Galatians 6 Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Galatians 6:1-5

A. Find Out:

1. What should we seek for the sinner? v.1a
   • Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.
2. Of what do we need to beware? v.1b
   • But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
3. How do we fulfil the law of Christ? v.2
   • Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.
4. How can we deceive ourselves? v.3
   • If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.
5. What should we do? v.4
   • Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,
6. What else should we do? v.5
   • for each one should carry their own load.

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 criticize 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!

Passage: Galatians 6:6-10

A. Find Out:

1. What must the Christian pupil do? v.6
   • Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.
2. How can we be deceived? v.7
   • Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
3. What produces the fruit of destruction? v.8a
   •  Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction;
4. What produces the fruit of eternal life? v.8b
   • whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
5. When will we reap a harvest? v.9
   •  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
6. Then how are we to live? v.10
   • Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

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.

Passage: Galatians 6:11-18

A. Find Out:    

1. Why were some wanting circumcision? v.12a
   • Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised.
2. What was their basic reason? v.12b
   • The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.
3. Were the circumcised, law keepers? v.13a
   • Not even those who are circumcised keep the law,
4. Why did they want others to be circumcised? v.13b
   • yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh.
5. What alone did Paul boast in? v.14
   • May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
6. What alone counts as important? v.15
   • Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.

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?