Gálatas 6
Marvin Vincent · Citado em PreceptAustin
Gálatas 6
Vincent - Notice the passing to the singular number—“looking to yourself.” The exhortation is addressed to the conscience of each. Before you deal severely with the erring brother, consider your own weakness and susceptibility to temptation, and restore him in view of that fact. (Galatians 6 Commentary) So that you too will not be tempted - Those who are filled with the Spirit and demonstrating Christ-like love that glorifies God as prime targets, from our mortal enemy within (fallen flesh) and without (Satan).
Gálatas 6
Vincent says "the supplying of what is lacking to fulness; the filling up of a partial void" (Galatians 6 Commentary). To carry out an agreement or obligation. Vincent on anapleroo in this passage - The verb denotes, not the filling up of a perfect vacancy, as the simple πληροῦν, but the supplying of what is lacking to fulness; the filling up of a partial void. Comp. 1 Cor. 16:17; Philip. 2:30; 1 Th. 2:16.* (Galatians 6 Commentary) ONE ANOTHERS One Anothers in the NT - most are positive but some are negative. Believers are to minister to other believers in basically two ways - through the exercise of their spiritual gift (or gifts) (1 Pe 4:10-11+) and through the practice of the "one anothers." How are you doing in these areas beloved. If you are not exercising your spiritual gift in your local body, then the Body is less effective than it should be if you were plugged in. Too many saints are sitting and soaking, but seriously and sadly neglecting to exercise their gifts. Take a moment and (under grace not law) ponder what that day will be like for you when you stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10+). Will you have regrets that you did not use the grace gift God gave you when He saved you? Rom. 12:10; Rom. 12:16; Rom. 13:8; Rom. 14:13; Rom. 14:19; Rom. 15:5; Rom. 15:7; Rom. 15:14; Rom. 16:16; 1 Co. 6:7; 1 Co. 7:5; 1 Co. 11:33; 1 Co. 12:25; 1 Co. 16:20; 2 Co. 13:12; Gal. 5:13; Gal. 5:15; Gal. 5:17; Gal. 5:26; Eph. 4:2; Eph. 4:25; Eph. 4:32; Eph. 5:19; Eph. 5:21; Phil. 2:3; Col. 3:9; Col. 3:13; Col. 3:16; 1 Thess. 3:12; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Thess. 4:18; 1 Thess. 5:11; 1 Thess. 5:13; 1 Thess. 5:15; 2 Thess. 1:3; Tit. 3:3; Heb. 3:13; Heb. 10:24; Heb. 10:25; Jas. 4:11; Jas. 5:9; Jas. 5:16; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 Pet. 4:8; 1 Pet. 4:9; 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Pet. 5:5; 1 Pet. 5:14; 1 Jn. 1:7; 1 Jn. 3:11; 1 Jn. 3:23; 1 Jn. 4:7; 1 Jn. 4:11; 1 Jn. 4:12; 2 Jn. 1:5 Warren Wiersbe on one another - The story has often been told about the message the founder of the Salvation Army sent to their international convention. General William Booth was unable to attend personally because of ill health, so he cabled the delegates a message containing one word: "OTHERS!" In the popular comic strip "Peanuts," Lucy asks Charlie Brown, "Why are we here on earth?" He replies, "To make others happy." She ponders this for a moment and then asks, "Then why are the others here?" "One another" is one of the key phrases in the Christian's vocabulary. "Love one another" is found at least a dozen times in the New Testament, along with "pray one for another" (James 5:16), "edify one another" (1 Thes. 5:11), prefer one another (Ro 12:10), "use hospitality one to another" (1 Peter 4:9), and many other like admonitions. (Commentary) Ray Pritchard on Galatians 6:2 - The second ministry is a bit broader in that it includes restoring the fallen but goes on to include ministering to those hurting for any reason. When we see a friend burdened with the problems, cares and pressures of life, we are to drop what we are doing and go to his aid. First, there is the need to bear the burdens of others: “Carry each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2a). The burden of this verse refers to an overwhelming load, an impossibly huge boulder weighing you down as you stagger along the highway of life. The boulder may represent any number of things: sickness, sudden calamity, personal loss, financial difficulty, broken dreams, a failed marriage, family problems, career setbacks, or the death of a loved one. I find it significant that Paul does not focus on what the burden is or where it comes from. That doesn’t seem to matter. What matters is that when you see your brother or sister staggering under a heavy load, you drop what you are doing and go help them bear that load. Instead of judging them, you help them by doing whatever you can for as long as you can. Will this not slow you down? Assuredly it will, and if getting to the finish line first is your goal in life, then you won’t bother to bear very many burdens. But if helping the hurting is part of your vision of Christian discipleship, then for you bearing burdens isn’t a distraction, it’s at the heart and core of what it means to follow Jesus. What Would Jesus Do? And that brings us to a crucial principle. In every situation, do what Jesus would do: “And in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2b). Theologians debate this verse because Paul has said over and over again that we are not under the law, meaning keeping the Law of Moses as a way of gaining God’s favor. What is the “law of Christ?” It probably refers to Jesus’ call to love God supremely and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). As you march through life, and as you see others falling around you, and as you come upon those suffering from various troubles, ask yourself the question that has become so famous in recent years: What would Jesus do? In almost every instance, the answer will not be, “Just keep on marching.” Almost every time, the answer will be, “Jesus would make a difference in this situation.” He would be there, he would care, he would minister the love and grace and mercy of God. It may help to imagine yourself as the person under such a heavy load. What would you wish that a friend would do for you? Go and do likewise. And when you “do unto others,” you will be doing the work of Jesus Christ. Soon after the terrorist attacks on September 11, Gordon and Gail MacDonald volunteered to work at Ground Zero where the World Trade Center once stood. They are part of a large team of Salvation Army workers who are ministering to the men who trudge into “the pit” to remove debris and carefully search for human remains. This week I’ve been reading Gordon MacDonald’s daily dispatches. In his first one he talks about the clean uniforms of the men as they go into “the pit.” When they come out a few hours later, the workers are covered with a thick layer of dirt and grime. The smell of death is on them so strong that it takes rubbing alcohol to remove it. The work is physically dangerous and takes an enormous emotional toll. The Salvation Army workers offer water, encouragement, and a prayer when appropriate. The first dispatch ends with Gordon MacDonald talking about the heroism of the men and women who go into the “the pit” each day. Then he muses to himself, “This is where Jesus would most want to be.” I think he is right. If you are looking for Jesus, don’t start by going to church on Sunday morning. I know the Lord is with us as we worship, for he is always with his people when they come together. But if you are looking for Jesus, look for those who give themselves to help hurting people. He is always present when Christian people carry the light of hope into the darkest corners of this very dark world. (Restoring the Fallen) Let me illustrate the utter ridiculousness of some of our attitudes and actions toward other believers with a somewhat silly idea. Can you imagine the ear making the following comment to the eye? “Say, did you hear about the serious trouble the foot is having? My, my, isn’t it too bad? That foot surely ought to get his act together.” No, no, our bodies don’t behave that way at all! Instead the entire body cries out, “My foot hurts! I feel awful!” Why does the whole body hurt when only one part is injured? It is because all the parts of the body make up one indivisible whole. And when one part hurts, no matter what the reason, the restorative powers of the entire body are brought to bear on that hurting member. Rather than attacking that suffering part or ignoring the problem, the rest of the body demonstrates concern for the part that hurts. This is the way the Body of Christ should function. (Recovering the Meaning of True Fellowship by Jerry Bridges) John Wesley used to spend a large amount of money in helping those less fortunate than himself. On one occasion a poor minister received a very loving letter from him containing the words, “Trust in the Lord, and do good, . . . and verily thou shalt be fed.” The good founder of Methodism said, “I felt impressed to write and call your attention tot his great promise,” etc. He enclosed a five-pound note, but said nothing of this in his letter. The answer from this minister has happily been preserved. “My dear Mr. Wesley, how can I sufficiently thank you for your letter and gift. I have often read that verse and many expositions of it, but this is the best expository note I have ever seen.” Charles Allen has a satirical comment on bearing one another's burdens: I was hungry, and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger. I was imprisoned, and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar and prayed for my release. I was naked, and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance. I was sick, and you knelt and thanked God for your health. I was homeless, and you preached to me the spiritual shelter of the love of God. I was lonely, and you left me alone to pray for me. You seem so holy, so close to God, but I’m still very hungry and lonely and cold. (You Are Never Alone) Galatians 6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. NET Galatians 6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. GNT Galatians 6:3 εἰ γὰρ δοκεῖ τις εἶναί τι μηδὲν ὤν, φρεναπατᾷ ἑαυτόν. MLB Galatians 6:3 for if anyone thinks he is somebody important and yet is of no account, he is deceiving himself. NLT Galatians 6:3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. KJV Galatians 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. ESV Galatians 6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ASV Galatians 6:3 For if a man thinketh himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. CSB Galatians 6:3 For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. NIV Galatians 6:3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. NKJ Galatians 6:3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. NRS Galatians 6:3 For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. YLT Galatians 6:3 for if any one doth think himself to be something -- being nothing -- himself he doth deceive; NAB Galatians 6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he is deluding himself. NJB Galatians 6:3 Someone who thinks himself important, when he is not, only deceives himself; GWN Galatians 6:3 So if any one of you thinks you're important when you're really not, you're only fooling yourself. BBE Galatians 6:3 For if a man has an idea that he is something when he is nothing, he is tricked by himself. For if anyone thinks he is something: Ga 2:6 Pr 25:14 Pr 26:12 Lu 18:11 Ro 12:3,16 1Co 3:18 1Co 8:2 when he is nothing: 1Co 13:2 2Co 3:5 12:11 he deceives himself: 1Co 3:18 2Ti 3:13 Jas 1:22,26 1Jn 1:8 Galatians 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Proverbs 25:14 Like clouds and wind without rain Is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely. Proverbs 26:12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Luke 18:11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. Romans 12:3; For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. 1 Corinthians 8:2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; BEWARE OF SELF SEDUCTION IN OVERESTIMATING OUR WORTH Paul is still speaking primarily to the spiritual one of Gal 6:1, the one who is helping the caught brother/sister with their heavy burden. So here Paul confronts the danger of the spiritual one thinking he is superior to the one in sin and he looks down on him. When a brother sins it is easy for us to fall prey to the temptation of pride. The flesh in all of us so quickly tempts us to have a self-righteous attitude toward the sinner, to be judgmental, to be censorious or even condescending thinking "they fell but I did not." Some may go so far as to secretly even be pleased that their brother fell into that sin! And this "holier than thou" attitude is just another form of pride! And if the fallen believer perceives such an attitude on our part, we are unlikely to be of much value in the restorative process. So given the seriousness of these potential problems, Paul cuts these fleshly attitudes to pieces in these next two verses. Usually a man who thinks he is something becomes quite excessively proud of himself or his achievements. He is a man who is only interested in himself and has great difficulty in being constructively involved in the lives of others. There are blind spots in his life that continue to be there simply because he is unwilling to open up in a fellowship of believers and to be helped constructively along the path to fruitfulness by letting someone else minister to his needs. Thomas Schreiner explains that "Those who are proud are warned about the self-delusion of thinking that they are something. The logical relationship between this verse and 6:2 is a bit elusive. What does carrying the burdens of others have to do with pride? We actually have another piece of evidence that 5:26 belongs to this section, for it also warns against conceit. Those who are conceited and proud are consumed with themselves rather than others." (Galatians) Donald Campbell writes that "Something must be laid aside if a believer is to be a burdenbearer and that is conceit, an attitude that breeds intolerance of error in others and causes one to think he is above failure." (Bible Knowledge Commentary) Gerald Borchert - The maxim, “If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important,” seems to have been a popular adage about those who think they are superior if they bear the burdens of others. (Romans, Galatians Cornerstone Biblical Commentary) James Montgomery Boice interprets Gal 6:3 as Paul addressing an error which might have prevented a believer from fulfilling his role as restorer of a fallen brother explaining that he is conceited "thinking himself to be more important than he is. The implication seems to be that if the Christian neglects to bear another's burdens or refuses to bear them, it is because he thinks himself above it. But this is to be self-deceived, for, measured by God's standards, no one amounts to anything." (Galatians/Ephesians - EBC - 1976) John
Gálatas 6
Vincent says phrenapatao is a word "Denoting subjective deception; deception of the judgment." Paul's point with this verb is to caution believers against the dangers of pride and self-exaltation and exhort them instead to sober self-examination. Don Anderson - Paul is addressing the whole issue of PRIDE when it comes to ministering and helping others. It is the manifestation here of an UNBROKEN WILL. It is the manifestation of SELFISHNESS. It is a picture of PERFORMANCE VS. RELATIONSHIP. It is a picture of LAW VS. GRACE. (Notes) Ray Pritchard on Galatians 6:3-4 - Too Good to Get Involved? Paul next mentions a danger we should all consider. When you see your brother or your sister suffering, don’t be too proud to get involved. “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else” (Galatians 6:3-4). It’s very easy to look down your nose and say, “They deserve it.” “She’s so weak.” “He just can’t handle the pressure.” “I saw it coming.” “Maybe they’ll listen to me next time.” “I don’t want to get involved.” “I’m just glad it’s them and not me.” “I know I would never do something like that.” How quick we are to condemn, to look the other way, to pass by on the other side. Paul puts his finger on the problem: personal pride. If you think you are something special, then you’ll find it easy to condemn. But if you think that you’re a nobody apart from the grace of God, then you’ll be quick to forgive and ready to help the hurting. Perhaps we can rephrase that a bit. The reason you find it easy to condemn is because you’ve got an inflated opinion of your own importance. If you were more conscious of your own sin, you’d be more forgiving of the weakness and failure of others. Aesop said that every man carries two bags over his shoulder. With one bag hanging in back he carries his sins; with the bag hanging in front, he carries his neighbor’s sins. If we were more aware of our own sins, the sins of our neighbor would bother us less than they do. So before you condemn or criticize, take a good look in the mirror. You’re not as hot as you think you are, and your hurting friend isn’t as bad as you think he is. (Restoring the Fallen) Galatians 6:4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. AMP Galatians 6:3 For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another's load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives and deludes and cheats himself. Phillips Galatians 6:4 Let every man learn to assess properly the value of his own work and he can then be glad when he has done something worth doing without dependence on the approval of others. TLB Galatians 6:4 Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done and won’t need to compare himself with someone else. NET Galatians 6:4 Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else. GNT Galatians 6:4 τὸ δὲ ἔργον ἑαυτοῦ δοκιμαζέτω ἕκαστος, καὶ τότε εἰς ἑαυτὸν μόνον τὸ καύχημα ἕξει καὶ οὐκ εἰς τὸν ἕτερον· NLT Galatians 6:4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. KJV Galatians 6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. ESV Galatians 6:4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. ASV Galatians 6:4 But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor. CSB Galatians 6:4 But each person should examine his own work, and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in respect to someone else. NIV Galatians 6:4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, NKJ Galatians 6:4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. NRS Galatians 6:4 All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride. YLT Galatians 6:4 and his own work let each one prove, and then in regard to himself alone the glorying he shall have, and not in regard to the other, NAB Galatians 6:4 Each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason to boast with regard to himself alone, and not with regard to someone else; NJB Galatians 6:4 but everyone is to examine his own achievements, and then he will confine his boasting to his own achievements, not comparing them with anybody else's. GWN Galatians 6:4 Each of you must examine your own actions. Then you can be proud of your own accomplishments without comparing yourself to others. BBE Galatians 6:4 But let every man make test of his work, and then will his cause for glory be in himself only, and not in his neighbour. But each one must examine his own work: Job 13:15 Ps 26:2 1Co 11:28 2Co 13:5 and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone: Pr 14:14 1Co 4:3,4 2Co 1:12 1Jn 3:19-22 and not in regard to another: Ga 6:13 Lu 18:11 1Co 1:12,13 3:21-23 4:6,7 2Co 11:12,13 Galatians 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passage: Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart. (3 commands = "please Lord!") THE REMEDY OF SELF-CONCEIT But - Term of contrast. Instead of being continually (present tense) deceived (Gal 6:3) in one's self-conceit, each one is to be actively continually carrying out a self-examination to be sure his own attitudes and life are right in the eyes of the Lord before he attempts to give spiritual help to others. A thorough self-examination will discern whether or not we have allowed pride to creep into our interaction with our fallen brother. A good parallel passage is Philippians Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself (Php 2:3+). Donald Campbell adds that "Something must be laid aside if a believer is to be a burden-bearer and that is conceit, an attitude that breeds intolerance of error in others and causes one to think he is above failure." (BKC)
Gálatas 6
Vincent - He means that if, on examination, one finds in himself anything to boast of, his cause of boasting will lie simply and absolutely in that, and not in his merit as compared, to his own advantage, with that of another. (Galatians 6 Commentary) NLT says "Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else." Matthew
Gálatas 6:7
Vincent points out that "this" (touto) is emphatic which conveys the sense "this and nothing else"! (cp Mt 7:16-note) "That very thing, not something different." (A T Robertson) Eadie… Let him sow what he likes, touto with emphasis—that and that only, that and nothing else, shall he also reap. (Commentary on the Greek text of the epistle of Galatians - Online) Reap (2325) (therizo from théros = summer, harvest time ~ time of harvests) conveys the picture of cutting ripe grain and gathering the bundles together. To reap, to harvest, harvest, reaping. The tissues of the life to be We weave with colors all our own; And in the field of Destiny We reap as we have sown. -W H Griffith-Thomas The immutable law of sowing and reaping dictates that we can be assured that we will reap what we sow, but we can never know exactly how much we reap until the time of the harvest. Will reap is the future tense regarding which Eadie writes… The future refers to the judgment, when the results of present action shall be felt in their indissoluble relations. The reaping is not only the effect of the sowing, but is necessarily of the same nature with it. He that sows cockles, cockles shall he also reap; he that soweth wheat, wheat also shall he reap. It is the law of God in the natural world—the harvest is but the growth of the sowing; and it illustrates the uniform sequences of the spiritual world. The nature of conduct is not changed by its development and final ripening for divine sentence; nay, its nature is by the process only opened out into full and self-displayed reality. The blade and the ear may be hardly recognised and distinguished as to species, but the full corn in the ear is the certain result and unmistakeable proof of what was sown. And the sowing leads certainly, and not as if by accident, to the reaping; the connection cannot be severed—it lies deep in man's personal identity and responsibility. (Commentary on the Greek text of the epistle of Galatians - Online) Don Robinson has an interesting series entitled "The 7 Laws of the Harvest". Here are the titles and links… 1) We Reap Only What Has Been Sown 2) We Reap the Same In Kind As We Sow 3) We Reap in a Different Season than We Sow 4) We Reap More Than We Sow 5) We Reap In Proportion to What We Sow 6) We Reap the Full Harvest Of the Good Only if We Persevere 7) We Can't do Anything About Last Year's Harvest, But We Can About This Year's SOWING & REAPING: OLD & NEW TESTAMENT TRUTH There are a number of verses in both the Old and New Testament which echo the truth of the immutable law of sowing and reaping… According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble harvest it. (Job 4:8) Comment: Even before the farmer sows, he expends much effort in preparing the soil. So too those who plow evil ('aven) purposely and diligently pursue a course of wickedness. They sow trouble ('amal = misery, that which is an unpleasant, hard, distressing experience) as they revel in transgressing the moral law. Their sowing determines the kind of harvest they will reap. It is typical of Eliphaz’s style that he states that he has personally seen this principle at work. (Hartley, J. E.. The Book of Job. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co) Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting (cp Ps 30:5). He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. (Ps 126:5,6) W A Criswell: The principle of sowing and reaping, which is applicable to the restoration of the exiles (Jews from Babylon after 70 years of captivity, also serves as an encouragement to all believers to be faithful in personal witnessing. All aspects of these verses are crucial to the Christian missionary and evangelistic mandate (cp Mt 28:16, 17, 18). The preciousness of the seed is an apt description of the intrinsic value of the message of redemption. Ps 126:5 depicts the earnestness of the enterprise, not to mention the difficulty of the task. However, the culmination of this strenuous and emotionally draining effort is rejoicing at harvest time. (Criswell, W A. Believer's Study Bible: New King James Version. 1991. Thomas Nelson) Tony Evans: THEY tell me that one kernel of wheat in the ground produces a stalk bearing three heads of wheat. In each head, there are fifteen to thirty-five kernels, altogether producing somewhat close to a hundred kernels from the stalk. When planted, these kernels will produce ten thousand kernels. When those ten thousand are replanted, they produce a million kernels. It’s amazing what one person can do if they just start right where they are. (Ibid) (Note: The following comments relate only to Ps 126:5. For Spurgeon's comments on Ps 125:6 see Psalm 126:6 - Treasury of David) Spurgeon's Comment: Hence, present distress must not be viewed as if it would last forever; it is not the end, by any means, but only a means to the end. Sorrow is our sowing, rejoicing shall be our reaping (cp 2Co 4:17, 18). If there were no sowing in tears there would be no reaping in joy. If we were never captives we could never lead our captivity captive. Our mouth had never been filled with holy laughter if it had not been first filled with the bitterness of grief. We must sow: we may have to sow in the wet weather of sorrow; but we shall reap, and reap in the bright summer season of joy. Let us keep to the work of this present sowing time, and find strength in the promise which is here so positively given us. Here is one of the Lord's shalls and wills; it is freely given both to workers, waiters, and weepers, and they may rest assured that it will not fail: "in due season they shall reap." (Treasury of David) George Horne (1730-1792): This promise is conveyed under images borrowed from the instructive scenes of agriculture. In the sweat of his brow the husbandman tills his land, and casts the seed into the ground, where for a time it lies dead and buried. A dark and dreary winter succeeds, and all seems to be lost; but at the return of spring universal nature revives, and the once desolate fields are covered with corn which, when matured by the sun's heat, the cheerful reapers cut down, and it is brought home with triumphant shouts of joy. Here, O disciple of Jesus, behold an emblem of lily present labour and thy future reward! Thou "sowest", perhaps, in "tears"; thou doest thy duty amidst persecution, and affliction, sickness, pain, and sorrow; you labour in the Church, and no account is made of thy labours, no profit seems likely to arise from them. Say, thou must thyself drop into the dust of death, and all the storms of that winter must pass over thee, until thy form shall be perished, and thou shalt see corruption. Yet the day is coming when thou shalt "reap in joy", and plentiful shall be thy harvest. For thus thy blessed Master "went forth weeping", a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, "bearing precious seed" and sowing it around him, till at length his own body was buried, like a grain of wheat, in the furrow of the grave (cp "the joy set before Him" - He 12:2). But he arose, and is now in heaven, from whence he shall "doubtless come again with rejoicing", with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, "bringing his sheaves with him". Then shall every man receive the fruit of his works, and have praise of God. --George Horne (1730-1792), in "A Commentary on the Psalms." (Treasury of David) Thomas Fuller: I saw in seedtime a husbandman at plough in a very rainy day. Asking him the reason why he would not rather leave off than labour in such foul weather, his answer was returned me in their country rhythm: -- Sow beans in the mud, And they'll come up like a wood. This could not but remind me of David's expression, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy", etc. --Thomas Fuller (1608-1661), in "Good Thoughts in Worse Times." (Treasury of David) Samuel Lavington: The Christian Husbandman 1) Illustrate the metaphor. The husbandman has a great variety of work before him; every season and every day brings its proper business. So the Christian has duties in the closet, in the family, in the church, in the world, etc., etc. 2) Whence it is that many Christians sow in tears. a) It may be owing to the badness of the soil. b) The inclemency of the season. c) The malice and opposition of enemies. d) Past disappointments. 3) What connection there is between sowing in tears and reaping in joy. a) A joyful harvest, by God's blessing, is the natural consequence of a dripping seed time. b) God, who cannot lie, hath promised it. 4) When this joyful harvest may be expected. It must not be expected in our wintry world, for there is not sun enough to ripen it. Heaven is the Christian's summer. When you come to reap the fruits of your present trials, you will bless God, who made you sow in tears. Improvement. a) How greatly are they to blame who in this busy time stand all the day idle! b) How greatly have Christians the advantage of the rest of the world! c) Let the hope and prospect of this joyful harvest support us under all the glooms and distresses of this vale of tears. Outline of a Sermon by Samuel Lavington, 1726- 1807. (Treasury of David) G. R. Comments: Two pictures. The connecting "shall" (Ps 126:5) 1) There must be sowing before reaping. 2) What men sow they will reap. If they sow precious seed, they will reap precious seed. 3) In proportion as they sow they will reap. "He that soweth sparingly", etc. 4) The sowing may be with sorrow, but the reaping will be with joy. 5) In proportion to the sorrow of sowing will be the joy of reaping. --G. R. (Treasury of David) The wicked earns deceptive wages (gain of the wicked is not "real", for it is not enduring Pr 10:25), but he who sows righteousness (= lives righteously, "right" by God's standards) gets ("reaps") a true reward. (Pr 11:18). Expositor's Bible Commentary: Ultimately, rewards are appropriate for different character traits. The line extols the benefits for one “who sows righteousness,” i.e., one who inspires righteousness in others while practicing it himself. What is sown will yield fruit (1Cor 9:11; 2Cor 9:6; Jas 3:18). (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary OT 7 Volume Set: Books: Zondervan Publishing) The Pulpit Commentary: The “reward,” (~harvest, reaping) in a Jew’s eyes, would be a long life in which to enjoy the fruits of his good conduct. We Christians have a better hope, which is, perhaps, adumbrated by this analogy; as the seed sown in the field does not produce its fruit till the time of harvest, so righteousness meets with its full recompense only in the great harvest at the end of all things. (Pulpit Commentary - Exposition) The Pulpit Commentary: The principle of recompense. I. Every action is a secondary cause, and is followed by its corresponding effect. II. The effect corresponds in kind and in degree to the cause. III. Human conduct may thus be viewed as a sowing followed by reaping, work by wages, action by reaction. IV. The gain of the wicked is deception illusory. Illustrations: Pharaoh’s attempt to decrease Israel resulted in their increase and his own destruction. Caiaphas seeking by murderous expediency to save the nation brought about its ruin. The persecution of the Church at Jerusalem led to the greater diffusion of the gospel (Acts 8.). V. The reward of the righteous is stable and sure. Illustrations: The patient continuance in well-doing of Noah, Abraham, Joseph. Compare the sowing of St. Paul in tears, e.g. at Philippi (Acts 16.), with his joyous reaping, as his Epistle to the Philippians witnesses. The reward is eternal—“a crown of righteousness that fadeth not away.” (cp 1Co 9:25, 2Ti 4:8-note, Jas 1:12-note, 1Pe 5:4-note, Rev 2:10-note) “What we weave in time we shall wear in eternity.”—J. (Pulpit Commentary - Homilies) Critical and Exegetical Commentary: Goodness, says the proverb, is commercially profitable—the pay is prosperity, insured by the laws of man and the favor of God. (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Proverbs) There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. (Pr 11:24, 25) He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, and the rod of his fury will perish. (Pr 22:8). Pulpit Commentary: They who do evil shall meet with punishment in their very sins—the exact contrast to the promise to the righteous (see Pr 11:18). NET Bible Note: The verse is making an implied comparison (a figure of speech known as hypocatastasis) between sowing and sinning. One who sins is like one who sows, for there will be a "harvest" or a return on the sin – trouble… (Commenting on the last half of the verse) The expression signifies that in reaping trouble for his sins this person will no longer be able to unleash his fury on others. (NETBible Proverbs 228) H A
Gálatas 6:9
Vincent adds that due time is "In the season which is peculiarly the harvest-time of each form of well-doing." Do a deed of simple kindness, Though its end you may not see; It may reach, like widening ripples, Down a long eternity. —Norris
Gálatas 6:14
Vincent writes of (di' ou) that "The relative may refer either to the cross, by which, or to Christ, by whom." John Eadie commenting on "through which" (through the Cross) versus "through Whom" (through Christ on the Cross) that "the sense is not materially different whichever view may be adopted. It was by the cross only in its connection with Christ that the world was crucified to the apostle, or it was only by his union with Christ in being crucified with Him that he was crucified to the world. (Galatians 6 Commentary) The NET Bible note says "Or perhaps, "through whom," referring to the Lord Jesus Christ rather than the cross. A Simple Study... Through Him Consider the following simple study - observe and record the wonderful truths that accrue through Him - this would make an edifying, easy to prepare Sunday School lesson - then take some time to give thanks for these great truths by offering up a sacrifice of praise...through Him. Jn 1:3 [NIV reads "through Him"], Jn 1:7, John 1:10, Jn 3:17, Jn 14:6, Acts 2:22, 3:16, Acts 7:25, Acts 10:43, Acts 13:38, 39, Ro 5:9 [note], Ro 8:37 [note], Ro 11:36 [note]; Jn 1:7 1Cor 8:6, Eph 2:18 [note], Php 4:13 [note], Col 1:20 [note], Col 2:15 [note], Col 3:17 [note], Heb 7:25 [note], Heb 13:15 [note], 1Pe 1:21[note], 1John 4:9 Would you like more study on the wonderful topic of through Him? Study also the NT uses of the parallel phrase through Jesus (or similar phrases - "through Whom", "through our Lord", etc) - John 1:17, Acts 10:36, Ro 1:4, 5- note; Ro 1:8-note, Ro 2:16-note, Ro 5:1-note; Ro 5:2-note Ro 5:11-note, Ro 5:21-note, Ro 7:25-note, Ro 16:27-note, 1Cor 15:57, 2Cor 1:5, 3:4, 5:18, Gal 1:1, Eph 1:5-note, Php 1:11-note, 1Th 5:9-note; Titus 3:6-note, He 1:2-note; He 2:10-note, Heb 13:21-note, 1Pe 2:5-note, 1Pe 4:11-note, Jude 1:25) All things are from Him, through Him and to Him. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36) World (2889) (kosmos related to the verb kosmeo = to order or adorn, to put in order [Mt 25:7 = "trimmed"], to adorn literally [1Ti 2:9], to adorn figuratively [Titus 2:9-note]) means first of all something that is well-arranged, that which has order or something arranged harmoniously. Kosmos refers to a system where order prevails. In this context (as with many if not most of the NT uses), kosmos takes on a more negative meaning. In this sense kosmos is like the Greek word for flesh (sarx), which can be a neutral word, but which many times in the NT takes on an evil connotation. Kosmos/kosmeo give us our English words cosmos (the ordered universe), cosmopolitan (literally a citizen of the world!) and cosmetics (those things we put on in order to bring order out of "chaos"!) English terms. A matter of "cosmic" significance, is something which is important for the whole world. When one speaks of a "cosmopolitan" city, it means a city which has citizens from many parts of the world As used in the present context kosmos is an "evil force", the enemy of God and of every believer: Trench explains this "evil force" as "All that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitutes a most real and effective power, being the moral, or immoral atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitably to exhale. Kosmos represents the whole mass of mankind alienated from and hostile to God and His Son. As such kosmos represents the system of values, priorities, and beliefs that unbelievers hold that excludes God. This meaning of kosmos includes the aggregate of things earthly -- earthly goods, endowments, riches, advantages, pleasures, etc., which, although empty and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ: - 1Jn 2:16, 17, Mt 16:26 Richison sums up the word world as "that which is against God, the satanic order (1Jn 5:19, Lk 4:6). Paul died to the world system when Christ died on the cross. Those without Christ are victims of Satan’s distorted worldview. Those with Christ have changed their worldview. Although they may fall to temptations within Satan’s order, their status is in a new order, a perfect status with God. This does not mean the Christian is free from the influence of Satan’s order. It does mean, however, the believer is no longer under the authority of his system (cp Acts 26:18). The believer is no longer under bondage to that system because he changed lords when he became a Christian (Jn 17:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19; Col 2:20, 21, 22, 23-note) Norman Harrison explains that... The world is a part of a closely coordinated triumvirate of evil: the world, the flesh, the devil. They appear as partners in man's undoing: in the temptation to fall away from GOD into sin (Ge 3:6); in man's present fallen state (Ephesians 2:2,3); in drawing the Christian back into the world (1Jn 2:15, 16, 17). The same appear in our Lord's temptation (Mt 4:1-11). They are inseparable; they work together; they have identical aims. The world -- from the Greek kosmos, or world-system -- may be defined, in its bad, ethical sense, as the order or arrangement "under which Satan has organized the world of unbelieving mankind upon his cosmic principles of force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and pleasure" (C. I. Scofield). The world offers man everything he could wish; everything to satisfy his intellectual, physical, social, esthetic, and passionate craving; everything to keep him content in his present condition -- everything but GOD. "For all that is in the world" -- designed to appeal to "the lust of the flesh," to "the lust of the eyes" as they look upon the things of the world and crave them, to "the pride of life" Satan-injected into man's veins -- "is not of the Father, but is of the world" (1Jn 2:16). Friends, search the Scriptures, with a good concordance or a chain reference Bible, for what GOD has to say about the world. He knows; you should know it as He knows it. Christ came all the way from glory to deliver us. It cost Him His life to accomplish this deliverance: "Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world" (Gal 1:4KJV), and in achieving such deliverance He was carrying out "the will of God and our Father." (Gal 1:4KJV) Christ's life was itself one long triumph over the world, signalized by His words at its close: "I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Its selfishness and greed -- He had refused it all. Its hatred, slander, and persecution -- He had met it all with divine patience, meekness and gentleness (2Co 10:1). The world gave Him a cross -- that also He endured, "despising the shame" (He 12:2). His death -- was it a defeat or a triumph? He died thus, "that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (He 2:14,15). Hear the cry of the victor, "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out" (Jn 12:31). Delivered from the world, its fears and their final outcome, death; from the world's god, the pride, ambition and selfishness he implants in his devotees. Then -- to think of it is grief of heart -- some Christian people persist in living worldly lives, persist in being known for their worldliness. How can they? Only through ignorance, we trust. Only by getting "off side." They have necessarily left His Side and gone back to the bondage of Our Side. ("I" CRUCIFIED VERSUS THE WORLD - GALATIANS 6:14-15) Moses the servant of God (1Chr 6:49, 2Chr 24:9, Da 9:11, Rev 15:3-note) gives us an example that we might be imitators of him and so inherit the promises (see He 6:11, 12-note), for he chose... rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin (that the world had to offer). (Heb 11:25-note) And why was Moses willing to live as dead to the allure of the power, pleasure and pomp this world had to offer him? It is because he thought about the alternatives and came to the conclusion that... the reproach (disgrace) of Christ (which for believers today would include the scorn, scoffing and shame associated with the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ) greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. (Heb 11:26-note) John Henry Jowett - Worldliness is a spirit, a temperament, an attitude of soul. It is life without high callings, life devoid of lofty ideals. It is a gaze horizontal, never vertical. Its motto is 'Forward', never 'Upward'. Akin writes that kosmos is "an evil organized earthly system controlled by the power of the evil one (1Jn 5:19) that has aligned itself against God and His kingdom (1Jn 4:3, 4, 5; 5:19; Jn 16:11). (Akin, D. L. 1, 2, 3 John: Broadman & Holman Publishers)