Paul turns from dealing with the believer’s responsibility for sin to address the spiritual restoration of sinners (6:1) and overburdened brothers and sisters (v. 2) before further consideration of personal responsibility (vv. 3-5).
The Spirit-led believer approaches the matter of restoration in a spirit of gentleness and love, while the legalist has an attitude of pride and condemnation. The legalist does not need to consider themselves because they pretend they could never commit such a sin. But the believer living by grace realizes that no person is immune from falling. The believer has an attitude of humility because they realize their own weaknesses.
We see a couple of contrasts in this section. First, we see the contrast between the spiritual person seeking to restore a fellow believer in love, while the legalist or immature person would exploit the other Christian. A second contrast is a Spirit-led believer knowing the love of Christ in their heart, while the prideful Christian or legalist would aim to make themselves look better and deceive themselves. such comparisons are sinful and deceptive. It is easy to find somebody worse off than we are, so that our comparison makes us look better than we really are. Christian love would lead us not to expose a fellow believer’s failures or weaknesses, no matter how much better it would make us look.
1 Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks that he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone, and not to another. 5 For each one will bear his own load. (NASB)
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- A believer devasted by sin needs to be approached with gentleness by fellow believers. Let us be willing to listen, be gentle, be loving, and depend on the Spirit for His guidance in restoration.
- The message of grace frees us from selfishness to bear others’ burdens
- Instead of examining and judging others, a Christian should always step back and examine their own work to see if they are closely following Christ’s example (1 Cor 11:31; 2 Cor 13:5).
CLOSER LOOK:
Verse 1: Paul deals with a hypothetical case of a Christian who is caught (prolēmphthē) in any trespass, or better, is “caught by a sin.” The thought is that of someone running from sin but sin, being faster, overtakes and catches the person. The word “caught” means to be caught off guard, perhaps at a vulnerable point. Also, “any trespass” probably recalls the sinful “works of the flesh” in 5:19-21. Two passages show how the legalists responded to such situations where a person is caught in sin (cf. John 8:3–5; Acts 21:27–29). But a Christian should restore the person. Restore is from the Greek word katartizete, a word used in secular Greek for setting broken bones and in the NT for mending fishing nets.[1] The task of restoration is not to be undertaken by the immature in the faith but by those “who are spiritual,” that is, believers who walk by the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:16), and who are mature in the faith (cf. 1 Cor. 2:15; Heb. 5:13–14). In this context, refers to those manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. These believers with Christlike character traits produced by the Holy Spirit encourage faltering Christians. This does not mean that this cannot be a teaching opportunity for the young believer, or that the young believer cannot be useful in helping bring the Christian caught in sin to a mature believer to start the restoration process. The restoration process is best performed by those who are mature in the faith. Furthermore, this delicate work must be done in “gentleness” (prautētos), the same word found in chapter 5 in the list of the fruit of the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:22), and with the consciousness that no one is immune from falling into sin (cf. 1 Cor. 10:12). A believer devasted by sin needs to be approached with gentleness by fellow believers. Those not controlled by the Holy Spirit would tend to boast by comparing themselves to the fallen believer. Even as a doctor can catch a disease from treating a patient, so one restoring a fallen sinner can be tempted to fall into sin. That danger is well worth considering or keeping watch on oneself lest that person falls into temptation.
Verses 2-5 show how we can serve the Christian who is burdened
Verse 2: A serving Christian lends a helping hand with bearing “another’s burdens” (heavy loads; barē). The word for burden used here, bare, means the experience of something that is particularly oppressive or something beyond the normal capacity to carry. Though the principle would apply to all burdens the context has special reference to the heavy and oppressive weight of temptation and spiritual failure.[2] While the “spiritual” do the work of restoring, all believers are to become involved by prayer and encouragement. This, wrote Paul, will fulfill (anaplērōsete) “the law of Christ.” This “law of Christ” referred to here is probably the summation of the law: “love your neighbor” (5:14; Matt 22:39; Jn 13:34-35). Simply, it is the principle of love. The term “fulfill” suggests that choosing to bear another Christian’s burdens (or restore anther Christian from burdensome sin, v. 1) is precisely what Christ expects of all believers.
Verses 3–4: Anyone who concludes that he/she is something special, through shortsighted self-comparison with those who seem to have fallen, truly deceive themselves. Something must be laid aside if a believer is to be a burden-bearer and that is conceit, an attitude that breeds intolerance of error in others and causes one to think they are above failure. The remedy for self-conceit is found in verse 4—everyone is told to test or examine (dokimazetō; cf. 1 Peter 1:7) their own work. This means that rather than comparing oneself with others, the person should step back and take an objective look at themselves and their accomplishments. Then they will have reason for boasting over what God has done in and through their life (cf. Rom. 12:3). The Greek word kauchēma, rendered “boasting” or “pride,” means personal exultation or an act of taking pride in something, not sinful pride.
Verse 5: The Christian does in fact test themselves by carrying their own load. This does not contradict verse 2 because the reference there is to heavy, crushing, loads (barē)—more than a person could carry without help. In this verse, a different Greek word (phortion) is used to designate the pack usually carried by a marching soldier.[3] As opposed to “burden” (v. 2), this “load” is what a person could be expected to carry.[4] It is the “burden” Jesus assigns to His followers (cf. Matt. 11:30). There are certain Christian responsibilities or burdens each believer must bear which cannot be shared with others. Jesus assured His disciples that such burdens were light. Each Christian must bear their own loads so as not to overload, or unduly “burden” (v. 2), other believers. While it is a priority to do good, particularly to other Christians (v. 10), there are limits of time and other resources that must be considered.
[1] Donald K. Campbell, “Galatians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 609.
[2] Donald K. Campbell, “Galatians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 609.
[3] Donald K. Campbell, “Galatians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 610.
[4] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1999), 1528.