|
Galatians
Chapter VI
VERSE 1.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault
ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit
of meekness.
If
we carefully weigh the words of the Apostle we perceive
that he does not speak of doctrinal faults and errors, but
of much lesser faults by which a person is overtaken
through the weakness of his flesh. This explains why the
Apostle chooses the softer term "fault." To
minimize the offense still more, as if he meant to excuse
it altogether and to take the whole blame away from the
person who has committed the fault, he speaks of him as
having been "overtaken," seduced by the devil
and of the flesh. As if he meant to say, "What is
more human than for a human being to fall, to be deceived
and to err?" This comforting sentence at one time
saved my life. Because Satan always assails both the
purity of doctrine which he endeavors to take away by
schisms and the purity of life which he spoils with his
continual temptations to sin, Paul explains how the fallen
should be treated. Those who are strong are to raise up
the fallen in the spirit of meekness.
This
ought to be borne in mind particularly by the ministers of
the Word in order that they may not forget the parental
attitude which Paul here requires of those who have the
keeping of souls. Pastors and ministers must, of course,
rebuke the fallen, but when they see that the fallen are
sorry they are to comfort them by excusing the fault as
well as they can. As unyielding as the Holy Spirit is in
the matter of maintaining and defending the doctrine of
faith, so mild and merciful is He toward men for their
sins as long as sinners repent.
The
Pope's synagogue teaches the exact opposite of what the
Apostle commands. The clerics are tyrants
and butchers of men's conscience. Every small offense is
closely scrutinized. To justify the cruel inquisitiveness
they quote the statement of Pope
Gregory: "It is the property of good lives to
be afraid of a fault where there is no fault."
"Our censors must be feared, even if they are unjust
and wrong." On these pronouncements the papists base
their doctrine of excommunication. Rather than terrify and
condemn men's consciences, they ought to raise them up and
comfort them with the truth.
Let
the ministers of the Gospel learn from Paul how to deal
with those who have sinned. "Brethren," he says,
"if any man be overtaken with a fault, do not
aggravate his grief, do not scold him, do not condemn him,
but lift him up and gently restore his faith. If you see a
brother despondent over a sin he has committed, run up to
him, reach out your hand to him, comfort him with the
Gospel and embrace him like a mother. When you meet a
willful sinner who does not care, go after him and rebuke
him sharply." But this is not the treatment for one
who has been overtaken by a sin and is sorry. He must be
dealt with in the spirit of meekness and not in the spirit
of severity. A repentant sinner is not to be given gall
and vinegar to drink.
VERSE
1. Considering thyself, lest thou
also be tempted.
This
consideration is very much needed to put a stop to the
severity of some pastors who show the fallen no mercy. St.
Augustine says: "There is no sin which one
person has committed, that another person may not commit
it also." We stand in slippery places. If we become
overbearing and neglect our duty, it is easy enough to
fall into sin. In the book entitled "The Lives of Our
Fathers," one of the Fathers is reported to have said
when informed that a brother had fallen into adultery:
"He fell yesterday; I may fall today." Paul
therefore warns the pastors not to be too rigorous and
unmerciful towards offenders, but to show them every
affection, always remembering: "This
man fell into sin; I may fall into worse sin. If those who
are always so eager to condemn others would investigate
themselves they would find that the sins of others are
motes in comparison to their own."
"
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest
he fall
." (I Cor. 10:12.) If David who was a hero of faith
and did so many great things for the Lord, could fall so
badly that in spite of his advanced age he was overcome by
youthful lust after he had withstood so many different
temptations with which the Lord had tested his faith, who
are we to think that we are more stable? These object
lessons of God should convince us that of all things God
hates pride.
VERSE
2. Bear ye one another's burdens, and
so fulfill the law of Christ.
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. Christians must have
strong shoulders to bear the burdens of their fellow
Christians. Faithful pastors recognize many errors and
offenses in the church, which they oversee. In civil
affairs an official has to overlook much if he is fit to
rule. If we can overlook our own shortcomings and
wrong-doings, we ought to overlook the shortcomings of
others in accordance with the words, "Bear ye one
another's burdens."
Those
who fail to do so expose their lack of understanding of
the law of Christ. Love, according to Paul,
"believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth
all things." This commandment is not meant for those
who deny Christ; neither is it meant for those who
continue to live in sin. Only those who are willing to
hear the Word of God and then inadvertently fall into sin
to their own great sorrow and regret, carry the burdens
which the Apostle encourages us to bear. Let us not be
hard on them. If Christ did not punish them, what right
have we to do it?
VERSE 3. For if a
man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he
deceiveth himself.
Again
the Apostle takes the authors of sects to task for being
hard-hearted tyrants. They despise the weak and demand
that everything be just so. Nothing suits them except what
they do. Unless you eulogize whatever they say or do,
unless you adapt yourself to their slightest whim, they
become angry with you. They are that way because, as St.
Paul says, they "think themselves to be
something," they think they know all about the
Scriptures.
Paul
has their number when he calls them zeros. They deceive
themselves with their self-suggested wisdom and holiness.
They have no understanding of Christ or the law of Christ.
By insisting that everything be perfect they not only fail
to bear the burdens of the weak, they actually offend the
weak by their severity. People begin to hate and shun them
and refuse to accept counsel or comfort from them.
Paul
describes these stiff and ungracious saints accurately
when he says of them, "They think themselves to be
something." Bloated by their own silly ideas and
schemes they entertain a pretty fair opinion of
themselves, when in reality they amount to nothing.
VERSE
4. But let every man prove his own
work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone,
and not in another.
In
this verse the Apostle continues his attack upon the
vainglorious sectarians. Although this passage may be
applied to any work, the Apostle has in mind particularly
the work of the ministry.
The
trouble with these seekers after glory is that they never
stop to consider whether their ministry is straightforward
and faithful. All they think about is whether people will
like and praise them. Theirs is a threefold sin. First,
they are greedy of praise. Secondly, they are very sly and
wily in suggesting that the ministry of other pastors is
not what it should be. By way of contrast they hope
to rise in the estimation of the people. Thirdly, once
they have established a reputation for themselves they
become so chesty that they stop short of nothing. When
they have won the praise of men, pride leads them on to
belittle the work of other men and to applaud their own.
In this artful manner they hoodwink the people who rather
enjoy to see their former pastors taken down a few notches
by such upstarts.
"Let
a minister be faithful in his office," is the
apostolic injunction. "Let him not seek his own glory
or look for praise. Let him desire to do good work and to
preach the Gospel in all its purity. Whether an ungrateful
world appreciates his efforts is to give him no concern
because, after all, he is in the ministry not for his own
glory but for the glory of Christ."
A
faithful minister cares little what people think of him,
as long as his conscience approves of him. The approval of
his own good conscience is the best praise a minister can
have. To know that we have taught the Word of God and
administered the sacraments rightly is to have a glory
that cannot be taken away.
The
glory which the sectarians seek is quite unstable, because
it rests in the whim of people. If Paul had had to depend
on this kind of glory for his ministry he would have
despaired when he saw the many offenses and evils
following in the wake of his preaching.
If
we had to feel that the success of our ministry depended
upon our popularity with men we would die, because we are
not popular. On the contrary, we are hated by the whole
world with rare bitterness. Nobody praises us. Everybody
finds fault with us. But we can glory in the Lord and
attend to our work cheerfully. Who cares whether our
efforts please or displease the devil? Who cares whether
the world praises or hates us? We go ahead "
by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report
." (II Cor. 6:8.)
The
Gospel entails persecution. The Gospel is that kind of a
doctrine. Furthermore, the disciples of the Gospel
are not all dependable. Many embrace the Gospel today and
tomorrow discard it. To preach the Gospel for praise is
bad business especially when people stop praising you.
Find your praise in the testimony of a good conscience.
This
passage may also be applied to other work besides the
ministry. When an official, a servant, a teacher minds his
business and performs his duty faithfully without
concerning himself about matters that are not in his line
he may rejoice in himself. The best commendation of any
work is to know that one has done the work that God has
given him well and that God is pleased with his effort.
VERSE
5. Every man shall bear his own
burden.
That
means: For anybody to covet praise is foolish because the
praise of men will be of no help to you in the hour of
death. Before the judgment throne of Christ everybody will
have to bear his own burden. As it is the praise of men
stops when we die. Before the eternal Judge it is not
praise that counts but your own conscience.
True,
the consciousness of work well done cannot quiet the
conscience. But it is well to have the testimony of a good
conscience in the last judgment that we have performed our
duty faithfully in accordance with God's will.
For
the suppression of pride we need the strength of prayer.
What man even if he is a Christian is not delighted with
his own praise? Only the Holy Spirit can preserve us from
the misfortune of pride.
VERSE
6. Let him that is taught in the word
communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
Now
the Apostle also addresses the hearers of the Word
requesting them to bestow "all good things" upon
those who have taught them the Gospel. I have often
wondered why all the apostles reiterated this request with
such embarrassing frequency. In the papacy I saw the
people give generously for the erection and maintenance of
luxurious church buildings and for the sustenance of men
appointed to the idolatrous service of Rome. I saw bishops
and priests grow rich until they possessed the choicest
real estate. I thought then that Paul's admonitions were
overdone. I thought he should have requested the people to
curtail their contributions. I saw how the generosity of
the people of the Church was encouraging covetousness on
the part of the clergy. I know better now.
As
often as I read the admonitions of the Apostle to the
effect that the churches should support their pastors and
raise funds for the relief of impoverished Christians I am
half ashamed to think that the great Apostle Paul had to
touch upon this subject so frequently. In writing to the
Corinthians he needed two chapters to impress this matter
upon them. I would not want to discredit Wittenberg as
Paul discredited the Corinthians by urging them at such
length to contribute to the relief of the poor. It seems
to be a by-product of the Gospel that nobody wants to
contribute to the maintenance of the Gospel ministry. When
the doctrine of the devil is preached people are prodigal
in their willing support of those who deceive them.
We
have come to understand why it is so necessary to repeat
the admonition of this verse. When Satan cannot suppress
the preaching of the Gospel by force he tries to
accomplish his purpose by striking the ministers of the
Gospel with poverty. He curtails their income to such an
extent that they are forced out of the ministry because
they cannot live by the Gospel. Without ministers to
proclaim the Word of God the people go wild like savage
beasts.
Paul's
admonition that the hearers of the Gospel share all good
things with their pastors and teachers is certainly in
order. To the Corinthians he wrote: "
If we have sown unto you spiritual things is it a great
thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
" (I Cor. 9:11.) In the old days when the Pope
reigned supreme everybody paid plenty for masses. The
begging friars brought in their share. Commercial priests
counted the daily offerings. From these
extortions our countrymen are now delivered by the Gospel.
You would think they would be grateful for their
emancipation and give generously for the support of the
ministry of the Gospel and the relief of impoverished
Christians. Instead, they rob Christ. When the members of
a Christian congregation permit their pastor to struggle
along in penury, they are worse than heathen.
Before
very long they are going to suffer for their ingratitude.
They will lose their temporal and spiritual possessions.
This sin merits the severest punishment. The reason why
the churches of Galatia, Corinth, and other places were
troubled by false apostles was this, that they had so
little regard for their faithful ministers. You cannot
refuse to give God a penny who gives you all good things,
even life eternal, and turn around and give the devil, the
giver of all evil and death eternal, pieces of gold, and
not be punished for it.
The
words "in all good things: are not to be understood
to mean that people are to give all they have to their
ministers, but that they should support them liberally and
give them enough to live well.
VERSE
7. Be not deceived; God is not
mocked.
The
Apostle is so worked up over this matter that he is not
content with a mere admonition. He utters the threatening
words, "God is not mocked." Our countrymen think
it good sport to despise the ministry. They like to treat
the ministers like servants and slaves. "Be not
deceived," warns the Apostle, "God is not
mocked." God will not be mocked in His ministers.
Christ said: "
He that despiseth you, despiseth me
." (Luke 10:16.) To Samuel God said: "
They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me
." (I Sam. 8:7.) Be careful, you scoffers. God may
postpone His punishment for a time, but He will find you
out in time, and punish you for despising His servants.
You cannot laugh at God. Maybe the people are little
impressed by the threats of God, but in the hour of their
death they shall know whom they have mocked. God is
not ever going to let His ministers starve. When the rich
suffer the pangs of hunger God will feed His own servants.
"
In the days of famine they shall be satisfied
." (Ps. 37:19.)
VERSE
7. For whatever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap.
These
passages are all meant to benefit us ministers. I must say
I do not find much pleasure in explaining these verses. I
am made to appear as if I am speaking for my own benefit.
If a minister preaches on money he is likely to be accused
of covetousness. Still people must be told these things
that they may know their duty over against their pastors.
Our Savior says: "
Eating and drinking such things as they give; for the
laborer is worthy of his hire
." (Luke 10:7.) And Paul says elsewhere: "
Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things
live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at
the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the
Lord ordained, that they which preach the gospel should
live of the gospel
." (I Cor. 9:13, 14.)
VERSE
8. For he that soweth to his flesh
shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to
the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
is
simile of sowing and reaping also refers to the proper
support of ministers. "He that soweth to the
Spirit," i.e., he that honors the ministers of God is
doing a spiritual thing and will reap everlasting life.
"He that soweth to the flesh," i.e., he that has
nothing left for the ministers of God, but only thinks of
himself, that person will reap of the flesh corruption,
not only in this life but also in the life to come. The
Apostle wants to stir up his readers to be generous to
their pastors.
That
the ministers of the Church need support any man with
common sense can see. Though this support is something
physical the Apostle does not hesitate to call it sowing
to the Spirit. When people scrape up everything they can
lay their hands on and keep everything for themselves
the Apostle calls it a sowing to the flesh. He pronounces
those who sow to the Spirit blessed for this life and the
life to come, while those who sow to the flesh are
accursed now and forever.
VERSE
9 And let us not be weary in well
doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
The
Apostle intends soon to close his Epistle and therefore
repeats once more the general exhortation unto good deeds.
He means to say "Let us do good not only to the
ministers of the Gospel, but to everybody, and let us do
it without weariness." It is easy enough to do good
once or twice, but to keep on doing good without getting
disgusted with the ingratitude of those whom we have
benefited, that is not so easy. Therefore the Apostle does
not only admonish us to do good, but to do good
untiringly. For our encouragement he adds the promise:
"For in due season we shall reap, if we faint
not." "Wait for the harvest and then you will
reap the reward of your sowing to the Spirit. Think of
that when you do good and the ingratitude of men will not
stop you from doing good."
VERSE
10. As we have therefore opportunity,
let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are
of the household of faith.
In
this verse the Apostle summarizes his instructions on the
proper support of the ministers and of the poor. He
paraphrases the words of Christ: "
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is
day: the night cometh, when no man can work
." (John 9:4.) Our good deeds are to be directed
primarily at those who share the Christian faith with us,
"the household of faith," as Paul calls them,
among whom the ministers rank first as objects of our well
doing.
VERSE
11. Ye see how large a letter I have
written unto you with mine own hand.
With
these words the Apostle intends to draw the Galatians on.
"I never," he says, "wrote such a long
letter
with my own hand to any of the other churches." His
other epistles he dictated, and only subscribed his
greetings and his signature with his own hand.
VERSE
12. As many as desire to make a fair
shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised;
only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of
Christ.
Paul
once more scores the false apostles in an effort to draw
the Galatians away from their false doctrine. "The
teachers you have now do not seek the glory of Christ and
the salvation of your souls, but only their own glory.
They avoid the Cross. They do not understand what they
teach."
These
three counts against the false apostles are of so serious
a nature that no Christian could have fellowship with
them. But not all the Galatians obeyed the warning of
Paul.
The
Apostle's attack upon the false apostles was not
unjustified. Neither are our attacks upon the papacy. When
we call the Pope the Antichrist and his minions an evil
brood, we do not slander them. We merely judge them by the
touchstone of God's Word recorded in the first chapter of
this Epistle: "Though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed."
VERSE
13. For neither they themselves who
are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you
circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
In
other words: "I shall tell you what kind of teachers
you have now. They avoid the Cross, they teach no certain
truths. They think they are performing the Law, but they
are not. They have not the Holy Spirit and without Him
nobody can keep the Law." Where the Holy Ghost does
not dwell in men there dwells an unclean spirit, a spirit
that despises God and turns every effort at keeping the
Law into a double sin.
Mark
what the Apostle is saying: Those who are circumcised do
not fulfill the Law. No self-righteous person
ever does. To work, pray, or suffer apart from Christ is
to work, pray, and to suffer in vain, "for whatsoever
is not of faith is sin." It does a person no good to
be circumcised, to fast, to pray, or to do anything, if in
his heart he despises Christ.
"Why
do the false apostles insist that you should be
circumcised? Not for the sake of your righteousness,"
although they give that impression, but "that they
may glory in your flesh." Now what sort of an
ambition is that? Worst of all, they force circumcision
upon you for no other reason than the satisfaction they
get out of your submission.
VERSE
14. But God forbid that I should
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
"God
forbid," says the Apostle, "that I should glory
in anything as dangerous as the false apostles glory in
because what they glory in is a poison that destroys many
souls, and I wish it were buried in hell. Let them glory
in the flesh if they wish and let them perish in their
glory. As for me I glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ." He expresses the same sentiment in the fifth
chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, where he says:
"We glory in tribulations"; and in the twelfth
chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians:
"Most gladly, therefore, will l rather glory in my
infirmities." According to these expressions the
glory of a Christian consists in tribulations, reproaches,
and infirmities.
And
this is our glory today with the Pope and the whole world
persecuting us and trying to kill us. We know that we
suffer these things not because we are thieves and
murderers, but for Christ's sake whose Gospel we proclaim.
We have no reason to complain. The world, of course, looks
upon us as unhappy and accursed creatures, but Christ for
whose sake we suffer pronounces us blessed and bids us to
rejoice.
"Blessed are ye," says He, "when men shall
revile you, and persecute you. and shall say all
manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad."
(Matt. 5:11, 12.)
By
the Cross of Christ is not to be understood here the two
pieces of wood to which He was nailed, but all the
afflictions of the believers whose sufferings are Christ's
sufferings. Elsewhere Paul writes: "
Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that
which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh
for his body's sake, which is the church
." (Col. 1:24.)
It
is good for us to know this lest we sink into despair when
our opponents persecute us. Let us bear the cross for
Christ's sake. It will ease our sufferings and make them
light as Christ says, Matthew 11:30, "
My yoke is easy, and my burden is light
."
VERSE
14. By whom the world is crucified
unto me, and I unto the world.
"The
world is crucified unto me," means that I condemn the
world. "I am crucified unto the world," means
that the world in turn condemns me. I detest the doctrine,
the self-righteousness, and the works of the world. The
world in turn detests my doctrine and condemns me as a
revolutionary heretic. Thus the world is crucified unto us
and we unto the world.
The
monks imagined the world was crucified unto them when they
entered the monastery. Not the world, but Christ, is
crucified in the monasteries.
In
this verse Paul expresses his hatred of the world. The
hatred was mutual. As Paul, so we are to despise the world
and the devil. With Christ on our side we can defy him and
say: "Satan, the more you hurt me, the more I oppose
you."
VERSE
15. For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a
new creature.
Since
circumcision and uncircumcision are contrary matters we
would expect the Apostle to say that one or
the other might accomplish some good. But he denies that
either of them do any good. Both are of no value because
in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
avail anything.
Reason
fails to understand this, "
for the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God
." (I Cor. 2:14.) It therefore seeks righteousness in
externals. However, we learn from the Word of God that
there is nothing under the sun that can make us righteous
before God and a new creature except Christ Jesus.
A
new creature is one in whom the image of God has been
renewed. Such a creature cannot be brought into life by
good works, but by Christ alone. Good works may improve
the outward appearance, but they cannot produce a new
creature. A new creature is the work of the Holy Ghost,
who imbues our hearts with faith, love, and other
Christian virtues, grants us the strength to subdue the
flesh and to reject the righteousness of the world.
VERSE
16. And as many as walk according to
this rule, peace be on them, and mercy.
This
is the rule by which we ought to live, "
that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness
." (Eph. 4:24.) Those who walk after this rule enjoy
the favor of God, the forgiveness of their sins, and peace
of conscience. Should they ever be overtaken by any sin,
the mercy of God supports them.
VERSE
17. From henceforth let no man
trouble me.
The
Apostle speaks these words with a certain amount of
indignation. "I have preached the Gospel to you in
conformity with the revelation which I received from Jesus
Christ. If you do not care for it, very well. Trouble me
no more. Trouble me no more."
VERSE
17. For I bear in my body the marks
of the Lord Jesus.
"The
marks on my body indicate whose servant I am. If I was
anxious to please men, if I approved of circumcision
and good works as factors in our salvation, if I would
take delight in your flesh as the false apostles do, I
would not have these marks on my body. But because I am
the servant of Jesus Christ and publicly declare that no
person can obtain the salvation of his soul outside of
Christ, I must bear the badge of my Lord. These marks were
given to me against my will as decorations from the devil
and for no other merit but that I made known Jesus."
Of
the marks of suffering which he bore in his body the
Apostle makes frequent mention in his epistles.
"I think," he says, "that God hath set
forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death:
for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels,
and to men
." (I Cor. 4:9.) Again, "
Unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are
naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
And labour, working with our hands: being reviled, we
bless; being persecuted, we suffer it; being defamed, we
intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are
the offscouring of all things unto this day
." (I Cor. 4:11-13.)
VERSE
18. Brethren, the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
This
is the Apostle's farewell. He ends his Epistle as he began
it by wishing the Galatians the grace of God. We can hear
him say: "I have presented Christ to you, I have
pleaded with you, I have reproved you, I have overlooked
nothing that I thought might be of benefit to you. All I
can do now is to pray that our Lord Jesus Christ would
bless my Epistle and grant you the guidance of the Holy
Ghost."
The
Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, who gave me the strength
and the grace to explain this Epistle and granted you the
grace to hear it, preserve and strengthen us in faith unto
the day of our redemption. To Him, the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit, be glory, world without end. Amen.
|
