This
week we are looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New
Testament of the Bible called the book of Galatians. Yesterday, in Galatians
5:13-15, we looked on as the Apostle Paul turned his attention to the members
of the churches of Galatia who were abandoning a gospel centered lifestyle to
embrace a lifestyle of license.
Paul
responded to those who were embracing such a lifestyle of license by stating
that while they were called to freedom; only do not turn your
freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. In other words, Paul is explaining
that while the message of the gospel provides us freedom from the slavery that
came about from attempting to do things for God by keeping a list of religious
rules for God, we are not to respond to that freedom by allowing our old nature
apart from Jesus that is dominated by the evil and destructive power of selfishness,
rebellion, and sin to become active and dominate how we live our day to day
lives.
Instead
of embracing a lifestyle of license that is driven by our old selfish and
rebellious nature to please ourselves and place ourselves above others, Paul
called the members of the churches of Galatia to through love serve one
another. Now the word love here refers to an other-centered warm regard and
affection for others that places others before ourselves. When Paul states that
we are to serve one another, this word literally means to conduct oneself in
total service to another.
Paul
revealed for us the reality that a lifestyle that embraces independence
inevitably results in the destruction of our relationships with others. While we as followers of Jesus have freedom from the slavery
that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order
to experience a right relationship with God, that freedom should not lead to
independence. Instead, the freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting
to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right
relationship with God, should lead to interdependence.
You
see, independence is not a Biblical value. Independence is an American value.
Freedom is a Biblical value. Interdependence is a Biblical value. As followers
of Jesus, we were created not for independence. As followers of Jesus we were
created to live a life of dependence upon God and that live sin interdependent
relationships with others in community with others.
However,
when we turn the freedom that we have as followers of Jesus into a live that is
driven by independence instead of interdependence, we will be driven to live
selfish, narcissistic lives. We will be driven to please ourselves and place
ourselves above others. And as a result, such a lifestyle of independence and
license will eventually destroy and consume the community and connection that
we were create for.
Now,
a natural question that could arise here is “Well Dave, if that is the case,
then what does the interdependence that you are talking about look like? What
does such community and connection look like?” If that question is running
through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great
question. And just a few verses later, we see Paul begin to provide the answers
to those questions. So let’s discover those answers together, beginning in
Galatians 6:1:
Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any
trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that
you too will not be tempted.
Here we see Paul provide
the members of the churches of Galatia with a situation: Brethren, even if
anyone is caught in any trespass. Paul here is referring to someone who has
been caught off guard by the evil and destructive power of selfishness and
rebellion and has gotten off track when it comes to their relationship with God
because of their irresponsible behavior.
After revealing the
situation, Paul provides the members of the churches of Galatia a command in
terms of how they are to respond to the situation. Paul commands those in the
churches who are spiritual to restore such a one. When Paul refers to those who
are spiritual, he is referring to followers of Jesus that are living their
lives in a way that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit and are
living responsible lives.
In other words, those who
are on track and who are living Spirit-filled, responsible lives as followers
of Jesus are to help those who have gotten off track as a result of their
irresponsibility get back on track when it comes to their relationship with
God. But notice how Paul says that followers of Jesus who are responsible are
to help those who have gotten off track as a result of their irresponsibility
get back on track when it comes to their relationship with God.
First, Paul explains that
we are to display a spirit of gentleness as we come alongside those who have
gotten off track as a result of their irresponsibility that was caused by
selfishness and rebellion. In other words, followers of Jesus are not to use
their Bibles like a sledgehammer to beat the person who has gotten off track
back on track. Instead, for the person who has gotten knocked off track by
their irresponsibility, we are to lovingly and gently come alongside and guide
them and encourage them in a way that results in them getting back on track.
Second, Paul explains
that we are to be “looking to yourself, so that you too will not be
tempted.” Now if Paul was making this
statement in the language we use in our culture today, this statement would
sound something like this: “As you are helping those who have gotten off track
get back on track, pay attention and look out that you don’t end up being
enticed by your old nature apart from Jesus that is dominated by selfishness
and rebellion so that you don’t end up off track as well.”
Paul here is revealing
for us the reality that followers of Jesus have a responsibility to live in
community with one another and help one another stay on track and live
responsible lives when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. When we see
other followers of Jesus get off track, we have the responsibility to lovingly
and gently help them get back on track, while at the same time guarding against
us getting off track and into irresponsible behavior as well. Paul continues to
unpack the responsibility that followers of Jesus have in community with one
another in verse 2:
Bear one
another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Here
we see Paul command the members of the churches of Galatia, and followers of
Jesus throughout history, to bear one another’s burdens. Now this command
conveys the sense of sustaining and supporting one another through the
difficulties that come about as we follow Jesus here on earth. And it is here
that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that interdependent community
enables us to support and encourage one another to live responsible lives.
We
are responsible to be developing deepening interdependent relationships with
one another that strive to support and encourage one another as we live life in
community with one another. Paul then reveals for us the reality that when we
experience those deep, interdependent relationships that support and encourage
one another to live responsibly, the result is that we fulfill the law of
Christ.
Paul’s
point here is that when we live in community that is marked by deep,
interdependent relationships that strive to support and encourage one another
to live responsibly, we reveal and reflect Christ’s character and conduct. We
are living in such a way that meets Christ’s standard to love God with our total
being and that shows our love for God by how we love and treat others.
However,
as Paul continued his letter, we see him confront a potential danger. Friday we
will discover that potential danger together…
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