All of grace and unto grace. Galatians 6
Galatians 6 (7)
Pray Psalm 122.1-4.
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the LORD.”
Our feet have been standing
Within your gates, O Jerusalem!
Jerusalem is built
As a city that is compact together,
Where the tribes go up,
The tribes of the LORD,
To the Testimony of Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the LORD.
Sing Psalm 122.1-4.
(Nettleton: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing)
I was glad when they said to me, “To the LORD’s house let us go!”
Holy City, let our feet be firmly planted in your soil.
Jesus builds His Church forever, where His people sing His praise!
As Your Word decrees forever, we will thank You all our days.
Read Galatians 6.1-18; meditate on verses 2, 10, 16, 18.
Preparation
1. What is the dominant theme of this chapter?
2. How can we know mercy and peace from God?
Meditation
Psalm 122 is a song of ascents. People sang these as they made their way up to Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord. There they would be one people, not twelve tribes. There they would worship and praise the Lord together, hear His Word eagerly, and submit to His rule of love. It is a fitting psalm to sing as we wrap up our study of Galatians.
Galatians has been all about grace from the get-go: “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 1.3). The Judaizers—the “circumcision party”—were robbing the Galatians of their peace by insisting that salvation was by works, not grace. Grace had a role, of course, but it was really what we did that sewed up the gift of salvation.
Paul fiercely opposed them in this letter, showing that their teaching was the way of the flesh, a mere religious coating for a life of flesh-indulgence of various sorts—none of which led to anything but self-love.
But the rule of Jesus is the rule of love, of the Word and Spirit of God working powerfully in us to bring forth holy spiritual fruit and nurture us in love for God and neighbor. Jesus makes the grace of God effectual unto our salvation, and He is thus the One to whom we look and aspire to know more of the life-transforming power of divine grace.
We will be truly glad to be among the people of God when grace is our common experience and goal. For where the rule of love obtains, all flourish and bear fruit as one Body, worshiping God, rejoicing to be together in Him, and standing strong together against every false gospel and wrong-believing worldview. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“You will show me the path of life;
in Your Presence is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand are pleasures forever more” (Ps. 16.11).
“These things I have spoken to you,
that My joy may remain in you,
and that your joy may be full” (Jn. 15.11).
“Those who sow in tears
shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
bearing seed for sowing,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him” (Ps. 126.5, 6).
“And let us not grow weary while doing good,
for in due season we shall reap
if we do not lose heart.
Therefore, as we have opportunity,
let us do good to all,
especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6.9, 10).
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen” (Gal. 6.18).
Reflection
1. The Gospel is of grace, by grace, and unto grace. Explain.
2. How should you examine yourself before the Lord? What would you be looking for in such an examination?
3. We cannot fulfill the rule of love by ourselves. How should knowing this affect our prayer life?
By this final word he has sealed the argument of the letter. For he does not say simply “with you,” as in the other letters, but “with your spirit.” He is leading them away from corrupted things and pointing everywhere to the benevolent work of God and reminding them of the grace that they have enjoyed. By this he is able to lead them away from the legalistic error in its entirety. For the receiving of the Spirit was not for the poverty of legalism but for righteousness according to the Spirit. John Chrysostom (344-407), Homily on Galatians 6.18
Pray Psalm 122.5-9.
Thank the Father for King Jesus, ruling in love from His throne; for His Testimony and Word, guiding us in the way of love; and for the Holy Spirit, Who brings forth the fruit of love in us. Call on Him for grace to love according to His rule.
Sing Psalm 122.5-9.
(Nettleton: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing)
On the throne of David, Jesus sits to judge the nations all.
As our holy peace increases we are safe who on You call.
Grant us peace, LORD, by Your favor; for Your people’s sake we pray.
For the Church’s sake, O Savior, we will seek Your good today.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
