Verse 1. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” We are exhorted to walk by the Spirit, with Christ as our example. We shall not then be seeking our own glory; we shall not provoke, nor envy one another; we shall be ready, as spiritual ones, to seek the restoration of one who has been overtaken in a fault. The grace of the Lord working in our souls, will seek his restoration, considering how easily we ourselves might do as bad or even worse, if we are not watchful and prayerful. This is not sympathizing with sinful ways, or a course of sin. We need to seek grace from the Lord to maintain communion with Him. If we walk carelessly, we shall grieve the Holy Spirit.
Verse 2. “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” This also is after the pattern of what our Lord Jesus has done, and is doing for us. It is as if the apostle said, “You desire law, here it is for you—the law of love that seeks the good of others.” He did not encourage wrong doing, or fail in loving admonition where it was needed. He sympathized with them in their sorrows, and helped them to bear life’s heavy load.
Verses 3-5. The legal spirit lays down a path, and finds fault with others who do not walk in it, nor do they walk in it themselves, so the warning is given, “If a man think 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.” Each needs to answer to the Lord for his own work, this is our individual service for the Lord.
Verses 7, 8. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 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 life everlasting.” This is a truth we might dwell on with profit; it applies to all—saved and unsaved. We are all sowing and reaping every day, and what are we sowing, we might well inquire?
The unsaved are always sowing to the flesh they have nothing to live for but self. We often may see people of good manners and morals, kind and sympathizing with the needy, yet they are not born again, they have not taken the place of the lost, ruined sinner that needs a Savior. They live in their own righteousness, and that is but filthy rags in God’s sight (Isa. 64:66But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6)). It is a way that seemeth right in their own eyes, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Philanthropy and benevolence, which in themselves are beautiful to behold, and win a great place before men, and the grateful thanks of the needy who are helped, yet if they, as so many do, depend on such as good works for salvation, it is a rope of sand. Nothing can cleanse from sin, and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but the precious blood of Christ, which alone can cleanse and give us pardon and peace with God. But even in this life, the sober, honest man has the comfort in some measure of what he sows. How is it with the reader? What are you sowing?
And what is the Christian sowing? And what is he reaping for time and for eternity? It is blessed to have full assurance from the Word of God that our sins are all forgiven (1 John 2:1212I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. (1 John 2:12)), and that we have eternal life in Christ, and that we can never come into condemnation (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24); John 10:28, 2928And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:28‑29)), and that our relationship is with the Father (Rom. 8:15,1615For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Romans 8:15‑16)); and with the Son (Rom. 8:11There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)), and with the Holy Spirit and these can never fail (Eph. 4:3030And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)), and we are now accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:66To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:6)). All this is blessed to have as our eternal portion. Yet it is very plain that as to our enjoyment, and how much we live in it, we have to own our failures. And we need to think of, and seek to put into practice these two little words, words which we shall not need in heaven, “Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation.”
It is a divine necessity for us to set our hearts to carry out this exhortation, if we are to have the help and comfort of communion with the Lord. Every provision is made for our weakness, our great high Priest is ever living on high to minister to our need. If we will only look up to Him, there is the immediate response on His part to succor us. The tendency is to get our eye from the Lord, to get occupied with every day matters, to try to carry on in our own strength, and it assuredly is grieving to Him, and hurtful to our soul’s progress and happiness, and then we reap sorrow and care, and with some doubts as to our salvation (see 2 Peter 1:8-108For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (2 Peter 1:8‑10)). That is sleeping among the dead, from which we are called to awake (Eph. 5:1414Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. (Ephesians 5:14)), and Christ will shine upon us again.
Has your heart, dear reader, grown cold? You remember the happy days when you walked close to Christ. Then why not turn, in response to His entreaty, “Let Me see thy countenance, let Me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.” Do you long for this to take place? He longs to give it. His love to you is as great as ever. “As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you, dwell ye in My love” John 15:99As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. (John 15:9). See the contrast in 2 Peter 1 with the cold-hearted worldly Christian (v. 9), and the diligent one in verses 8 and 11. In this last we have already the reaping of eternal enjoyment, as well as when in heaven with the Lord. “For so an entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” It is surely well to ask our souls, “What are we sowing?”
“Enoch walked with God, and before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Why should not each one of us seek to have this also? And 1 Corinthians 4:55Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. (1 Corinthians 4:5) tells of the time when every believer shall have his praise of God, according to his faithfulness in walking with God.
Verses 9, 10. We are assured of it, and exhorted, “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” We behave sometimes like children who have planted seed in their gardens, and expect to see the flowers or fruit immediately. We need patience (endurance). The work in souls is the work of God. We wait for His blessing, and in due time we shall see what has been accomplished.
Verses 11-14. Paul generally dictated his letters, while others wrote for him, then put on his salutation with his own hand (Rom. 16:2222I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord. (Romans 16:22); 1 Cor. 16:2121The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. (1 Corinthians 16:21); 2 Thess. 3:1717The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. (2 Thessalonians 3:17)), thus certifying their correctness, and investing them with his authority, but this time he writes it with his own hand. His heart deeply exercised by the condition of these saints saved from among the Gentiles, and now put under the influence of the law, to him it was very sad. It was a wile of the serpent, an attempt to destroy the gospel of the grace of God, to make a fair show in the flesh before men, and to avoid persecution; nor could these false teachers keep the law themselves, but they wanted these young converts to be circumcised, that they might glory in their flesh in which good does not dwell.
The cross for us brought salvation, and proves to us the love of God. It was shame and suffering to our Lord who endured the cross and despised the shame, and Paul identifies himself with Him in this place. “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.” He is willing to take the persecution with His Savior, “the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” He could not seek honor where the One who loved him was despised, rejected and crucified. He counted himself crucified with Christ, dead to the world, and the world dead to him. He could not seek honor there.
Verses 15, 16. Circumcision was a recognition of the flesh, but in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availed anything. In the One in whom believers stand, it is new creation; they have already life in Christ, a life beyond death, a life that cannot die, that delights to follow Christ, and thus to walk in the Spirit—this is the rule of Christianity; it is the law of liberty in Christ Jesus, where love governs the heart. “As many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and upon the Israel of God.” The converted Israelite is thus spoken of; and in 1 Peter 2:9,9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9) converted Israelites are also called “an holy nation.” These titles could not apply to converted Gentiles.
Verse 17. “From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” The world and worldly religion made the marks; he was a branded slave, but they were to him medals won in the service of a despised and rejected Christ whose love had won his heart.
It is sad to see in these Galatians, how evil doctrine that honors the flesh, can turn aside the stream of love and light that once had flowed out to the apostle, so that they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to him had it been possible, and his love could not flow to them as before. It was in his heart, but their perversity checked its flow.
“How serious is this perversity of the human heart, which really, unconscious of its state of sin and weakness, instead of finding in the law the proof of that state, uses it to produce its own righteousness, human righteousness, after the gospel has revealed the righteousness of God for us in Christ, just because we had none for God. But from that day, this error everywhere abounds, and it even characterizes actual Christianity.” It is the doctrine generally taught.
“If we are not well grounded in grace, and in the efficacy of the work of Christ, it is impossible really to grow in the development of life, and in fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”