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Daily Bible Studies

Chapter: Galatians 6

Passage: Galatians 6:1-5

A. Find Out:

1. What should we seek for the sinner? v.1a

2. Of what do we need to beware? v.1b

3. How do we fulfil the law of Christ? v.2

4. How can we deceive ourselves? v.3

5. What should we do? v.4

6. What else should we do? v.5

B. Think :

1. What danger can we run into when we are feeling spiritual and others

     are not?

2. What methods of overcoming this does Paul suggest?

3. What does this passage tell us generally about the Christian life?

C. Comment :

       The first thing to note from this passage is that Christians sometime get it wrong. Both those who are aware of their weakness and those who feel strong are prone to getting it wrong.

       The next thing to note is Paul's instruction on what to do about that.

      First he deals with the person who is conscious of failure: restore them. That may appear obvious but much church life is far from this. When you see someone fall spiritually, is your first desire for their restoration, or is it to criticise and judge?

      Then Paul spends more time on the dangers of the spiritual person who sees themselves as a help to their "weaker brethren". Watch out, he says, you are prone to temptation as well. Watch out, he goes on, if you rate yourself highly when in fact you are just another "redeemed sinner", then you are deceiving yourself. Watch out, he continues, if you compare yourself with others with their problems, you are using a wrong measuring stick. Check yourself with God, not against other people, otherwise you are wrong yet again.

      Humility, in the awareness of our own weakness, and a servant heart are two key requirements if we are to keep a right perspective before the Lord.

D. Application?

1. I fail the Lord, therefore I am in no position to judge others.

2. Christ wants his fallen saints restored!

Chapter: Galatians 6

Passage: Galatians 6:6-10

A. Find Out:

1. What must the Christian pupil do? v.6

2. How can we be deceived? v.7

3. What produces the fruit of destruction? v.8a

4. What produces the fruit of eternal life? v.8b

5. When will we reap a harvest? v.9

6. Then how are we to live? v.10

B. Think :

1. How does Paul show that what we do today has long term consequences?

2. How does he encourage us to think long-term?

3. Going the full circle, how does long term thinking affect present day

    activity?

C. Comment :

       Paul uses the thoughts of sowing and harvest to convey important truths. The thing to remember is that you may sow today for a harvest in six months time. In other words the fruit appears quite a long time after the sowing. So Paul's conclusion to this is that we need to keep on and persevere when we are waiting for good fruit, the fruit of eternal life.

      The other key and obvious (?) thing he warns about is that you reap what you sow and merely because you are a Christian it doesn't mean you can get away with wrong living, you will still reap what you sow! If we maintain a self-centred, pleasure seeking lifestyle, that will only bring destruction. If we, submitting to the Lordship of Christ, seek to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us continually, we will know and experience eternal life (here and now).

      The conclusion Paul brings to all this, is that we should let the love of Christ, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, come through us to other people, whenever there is an opportunity, and that especially to those we regularly fellowship with in the church. This is a very practical passage with very practical consequences to spiritual truths.

D. Application?

1. What am I sowing today?

2. As I am sowing good, being led by the Spirit? Harvest takes time.

Chapter: Galatians 6

Passage: Galatians 6:11-18

A. Find Out:    

1. Why were some wanting circumcision? v.12a

2. What was their basic reason? v.12b

3. Were the circumcised, law keepers? v.13a

4. Why did they want others to be circumcised? v.13b

5. What alone did Paul boast in? v.14

6. What alone counts as important? v.15

B. Think :

1. How is pride seen here as a wrong motivating force?

2. How is fear also seen here as a wrong motivating force?

3. How would you describe this last part of Paul's letter?

C. Comment :

      In this last part of the letter, Paul makes one final plea to these Galatians about the issue that was dominating their life and causing him so much concern: the performing of outward acts to achieve salvation.

      In these closing words Paul's critique is even more devastatingly accurate. What are the reasons, he is saying, for wanting circumcision? There are basically three reasons: first those calling for circumcision want to feel they are achieving something by getting you to DO something, second they want to be able to say they were the cause of you conforming and thirdly, in those conforming, there was the wish to take the easy path of conforming to social pressure and avoid the opposition that would come otherwise.

      Here in this final study, therefore, we are challenged to check our motivation. Do we do things to appear good, to appear religious devotees, and to go along with the conformist crowd?  

      Or, on the other hand, do we do what we do out of love for Christ under the leading, prompting and inspiration of His Holy Spirit. Those are the clear cut alternatives which many of us in the modern church of the West would do well to consider deeply.

D. Application?

1. Do I live to please God or men?

2. Do I have a sense of the daily leading of the Holy Spirit in my life?

RECAP:   "Restoration, Sowing & Motivation"  Galatians 6

SUMMARY :  

In these final 3 studies we have seen Paul:

- call the Galatians to have a "restoring mentality" when one of     

   them fell

- warn them to be careful what they were sowing in life because a

   Harvest WILL come from it

- make a last plea to examine their motives for wanting

   circumcision

COMMENT :

       Living in the Spirit means loving one another and a specific way of doing that is to seek one another's constant welfare, especially when one or another falls in grace. The church is meant to be a place where grace flows to pick up and restore one another when we fail.

     Whatever we do will have consequences which means we should be careful to avoid simply pandering to self desires, and the best way to do that is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in doing good to others. We may appear to be getting away with wrong attitudes, thoughts, words or behaviour but the consequences WILL come - even if they take a long time to arrive!

     Behind all we do is the question of motivation. Do we do what we do in an endeavour to make ourselves feel good, to appear good to others, or even to avoid others' criticism of our obedience to God. Obeying Him, being concerned about what He thinks is by far the most important thing.

LESSONS :

1. As a human being I sometimes fail. That should make me more compassionate about

    others' weaknesses.

3. I need to check my motivation for wrong thinking behind my actions.

PRAY :

      Take each of the three lessons above and pray them out before the Lord in the way that seems most appropriate to you today.

SUMMARY

     Review the epistle and get a sense of Paul's direction as he tries to reason with these Galatians who, he feels, have left the true Gospel he presented to them.

A. Introduction:

B. Explaining the Historic Origins of Paul's Gospel:

C. Teaching, the Gospel is about Faith not Works:

D. Freedom is seen in Practical Living:

CONCLUSION

     What are the primary things that come out through Paul's letter to the Galatians? You may find that the Lord has emphasised specific things to you that He wants you to consider in respect of your own life. Here below are two key considerations:

1. The Gospel Origins:

       We should never say, well those were just Paul's ideas. The Gospel that comes through the various epistles is from God!

2. The Gospel Means:

a) What they are NOT:

- achieving God's approval by

- keeping His Law

- performing religious acts

b) What they ARE:

- Christ dying on the Cross to pay the punishment for:

- your sin

- your failure to keep all God's laws

- your failure to be good

- Your simple but genuine acceptance of that fact, that it was for you in

   particular

- God's declaration of your forgiveness, justification and reconciliation as

   soon as you believe

- God's imparting of His Holy Spirit into your life from that point on.

Note:

     NOTHING, but nothing that we can do will improve that. We cannot make ourselves MORE saved. When we believe, if it is true belief, we will be so overwhelmed by God's goodness to us that, with the aid of His Holy Spirit, our lives will never be the same again. From that moment on, He who was clearly our Saviour will also be our Lord and He will lead us for the rest of our days. Hallelujah!