Bible Commentaries
Galatians 6

Verse 1

Gal 6:1. The word overtaken is from PROLAMBANO which Thayer defines at this place as follows: "To take before; to anticipate, to forestall; to take one by forestalling him, i.e. surprise, detect." The word does not apply to a man who deliberately goes in the direction where he knows he may be tempted. Such a person could not truthfully say he had been "surprised" into doing wrong. The word means a case where a man is brought unexpectedly into contact with a strong temptation and under the "spur of the moment" yields to sin. Spiritual is from PNEUMATIKOS which Thayer defines, "One who is filled with and governed by the Spirit of God." Hence it means any faithful member of the church, not the elders only as is generally thought. It is a duty of every member of the congregation to act in trying to restore the one who has been overtaken. Restore literally means to mend or repair, which denotes that the man has been damaged by sin, and the effort should be made to repair the damage. Meekness is the same as in chapter 5:23, and the explanation offered there should be applied here. In approaching a brother who has been surprised into sin, the would-be restorer should not have a feeling of self-esteem, as if such a misfortune could "never happen to him", for he does not know what effect an incident of "surprise" might have on him.

Verse 2

Gal 6:2. To bear means to take up and carry a load. Burdens is from BAROS which Thayer defines, "heaviness, weight, burden, trouble." It means the hardships and trials of this life, and Paul instructs Christians to help each other in such experiences. Fulfil the law of Christ. His teaching all through life was that the disciples should love each other, and that would be shown by lending a helping hand in the hardships of human existence.

Verse 3

Gal 6:3. For carries the thought back to verse 1 where self-esteem is condemned. If a man felt so conceited that he had no fear of being overtaken in a fault, the truth might turn out to be that he would have no backgrounds of character at all, when it came to meeting the tests of life. Such a man is here described as one who thinks himself to be something when he is nothing. The first word is from a neuter pronoun of very indefinite meaning as to degree or amount. The second is properly translated, and means absolutely nothing as far as any claim of any importance is concerned. The difference between something (however small) and nothing is infinite, yet Paul implies that a self-deceived man is that far off from the truth.

Verse 4

Gal 6:4. One of the common weaknesses of man is to feel justified because he thinks his life compares favorably with that of others. Paul condemns that in 2Co 10:12, and he is again dealing with that subject here. Prove is from DOKIMAZO, and in the King James Version it is rendered allow 2 times, approve 3, discern 2, examine 1, like 1, prove 10, try 4. Thayer defines it, "To test, examine, prove, scrutinize; to recognize as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy." Of course such an examination cannot be made without the use of a proper standard. 1Pe 4:11 (and many other passages too numerous to cite) shows that the true standard of right and wrong is the word of God. The important thought in this verse is for each man to prove his own work instead of another's. Whether he would do better than the man he is supposed to be trying to "restore" is not the issue at stake, for being better than some other brother does not prove that one is what he should be. But if he tests his life by the divine standard of God's word and finds it in harmony therewith, he will then have the right to rejoice. And that rejoicing will not be because someone else has done his duty, but because he himself alone has measured up to the divine rule.

Verse 5

Gal 6:5. This verse might seem to contradict verse 2, but they are in perfect agreement for they are speaking of burdens that are altogether different; the word in this verse is from PHORTION. Thayer explains that the burdens in the Greek word indicated are, "the obligations Christ lays upon his followers," and it is clear to all that no man can discharge the "obligations" of another. He can help others in the trials and hardships of life, but each man is individually responsible to God. That is the reason he should test his life by the word of God, and not by comparing it with the lives of others.

Verse 6

Gal 6:6. In 1Co 9:14 it is said that "they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." No preacher can literally live on the word of God, hence the passage means he is to get his living from those who receive the preaching; such is the meaning of the present verse. To communicate denotes the act of giving, and good things means the things necessary to life. The man who devotes his time to the preaching of the Gospel, should be financially supported by those who get the benefit of the preaching.

Verse 7

Gal 6:7. Mocked is from MUKTERIZO, and both Thayer and Robinson define it, "To turn up the nose or sneer at; to mock, deride." This is the only place where the word is used in the Greek New Testament. The term is used in connection with the thought of a man's responsibility to God, which will finally require him to answer for his conduct in this life. God has commanded his creatures to follow the proper course; to do that which is spiritual and not that which is dictated by the flesh. Moreover, He has told man that he will reap the kind of harvest that he has been producing. Paul is warning his- readers not to be deceived or misled into thinking he can ignore (snub or by-pass) God and avoid the undesirable consequences of an unrighteous life. God will not suffer any man to "get by" with such an attempt, but will sustain His law already established on the relation of "cause and effect." On that basis the apostle affirms that a man will reap as he sows, a truth that is taught by nature.

Verse 8

Gal 6:8. The word to is from Els, and Thayer uses three and a half pages of his lexicon in defining it in its various shades of meaning. However, his Introductory paragraph gives the gen eral meaning of the word as follows: "Into, to, towards, for, among." We should use the word that is best adapted to the connection in which it is found. When a man sows a field, he does it (or is supposed to) for the purpose of raising a certain kind of crop, hence the word italicized would be the proper one of the definitions for our use here. In temporal matters no man thinks he can sow his field with weeds and expect to raise wheat. Yet in moral and spiritual matters man seems to think he can ignore that law, sow the seeds that are qualified for the production of a fleshly crop, and then gather a spiritual harvest from it. The apostle warns that it will not be so, but that a man will reap as he has sown. There are only two kinds of seed and hence only two kinds of harvest possible. The fleshly seed will produce corruption which Thayer defines, "the loss of salvation, etrnal misery." The opposite is life everlasting to be reaped at the harvest which will be at "the end of the world" (Mat 13:39). The two kinds of seed are described as the kinds of human conduct in verses 19-23 of chapter 5. Every man is sowing just one or the other of these kinds of seed, and he will reap accordingly at the day of judgment.

Verse 9

Gal 6:9. God never commands that which is impossible, nor forbids that which is unavoidable. Weary does not pertain to the body or material part of our being, for if we exercise ourselves we cannot avoid becoming tired; such a result is beyond our control. The word is from EKKAKEO, and Thayer defines it, "to be weary in anything, to lose courage, flag, faint." Robinson defines it, "to be fainthearted, to faint." Hence it is clear the word refers to the mind and not the body. A man may become literally worked down or "worn out" by his toils for the Master, but if he has the proper interest in the work he will never become tired in mind, but will always feel keen and alert in the duty for Christ. (See 2Co 4:16.) This all agrees with the reasoning of the latter part of our present verse.

Verse 10

Gal 6:10. Good is from AGATHOS, which has a wide range of meanings, including both material and immaterial subjects. Among the definitions given by Thayer are the following: "Excelling in any respect, distinguished, good; useful, salutary; pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy; benevolent, kind, generous." It is right for the church or an individual Christian to bestow a favor upon those of the world, but where the opportunities are limited, preference must be given to members of the church.

Verse 11

Gal 6:11. According to several lexicons, the original word for letter has two meanings; first, the size of the characters that make up an alphabet; second, the size or length of a composition formed by the letters. There is nothing in the connection here to indicate that Paul was making any point out of the size of the characters he was using, hence the conclusion is that he uses the second meaning. As a rule the apostle dictated his epistles and then signed them to make them authentic (2Th 3:17); but because of his great concern for the interests of the Galatian brethren, he wrote this entire epistle with his own hand. Considering_ the rule of not doing the writing of the body of his letters, it would make the present one comparatively large. Robinson defines the original for the last word as meaning "of dignity." Strong defines it, "figuratively, in dignity." Thayer defines it, "how distinguished."

Verse 12

Gal 6:12. As many refers to the Judaizers among the disciples. Fair show in the flesh. means they wished to make a favorable impression on the unbelieving Jews who were jealous lest the law of Moses should be neglected. By constraining the Gentile Christians to become circumcised, they thought it would please the unbelieving Jews, and hence they would not be so apt to persecute them (the Judaizers) for their association with the Gentile Christians.

Verse 13

Gal 6:13. Neither they . . . keep the law. These Judaizers were like the Sabbatarians of our day, who make a great ado about the law and pretend that it is still in force. Yet they spend most of their energy in condemning Christians because they do not "keep the sabbath holy." The inconsistency of these modern Judaizers is shown in that they violate the very commandment they pretend to observe. (See Exo 20:8-11.) This forbids working the beasts of service on the sab-bath, yet it is not uncommon to see these pretenders drive their horses to the "sabbath school" on Saturday. This puts such false teachers in the same class with the Judaizers of Paul's day. They did not keep the law, but wished to induce the Christians to accept cir cumcision, so that they (the Judaizers) could boast about it.

Verse 14

Gal 6:14. God forbid. There is no word in the original for the name of God, and it has been supplied by the King James translators by way of comment. The American Standard Version renders this as follows: "But far be it from me to glory," etc. The world is crucified unto me. When crucified is used figuratively, it denotes that something has been killed or put out of action. Paul became dead to the sinful things of the world, and that spiritual state was caused by his devotion to the cross, or the spiritual service made possible by Christ's death on the tree.

Verse 15

Gal 6:15. This verse is the same in thought as chapter 5:6; a new creature being equivalent to "faith which work-eth by love"; please see those comments again.

Verse 16

Gal 6:16. This rule means the one stated in the preceding verse, namely, being a new creature in Christ Jesus. The Israel of God. None but those who believe in Christ Jesus would walk according to the rule mentioned, hence the first consideration is given the Gentiles who have accepted the Gospel. That places the italicized phrase with the believing Jews. The Jews were formerly the people of God before Christ was offered to the world, hence they are referred to here as being the Israel of God in this special sense. (See Jas 1:1.)

Verse 17

Gal 6:17. Paul's apostolic authority had been questioned by some of the Judaizers. They made great claim on the ground of the fleshly mark of circumcision. In that respect they had no advantage over the apostle since he was circumcised also, but he had that mark as a Jew and a lineal descendant of Abraham. However, he was not claiming any special connection with Christ on that account, for the time had come when being in Him did not depend upon whether a man was circumcised or not. (See verse 15.) But Paul had other marks in the flesh that were significant, and that proved his close relationship as a servant (slave) of Christ. Marks is from STIGMA, and Thayer defines it, "a mark pricked in or branded upon the body." He then gives the following historical information: "According to ancient oriental [eastern] usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to . . . hence the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Gal 6:17 says he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils, hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary [one devoted], servant, soldier." If a man was suspected of being a run-away slave, or for any other reason his identity should be questioned, the matter could be settled by unclothing him and looking for the brands. Paul is making the point that it is unnecessary for any man to trouble about examining him; he freely adimts that he is a servant of Christ, and that the brands could be seen on his body. As in many illustrations, there are some points that are exceptions. In the case of temporal slaves, the brands were stamped on their bodies by their masters, while Paul's marks were inflicted by the enemies of his Master. Also, Paul was not a run-away slave but was happy to admit his relationship of service to Jesus Christ.

Verse 18

Gal 6:18. Paul wished that the grace (favor) of Christ would be with the spirit of his brethren; if so, their temporal needs would be supplied also.