By The Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist

Read Galatians 6:1-10

‘Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

The Rev. Ron Purkey

Paul is describing the spiritual life of the true Christian who lives under grace. It is a life of liberty, not bondage, and one that is lived in the Holy Spirit, not in the flesh. There is a law that the believer obeys; it is the law of love in Christ (see John 13:34).

The spirit of God is the spirit of love, for God is love. If we are walking in the spirit, we will not use our liberty in Christ for selfish purposes; we will allow the spirit to work through us to help others. “Others” is the great Gospel word! Jesus lived for others, and we must follow his example. We are members of the same family, and we minister to each other.

First, spiritual help (verses 1-5). Suppose a believer is suddenly caught by the enemy and falls into sin. (Or it may be that the word “overtaken” suggests being caught in sin and found out by other believers.) Should our attitude be one of judgment and condemnation? No! If we are spiritual (walking in the spirit, led by the spirit, bearing fruit through the spirit), we will seek to restore the fallen one. This word for “restore” is a medical term used for the setting of a broken bone. Christians are members of Christ’s body, and a Christian in sin weakens the body.

We are to bear each other’s burdens, but we must also bear our own burdens. See Paul’s words to the Christians in Galatians 6:1-5. There are some burdens that we can share with others, but there are also some that we alone can carry. To avoid my own responsibilities while seeking to help another is to sin. There must be the spirit of meekness as we seek to help others, not thinking we are better than they. Let God do the judging and the rewarding; he never makes a mistake.

Second, material help (verses 6-10). The believer who listens to the Bible should share material blessings with those who teach; this is the lesson of verses 6-8. We often apply these verses to reaping what we sow in terms of sin, and certainly this principle is true. But the basic lesson here is that of giving; “communicate” in verse 6 simply means “to share.”

As we receive spiritual blessings, we have the privilege and obligation of sharing material blessings. “Sowing to the Spirit” means spending time and money on things eternal. How many Christians use their time and money (and money is merely time minted so we can spend it again) on things fleshly — and they wonder why they never grow in grace or reap spiritual fruits! Certainly it takes faith and patience to sow to the spirit, but God promises the harvest in due season. It takes time to grow a spiritual harvest. We must be faithful sowers to others!

Read Ron Purkey’s free Bible study outlines at rcpbibleoutlines.com. Purkey has been an ordained Baptist minister for 50 years.