Chapter 6
V1 cf Job 16:5 As a continuation of 5:26, instead of provoking and envying one another, we should rather restore those who have slipped back to carnality, to a state of Torah abidance in Spirit and in truth. Should we ignore our fellow congregants backsliding, inevitably Satan will use them to drag us down back into sin and hence be under the bondage of Torah again.
The word overtaken is prolambano meaning surprised i.e. unexpectedly tripped up. The word translated fault is paraptoma meaning a lapse from truth. The connotation of Paul’s sentence is totally missed in the KJV translation. Paraphrased is should read along these lines: Brethren, if a man be surprised/tricked in a lapse of truth. The meaning is hence lucidly expressed as a congregant sinning unintentionally through ignorance.
The word tempted is peirazo which means to be tested. Hence those following Torah in Spirit and truth should immediately encourage through loving exhortation, that fellow believer who has through ignorance unintentionally slipped into sin. This will curb Satan’s ploy to test the rest of the spiritual of the same deceptive stratagem, which could lead us also into a fall. A stitch in time truly saves nine. Cf chatta’ah/ sin offering of Lev ch 4 for sin through ignorance.
V2 cf 5:14 Effectively bearing each other’s burdens is the definition of loving thy neighbour as thyself.
V3-4 Again extending on the theme initiated in 5:26, competing to see who is more pious is a carnal trait leading to self-delusion. Instead let us examine ourselves to improve ourselves, and never to seek man’s praise cf 2 Cor 13:5; 1 Jn 3:19-22, Rom 12:3. Let us not be like the delusional Pharisee of Lk 18:10-14
V5-8 Note the word translated communicate in v6 is in the Greek koinoneo which means to be in fellowship with. We must always be in communion with our teachers of truth in order for us to grow more and more spiritually. Let us not flock with those of the world, who only pull us down, but rather with the spiritually mature who pull us up to greater heights. Investing in the carnal will only reap sin and corruption, investing in the Holy Spirit reaps everlasting life. Yehovah knows each man’s heart, hence let us not put on false displays for man’s praise as this shall have no bearing on Yehovah’s judgement cf Pro 15:11; Acts 15:8
V9-10 We must seek and strive to do good with every waking moment of our lives, in order to reap the best rewards at the Bema seat judgement 2 Cor 5:10. Our good deeds should be greatly inclined towards those in the body of Messiah, as this fosters spiritual growth and maturity in the body leading to more effective evangelism to the lost world. If our good be too far skewed towards the lost world, it may be at the expense of the rest of the body of Messiah which needs great support in order to work as an efficient system.
V11-14 Paul expresses in v11 how he has laboured in expressing the role of circumcision in the grander scheme of Torah, by penning so large a letter devoted to laying down the truth concerning this much misconstrued topic. Paul was against circumcision if it were merely to fulfil the already ‘non-Torah-keeping’ Jews’ desire to be justified by so doing and also to prevent these Jews from being persecuted by their pharisaic leaders for teaching anything contrary to this false belief of theirs. The hatred for preaching of the cross was so great that these Jews were not only infiltrating the Galatian ecclesia unawares to bring them back to bondage, but were also doing so to prove to their superiors that they were loyal to them to avoid being accused of condoning the preaching of the cross, which inevitably risked punishment and persecution.
Circumcision availeth nothing if it is not for a spiritual reason. Once the Holy Spirit is in you, at some point in time in your spiritual maturity and growth, you will understand the role of circumcision as being a sign of your covenant relationship with Elohim, in which case you would then wilfully partake in it. This Holy Spirit led realisation, however, only occurs at some point after one has been justified by faith in Messiah first. One for instance may achieve this realisation after learning through scriptural teaching, that one cannot partake in the Passover festival/holy day if an uncircumcised male, but such understanding is for the mature believer (teilos) not the immature upstart (nepios), although it does not count for justification nor salvation.
V15 Only a new creation in Messiah matters first and foremost, not issues of circumcision which are secondary and are discerned by the mature believer. It must be made very clear that both immature and mature believers shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, hence the various gifts to be given at the bema seat judgement, depending on your level of maturity and expression of it, based on various factors such as exposure to truth and ultimately on what Yehovah knows of your heart’s intents and condition. Hence a Christian with a contrite, humble heart who is very immature in knowledge and wisdom due to denial of access to truth in say communist China, may have greater rewards than a highly knowledgeable so-called mature Christian in a Western country providing liberty of religious expression, yet with a proud self-aggrandizing heart.
V16 For all replacement theology promoters, twisting Paul’s writings and claiming that the current Gentile church has replaced Israel and hence the Torah too, Paul clearly refers to the Israel of Elohim being the body of Messiah. We Gentiles must not boast as we are grafted into Israel, and never replace it with new doctrines cf Rom 11:17-18.
V17-18 Paul closes by expressing that he has borne through much persecution, the marks of the very Messiah and the cross which he preaches, which is clear evidence of the veracity of his words cf Deut 15:12-17. Paul was truly a slave of Yeshua. Also Acts 14:19-20, 2 Cor 11:25.
Also, v18 is also proof that the Holy Spirit does not replace your spirit, but works in concert with our spirit to lead us to works of Torah based love by faith Amen.