Galatians 6:2-5 – “Really Caring”

Once again, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses

²Be bearing the burdens of one another, and thus you will fulfill the law of Christ, ³for if one is seeming to be something being nothing, he is deceiving himself. ⁴And each of you should be examining his own work and then the boast will hold only into himself and not into the other, ⁵for each one will bear his own load.

As I said under verse 1, this section (6:1-10) has never really made much sense to me. I could take individual verses and get some meaning from them, but I couldn’t see how they fit together, or what they had to do with the previous 5 chapters.

Now it seems apparent to me that Paul is, in fact, making some very salient applications of his entire law vs. spirit discussion. In addition, I believe he is very specifically making those applications in the local church setting, precisely because that is where the Galatians are having their issues. A mean-spirited division has arisen in the Galatian church following the introduction of legalism and the thus-inevitable devolving of the church into flesh-driven thinking and behavior. Paul would have them know that real Spirit-led freedom in Christ produces very different behavior. Right off the bat, in verse 1, we learned that Spirit-led freedom will change how we deal with people we think are wrong or have failed. The Spirit’s indwelling enables us to continue to love, to be gentle and humble as we would sincerely seek their best, instead of either a) ignoring them or b) resorting to a mean, censorious, judgmental spirit – the result of legalism and a work of the flesh.

As we move on to verse 2, Paul is continuing to offer very immediately practical implications for a church body. He says next that Spirit-led freedom in Christ will move us to “bear one another’s burdens.” This means literally to get our own shoulder under the load that is bearing down on someone else, particularly (in this context) the other people in our church. It means to see that someone else is struggling under the weight of something and to be willing to put our shoulder into it too.

At this point, that could sound all very cliché, the kind of thing people would chime and repeat endlessly in Sunday School. But does anyone really do it? Paul wouldn’t be making this application if it weren’t highly likely we would not do it. And note in context he is suggesting that where legalism has been allowed to fester, it is most likely it won’t happen. It takes Spirit-control to move us to actually “bear one another’s burdens.” This is not a law-thing. “Against such things there is no law.” What he is talking about is the spontaneous outpouring of a heart indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God and controlled not by a set of rules but by the loving heart of Jesus Himself.

Satan, and our flesh after him, was a murderer from the beginning. He loves to take life, not give it. But our Savior is the ultimate Burden-bearer. “Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows … He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:4,5). What Paul is saying is, if we truly give our heart to Jesus, if the desire of our heart is to know His heart, if we live in the wonder of how He has born our burdens, then how can we do less than want to bear the burdens of our fellow believers? Again, this is not a law-thing. Law cannot and will not produce people who genuinely love like this.

Note Paul does not say to sympathize with others’ burdens, he doesn’t say to send them a card and tell them, “Call if you need me.” He says, “Get your shoulder under the load.” The other things may in fact be genuine expressions of love but obviously they’ll be meaningless if not accompanied by specific action. As James said in 2:15,16: “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” As John added, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

I would note that, in order to put my shoulder to the load of someone else’s burden, I first need to know it’s even there. What I mean is this very charge begins with asking myself, “Do I even know what other people’s burdens are?” Do I listen for them? Do I watch for them? Am I skillful at all in picking up the perhaps subtle signals that would tell me someone else is struggling? I would surmise that most of the burdens people bear, they simply won’t tell you about. The only signal I may see is those tired eyes, or that face that took just a second too long to smile, or an unconscious deep sigh. Hmmmmm. I wonder if I really know anything at all about genuinely bearing others' burdens?

I think before I go on, I’m just going to stop here and pray about this. I do want to live a Spirit-led life. I want to live out the freedom of living not by law but by communion with the very heart of the Burden-bearer. Paul finishes this verse by saying, “and so fulfill the law of Christ.” That law is not a set of rules but rather a heart of love, love first for God and then for people. I want to pray about this business of being a burden-bearer. Am I sensitive enough to people to know they're burdened? Am I willing to spend the time and effort to put my shoulder to their load in some tangible, genuinely helpful way?

Once again, I fear this charge is so cliché that in all likelihood everyone assumes they’re doing it, while in fact it rarely occurs. Very interesting. Definitely needs some brooding time. Will return.

Galatians 6:1 – “A Different Man”

Once again, here’s my fairly literal translation of this verse:

¹And, brothers, if a man is overtaken by some transgression, you the spiritual ones restore such a one in a spirit of humility, watching yourself, [that] you are not also tempted.

Ah, back to my study of Galatians. This book has so profoundly altered my understanding of grace and faith and the law and even my view of God and the Scriptures and what it means to live out my faith. Exciting. This is precisely why I study the Bible – I want to get my “truth” straight from God Himself. I want to know Him. I want Him to challenge my presuppositions and paradigms, to expose the inconsistencies and errors, and keep on feeding me what I would call “mid-course corrections.” I love to sit under good teaching and I greatly appreciate all the men who have recorded their thoughts down through the ages. They are often (probably usually) the tools God uses to point me to His truth. But that said, still, I want to see it for myself in the very words (yea, letters) of God’s Holy Word. And so I study on …

Galatians chapter 6 has beckoned me to study for a long time now. Chapters 1 through 5 are intensely doctrinal specifically addressing the whole matter of Spirit vs. Law, then, upon casual reading, it seems like chapter 6 is just a sort of potpourri of unrelated, even arbitrary practical thoughts. I didn’t find it immediately obvious how they were connected to chapters 1 through 5, and, as is often the case in the Bible, they don’t seem to have any relationship to each other.

On the other hand, I suspected that in fact the admonitions in chapter 6 are intimately related to what he has been saying throughout the book. This would be intriguing, since the truths in chapters 1 through 5 are such bombshells – wouldn’t it be great if he drew some salient practical applications in the last chapter? This was Paul’s pattern in Romans, teaching profound truth in chapters 1 through 11, then winding up the book with five chapters of awesome practical implications. Chapters 1 through 5 have so profoundly changed my view of so many things, I find my heart longing for a session of practical ways to integrate these truths into my life. I hope chapter 6 turns out to be exactly that, rather than just a collection of arbitrary thoughts to close the book.

Wading into verse 1, I think, in fact, I will find this chapter to be directly what perhaps Paul would see as the most immediately salient and practical implications of everything he has been teaching the Galatians.

In chapter 5, Paul just got done exposing the works of the flesh as opposed to the fruit of the Spirit. He concluded those thoughts by admonishing us to “keep in step with the Spirit” and then not to be “conceited and provoking one another.” Now he says, “Brothers, if a man is overtaken by some transgression …”

I would suggest this is very salient and practical. Paul is specifically addressing a church group. He is addressing a church group that is particularly having “issues.” He has at least twice warned them against internal strife (5:15 and 26). And his very first practical application is addressing the question of how do you handle it, within your church, when you think others are “wrong?” For anyone who has been in church for any length of time at all, we know this is a very real question. As soon as I realize someone sees things “differently” one can feel the hackles go up and the fangs and claws begin to emerge. And, yes, that even includes the color of the carpet.

What Paul is saying is this is exactly a place where all he’s been teaching comes to bear. NOW is time to keep in step with the Spirit and not just let the flesh drive our response -- when I realize I think another believer is “wrong.” And that is precisely the problem in “churches.”  That is why they fight like cats and dogs and split over every little difference. They may simply not have lain hold of the enormity of Spirit indwelling, or, more likely, their legalism has blinded them to it. When life is all about “the rules,” then it makes everyone’s religion all about guarding “the rules” (as they see them), and people become implacable, impatient, and mean-spirited.

I have lamented before how it took only 10 years for a Protestant to be martyred by Protestants. In 1527, just 10 years after Martin Luther posted his 93 theses, Felix Manz was executed by drowning because he held a “different” view of baptism. Sounds like no one read Galatians 6:1. I don’t know where the Spirit was that day, but He certainly wasn’t being allowed to guide the hearts of men who should have known better.

At any rate, enough of the negative. This verse clearly teaches us that Spirit living changes how we address ourselves to other believers we think are somehow in the wrong. Many others have commented on this verse and I have little to add (except to logically connect it with the preceding text). Just to hit some of the highlights, Paul says to see them as people “overtaken by a fault.” The phrase is subject to some variety of interpretation, but assuming this is correct, it is saying to see them not as resolute trespassers but rather as someone who has inadvertently fallen into the error. They’re not an enemy combatant but rather a fellow believer who has gotten mixed up. Under Spirit control, one is deeply aware of how easily we ourselves are deceived, so it isn’t that much of a stretch to address them “in a spirit of meekness.” Under the Spirit of grace, we of course would desire to restore them or could we even say redeem them? We all know plenty about redemption! (when we’re in the Spirit, that is).

Then he adds, “watching yourself that you are not tempted.” It is interesting that Paul here leaves the plural of “brothers” and switches his address to the singular. This is no accident either as he uses the substantive singular pronoun “you,” which I underlined in the text, along with personal pronoun “yourself.” Obviously, in the business of correction, even if others are involved, people need to be accountable individually for the spirit of their contributions. This again could be translated and understood a lot of ways.

It could mean that, even in the process of correcting someone else, we are vulnerable to falling into their same sins. That is a very real threat. I know that many times I’ve been involved with restoring men who’ve been adulterous. Quite frankly, it didn’t do me any good to hear the details of their escapades. Those are some images and memories I wish I could erase from my mind but, unfortunately I heard them and they’re here to stay. I can definitely see where too much of that and a man could end up himself falling into adultery or perhaps a lot of other sins as well.

“Lest you also are tempted” could also be referring not to their sin but to the temptation to be judgmental and harsh and over-bearing. They may have fallen into this or that, but it is just as offensive to our redeeming God for us to correct them in a spirit that crushes them rather than restores. Sin is sin.

Regardless, the point, I think is that real Spirit living means I am all too aware of my own failure and weakness. On the other hand, I know how much sin hurts and I don’t wish to see anyone trapped in it. When I think someone else is “wrong” a gracious redemptive humble spirit is far better prepared to show them love than the cruel heart controlled by the flesh.

God help me as I go through my day to let the Spirit guide my heart and my mouth, even when I think someone else is wrong. To be honest, we’re talking a miracle here – but that is precisely why we are Spirit-indwelt. He doesn’t just stand by to help – He is in our very heart, ready to empower us to live out the image of God in our fallen world. May we give Him that heart and may we truly be different.

Exodus 33:12-23/v.18-23 – “Lessons from the Mysterious”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹⁸And he said, “Cause me to see (na) Your glory.”

¹⁹And He said, “I will cause to pass the all of My goodness upon your faces and I will call in the name of YHVH to your faces and I am gracious to whom I will be gracious and I am compassionate to whom I will be compassionate.” ²⁰And He said, “You are not able to see My faces because the man cannot see Me and live.” ²¹And YHVH said, “Behold, a place near Me and you will be stood upon the rock; ²²And My glory is passing over and I am setting you in the cleft of the rock and I am covering My hand upon you during My passing; ²³And I will cause to take away My hand and you will see My backside and My faces cannot be seen.”

This is an interesting passage of Scripture. You can simply read it and be blessed by a variety of encouraging messages, such as the imagery of God hiding us “in the cleft of the rock” and the picture of Christ. Or you can pause and ponder over each word and phrase and find this one of those infinitely deep and mysterious wells of knowledge. What exactly did Moses have in mind when he asked the Lord, “Show me Your glory”? By the Lord’s response, it would seem that Moses was very specifically asking to see His face. Yet even that – what would he have been asking for? Moses knew that God is an infinite Spirit, that He doesn’t have a “face” in the same sense we do. So what was he really asking for? And when God says, “I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” what does that mean? How does “goodness” pass before someone? Goodness is a moral quality, not a physical entity that one can look at. Then when Moses was allowed to see His “backside,” what even does that mean? Once again, the Lord is an infinite Spirit, and doesn’t have a “front” or “back.” So what does this mean?

I don’t know if anyone else sees what I’m saying, but if I pause and ponder on the actual meaning of these various phrases and statements, I find I’m not sure I understand much at all. I would conclude the problem is that I simply don’t have the maturity to really understand what exactly exchanged here between Moses and the Lord. In this passage, we are being allowed to observe a personal event in the life of a man who is far more mature than I’ll certainly ever be. He knew God far more intimately than I do. Hence, when I’m allowed to hear the discussion that goes on between them, especially in these emotionally intense circumstances, there are simply things said and things that happen that are beyond me.

I suspect that, if any one of us lived long enough on this earth, and if we allowed the Lord to teach us and draw ever closer to Him, there would come a day when we could read this passage and honestly say, “Oh! I know exactly what he’s asking for!” But, and I guess this is my point, for myself, the fact is I am not there yet and therefore have to content myself simply not to truly understand much of what happens here.

On the other hand, since God’s world is logically fractal, though I may not understand the truth on its actual grand scale, I still “get the picture” on my lesser and more limited scale ... which is where I started, when I said one can read this passage and draw many very encouraging thoughts. That is the beauty of the Bible and its fractal logic. Even a new believer and the most immature may read the Bible and “get the picture” with plenty of truth to live on and grow by. But as one grows, in a sense the “picture” grows with us. It’s the same picture, we just comprehend more and more of the seeming mysteries and details that comprise it.

That being said, may I offer a few of my perhaps infantile observations? First of all, like many writers before me, I think it a wonder that Moses asks to see God’s glory and the Lord replies, “I’ll show you My goodness.” Then He goes on to say He’ll declare to him His grace and compassion. Goodness, grace, and compassion. What the Lord is saying is that, for Moses, His glory is His goodness, grace, and compassion. Wow. What a bombshell! I suspect you could ask almost any one, if they could see God’s glory, what would they see, and they would respond with all sorts of answers, all one way or another expressing His majesty. But see what happens here. Moses asks to see His glory and the Lord shows him goodness, grace, and compassion.

I think it shows how little we really know our God. It has been a progressively growing realization for me to comprehend just how important is God’s love. I remember years ago reading John’s simple statement, “God is love,” and immediately feeling like I needed to somehow throw up guards and cautions all around it, lest anyone run away with it and think they can just live like the devil and somehow God will still love them. I am realizing now that such a response would simply prove the person doesn’t understand grace. I find more and more that, to really understand the goodness and grace and compassion of the Lord doesn’t make me want to “live like the devil.” Rather I find it slays my heart. I find myself “drawn by cords of love.”

Certainly a part of God’s glory is His justice and His hatred for sin. That “face” of God is seen by those who reject Him. But Moses, and us I hope, are not like that. We do embrace Him. We are hidden in the cleft of the rock, our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, and so, to us, when God wants us to see His glory, He shows us goodness, grace, and compassion. And I believe we find that a far greater compulsion to ourselves be good and gracious and compassionate. That is the wonder of grace. Irresistible love. It is the way of grace, far, far better than the way of law.

The other perhaps infantile observation I’d like to note is another grace thing we see. In this passage we learn that God’s grace extends not only to what He gives but also to what He withholds. Moses asked to see His glory (whatever that meant) and the Lord very graciously allows him to experience something perhaps no one else ever did this side of glory (save perhaps Paul and his being lifted to the “third heaven”). But, on the other hand, the Lord only gives him as much as he can bear.

In the passage before us, we are told exactly why the Lord only gave him “so much.” In real life, we pray for things and hope for things and can be very disappointed, even confused or embittered, when the Lord’s answers seem to fall short of our expectation. We are not told, “I cannot grant this. It would kill you.” We simply have to believe by faith that the Lord is totally committed to our best interests, continue to pray, continue to ask, and continue to love Him. Job said, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” I suppose we could also say, “The Lord gives and sometimes He doesn’t. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” It is part of maturity to be growing in accepting both what He gives and what He withholds … what the old folks called His providence.

There is much more to see and learn from this encouraging and mysterious passage. Hopefully I’ve learned a few nuggets to draw me that much closer to Him, to myself be that much closer to someone of whom it could be said, “The Lord spoke to him face to face, as to a friend.” I hope so. But now it is time to return to Galatians 6 and finish my study of that book. Farewell to Exodus 33. I’m so glad I finally got to study you!