BIG IDEA:
2 PRACTICAL WAYS TO WALK IN LOVE BY THE SPIRIT
INTRODUCTION:
Richard Longenecker: In 6:1–10 Paul gives a series of instructions that spell out in practical terms what it means for his Galatian converts to “live by the Spirit” (5:16, 25a), to “be led by the Spirit” (5:18), and so to “keep in step with the Spirit” (5:25b). The instructions are given in the form of exhortations, with the exhortations generally expressing in somewhat blended fashion two main emphases:
(1) personal responsibility and
(2) corporate responsibility.
Yet the particular situations to which these exhortations speak are not stated, and so commentators are left without any real knowledge of the circumstances within the Galatian churches or how Paul’s exhortations fit those circumstances.
J.M.G. Barclay: They represent Paul’s desire to give concrete instructions, to spell out for the Galatians in practical terms what it means to “walk in the Spirit.” Many of these maxims function as practical illustrations of the ingredients of “the fruit of the Spirit”—e.g. πραΰτης (6.2), ἐγκράτεια (5.26; 6.4), μακροθυμία (6.9–10), and ἀγαθωσύνη (6.6, 10)—and thus serve to “earth” these abstract qualities in detailed moral instruction. Throughout Paul endeavours to remind the Galatians of their accountability to God and their responsibilities to one another, and he is especially concerned with the problems of pride and dissension in the Galatian churches which threaten to destroy them altogether. He appeals to them to sow to the Spirit, having shown that only the fruit of the Spirit can counteract and overcome these problems in their midst (Obeying the Truth, 167).
6:1–10 is characterized by an alternation between corporate responsibility and individual accountability.
6.1a – corporate responsibility to correct a sinning Christian
6.1b – individual accountability – ‘look to yourself (you singular)
6.2 – corporate responsibility to bear the burdens of one another
6.3–5 – individual accountability – test your own works, bear your own load
6.6 – corporate responsibility to support those who teach
6.7–8 – individual accountability – how one sows will be how one reaps
6.9–10 – corporate responsibility – everyone should do good to all, especially to Christians.
Ben Witherington: What Paul intends to do in this section is spell out what characterizes Christian inter-personal behavior, and so make clearer what walking in the Spirit and what the Law of Christ are. Paul will gradually work his way from how to relate to a Christian who has sinned, to how to evaluate one’s own life including one’s temptations and actions, to how to relate to one’s teacher, and finally to how we may expect to be evaluated by God ‘at harvest time’. In other words, Paul’s ethics are given an eschatological sanction as is also true in 1 Cor. 15. What stand in the background are God’s past actions in Christ which set a pattern for believers; what stands in the foreground is God’s future action which will bring the divine plan for God’s people to completion. Between this already and that not yet stands the believer who is called upon to emulate the behavior of Christ, the ultimate burden bearer, who came to restore not condemn the sinner.
Ronald Fung: Following the general description of life in the Spirit (5:13–26), the present section consists of specific exhortations which may be summarized under two headings:
(a) helping one another in the spirit of gentleness and humility (vv. 1–5) and
(b) doing good in recognition of the rule of sowing and reaping in life (vv. 6–10).
David Platt: Main Idea: Paul urges Spirit-led believers to recognize and execute the practical responsibilities of the household of faith.
I. Gentle Restoration (6:1)
A. The context of restoration: family
B. The need for restoration
C. The nature of restoration
D. The nature of the restorer
II. Humble Burden Bearing (6:2-5)
A. Burdens are a reality in a fallen world (6:2a).
B. We are not self-sufficient (6:2a).
C. Burden bearing is a command to all believers (6:2a).
D. Burden bearing is how we fulfill the law of Christ (6:2b).
E. Pride hinders burden bearing (6:3-4).
F. Paul distinguishes between heavy burdens and light loads (6:5).
III. Generous Sharing (6:6)
A. Responsibilities of the teacher
B. Responsibilities of the receiver
IV. Personal Holiness (6:7-8)
V. Practical Goodness (6:9-10)
I. (:1-5) HUMBLY HELPING YOUR BROTHER IN NEED
A. (:1) Gently Restore a Brother Whom You Find Sinning
- The Responsibility = Applies to all believers — not just the leaders
“Brethren“
Don’t try to pass this responsibility off to someone else.
This is a family responsibility that requires the loving network of family relationships.
Hays: [Paul] wants the members of the Galatian churches to see themselves not as rivals competing to see who can be the most devout (5:26), but rather as brothers and sisters, . . . supporting one another as they walk through perilous times of spiritual warfare.
- The Occasion = Sin that is evident to you
“even if a man is caught in any trespass“
Not saying that we are out spying on people trying to catch them.
- The Qualification to Help
“you who are spiritual“
Those who are walking in the Spirit, led by the Spirit, controlled by the Spirit, evidencing the fruit of the Spirit — all of which will be needed for this interaction to be successful.
If you find yourself in some other less desirable state, the answer is not to forget about your responsibility to your brother, but rather to first address your own relationship issues and then in a renewed spirit to come alongside and help your brother.
Max Anders: In chapter 6, Paul applies freedom to our relationships. He’s going to tell us that the Christian who walks in the Spirit is free from selfishness and so freed to love others unselfishly. He wants spiritual people to show concern for one another and respond properly to a fellow Christian who has fallen into grave sin. You who are spiritual, in this context, refers to those manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. These believers with Christlike character traits produced by the Holy Spirit encourage faltering Christians. The legalist is judgmental, harsh, and condemning toward those who struggle with sin (Acts 15:10). They know the law, and they know the consequences of falling short of obedience to the law. But they do not know mercy.
Timothy George: While all sin is detestable before God and should be resisted as the plague, certain transgressions are especially hurtful to the fellowship of the church and must be dealt with according to the canons of Christian discipline. Those who are spiritually minded, that is, those whose lives give evidence of the fruit of the Spirit, have a special responsibility to take the initiative in seeking restoration and reconciliation with those who have been caught in such an error.
John MacArthur: It should be noted that, whereas maturity is relative, depending on one’s progression and growth, spirituality is an absolute reality that is unrelated to growth. At any point in the life of a Christian, from the moment of his salvation to his glorification, he is either spiritual, walking in the Spirit, or fleshly, walking in the deeds of the flesh. Maturity is the cumulative effect of the times of spirituality. But any believer, at any point in his growth toward Christlikeness, can be a spiritual believer who helps a sinful believer who has fallen to the flesh.
- The Mission
“restore such a one“
Not out to rebuke them and judge them critically; the mission is restorative.
Straighten things out, set a broken bone, mend the nets;
Skill, firmness, gentleness needed for this work.
Bruce Barton: The word translated “restore” has a number of meanings, all of which help us understand how to restore someone who has been caught in sin:
- setting a broken bone. We should be helping to reduce pain and promote healing and rehabilitation.
- mending a fishnet. We should repair torn relationships in order that they might be returned to useful service.
- refitting a ship after a difficult voyage. We should fix the damage, restock the supplies, and prepare the vessel for its next voyage.
Restoration doesn’t happen easily or simply. Sometimes those stung with self-discovery reject our efforts to help. We must persevere in the process because God views the restored person as very valuable.
Philip Ryken: Unfortunately, Christians do not always offer sinners very good treatment. Sometimes we ignore sin. Lacking the courage to confront it, we simply pretend it isn’t there. We act like timid medical students who see a patient with a bone fragment sticking out of his arm, but are afraid to touch it. The bone is never set and the wound never heals. Sometimes Christians notice the broken bone of sin, but never get past making a diagnosis. They simply stand around talking about what bad shape the sinner is in. “Wow,” people say, “would you look at that broken bone! I mean, just look at the way it’s sticking out! Boy, am I glad I don’t have a fracture like that!” Meanwhile, the brother or sister continues in the pains of sin. This kind of treatment is better known as gossip. Sadly, there are even times when Christians condemn sinners, blaming them (or even punishing them) for needing to go to the spiritual emergency room in the first place. They treat them like outcasts, harshly scolding them for being spiritually out of joint and apparently forgetting that they themselves are sinners in need of grace.
When Christians are caught in sin, they do not need isolation or amputation; they need restoration. The proper thing to do is to help them confess their sins and find forgiveness in Christ, and then to welcome them back into the fellowship of the church.
- The Attitude
“in a spirit of gentleness“
Not only important what we say and do, but how we say and do it.
What is our tone and attitude, etc.
Bruce Barton: Paul did not recommend ignoring unrepented sin because, no matter how well hidden, sin will eventually cause problems in the church. Neither did Paul recommend a public humiliation of the sinner, for that would not achieve the objective of restoring the person to the fellowship. Paul recommended action, but he gave advice as to who should act and how the action should be taken.
- The Humility
“each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted“
Ronald Fung: Such vigilance is necessary because “anything can become a temptation” and because no one is above the possibility of succumbing to temptation (cf. 1 Cor. 10:12). Awareness of this is conducive to the cultivation and manifestation of the spirit of gentleness enjoined here.
B. (:2) Lovingly Help Bear the Burden of a Brother Who is Weighed Down
“Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.”
Look at both:
- the command of Christ
- the example of Christ
Warren Wiersbe: There is no contradiction between verses 2 and 5, because two different Greek words for burden are used. In verse 2 it is a word meaning “a heavy burden,” while in verse 5 it describes “a soldier’s pack.” We should help each other bear the heavy burdens of life, but there are personal responsibilities that each man must bear for himself.
John MacArthur: It is a misguided and unscriptural philosophy that causes some pastors to think they should not get too close to members of their congregation. Obviously they should never show favoritism, and there is danger in becoming too involved in superficial social relationships. But a pastor who does not intimately attend to the people under his care cannot possibly minister to them effectively.
George Brunk: The phrase law of Christ clearly refers to a standard or pattern of life that reflects what Christ stands for and expects of his followers. The implication is that Christians can and should apply their faith to their way of life. This is the sense of the passage presenting the only close parallel in Paul’s letters (1 Cor 9:21). There he says that, in his identification with Gentiles who are not under the Mosaic Law, he nevertheless is “not free from God’s law but [is] under Christ’s law.” A moral standard, defined by Christ, always guides Paul, and this standard also represents the will of God.
The law of Christ is the moral vision based on the example and teaching of Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection. That vision is fundamentally in harmony with the Old Testament Law (5:14), though it modifies it in accordance with the truly new dimensions that Christ has brought (4:4-7). At the same time, that vision sees the role of (any) law not as a complete and fixed code of behavior, but as a pattern (paradigm) that the Spirit of God re-creates as living virtue in the believer (5:16-23) and reapplies dynamically in the changing contexts of life (5:25). The latter point may help explain why Paul so rarely cites the tradition of Jesus’ teaching. He wants to avoid the appearance of setting up a new law code to replace the Mosaic Law. At the same time, the law of Christ gives some specificity and definition to Christian morality, so that we do not confuse the mind of the Spirit with our own human or even demonic ideas.
Here Paul probably has in mind the example of Christ, who sacrificially bears the burdens of others and is therefore the standard for his followers in bearing one another’s burdens. That meaning fits well the present context of burden bearing. The cross is the central symbol of this self-giving (Gorman 2001: 174, 186). This example of Christ is a typical emphasis in Paul (e.g., Phil 2:5-11; Rom 15:1-3) and the dominant one in Galatians (1:4; 2:20; 3:13). Paul uses the concept of love to carry this meaning. He sees love as the fulfillment of the Mosaic Law. That love is marked by service to others (see 5:13-14 and discussion there). The law of Christ is synonymous with love—the love that is defined by the example of the life of Jesus Christ (Elias: 338).
John Piper: We should probably define a burden then as anything that threatens to crush the joy of our faith –whether a tragedy that threatens to make us doubt God’s goodness or a sin that threatens to drag us into guilt and judgment.
Bruce Barton: May I Help You?
No Christian should ever think that he or she is totally independent and doesn’t need help from others. And no one should feel excused from the task of helping others. The body of Christ, the church, functions only when the members work together for the common good. Do you know someone who needs help? Is there a Christian brother or sister who needs correction or encouragement? Humbly and gently reach out to that person, offering to lift his or her load (John 13:34-35).
Timothy George: We may gather four important truths about practical Christian living from Paul’s injunction to bear one another’s burdens.
The Reality of Burdens. All Christians have burdens. Our burdens may differ in size and shape and will vary in kind depending on the providential ordering of our lives. For some it is the burden of temptation and the consequences of a moral lapse, as in v. 1 here. For others it may be a physical ailment, or mental disorder, or family crisis, or lack of employment, or demonic oppression, or a host of other things; but no Christian is exempt from burdens. . .
The Myth of Self-Sufficiency. We all have burdens, and God does not intend for us to carry them by ourselves in isolation from our brothers and sisters. The ancient philosophy of Stoicism taught that the goal of the happy life was apatheia, a studied aloofness from pleasure and pain, and self-sufficiency, the ability to brave the harsh elements of life without dependence on others. . .
The Imperative of Mutuality. Because all Christians have burdens and since none are sufficient unto themselves to bear their burdens alone, God has so tempered the body of Christ that its members are to be priests to one another, bearing one another’s burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ.
Living by the Law of Christ. . . In sum, the “law of Christ” is for Paul “the whole tradition of Jesus’ ethical teaching, confirmed by his character and conduct and reproduced within his people by the power of the Spirit” (cf. Rom 8:2).
C. (:3-5) Balancing Perspective: Humbly Take Responsibility for Your Own Load
Scot McKnight: The problem that occupies Paul’s attention while addressing restoration is pride on the part of the restorer. Pride is wrong (v. 3), and each restorer should check himself or herself out (v. 4a) and not find personal status by comparison with others, especially with sinning brothers and sisters (v. 4b). In the final analysis, each person is responsible before God for what he or she has done (v. 5).
- (:3) Watch out for Pride
“For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing,
he deceives himself.”
Max Anders: When a Christian sins, we easily fall into the temptation of pride. We commit this sin when we compare ourselves to those who have fallen morally and feel better than they. This comparison can lead to a condescending attitude that says, “You fell, and I didn’t.” We may secretly be glad that something bad has happened to him. If we take on this “holier than thou” attitude, we fall into the sin of pride. We also destroy any opportunity to have a restorative influence on the struggling believer. Yet Paul tells us that rather than experience prideful feelings of superiority, we should test ourselves through self-examination to see if there is any prideful breach in our moral armor.
Ronald Fung: Paul implies that those who imagine themselves to be somebody are unable to bear the burdens of others: fancying themselves to be without sin or weakness they are unable to sympathize with others or to concern themselves with their burdens; conversely, they are more likely to treat others with gentleness and humility if they feel their own weakness.
Kathryn Greene-McCreight: Both personal integrity and self-deception are revealed on the public stage. Those who think more of themselves than of others have an inflated sense of self-importance that is corrosive to the church.
Richard Longenecker: His point, it seems, is that conceit—that is, thinking oneself to be something when in actuality we are nothing (as the maxim has it)—results in making one unwilling to bear others’ burdens. In effect, the maxim quoted here roughly parallels the exhortation of 5:26, with the warnings against conceit of 5:26 and 6:3 serving as something of an inclusio for the exhortations regarding restoring the wayward and bearing one another’s oppressive burdens of 6:1–2.
- (:4) No Place for Competition — Don’t compare Yourself to Others
“But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have reason
for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.”
Barclay: He goes on to rebuke conceit and gives a recipe whereby it may well be avoided. We are to compare our achievement not with the work of our neighbours but with what our best would have been. When we do that, there can never be any cause for conceit.
Ronald Fung: It is on his own conduct and performance that each person should concentrate, not the conduct and performance of others; he is to engage in self-assessment, not in critical evaluation of another.
Timothy George: There is a great difference between introspection and self-examination. The former can easily devolve into a kind of narcissistic, spiritual navel-gazing that has more in common with types of Eastern mysticism than with classic models of the devotional life in historic Christianity. True self-examination is not merely taking one’s spiritual pulse beat on a regular basis but rather submitting one’s thoughts, attitudes, and actions to the will of God and the mind of Christ revealed in Holy Scripture. To “test” or “prove” something presupposes that there is some external standard or criterion by which the quality or purity of the object under scrutiny can be measured with accuracy. No higher or better standard can be found for this important exercise than the law of Christ Paul had just extolled. This does not mean, of course, that we should not seek the assistance of fellow believers in the process of self-examination. An important part of bearing one another’s burdens is to offer spiritual guidance and friendship to one another, holding one another accountable to the high calling of God in our lives.
Richard Longenecker: The warning here is not to live as spiritual people in a state of pride or conceit, always comparing one’s own attainments to those of others and so feeling superior, but rather to test one’s own actions and so to minimize the possibility of self-deception. Christian feelings of exultation and congratulation should spring from one’s own actions as seen in the light of God’s approval and not derive from comparing oneself to what others are or are not doing.
- (:5) Bear Your Own Load
“For each one shall bear his own load.”
John Stott: [Re the difference between the two “loads” in Gal 6] — So we are to bear one another’s “burdens” which are too heavy for a man to bear alone, but there is one burden which we cannot share—indeed do not need to because it is a pack light enough for every man to carry himself—and that is our responsibility to God on the day of judgment. On that day you cannot carry my pack and I cannot carry yours.
II. (:6-10) HARVEST LAW OF CONSISTENTLY GIVING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OTHERS
A. (:6) Priority of Mutual Sharing with Your Spiritual Teacher
“And let the one who is taught the word share all good things
with him who teaches.”
Question of whether or not this passage is talking about material and financial support for those who are ministering the Word of God to you. It is definitely talking about making sure that you are not just a “taker” but also a “giver” as you have opportunity.
John MacArthur: Good things could include material goods, but that does not seem to be the sense here… Paul is talking about mutuality, not of one party serving or providing for the other but of both parties sharing together. The one who is taught the word and the one who teaches have a common fellowship and should share all good things together. . .
The most common term for material things that are favorable, or good, is kalos. But good things translates the plural of agathos, which is used in the New Testament primarily of spiritual and moral excellence. Paul uses this word in describing the gospel itself, the “glad tidings of good things” (Rom. 10:15). The writer of Hebrews uses it in the same way, of “the good things to come” of which “Christ appeared as a high priest” (Heb. 9:11) and of which the law was “only a shadow” (10:1).
Alternative View:
Warren Wiersbe: But we must realize the spiritual principle that lies behind this precept. God does not command believers to give simply that pastors and teachers (and missionaries, Phil. 4:10-19) might have their material needs met, but that the givers might get a greater blessing (Gal. 6:7-8).
Ronald Fung: Paul’s exhortation indicates that the “teacher” had a fixed status; even if the teacher was not a full-time instructor in the faith, his work of teaching and preparation for teaching must have taken enough of his time that the community had to be responsible for his material support. Here, then, we have probably the earliest extant evidence for a form of full-time or nearly full-time ministry supported by the congregation in the early Church.
B. (:7-9) Inescapable, Fundamental Principle of Sowing and Reaping
- Validity of the Principle
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked.”
- Statement of the Principle
“for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
Richard Longenecker: Paul’s emphasis in the use of this maxim seems to be twofold:
(1) that there is a direct correlation between sowing and reaping, which is how God has established matters; and
(2) that the onus rests on the person (ἄνθρωπος) himself as to whether life eventuates in blessing or judgment, for God is not a deity who reverses his laws or can be tricked into believing something to be so when it is not.
Thus, generally the maxim supports the proverb: “God is not mocked” by mankind’s attempts to ignore the cause-and-effect relationships of justice or to trick God into bestowing blessings instead of judgment.
- 2 Contrasting Applications of the Principle
a. Negative Example
“For the one who sows to his own flesh
shall from the flesh reap corruption“
Thomas Schreiner: Not only are there two different kinds of sowing, but two contrasting results are also envisioned. Those who sow to the flesh “will reap corruption” (θερίσει φθοράν). The future tense “will reap” points to the last judgment. What is the nature of the corruption in view here? It could merely be a general term, indicating lack of fruitfulness in this life or the failure to receive rewards above and beyond eternal life (with eternal life itself being secured). But the contrast indicates that corruption refers to final destruction and final judgment, for those who sow to the Spirit “will reap eternal life” (θερίσει ζωὴν αἰώνιον). Since “eternal life” is contrasted with “corruption,” the latter means that one will not enjoy the life of the coming age, while the former refers to the eschatological reward of life that is promised to those who sow to the Spirit. Paul’s gospel of grace in Galatians does not countenance moral laxity. Righteousness is not based on works, but those who do not practice good works will not receive the final inheritance. The Pauline gospel of grace does not provide a foundation for license.
b. Positive Example
“but the one who sows to the Spirit
shall from the Spirit reap eternal life“
Timothy George: Eternal life, of course, is not merely life that lasts eternally. It is rather God’s own life, the life of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, graciously bestowed upon the children of God through faith in the Redeemer. Eternal life is the present possession of all who truly trust in Christ as Savior and Lord (John 3:36; 11:25–26). But Paul had in mind here the final consummation of salvation that will be ushered in by the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead. Paul was using “eternal life” in the same sense Jesus did when he responded to Peter’s complaint, “Look, we have left what we had and followed you,” to which the Master replied, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left a house, wife or brothers or sisters, parents or children because of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more at this time, and eternal life in the age to come” (Luke 18:28–30). The splendor of the age to come and the glory of heaven beckon us forward just as the lights of the Celestial City summoned Bunyan’s Christian toward the final goal of his pilgrim travels. In the Institutes of the Christian Religion Calvin devoted an entire chapter to “Meditation on the Future Life.” He concluded that discussion with these words: “If believers’ eyes are turned to the power of the Resurrection, in their hearts the cross of Christ will at last triumph over the devil, flesh, sin, and wicked men.”
- Need for Perseverance
“And let us not lose heart in doing good,
for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.”
Timothy George: Throughout Gal 5–6 Paul had instructed the Christians of Galatia to do a number of specific things: expel the agitators, love your neighbor as yourself, keep in step with the Spirit by manifesting the fruit of the Spirit in your lives, practice church discipline by restoring those who have fallen, bear one another’s burdens, examine yourself in light of the judgment seat of Christ, and provide material support for those who instruct you in the faith. In this verse Paul summarized all of these duties under the general rubric of “doing good.” Doing the good in this sense is the same thing as fulfilling the law of Christ. . .
Paul’s message to the Galatians is, “Don’t quit!” Faced with the temptation of legalism on the one hand and libertinism on the other, many of Paul’s converts in Galatia were beginning to lose heart. Having begun well in the life of the Spirit, they were in danger of losing their first love, being diverted from witness and service into petty bickering and greedy self-concern. To these fatigued and spiritually exhausted Christians, Paul made his appeal: “Let us not get tired of doing good.”
Philip Ryken: The apostle Paul knew how easy it is to slack off in the Christian life. Human beings are weak. This is why it is so hard for ministries to maintain their spiritual vitality, and why so many Christians who are active in ministry get burned out. People grow tired. They are tempted to sin. They experience opposition, sometimes from the very people they are trying to help. And they get discouraged when they do not see results. In an accelerated culture, people get used to instant gratification; it is hard to wait for things to grow. Then there is the sheer immensity of human need. As we have learned from Galatians, there are neighbors to love, sinners to restore, burdens to bear, and ministers to support. And this is only the beginning. There is always someone who needs more help. But who has the time or the energy to help everyone? Sometimes it is tempting simply to give up.
C. (:10) Urgency of Doing Good Whenever We Can and To Whomever We can
“So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men,
and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
Ronald Fung: Here the distinction between the family of faith and “all people” (cf. 1 Thess. 5:15) shows that for Paul the time-honored division of mankind into Jew and Gentile was less significant than the believer-unbeliever distinction; indeed, the racial and religious distinction of Jew and Gentile lost all significance for him (Gal. 3:28; 5:6). He reckons that the Christian has a greater responsibility toward his fellow-believers than toward other people in general.
Douglas Moo: The general call to do “good” fits with the people for whom that good is to be done: “everyone” (πάντας, pantas). As the next phrase makes clear, this “all” is without boundaries, including unbelievers as well as believers. Amid the vital theological issue with which they are wrestling and the internal divisions this issue has created, the Galatian Christians are to continue to manifest the love of Christ and grace of God to all the people they come into contact with. When Paul then adds, “especially to the household of faith” (μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους τῆς πίστεως, malista de pros tous oikeious tēs pisteōs), this is meant “not as a narrowing of the general obligation, but as the most immediate way of giving it effect” (Dunn 1993a: 333). Calling the fellowship of believers a “household” has OT roots (“the house of Israel” [e.g., Lev. 10:6; Num. 20:29; Judg. 2:1 LXX]) and brings to expression one of the key NT images of the church, an extended spiritual family (see οἰκεῖος in Eph. 2:19; and οἶκος in 1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 2:5; 4:17; Heb. 3:6; and, of course, the ubiquitous address “brothers and sisters”). Paul may choose this particular expression in order deliberately to mark out the church as the new covenant counterpart to Israel (see 6:16; Dunn 1993a: 333; Garlington 2003: 279; the objection of Hays [2000: 337] rests too much on lexical difference between οἶκος [in the OT] and οἰκεῖος). The language also provides the community with a status that they would readily recognize and that would enable them to confirm their identity as a cohesive group within their culture (Esler 1998: 224–25, 233–34). It is also no accident that Paul uses the word “faith” to characterize this new spiritual family. As he has argued throughout Galatians, faith (in Christ) is the fundamental and transforming mark of God’s new covenant people.
Nijay Gupta: The last question we must address is this: why does Paul emphasize goodness toward the “family of believers”? We have to remember how the biological family unit was the most fundamental identity group in the ancient world. The early Christians reconceived that framework by rebuilding it around the person of Jesus, regardless of blood ties. What came to matter most in terms of belonging and group identity was not who one’s biological father or brother was, but the connection to Jesus and the church (Matt 12:50). While this may have been liberating for some (who had no support through family connections), it would have also been challenging for many believers who harbored prejudice against fellow Christians from certain social, ethnic, or cultural groups. When we look at Rome, we see Christian groups divided based on food rituals and rules, and calendar observances (Romans 14–15). When we look at Corinth, we see Christians divided based on their favored leaders (1 Cor 1). When we look at Galatia, we can detect a rift between Jews and gentiles, or perhaps between those gentiles who want to become circumcised and those who don’t. Rather than seeing rivalry and hostility in the family of faith, Paul wanted to see unity and mutuality, care and concern, love and generosity. When all are living together in union with Christ, those differences of ethnicity and ritual, sex and gender, or status and power are put aside. Family doesn’t compete; family supports and cheers on the other. Family finds a way to come together despite disagreements and differences.