“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1-2)

1.“Brethren”, immediately we know that this message is for those in the family of God and no one else. It is intended for the children of God, the brothers and sisters here on earth having to deal with the problems while on this planet. This is the brethren of Jesus that are bound together by love and for love of each other.

Paul began his epistles to the various people with a greeting directed specifically towards the elect, the children of God. Here are a few examples.

“unto the churches of Galatia” (Galatians 1:2)

“To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7)

“to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1)

“to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons” (Philippians 1:1)

“To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse” (Colossians 1:2)

It must be understood that not everything in the Bible is intended for everyone. Those who have chosen to remain outside of the sphere of God, those who choose to remain in this world will remain outside of the universe of our Lord.

Paul gives a good example of those “without” in his first letter to the Corinthians.

“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” (1 Corinthians 5:11-13)

2. “If a man be overtaken in a fault”. This is so important. This describes how a Christian sins. If a brother or sister in the Lord is surprised or literally overtaken by a fault. It is a lapse, a re-lapse into sin or past life; a deviation from the way, the truth and into darkness.

Every Christian will have these moments when it’s as if the brain and heart just stopped working and we allow the devil who is like a roaring lion that looks to devour us all, we allow him to catch up and get us. This is not premeditated or intentional sin. Every Christian can and will trip over some stumbling block(s) in their life.

3. “ye which are spiritual”. This is oh so dangerous. There are many people out there that claim to be, “spiritual”. The real question these folks need to be asked is “what spirit are you talking about?” People who are filled with the Holy Spirit do not go around saying they are spiritual. Only those who are lost and confused are “spiritual”. It is usually those who feel the need and have a void that feels this way. That emptiness of soul and feeling the loss of spirit is what is being interpreted as “spiritual”.

But in this case, “ye which are spiritual” is a reference to the children of God that are Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit filled. The children of God are “filled”, they have no spiritual void. What they feel is the power, direction and motivation of the Holy Spirit which is their guide in the path of life.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

What are these, “spiritual blessings” that come from the Holy Spirit that Paul talks about?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.(Galatians 5:22-23). These “fruits” are just some of the Christian tools and armaments we use in loving our neighbor and battling evil.

4. “Restore such an one in the spirit of meekness”. If a brother or sister sins, if they have a lapse of some kind, we as Spirit filled children of God are to come to their aid. We are to comfort them in love and joy and restore this person to their whole self. We are to do this in the spirit of meekness.

We must be very careful of pride and ego. These are some of man’s greatest enemies that can creep into any situation. Spiritual pride and a Christian ego are horrible sins that every child of God will experience. Pride and ego are some of the best and most favorite tools of the devil. Imagine the joy it brings the devil to have someone think them self better or superior spiritually to other people. Entire religions have been built on pride, ego and a hierarchical church. It is destructive and self serving, the opposite of the basic tenets of Christianity.

Meekness is a disposition, an attitude and a state of being. Unfortunately many have misinterpreted meekness to mean passive and submissive. Oh, no! It’s quite the opposite. Meekness is restrained power. It is humility and a perspective that allows us to understand that we truly are brothers and sisters, equals with no superiority other than God himself.

5. “Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted”. This shows how equal we truly are. Here the Apostle Paul is warning the Galatians to be careful. While you assist someone in their fall make sure that you do not slip as well. Temptation is best described as a fight. We are constantly tempted; we are constantly battling, constantly struggling against sin and the devil. If we do not lean on and trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior implicitly then we will slip and fall.

6. “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ”. The law of Christ, what fulfills all of the laws is one thing and that’s love. “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Galatians 5:14)

When a scribe asked Jesus, “Which is the first commandment of all?”, Jesus responded, “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31).

Love out of a pure heart, helping our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ with their burdens and heaviness of life; being there for them when they stumble and fall. To be of Christ means we are to be Christ like. Humbleness, meekness, love and the desire to help restore someone from their temporary lapse, that’s what this message is about. If we don’t help then a temporary stumble could become a permanent fall.

Bill Hitchcock