The Normal Christian, According to Apostle Paul Galatians 6:6-10

When a version of the gospel supposedly written by Judas was discovered in the 1970’s, experts who studied the manuscripts identified errors and forgeries that revealed its true Gnostic authorship. Subject matter experts are invaluable to teaching us what is true and false. When it comes to Christian life, apart from Jesus Christ there may be no one better than Apostle Paul to teach on Christian living. What does a normal Christian look like according to Apostle Paul? As we examine this portion of the book of Galatians, we can gain insight on how average Christians ought to live.

They live with responsibilities. Christians are accountable to particular duties. After his conversion, Apostle Paul’s life was marked by relentless striving to do the work God appointed him to do. (Phil 3:12-14) His zeal for good works never once challenged the basis of salvation by grace through faith alone, but it was driven by the truth that every Christian will one day stand before God to give an account for his life. This judgment- known as the Bema, or Judgment Seat of Christ- is when Jesus will evaluate and reward each believer for his faithful service done on earth. (Matt 25:19-20, 26) What then is our responsibility as a Christian? According to verse 6, our responsibility is to share. Many interpret Apostle Paul’s command to refer to sharing finances, but based on the context of the book of Galatians, a closer interpretation may be in reference to communication. The main intent of Paul’s letter was to clarify doctrine to the Galatians who were deceived and reverting back to seeking to be justified by keeping the Judaic law. (Gal 1:6) He urged those who knew the gospel to restore those who were deceived. Every Christian’s ministry is at different times full of joy, sorrow, burdens, confusion, or encouragement. In this context, whatever it may be, we are to share and communicate these things with those who teach and shepherd us- namely, our pastor and leaders. This begins by first learning the gospel from the Word. When God’s Word is received faithfully, there is conviction and power from the Holy Spirit, Who renews the spirit of your mind and gives new life created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (Eph 4:21-24) It is from here that the Christian can be engaged in ministry, while sharing and building up the church.

They are principled. Christians live under the principle of sowing and reaping in verse 7. Apostle Paul warns the Galatians to not be deceived- God cannot be mocked. He is omniscient, able to see even into the hearts of man. (Jer 17:9-10) In spite of God’s perfect knowledge, we often ridicule God by our lack of faith. We surrender to circumstances, seeking to find blame when we undergo trials and suffering. We forget that God is faithful to help us endure and overcome all temptations, and we overlook His sovereignty in all things. (1Cor 10:1; Phil 4:13) We follow our emotions over truth, forgetting that we can never be separated from God’s love. Mankind ridicules God when they deny Jesus Christ, despite God’s clear testimony concerning His Son. (Jn 1:10-11)

How can believers avoid ridiculing God? Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. We honor God by living by faith, for everything apart from faith is sin. (1Cor 10:31; Rom 14:23) Under the principle of reaping what we sow, believers who sow to the flesh- the flesh being the utterly corrupt indwelling sin that will never lay to rest until the day we die- will truly be miserable Christians as they neglect prayer, God’s Word, and evangelism, resisting God’s sovereignty and sanctification. On the contrary, believer who sow to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap the fruit of the Spirit, as they depend on and surrender to God’s Word, practicing the lordship of Jesus Christ in every area of their lives. (Jn 15:5-7)

If you are still feeling abandoned, alone, and distant from God in your earnest pursuit to practice the lordship of Jesus in your life, it may seem as though you have not yet reaped much from your labors. In verse 9, Apostle Paul gives us his word of encouragement to not grow weary. The due time to reap is known by God alone. We can avoid growing weary as we love God first and foremost. We must pray without ceasing, nurture ourselves on God’s Word, remember that we are simply involved in and used for God’s work- it is God alone who causes the growth. We must trust in God. Even when our faith fails, we are sustained because God is steadfastly working behind us. God will never forget His promise, so let us sow diligently in faith.

They live in the act of love and care. Christians are the salt and light of the world. We are necessary and useful to the world because we love God and man. Our highest expression of love for unbelievers is evangelism, for even if man gains the world, what is he without Christ? Our priority is the church- we love and care for one another by helping and filling each other’s needs, even if it is to our own loss. Our love for one another is sacrificial, clothed with humility and discretion.

Normal Christians according to Apostle Paul live in this way. They have ministries of which they share about with their shepherds, they live under the principle of reaping what they sow, and they live a life of love and care. As we examine ourselves and repent of ways we have fallen short of loving and obeying Christ, let us be encouraged by His Word and not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.