Galatians 6.1-2

Our family has recently been using a wonderful book from the Scottish-born, American Pastor Alister Begg and his The Good Book Company for our nightly devotions.  The book that we have been using is called C Is For Christian and provides an easy to understand theological point for each letter of the alphabet.

This week, as we were heading toward the end of the book, we came to the letter W.

I want to share with you some of the content from the entry for the letter W.  

W is for Worker.

2 Timothy 2.15 says,

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed.”

God gives all of His people work to do for Him, every day. It might be caring for someone else. It might be saying something kind. It might be teaching someone something about Him from His Word. It might be giving your time to help someone out.  It might be using your talents in a church service.

Christians don’t work hard so that we can be loved and forgiven by God. No! Christians work because we are already loved and forgiven by God, just by trusting in Jesus. 

Christian work is often hard work. And God wants you to “do your best.” Some people do the very least that they need to do. They put in as little effort as they can. But other people do the very best they can possibly do. They try as hard as they can. As we live the Christian life, that’s how we are to do the work God gives us.

If we do this, then we will have “no need to be ashamed.” Imagine a school student doing some work in class. When they have finished, if they have done their best and tried hard, then they can give their work to their teacher with pride. But if they know they have rushed their work and not done it as well as they can, they will hand it in with shame. As we live the Christian life, God wants us to do our work in a way that means we can say, “That’s my very best.”

That’s the kind of worker who is “approved” by God. We work hard so that God will approve of the way we live for Him and obey Him. It’s exciting to think that, as you work hard for Him, God will look at you and say, That’s great. I really approve of what you’re doing. You’re the kind of worker I’m looking for!

W is for Worker.

The book then encourages us to think about and answer the following two questions:

What good works does God give you to do each day?

Do you think you will work harder if you remember that God is watching and approves of your hard work? Why?

This morning, we are returning to the book of Galatians to finish out our sermon series from this year.

This morning, we are up to Galatians 6:1–2 which says:

[1] Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. [2] Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (ESV)

I don’t know if you caught the tone of Paul’s words, but in these verses, Paul is naming the work you should be doing as a Christian.

Paul is saying that in the Christian life, “W is for Worker.”

Martin Luther, the 16th Century monk, teacher, and theologian— who helped the Christian church get back on track by putting physical copies of the Bible into people’s hands in order to rescue them from the corrupt religious leaders of the day who were adding and subtracting from God’s Word for their own personal gain—masterfully summarized the Christian life when he said,

“God doesn’t need our good works, but your neighbor does.”

This is what today’s text from Galatians is all about.

Today’s text from Galatians is about doing good works as Christian for the good of those around you.

When the Apostle Paul wrote letters to the early churches in the 1st Century A.D., to help them stay and track loving God and loving others, and often get back on track doing those things, he almost always wrote in a two-part fashion.

The first section of Paul’s written communications would include the truth of the Gospel.  Paul would begin his letter with a proclamation and reminder that Jesus Christ is God’s Savior.  He would proclaim that faith in Jesus Christ is the one and only way that a person can be forgiven of sin, justified, declared righteous, reconciled to God, and brought home into God’s eternal Kingdom of Heaven.   And, that all of this great blessing is freely available to every human being when they confess that they are a sinner in need of saving and trust the truth that God’s love drove him to provide that saving in Jesus, life, death and resurrection.

Following that outpouring of good news that brings hope to broken people in a broken world, Paul’s second section of each of his letters would then move on the practical aspects of living as a Christian.  Paul’s words of exhortation, command, and encouragement were for those who had experienced the life altering, heart and mind transforming grace of God.

As a brief reminder, in chapters 1-5 of Galatians, we heard the Apostle Paul tell us the good news that we find forgiveness of sin, justification, righteousness, and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.  Through faith in Jesus, we are called sons and daughters of God and given all of the benefits of being an heir to all that God has created and done.  And, through faith in Jesus, we are also set free from the burden of Sin that keeps us enslaved to the idea that God needs our good works in order to accept us, approve of us, and love us.

At the end of chapter 5, in the typical Pauline way, he begins to transition into the practical aspects of the Christian life.

To return to Luther’s quote, “God doesn’t need our good works, but our neighbor does,” we have to remember that the things that Paul is telling the Christians in Galatia to do aren’t a series of good works that will earn them God’s love and approval. 

No.  The things that Paul is telling Christians to do are the proper responses to God’s love and approval of them despite their sin and selfishness. And, the proper response to God’s love for us is to love others as we have first been loved—with grace and mercy.

In these first two verses of chapter 6, Paul tells us that as Christians, living together in the Church on earth, we have accountability partners and are to be accountability partners.

As Christians, we are to know the Word of God.  We are to know what it commands us to do and what it commands us not to do.  And, we are to help each other live up to God’s standards for life and love.

Now comes the uncomfortable part.  This means that sometimes we have to correct others in the faith and sometimes we have to be correctly by others.  

Hearing the truth that God allows others to take moral measurements on your life using the Bible as the measuring stick so that the faith you profess on Sunday morning matches the thoughts, words, and actions of your Monday-Saturday living, may scare you because we have come to a place in the Western world where the idea of “being judged” is used negatively and as a threat to personal freedom.

We are all familiar with colloquial mantras of, “Don’t judge me!,” and, “Who do you think you are to judge me,” and, “The Bible says not to judge others.”

Well, this morning’s Biblical text proves that God not only desires but commands us to make judgments on one another for their temporal and eternal good.

To understand how the process of helping to restore a brother or sister into a right relationship with God works, let’s dig a little deeper into the Scriptural words that Paul has written and left us.

Let’s begin by highlighting the phrase, “You who are spiritual.”

This command to be an accountability partner to others all hinges on your faith of being known by God and knowing God and living in such a way that you are always working to cultivate and grow in your knowledge of Jesus Christ and prayerfully seeking that God would work out the fruits of the Spirit in your life.

This means being humble.  This means knowing that you are no better than anyone else around you.  This means that you acknowledge that you too need help.  This means you will correctly declare, “I am not perfect.” This means that you are quick to confess your own Sin and seek God’s forgiveness where it is found—in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

This faith filled and faith guided lifestyle will allow you to know what God commands and forbids and not rely on what you alone have decided is right and wrong for yourself and for others.

Here is a bit of a warning for you: In fulfilling this command to restore those caught in transgressions, you need to be aware of what is sin in God’s eyes and what is not.

In our own sin, we often like to create our own categorical imperatives for this life.  However, we have no right to do that.  It is God the Father in Heaven who created life, who sustains life, and who makes the rules for life.

So, after examining the human’s natural condition from the very moment of conception—the human condition of being corrupted and enslaved by Sin which lies to us and tells us that we are always right about everything and everyone around us should bow down to our lordship over them—what hope do we have to be able to do what Paul is telling us we should be doing as Christians?

Well, 1 Corinthians 2:14–16 speaks about the Christian’s wisdom and ability to correct others and be corrected by others as well.

These verses say:

[14] The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. [15] The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. [16] “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (ESV)

If you are spiritual, that means being filled with and led by the Holy Spirit of God, you will exhibit humility and therefore be gentle in your leading and guiding of others to a place of confession and repentance.  You will do this in this way because it is how God has led you to confession and repentance and how you would like others to treat you in leading you to confession and repentance.

God wasn’t a jerk to you, but He was patient, kind, and gentle, always leading you to the cross for the forgiveness and healing that He provides for you.

And, when you need to be corrected and pointed back to God in Christ on the cross, you don’t want others to be a jerk to you.  You want them to be patient, kind, and gentle.

As I like to paraphrase the greatest two commandments, “Love God and Don’t Be a Jerk to your neighbor.”

In a sermon that Jesus preached, he smooths out some of the edges on this for us when he says:

[37] “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; [38] give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

[39] He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? [40] A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. [41] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [42] How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. (Luke 6:37–42, ESV)

At one point, U.S. Men’s Soccer Team star Christian Pulisic was dropped from the starting lineup by head coach Gregg Berhalter. Pulisic said, “There were moments when he benched me and I wanted to kill the guy — I hated him, I was so angry. But then the next game comes along, and then I find myself in a better place. The way he handled a lot of situations, I have to give him a lot of credit.”

Pulisic said that he developed an understanding for Berhalter’s coaching methods during his first camp under the coach. In that camp, Pulisc suffered a slight injury. After getting a scan on the injury, Berhalter summoned Pulisic for a meeting. The coach suggested that the injuries may have happened because Pulisic wasn’t training with the intensity at which he played in games. Pulisic was taken aback at first, but eventually he took in the advice. He said:

It changed the way I look at training, even today. … Listen, it wasn’t easy, and it took me a little while, but I said “Let me take this onboard,” and since then I’ve been in a much better place. It’s things like that. The way that he deals with players, you can tell he is passionate, and he cares about his players. He’s not going to tell you it easy, or what you want to hear, he is going to tell you what he feels is going to improve you.

To be honest, sometimes we hate God and His people because the process of growth is difficult for all of us.  To grow in our faith often means looking into the mirror and seeing how far away from God’s standards for life and love we actually are.  And, even when we are treated with patience and kindness and gentleness, we still initially react out of our old nature with the colloquial mantras of, “Don’t judge me!,” and, “Who do you think you are to judge me,” and, “The Bible says not to judge others.”

But then, by God’s grace, the next day comes along, and then you find yourself in a better place. The way God handled all of your situations in such a way that you have to give him all the credit.

God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Church (if the Church is doing it correctly) are not going to tell you it is easy, or what you want to hear, they are going to tell you what they know is going to improve you.

This morning, Paul wants you remember that the letter W is for Worker.  

As a Christian who is automatically a part of the body of Christ, His Church, you are called to work for the good of your neighbor.

In the context of today’s text, Paul is focusing on your Christian neighbor.  

1 John 4.19 reminds us that “We love because [God in Christ] loved us first.”

Go today and do the good work of helping your brothers and sisters in Christ to live in a such a way that the love, grace and mercy of God is known by them and the world around them.  And, be prayerfully open to God using your brothers and sisters in the faith to do the same for you.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

July 27, 2025.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank You that You love us not because we work hard but because we trust Jesus. Thank You that You do give us good works to do for You. Please help us to work hard and to remember that You are pleased when Your people do their best in the work You’ve given them. Amen.