We are our Brother's Keeper

Gal 6:1-6 we are our brother’s keeper

Last week we camped out on 2 different modes of existence, the flesh and the spirit.

We defined flesh as that which is natural, that which is based on human effort or works, ultimately, self centered. We defined Spirit as that which is supernatural, based on the work of God and ultimately as God-centered.

We considered the fact that Paul’s theology laid a foundation for his application. Paul encouraged a theology of the spirit and not the flesh, pointing out that the OC belonged to the category of the flesh and the NC to the Spirit. So in chapter 5 he promotes a lifestyle of the spirit.

We looked at the fruit of both of those ways of life.

Walking according to the flesh produces sin while walking according to the spirit produces moral and virtue.

Focusing on self leads to sin, focusing on God produces moral and virtue.

So, do not walk according to the flesh, but live by the Spirit, walk by the Spirit, keep in step with the Spirit. Live a God centered life, not a self-centered life.

Now, Paul didn’t put the number 6 at the end of that discussion and start a new one. He continued to flesh out what it means to walk by the Spirit, what that looks like along with some cautions. That is there so that when I say let’s open together to Galatians 6 and follow Paul’s discussion.

Walking according to the Spirit is living the God-centered life. Not only is the God-centered life NOT a self-centered life, but it is a life that is others-oriented, a life of self-sacrificial service to others, a life of bearing one another’s burdens. In short, we are our brother’s keeper.

Now if you walk away from this message with nothing else, walk away with this: we are our brother’s keeper. As believers we are to walk according to the Spirit, living the God-centered life. That is an others-oriented life. To love and serve the Body of Christ is to love and serve Christ. So a God-centered life means a life that focuses on loving and serving the Body of Christ, the church, bearing the burdens of our brothers, being our brother’s keeper.

Keep that in mind as we read through the text.

Gal 6:1-6 ¹ Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who (are spiritual) live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. ² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³ If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. ⁴ Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, ⁵ for each one should carry their own load.

Let’s walk through this keeping in mind Paul’s context of walking by the Spirit, not by the flesh, living the God-centered life, not the self-centered life.

¹ Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who (are spiritual) live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.

Note first the implication by Paul’s exhortation. Paul implies that it is possible for a believer to get caught in sin. It is possible for believers to fall into temptation. I wish we couldn’t. I wish that we could just walk down the aisle, say a prayer asking Jesus into our heart and then poof, sin goes away and we aren’t susceptible to it anymore. I wish that were the reality, but it’s not. Believers struggle with sin. That’s a reality. It is still possible for us to walk in the flesh. The difference is that it’s not ultimately enjoyable to us. We find conviction. Whereas before we were saved we just walked in sin unashamed without skipping a beat. Why point this out? AM I SAVED??? So we should find a little encouragement from this exhortation simply in the fact that Paul acknowledges this struggle.

He says if someone is caught in a sin you who are SPIRITUAL should restore him gently. Let’s start with what this does NOT mean. This does not mean only those who belong to the elite class of Christians can participate in this act of restoration. Only the spiritual Christians, only the super-Christians. Who belongs to this elite class of super-spiritual Christians and how would you even determine that? Do we have some kind of spiritual thermometer or PH scale? So Paul does NOT mean super-Christians or some elite class of believers. So what does he mean?

He simply means Christians. Believers. Believers are those who are spiritual. All along the comparison has been between the flesh and the spirit, the natural and the spiritual. The natural man is man apart from God, man in Adam. The Spiritual man is man in the presence of God, joined with God, man indwelt by the holy Spirit. The Christian is the Spiritual man.

(See also: Phil 3 & John 4)

If someone is caught in a sin, you who are walking according to the spirit, should RESTORE him. Note that word restore. Restore him. Believers should be resolved to restore. Probably not the first time you’ve heard that. It’s true. Believers should be resolved to restore. What exactly does that mean? The word translated as restore is actually a medical term for setting a fractured bone. So we are talking about something that was working properly, something that was right, but is now broken and out of place. It’s fractured and needs mending. We are talking about restoring believers here. This doesn’t pertain to non believers. They don’t care if they’re caught in sin. Sin is their native tongue and they speak it naturally. Believers do care if they are caught in sin. In other words, you don’t want to walk away from this and say yeah…Paul said if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him. I’m spiritual since I’m a Christian and I know a bunch of non-believers caught in sin where I work, so I’ll go to them and point out that their lifestyle is sinful. I believe the someone caught in sin that Paul has in mind is a believer.

The last thing I want to point out in this verse is the most important. The HOW. Look how Paul says to do this. He says if you catch someone in sin, you go to them and hit them upside the head with the Bible. You bring the hammer down on them and show them just how big of a failure they are. You point out their shortcomings. Bring a list. Make sure that you use a harsh tone because you want them to take you seriously. Bring the condemnation.

NO. He says if someone is caught in a sin, restore him GENTLY. A believer who genuinely loves the Lord is probably in a fragile state already feeling guilty and condemned by his own conscience. Restore him gently. Consider again what this word restore literally means. It is a medical term that refers to setting a fractured bone. If you had a fractured bone, would you want to go to the big mean rough harsh doctor that has no concern about your feelings? Absolutely not. You want to go to the gentle doctor who cares about how you feel, one who actually knows what its like to have a fractured bone so that they can deal with you gently.

If a brother is caught in sin, restore gently. WHY? Because we are our brother’s keeper.

But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 

Watch yourselves. Watch your heart and watch your life. Watch your heart. Come to the table with a humble heart. You are just as fallible, no better. Don’t come to restore your brother with a self-righteous, holier than thou mentality. You are just as susceptible to sin as they are. Come alongside them as an equal, not with a sense of spiritual superiority.

² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 

Carry each other’s burdens. If your brother is burdened – context sin – bear burden because we are our brother’s keeper.

Carry each other’s burdens. Paul is writing in response to Judaizers, who were teaching the law. Look what Jesus said about teachers of the Law and carrying burdens.

Matt 23:1-12  ¹ Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ² “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Paul says carry each other’s burdens, unlike the teachers of the law that want to pile burdens upon them.

   ⁵ “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶ they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷ they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

   ⁸ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Paul is exhorting the Galatians to operate in a way that is contrary to the teachers of the Law. You, Galatians have these teachers of the Law coming through, trying to burden you with the Law. Look what Jesus said about them. Don’t be like them. They walked according to the flesh, were self-centered, wanted to be esteemed by others, thought highly of themselves and exalted themselves. They put burdens on men’s shoulders and wouldn’t lift a finger to help them. Instead, you should bear the burdens of others, be like Christ, fulfilling the Law of Christ by bearing one another’s burdens, being your brother’s keeper. Look after your brother.

By carrying each other’s burdens we will fulfill The Law of Christ. What is the law of Christ? Well the bible never says the Law of Christ is…So we have to do the best we can to put all of the pieces together, compare Scripture with Scripture in order to determine what that probably means.

I believe the Law of Christ is the Law of love redefined in Christ’s character and conduct.

In the kingdom, Christ is the royal King. James speaks of the royal law. James 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, love your neighbor as yourself you are doing right. This was found in the OT – Deut 19:18. So it wasn’t a new command, but an old one. But Christ issued it as a new command, a royal decree; he redefined it in light of his own life and conduct. Jesus said in John 13:34-35 A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. The command to love one another wasn’t new to them. What made this new was its redefinition in the character and conduct of Christ. As I have loved you so you must love one another. All of this he said after washing their feet, doing the unthinkable, selflessly serving them. Though he deserved to be served, he stooped low to serve them.

I believe the Law of Christ, is the law of love defined in Christ: seeking the ultimate good of another. Self – sacrificial service for the sake of others. Living a life that is others – oriented. Christ exemplified this throughout His life, but ultimately in the cross, laying down his life.

Bear one another’s burdens and you will fulfill the Law of Christ. It was Christ who bore the sin burden of Israel. The punishment for our iniquity was upon Him. Talk about a burden bearer. Talk about a keeper of his brethren. Christ was truly his brothers’ keeper. Like Christ, we are our brothers’ keeper.

Throughout this letter to the Galatians Paul has been very opposed to the Law. We even mentioned how some see Paul as an antinomian (someone who is against law or without law). Now, ironically he speaks of fulfilling the law of Christ. He mentions this elsewhere. In 1 Cor 9:19-21 ¹⁹ Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.

So Paul makes it clear that he’s not free from all idea of law altogether. He’s not under the Law of Moses, but under the Law of Christ. That, I believe is best understood as the Law of Love, defined in Christ, loving our neighbor as ourself. Self sacrificial service for the sake of others.

Living in the Spirit is a life focused on God, not self. A life focused on God is a life focused on the well being of others because to do for our Christian brothers is to do for Christ. To love Christians is to love Christ. The church is the Body of Christ, the outward manifestation of Christ’s body on earth.

Fulfill the Law of Christ by being

• others-oriented
• serving one another in love
• self-sacrificially
• bearing one another’s burdens
• We are our brother’s keeper.

³ If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 

Don’t be deceived into thinking that you are anything. You are nothing apart from Christ. It on His merit that you stand. Have a God-centered mentality that says I only stand justified before God because of what Jesus did, not because of what I do.

I’m coming alongside my brother to help bear his burden, not because I’ve mastered the flesh, but because I love my brother and want what’s best for him. So as I do this, as I come alongside him, I will be my brother’s keeper in gentleness and humility, meekness.

I won’t bring condemnation. I won’t do it in pride or arrogance, thinking that I am anything.

In fact I will think of myself with sober judgment aware of my fallen-ness. I won’t have the mentality of those of the flesh, like the teachers of the Law we just discussed, exalting myself. I won’t do it in pride or arrogance with the mentality of:

• I told you so.
• I was waiting for this to happen.
• If only they were wise like me.

⁴ Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, ⁵ for each one should carry their own load. 

The word translated as load is a different word than Paul used for burden. In verse 2 Paul said carry one another’s burdens – referring to a weight that is difficult for one to bear alone. Here, he uses a different word, one that refers to a traveler’s backpack, something that he can and should carry.

In other words, be responsible for what you’re responsible for: you. Don’t get busy looking for sin in other people’s lives and neglect to examine your own life. Don’t be critical, assessing the spiritual level of people and comparing that to yourself. Don’t compare yourselves against one another. That happens in legalism when one is walking in the flesh. We share in the liberty of the NC and walk in the Spirit. We are others-oriented. We are our brothers’ keepers.

This exhortation reminds me of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mt. Matt 7:3-5  ³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

So this, in my opinion is a good buffer for those who might see Paul’s exhortation as an opportunity for the flesh. Oh yeah? bear one another’s burdens…get them on track. Cause I’m on track…you can call me Sarge…of the sin police. Paul nips that notion in the bud… don’t start getting all critical of others and comparing your selves. If you want to get critical…look at self. If you want to play the examination game, play it with yourself: Are you walking in the spirit? Are you loving toward your brothers? Check yourself. This isn’t about putting others in check.

This is a good buffer from Paul. Love your brothers, look after them, be your brother’s keeper, but in love and gentleness, not in criticism and assessment and comparison.

Don’t be on the prowl to catch someone in sin, but be prepared to help mend those who have been trapped in sin.

There is a difference in looking out for your brother’s well being and trying to play the sin police. One has to do with loving him and seeking to mend his wounds…the other has to do with loving yourself, pointing out flaws in others and digging a knife into his wounds by bringing condemnation.

Galatians, if you find yourselves wounded, the Judaizers have a knife ready to drive it into the wound. As he will say later, they want to circumcise you but they don’t even follow the whole law. They want to take off their backpack and put it on you. Don’t let them.

Today, in 2011, while we don’t have Judaizers trying to circumcise us, we do have legalists in the church trying to load us down with their backpacks.

But each one should carry his own load, his own backpack, not go around scrutinizing others, assessing and comparing and criticizing, but lovingly seeking to serve, bearing one another’s burdens, ready to help mend those wounds, gently. We should have the attitude of I am my brother’s keeper.

A good example of a bad attitude can be found in Cain.

Gen 4:1-16  ¹ Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” ² Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. (here we have another story about 2 sons. In my opinion, it falls in line with the other stories we see in Scripture – one son of the flesh and another son of the spirit)

   Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. ³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. ⁴ And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵ but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Do you want to know why God looked with favor on Abel’s offering and not Cain’s? Me too! There isn’t enough information in the text for us to know exactly why and we can speculate all day, but what I want you to notice is Cain’s response. He was very angry. Look how this manifests.

 ⁶ Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

 ⁸ Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. We see clearly that Cain was acting in envy, jealousy, discord, selfish ambition, hatred, and in a fit of rage, murdered Abel. That sounds an awful lot like half of t-he list of Gal 5:19-21 the acts of the flesh. So, it seems that Abel was walking according to the Spirit, focused on God and Cain was walking in the flesh focused on self and sure enough the fruit of the flesh manifest.

 ⁹ Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

   “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

That is the mentality of those who walk according to the flesh. They don’t care about their brother. They are not their brother’s keeper. They could care less about their brother; they would just as soon murder him in cold blood. But we, who walk according to the Spirit are our brother’s keeper.

 ¹⁰ The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. ¹¹ Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

 ¹³ Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴ Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

 ¹⁵ But the LORD said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. ¹⁶ So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

We find that John elaborates on this story in his epistle.

1 John 3:11-23

 ¹¹ For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹² Do not be like Cain, (he wasn’t his brother’s keeper. You are) who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. ¹³ Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

 ¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

 ¹⁹ This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: ²⁰ If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God ²² and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

Sounds an awful lot like Galatians. Love one another. Bear one another’s burdens. Don’t be like Cain who walked according to the flesh and murdered Abel and was not his brother’s keeper. Walk by the Spirit. Love your brother, fulfilling the Law of Christ, bearing his burden, be your brother’s keeper.

Some practical ways that we can be our brother’s keeper include:

• Prayer
• Availability
• Accountability
• Encouragement

Prayer is a mighty act. In fact, it is THE ACT for those who walk by the Spirit. Those who walk according to the flesh walk according to natural means, what man can accomplish in his own strength. But those who walk according to the Spirit walk according to supernatural means, calling upon God to act mightily on his behalf doing things that we cannot do in our own strength. We can counsel people and guide them and reason with them, but if someone is caught in a sin, they are finding that sin more appealing than walking in righteousness. They need a change of heart and only God can do that. So in being our brother’s keeper, prayer is the mighty act whereby we call on our God to change that brother’s heart and do within him what only God can do. It is often times our last resort, but should be our first priority. When our brother is caught in a sin, step one, pray for him; pray with him.

AVAILABILITY. BE THERE. Like a good neighbor. Like Statefarm. Brenda water palm trees. Very sweet. Root rot. Happened. Pushed it over twisted it around. Dr seuss. Jesse, Cody and Daniel helped. They were there. Did they say anything about how I overwatered it and didn’t cover it during winter? Nope. They just helped. They were there, helping me bear my burden. Brenda…did she come and say I told you so? Nope. She just said if you’d like to use my chainsaw, you are welcome to. Context in Galatians is sin, but that state farm attitude is what we should have as we bear one another’s burdens, as we come alongside our brothers. We need just be there. Be available. The best thing Job’s friends ever did was be there. The problem was when they opened their mouths and began that comparison game, that assessment, that criticism. Job didn’t need that. But them being there, just being there – that was good. Let’s be there, like a good neighbor.

Accountability is a powerful tool in the hands of those who walk by the spirit. But this begins with a willingness on behalf of both parties. It requires a person to be in the mindset of: I am caught in a sin and I want out of this trap. Help me out. Hold me accountable. Ask me how I am doing in this area. It takes vulnerability and it only works when we are honest with one another. It takes an accountability partner that is willing to serve self-sacrificially and to say, I am here for you. I will take time out of my day to call or text you or meet with you. I will love you enough to ask you those questions, to come alongside you and bear your burden, to be your keeper, my brother.

Finally, encouragement. Again, someone caught in a sin is no doubt feeling the weight of that sin, the shame, the burden. The last thing they need is a brother coming along and taking off their backpack and loading them down or even kicking them while they are down.

I have an amazing accountability partner. (I have several – all the dudes, but there is one in particular that is very intentional with me and VERY encouraging)

Let me read you some of his texts:

“You are known by God. Think on that today and let it penetrate all your interactions give love and grace undeserving especially to your lady.”

“Hey brother, what are you putting first today? Think about who you are in Christ, what he has done for you and live it out, die to self”

Another time I confessed to him one morning recently: “Tired today. Struggling to focus at work (confession)…need accountability to work hard.”

His response: “Praying brother his first response-so encouraging to know that my brother is praying for me…when I struggle with that (and it’s often) vulnerable, I think of what the lord has given me in hands and mind with the ability to earn income. That my job is from Him and I must steward it well while projecting his image in mmy workmanship and ethics. So no employer can say due to me “those Christians are lazy, I’ll never hire one again. “in Christ I’m a beloved child and my daddy is proud of me. Now I will act like it humbly with due diligence.

Now, hopefully you heard the encouraging tone in that. Text doesn’t carry tone, so it’s usually interpreted through the lens of what we know of the sender’s normal demeanor and this man has an encouraging demeanor, never one of condemnation, so I receive his texts with great encouragement.

So as we bear one another’s burdens as our brother’s keeper we can do so through prayer, availability, accountability and encouragement.

Finally, consider this. Think about how you would want someone to treat you if you find yourself walking in the flesh, if you get caught up in sin. You wouldn’t want them to say oh, they’re not under the Law, they can live how they want. You want them to help you out. HOW? You would want them to help bear the burden, but as they do so not pile condemnation on top of that burden, crushing your spine under that burden. You would want them to restore you GENTLY, in love, in humility.

Let’s do to others what we would have them do to us. If someone is caught in a sin, let’s restore them gently, bearing their burdens, fulfilling the law of Christ, loving him as ourself.

We are our brother’s keeper.