Theme: A call for mutual and self examination

Passage: - Galatians 6:1-5

1. My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. 2. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. 3. for if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. 4. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbour’s work, will become a cause for pride. 5. For all must carry their own loads.

Introduction

How many times have we accepted correction? Have we even given ear to it? I’m sure, not many of here have paid heed when others try to correct us. For example when sir taught us Hebrew in our first year, he corrected us several times, I still can’t forget the days we used to write the translations on the board. But several times when he corrected us, we were either too lethargic or we have ignored the corrections. For which we still regret, oh God, I just wish I would have worked a little hard in Hebrew. The same goes to other faculty and friends in our community.

Reflection

The passage that I had chosen for my sermon today Galatians 6:1-5 is the final section of Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia. He gives to them advices, as to what it takes to live as a faith community and to walk in the Spirit. Let us first analyse the text and draw meaning from the text and then, reflect and relate it to our day to day life. In my reflection however, I have divided the passage into two parts for our easy understanding, the v1-2 which focuses on mutual correction of one another and the v3-5 which focuses on self examination.

In v1-2, Paul denotes the church as an extended family that is responsible for its members. He in these verses calls the members to bear one another’s burdens. He wants the members of the Galatian church to see themselves not as rivals competing with each other but rather as brothers and sisters, in supporting one and another as they would walk through unsafe times of spiritual struggle. Because they bear responsibility for one another, they cannot casually allow the other members of the family to go astray. They have an obligation to hold one another accountable to live as faithful followers of Jesus.  At the same time, the responsibility for correcting the wrong doings of members must be exercised with great gentleness and humility, so that the community’s discipline will reflect the character of the lord that the community serves.

The words, if anyone is detected in transgression, show that Paul intimidates the faith community that, it is to be taken in the realistic sense that humans are prone to do mistakes, but it is the responsibility of the members of the extended family to correct the errors of the fellow family member. Even though an assurance in 5:16 to live by faith here Paul knows that the believers will fall into misconduct. The church must therefore have guidelines for how to respond to such situations. They must cultivate the habit of mutual correction.

The words you who have received the spirit, refers to the members of the faith community. By referring to spiritual he means, to act for the mending of the community, the recovery of order and peace, it precisely is the opposite of ‘acts of the flesh’, which leads to conflict. Paul does not just stop there by just making it and imperative for the Galatians to follow but also says how the correction has to be done, and it has be done ‘gently’ in accordance with the fruit of the spirit 5:22-23. He goes on to sight that while correcting we are also tempted either to fall into the same wrong or could develop the sense of pride in correction which we see is quite prominent amongst us. This is the temptation that we are to be careful of not falling into.

If the Galatians are to take on the responsibility of correcting the fellow members in this way then, they will in fact be bearing one another’s burdens, as in the sense of bearing one another’s weaknesses; and helping the powerless and not just in pleasing ourselves. For we that, to live in the Spirit is to live in fellowship and in a relationship of interdependence. Of course, burden bearing expects to share the stresses and sorrows etc or even to become a slave to one another 5:13.

Any listener to this verse will ask why I should do this. And Paul is in no mood to leave that question unanswered. By doing this you fulfil the law of Christ. That law is that source of the obligation to carry the weight imposed by the wrongs of our fellow members of the community.

In v3-5 Paul addresses the individuals in the community and warns them against boasting, rather than comparing themselves with each other and boasting to each other, they should conduct a sober self-evaluation and keep their boasting to themselves. V4 is an advice that each person should test his or her own work rather than to that of the work of the neighbour. In the present time, we should keep our self-evaluation to ourselves. That is the meaning of the v4, which could be better paraphrased as ‘each one must test his/her own work, and then will be able to boast to the self and not to the neighbour. If correcting one’s brother or sister is actually a subtle device for self-exaggeration, that is comparing others unfavourably to one’s own high moral character, and then the practice of mutual correction will become an insidious form of spiritual ‘one-upmanship’.

This still leaves the problem of how to understand v5, which appears as a contradiction of v2. After telling the Galatians to carry one another’s burden, how can Paul turn around and write ‘for all must carry other own loads’. There could be various understandings how v2 and v5 fit together in a coherent manner. I find this interpretation as more fitting. We see that v2 is and imperative, calling the community as a whole to exercise mutual responsibility through gentle restoration, and the v5 is a call to individual accountability to evaluate and examine the actions of the self. When the two statements are placed in context, they are complementary than being contradictory. Paul is saying that we are all personally accountable to God, and that we are called to form communities in which we help one another through mutual correction.

Conclusion

Mutual Correction: as we saw in v1-2 we are to correct and allow correction from our friends in our context it is our professors and our classmates who form an extended family, a home away from home. Do we really help in correcting our friends or take revenge on that person, just because you asked me a question in my presentation I shall ask you when you present, is this, the kind of attitude we have or is it an attitude of bearing another’s burden, in helping him or her in positive and healthy criticisms? Yes my dear friends the text read to us today urges us to help our family member to excel in his or her works, and we ought to do it so gently with an attitude of bearing one another’s burdens. Do remember this especially as we travel to our final year next academic year and all of us will face our trial sermons. Let us be excellent critiques not for avenging what has happened to us but with an attitude to help of fellow family member excel in what he/she is doing.

Self Evaluation: as we see in v3-5 it is very necessary that we evaluate ourselves not in comparing ourselves with other and taking pride in it but in evaluating ourselves with utmost humility. In the process of correcting our fellow family members we are not to fall into the trap of committing the same mistake or take pride is saying I am right and he/she is wrong but it is when we evaluate ourselves that we understand that we also commit mistakes and are subject to correction. Today I too stand in front of you knowing that I have made my mistakes and am subject to corrections, in spite of the divine intervention. Well, I will accept your corrections, please do correct me, but do it so gently. For a saying goes this way, “do unto me how you would want me to do unto you”. Amen.