on ministries beyond our own walls, overseas and in our community. In the last two years the church has grown by almost 50%; we've had to go to three services. When we sow abundantly, we reap abundantly—and God wants to do even more.

The staff and pastors don't know week to week what the Lord will provide; we live by faith—as, in reality, do you, trusting your employer to make a profit and pay you. It blows my mind continually to see God provide. So "let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Whether you realize it or not, the fruit borne by your giving is credited to your account in God's economy.

Glorying Only in the Cross

In verse 11 Paul notes, "Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand." Most of his letters were dictated to a scribe—Tertius wrote Romans, for instance. Some believe Paul wrote all of Galatians himself in large letters, perhaps because of an eye problem, being over fifty by this time. Whatever the case, he wanted to speak something straight from his own heart.

He returns to the original reason for the letter. The false teachers urged circumcision and law-keeping for their own gain—to avoid persecution and to gather followers after themselves, "that they may glory in your flesh." Whether 2,000 years ago about circumcision, or in our day about any false gospel preached for selfish gain, Paul says they are in the wrong. Then comes his great declaration in verse 14—put a star beside it, perhaps make it your memory verse:

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

My self-worth is found in Christ. I do not even know the depth of my own depravity, but God knows my heart, and He loved me and died for me, taking my sin upon Himself. Because He views me as valuable, I am valuable in Christ. In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, "but a new creature." External works mean nothing as to your justification. Nicodemus, one of the most religious men of his day, was told, "Ye must be born again." As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

To a church being conscripted to live under the law, Paul ends, "Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." It is not by works of righteousness that we are justified, but by the precious blood of Jesus. Having received His righteousness, His new heart, and His Spirit, we now have the ability to walk in the Spirit, exhibiting its fruit—love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, longsuffering, goodness, meekness, and self-control—and to do what the world would never do: reach out to the one who has fallen in sin and call them to walk in rightness again. May the Lord strengthen us to live out our Christianity, that people would know we are His disciples not by a bumper sticker or a fish, but by our love.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You for Your Word. Would You plant Your Word deep in our hearts today; help us, Lord, not soon to forget it. I pray that You, by Your Spirit, would work it out in us, especially as we move into this holiday season. Teach us what it means to give—not out of necessity, not grudgingly, but from a cheerful heart. We thank You for Your miraculous provision and the way You support the ministry of Calvary Chapel. God, I ask that You would stretch our faith in 2010, that we would step out into new areas where we've never been and see You work mightily. As we stand and see the salvation of our God, we praise You and we thank You, in Jesus' name. Amen.