Galatians 6: Edit history

Galatians 6 is the final chapter of Galatians. In Galatians 5, Paul urges his readers to walk in the Spirit and describes the fruit of the Spirit. In this chapter, he explains how to live out that life within the community. He closes the letter with words written in his own hand.

Outline

• Verses 1–5 When someone is overtaken in a fault, believers are to restore him in a spirit of meekness while considering themselves as well. They are to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Each person, however, is to examine his own work and bear his own burden.
• Verse 6 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches.
• Verses 7–10 A person reaps what he sows. The one who sows to the flesh will reap corruption, and the one who sows to the Spirit will reap life everlasting. Believers therefore are not to grow weary. As they have opportunity, they are to do good to all people, especially to the household of faith (Galatians 6:8–10).
• Verses 11–13 Paul states that he has written with large letters in his own hand. He then criticizes those who compel circumcision. He says that they want to avoid persecution for the cross and to glory in the flesh of others.
• Verses 14–16 Paul declares that he will glory in nothing except the cross of Christ. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters; only being a new creature matters. He pronounces peace on those who walk according to this rule and on "the Israel of God."
• Verses 17–18 Paul says that he bears in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus and closes the letter with a benediction of grace.

Key Verses

• Galatians 6:2 "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." — This verse is frequently cited as a principle for a community in which believers care for one another.
• Galatians 6:7 "For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." — This is the best-known statement of the principle of sowing and reaping.
• Galatians 6:14 "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." — This verse distills the conclusion of the entire letter.

People and Places

• Paul: The apostle who wrote the letter. In verse 11 he states that he wrote it himself.
• The Galatian believers: The churches that received the letter. They are generally understood to have been composed mostly of Gentile believers.
• Those compelling circumcision: An unnamed group that required Gentile believers to be circumcised.

Points for Reflection

• Verse 2 says "Bear ye one another's burdens," while verse 5 says "every man shall bear his own burden." The Greek words translated "burden" in the two verses are different. For this reason, interpreters often explain verse 2 as referring to a heavy load that weighs a person down, and verse 5 as referring to each person's assigned share.
• Interpretations of "the Israel of God" in Galatians 6:16 differ. Some read it as the whole church, encompassing both Jewish and Gentile believers; this reading is common in covenant theology. Others read it as Jews who believe in Christ; this reading is common in dispensationalism.
• Some speculate that Paul wrote in the "large letters" of verse 11 because of an eye ailment. This view links the verse with Galatians 4:13–14. Others interpret the large letters as a means of emphasis. The text itself does not give a reason.
• The "marks of the Lord Jesus" in verse 17 are commonly understood as scars from persecution suffered while preaching the gospel (2 Corinthians 11). Accounts of the stigmata are later traditions outside the text. According to these accounts, certain saints from the Middle Ages onward received wounds in the same places as the wounds of Jesus.
• The "new creature" of Galatians 6:15 parallels the "new creature" of 2 Corinthians 5.

In Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant churches, verse 6 is sometimes cited as a basis for church members supporting their ministers materially. It is also mentioned in discussions of pastoral compensation. Preachers frequently use the phrases "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" and "let us not be weary" from verses 7–9 in sermons encouraging service and good works.