Galatians 6

Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

But let each man examine his own work, and then he will have reason to boast in himself, and not in someone else.

For each man will bear his own burden.

But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.

Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don’t give up.

So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.

See with what large letters I write to you with my own hand.

As many as desire to make a good impression in the flesh compel you to be circumcised, just so they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

For even they who receive circumcision don’t keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, so that they may boast in your flesh.

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

As many as walk by this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on God’s Israel.

From now on, let no one cause me any trouble, for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus branded on my body.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter closes Paul’s letter to the Galatians with practical exhortations rooted in the gospel of grace, warning against pride and legalism while calling believers to life in the Spirit. It emphasizes mutual care, personal accountability, and steadfastness in doing good, culminating in Paul’s defiant rejection of boasting in anything but the cross of Christ and his identification with Christ’s sufferings.

Flow.

Paul begins with a call to gentle restoration of those caught in sin, urging humility and mutual burden-bearing as expressions of Christ’s law (vv. 1–5).
He then instructs the Galatians to support their teachers materially and warns that God cannot be mocked: a person reaps what they sow, either corruption from the flesh or eternal life from the Spirit (vv. 6–8).
From this, he urges perseverance in doing good, especially toward fellow believers, as an outworking of the Spirit-led life (vv. 9–10).
Finally, Paul denounces the Judaizers’ self-serving motives, declares his sole boast in the cross, affirms the primacy of new creation, and seals the letter with his personal signature and benediction (vv. 11–18).

Connections.
Following chapter 5, which contrasted life in the Spirit with life under the law and listed the works of the flesh versus the fruit of the Spirit, this chapter applies those spiritual realities to community life, showing how love and accountability fulfill the law of Christ. It prepares the way for the beginning of Ephesians, which expands on living worthily of the calling in Christ, particularly in unity and good works, by grounding ethical living not in external regulations but in the new creation inaugurated by the cross.

What it teaches.
True discipleship is marked not by external conformity but by a Spirit-transformed heart that bears the fruit of humble service and perseverance in good works (WCF 13.2). Believers are to support one another in sanctification while recognizing their personal responsibility before God, for each will give account for his own life (HC LD 32). The cross alone is the ground of boasting, for it is through Christ’s death that the old order of flesh and legalistic pride is crucified, giving way to a new creation where neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters (BC Art. 23; Canons of Dort 5.8). This gospel freedom is guarded by continual reliance on grace, not human effort, as the believer sows to the Spirit and reaps eternal life.

Apply.
Carry someone’s daily struggle as your own, knowing your own need for grace.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.