14 Are You Bearing Burdens or Keeping Score? (Galatians 5:25-6:5)

Krisan Marotta: Thank you for joining me today for Wednesday in the Word. I'm Krisan Marotta. This is my podcast about what the Bible means and how we know. Today we'll study Galatians chapter 5, verse 25, through chapter 6, verse 5. This is the 14th and penultimate talk in our series on the book of Galatians. Lecture notes for today's talk are on the link below the podcast. You can also find them by going to Wednesdayintheword.com slash Galatians 1 4. Thanks for listening today. Well, we are near the end of the book of Galatians. We only have two more podcasts. We will almost finish the book this week. Let's just review where we are in the letter. In chapters 1 and 2, Paul defended his gospel and his authority as an apostle, and he argued that he is completely trustworthy. In chapters 3 and 4, he made a series of five arguments for justification by faith, arguing that we do not have to keep the law to be saved. In fact, no one who will receive eternal life will do so because they kept the law. Only those who have faith in Jesus will receive eternal life. Then in chapters five and six, he began his final exhortations. We looked at the first one in the last podcast, which was don't use your freedom from the law as an excuse to indulge in sin. Instead, serve one another through love. So believers pursue good, but we don't pursue good because we fear punishment or because we wish to avoid the consequences of being found guilty under the law. Instead, we now pursue good because we have the Spirit of God working inside us. The Spirit is teaching us from the inside out and making us into the kind of people who long for holiness and strive after goodness. We're going to look at the second exhortation this week. I'm going to read the whole section and then we'll walk through it. So this is Galatians chapter 5, starting in verse 25, and we're going to go to chapter 6, verse 5. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you two be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone, and not in his neighbor, for each will have to bear his own load. All right, we're just going to walk through the passage. We will start in twenty-five and twenty-six. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit, let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Now you'll recall that the Judaizers have come to town and told the Gentile Galatian believers that they must keep the law in addition to believing in Jesus. You can see how that would set up a kind of competition over who is keeping the law best and who isn't keeping the law very well at all. And that competition can lead to becoming conceited. It can lead to arrogance, provoking each other, and envying each other. And this is just human nature. If we're all focused on the idea that we have to prove ourselves to be good people by keeping the law, then we'll have a tendency to think highly of ourselves if we're doing well, and to compare ourselves to each other and try to figure out who's doing well and who isn't. And when we see others messing up, then it's really easy to become impatient with these screw-ups, and that can lead to conflict, boasting, and strife. Instead, Paul is saying live in a way that reflects your understanding that you are being saved by grace through faith. If you realize that you are saved by grace through faith, not by your own efforts, not by anything you've done, and the spirit is at work to change you, then there's no basis for competition. Humbly trust the Spirit to work instead. We don't have to be impatient with ourselves, and we don't have to be impatient with other believers who seem to be messing up, because the Spirit is at work in his way and in his timing. I'd paraphrase that something like, since we find life because of the sanctifying work of the Spirit, by all means let us march in step with the Spirit, instead of becoming self-centered, competing with each other and envying each other. If we all realize that the only basis on which we will find mercy on judgment day is the blood of Jesus Christ and the mercy of God, and that the only way we will become good or holy or do the right thing is through the work of the Spirit, then by all means we should treat each other as fellow heirs of the gospel. So Paul is answering the question basically: how does the fact that we all embrace the gospel translate into our lives as a community? We walk in agreement, we walk in step with the spirit. He uses a verb here that's used of an army that's all marching together. So if you've ever seen in a parade a band or an army and they're marching and they're all stepping to the same beat, that's the idea, that's the image Paul is using. So we're not to be too full of ourselves, we're not to think better of ourselves, think that somehow we're better Christians than someone else. We're not to compete with each other for who's the best lawkeeper. We're not to judge those who are failing to meet our law-keeping standards, we're not to get prideful about how well we keep the law. Instead, we start from this humble position of knowing we are nothing unless God does something for us. And then we treat each other as fellow travelers on this journey. Now, I probably don't need to describe this situation for you. If you've been part of any church, you have probably seen this dynamic at work at both an individual level and a ministry level. In churches, we often keep score over who gets to pray up front and who doesn't, who attends church regularly and who doesn't, who shows up to volunteer and who doesn't, and we find ways to let those other people know that they are failing to meet our expectations. And it can also happen in groups. Ministries and programs can become tiny fiefdoms within the church where we're all competing over the resources. So we get jealous over which programs get announced up front on Sunday mornings and which ones don't. We notice with envy whose budget gets increased and whose budget doesn't get increased, who has more numbers showing up at their programs and who doesn't. And we compete with each other, getting conceited over our accomplishments and provoking each other to envy and anger. The alternative to our little ministry fiefdoms is to see ourselves as on the same team, part of the same army, marching in lockstep to the beat of the spirit. If another ministry has some success, then that's a win for all of us. If another ministry flourishes, that's great because we're all working toward the same goal. We recognize that any success we have is a gift of God, and any growth is the work of the Spirit, and we're grateful that God lets us be part of furthering his kingdom. If we had the same vision for humbly following God, for what it means to be saved, for what it means to be fellow heirs of the gospel, then why would we compete? It's like the offense of a soccer team fighting against the defense of a soccer team. We're all part of the same team. We work together, we win together, we lose together, and it makes no sense to fight with one another or compete with each other. But out of our insecurity, we envy one another, out of our sense of superiority, we compete with each other. But once we embrace the gospel and we start from a place of humility, then we can all be secure because we all have the same inheritance and the same God and the same Lord, and we're all saved by the same grace. We are equal before God. So instead of competing with each other over who's the best lawkeeper and who isn't, or who has the best ministry and who doesn't, what should we do? We should all walk in humility, trusting in the work of the Spirit and the plans and purposes of God. He's going to go on and say, even if someone is caught in transgression, even if you're dealing with a situation where someone has clearly done something wrong, how should you respond? This is six verses one and two. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself lest you two be tempted, bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. So here we are in a church community, and someone is caught in some kind of transgression, some big mistake. How are we to respond? Do we thank God that we're better than that person over there? Do we throw the book at him for failing to keep the law? No. We approach him in a spirit of humility, knowing we're just as sinful and we encourage him back to the truth. There's going to be a response. We don't just ignore the problem. It is appropriate to respond to someone who's caught in a big mistake, but the response should come from a place of humility and gentleness, recognizing that we too could easily commit the same sin. So rather than responding with competition or condemnation or arrogant superiority, we are to respond with humility, speaking the truth in love. Our response is not something like, Well, fortunately for me, I have not screwed up like you have. So let me help you with my vast array of wisdom. That's not the right attitude. Instead, we approach them with humility. Or as he says, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. We approach this person who's been caught in transgression with the understanding they have a burden with sin just like the rest of us. To the extent that I can help them lighten their load, call them back to the mercy of God and the word of God, in humility I ought to do it. But I can't bear their burdens if I approach them with the superiority of, well, I've kept the rules and you haven't, so let me correct you so you can be perfect like me. That's not the right approach. Rather, we lighten their load by calling them back to the truth, by showing them grace and forgiveness and the recognition that we are all sinners, and it's only by the grace of God that we haven't fallen into the same trap. You who are spiritual, what does he mean by that? Well, he's been talking in this whole section about those who are led by the Spirit, those who are walking by the Spirit, and I think that's all he means here. Those of you who have the Spirit of God at work in you, those of you who have reached some level of spiritual maturity, you have some understanding, and you've embraced the gospel, you restore such a one in a spirit of unassuming humility. So we recognize that God is growing a people who belong to Him in Christ. We are not racing against each other. It doesn't matter who gets to the finish line first, we're all going to get there. We know that God is going to make sure that all of his children cross the finish line, and we know that we all want to get there. Paul is painting this picture of a race. As we run this metaphorical race, what should you do if you see me stumble? Help me up, encourage me to get back on track so we can continue the race together. We don't presume that we're better than anyone else. We don't use someone else's stumble as a chance to get ahead. We realize we all face the same problem with sin. We all have the same burden, and it's a problem all of us want to be saved from. So if I see you stumble or you see me stumble, we know each of us wants to be saved from stumbling. We know each of us is counting on the blood of Christ to save us. And we know that sometimes each and every one of us needs help, encouragement, and a reality check. Paula, I think, is continuing this metaphor of marching and step. The language suggests we're on this race, we're on this march, we're carrying some kind of backpack, which is a burden. Metaphorically, it's our burden with sin. And if one of us stumbles and falls, someone else might pick up his backpack for a while and carry it. That's the metaphor of bearing each other's burdens. What's the reality? Well, sin creates a metaphorical burden that we all have to carry. We all have this burden with sin. None of us is going to escape being sinful until we reach the kingdom of God or and are granted our inheritance. Until then, we're marching in step. We're running our metaphorical race carrying the burden of sin. We can't get rid of it by ourselves. We're trusting the Spirit of God to lighten it for us. But we can help each other bear that burden. How do we do that? We speak the truth and love to each other. We encourage each other. We forgive each other when one of us messes up. We're patient with each other when it's hard to learn the lessons God is teaching us. And we recognize I am no better than anyone else. I don't have any reason to gloat or boast other than in the work of Jesus Christ. So we can remind each other of the mercy of God. We can remind each other of the truth and the promises of the gospel. We can remind each other of the hope of the glory of God so that we can get up and keep walking the race. And in doing that, Paul says, we fulfill the law of Christ. We fulfill the instruction Jesus gave us that we love God and love one another. Jesus said, A new commandment I give you that you love one another as I have loved you. And I think that's the kind of thing Paul has in mind. When we help each other instead of competing, when we approach each other in humility rather than arrogance, we love each other as Jesus loved us. But notice Paul also says, keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. We have to stay on our guard because we carry the same burden of sin. If we forget how sinful we are, then it's likely we'll succumb to temptation and fall into the same kinds of sin. If we think we're better than our buddy, if we think, well, we'd never do that, or I've got my act together, then we're fooling ourselves and we're setting ourselves up for a fall. And I that's the thought he continues in 6.3. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. I think he's speaking morally here. If you think you've got this problem with sin under control, if you think you'd never fall the way your brother or your sister fell, then you're fooling yourself. You are nothing in the sense that you have the same problem everyone else has. If you think you're something, you deceive yourself. If you think you're better than your neighbor, you're going into this situation on the wrong foot. If you think you've never commit the same sin or that you're somehow better than your brother or your sister, then you're deceiving yourself. Let's be honest. In this situation, it's easy to get self-righteous because hey, this time I'm not the one who messed up. Well, at least not this time. In this situation, you've fallen into trespass, I'm up, you're down, and it's easy to get puffed up about yourself. And Paul wants to nip that attitude in the bud. He says, each one, examine your own work. Look at 6-4. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. So before you go into that situation to correct your neighbor, take a long, hard look at yourself. God doesn't grade on a curve. Perhaps in this particular test, you did better than your neighbor because she messed up and you didn't, but you don't get a better grade. Forget about that other person and take a look at yourself. Boast about yourself alone, not how you compare to your neighbor. And then there's not so much to boast about. That's his advice here. Let each one test his own work. Before you approach your brother, take a good look at yourself. The temptation of every human heart is to glory in someone else's failure. The temptation is to compare ourselves to others and use that comparison to puff ourselves up and think we're doing well. So if you want to compare yourself to someone, compare yourself to Jesus Christ. Compare yourself to God's standard of holiness. The reality of our situation is that it doesn't matter how we compare to our neighbor, it only matters how we compare to God. If you want to do some comparing, then forget about your neighbor and compare yourself to God and then recognize the reality of your situation. So we are to recognize who we are, recognize the very big reality of sin in our own lives, recognize our own need for mercy, so that we approach our friend who's sinning with humility. In other words, I approach her with the humility and mercy and understanding that I am a sinner of just the same kind. Rather than responding with impatience or superiority or anger or wrath or how could you make that mistake again? I respond with the understanding that I am just as likely to make that mistake. So Paul's advice is first and squarely on the fundamental truth that you are equivalent, you are no better than your neighbor, your debt to God is enormous, you've been forgiven a great debt, and so has your neighbor who's transgressed. And when you clearly see the truth of the situation you're both in, then you're in a position to be helpful. For each will have to bear his own load, 6-5. I think what he's saying here is in reality, we each have our own burden to bear. Each of us must make a decision to repent and follow Christ. No one else can do that for you. In the end, each of us must confront the problem of sin and either say, eh, it's no big deal, or seek the cross of Christ. So in the end of the day, to continue Paul's metaphor, each of us must run the race. And I judge my performance by how I'm doing with my load, not how I'm doing relative to my neighbor. For each one will bear his own load. I think he means bearing responsibility for my own actions. When I take a long, hard look at myself, I realize I'm a sinner too. I don't have a leg up just because I manage somehow by the grace of God to avoid that particular sin in that particular situation. I don't end up being better because someone else messed up. How my neighbor is doing is irrelevant to my standing before God. I bear my own load. I'm responsible for my own behavior, my own sin, no matter what my neighbors are doing. When it comes to other people's sin, I should seek to bear their burdens, to lighten their loads by showing mercy when appropriate, by showing forgiveness, by humbly speaking truth to them, with the goal of correcting them and encouraging them back on the right path. But when it comes to My own sins, I need to be brutally honest and accept responsibility and recognize my own need for mercy. So Paul is applying one of the fundamental issues of saving faith. One of the core convictions of saving faith is knowing that I am a sinner and that God is not obligated to save me. He owes me nothing. This is a truth we recognize when we embrace the gospel for the first time. And then as we live our lives, we mature into a deeper and richer understanding of it. At first, we may think that our problem with sin is not so bad. It's just trivial. But as we grow in maturity, we begin to realize how big the problem really is. Then when we encounter other sinners and they hurt us and they do treat us badly or something, at some fundamental level, we realize we're looking in a mirror. Yes, their sin was wrong. Yes, it hurt. We're not lowering God's standard. It's wrong, it's a problem, but I'm a problem too. If I need mercy, then so do they. And who am I to condemn? Okay, to wrap this up, let me make two observations. One implication of this passage is that we Christians need each other. All of us stumble every day, and all of us need forgiveness and grace and mercy and forbearance, and all of us have a chance to show that every day. Years ago, I heard a pastor explain the church this way. He said we're like a bonfire. When we're all together, stacked wood on top of each other, we can burn brightly for a long time. But if you take one log out of the fire, eventually the flame on that log is going to burn out. We're stronger together. We can't make it alone. Another implication of this passage is that we Christians can be honest with each other. We don't have to pretend to be something when we're nothing. We don't really need to hide the fact that we're sinners from each other. Now, I'm not saying you have to broadcast your sins to your entire church, but I think every believer is better and stronger if they have a small group or a community where they can be honest and they can be real and say, I fell, I need a leg up. Once we embrace the gospel, we're free to admit who we are. Not only are we honest with God about who we are, we can be honest with other believers. God doesn't grade on a curve. We are equal before Him. We don't have to pretend to be people that we're not when we're with other Christians. Now, without the gospel, we could never really admit who we are, but in Christ, we are free to admit how much we need a savior and we are free to carry each other's burdens. Thank you for listening to Wednesday in the Word. This is the podcast that explains not only what a passage means, but also shows you how to figure that out. You can hear all the episodes in this series on my website, WednesdayInTheWord.com. There is no charge, no spam, and no ads. It's all free to help you improve your study skills and your understanding of scripture. If you've been blessed by this podcast, please subscribe and leave a positive rating or review wherever you listen. But most importantly, tell a friend what you learned and where you learned it. A big thank you to Reggie Coates for the use of his beautiful song Tenacious. You can listen to more of Reggie's music on heartfeltmusic.org. Thank you for listening today. I'm Krisan Marotta, and I'll see you next week at Wednesday in the Word.