How Are The Fruit Of The Spirit Evidenced In Our Lives?

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load” (Galatians 6:1-5).

IDEA: A second way Paul applies the fruit of the Spirit is that we carry our own burdens.

PURPOSE: To help listeners understand how the spiritual life is lived out.

In Galatians 6 the apostle Paul speaks about God’s working in our lives. He makes two statements that seem like contradictions:

He says that we are to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).

We are to carry our own burden (Galatians 6:5).

I. He has already told us that we are to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).

How does he apply that?

There is a danger in helping those who have fallen. We are to be on guard for ourselves lest we be tempted (Galatians 6:1).

II. A second way Paul applies the fruit of the Spirit is that we are to bear our own burden (Galatians 6:5).

How do you put the bearing of these two burdens together? We are not to take pride in another person’s failure or fall (Galatians 6:1, 3).

We are to consider ourselves lest we also be tempted. What temptation do you think he is talking about?

The temptation is that when we help other people, we are not to compare ourselves to our own advantage with other Christians.

We are to examine ourselves alone and not rejoice in the failure of another.

He has been talking about conceit and envy, Galatians 5:26; now he says that if we look at someone who has fallen, the danger is that we will think ourselves to be something when we are nothing (Galatians 6:3).

The word Paul uses is the word for a soldier’s pack. It is a duty no one can do for us and a task for which we are personally responsible.