Galatians 6:18

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:18

http://www.dailybiblestudy.org

18 Brethren [adelphos], the grace [charis] of our [hemon] Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos] be with [meta] your [humon] spirit [pneuma]. Amen [amen].  KJV-Interlinear

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.  NASB

This daily study have been around a very long time, and online for about fifteen years now.  The recent explosion of interest through facebook alone is phenomenal.  It is all designed to help you have a convenient method for advancing your life to the greatest heights possible and more.  And with the internet, having a daily study and an opportunity to advance yourself, is probably the easiest it has ever been in all of human history.

But, you are the one who has to dedicate yourself to your own advancement and growth.  You have no excuse if you fail.  All the tools are right here.  And you have to read the studies in full.  You just have to want them, more than you want your excuses.  Selecting an internet link to complete the daily study is no effort at all.  Why would anyone refuse to do that.  Blessings are waiting.  Are you going to let them pass by?

And finally the greatest hope of all, in all of existence.  A hope that is not of wishes or luck, which is all that people have, who do not pursue their daily bible instruction, but a hope that consists of confidence supported by the substance of doctrine in the soul, derived by the dedication to a daily bible study, which this daily study provides (if you read it daily).

The grace of God, who is Jesus Christ, is Gods work in action in your behalf.

Grace is Gods favor, and there is no one else's favor that is better than Gods, who is able to do and accomplish anything and everything beyond imagination.  Who can do this better for you?

But God does not favor unbelievers who reject truth. 

God does not favor disobedient believers who are indifferent toward, or play games with, truth.

God does not favor believers who pretend or otherwise ignore His requirements of the spiritual life.

Gods favor is applied to your spirit, which herein refers to the very essence, the very core, the very substance of your existence and your life.

The subject of Galatians is works verses faith.

Works is everything that you do that is in opposition to that which God wants.  And God wants you to study the scriptures daily.  Not just read, but learn through instruction.  No one can be self-made.  No one can simply open up the bible and read and understand it all.  The spiritual life and growth was not designed for that.

So, refusing to study daily, refusing to submit yourself under the authority of an instructor, refusing to follow the mandates that God has placed on each one of us, is in effect saying that you have a better way, and that is works.  God rejects works, because works is arrogance, the arrogance of one trying to out-do God.

Works prevents you from the phenomenal blessings that God has waiting for you.  If your life is difficult, then perhaps it is you who are preventing something better.

A wrong thing (works) done in a wrong way (human effort) is wrong.

A wrong thing (works) done in a right way (human sincerity) is wrong.

A right thing (human sincerity) done in a wrong way (works) is wrong.

A right thing (obedience to Gods mandates) must be done in a right way (the spiritual process) in order to be right (faith).

The word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword.  Piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and the joints and the marrow, and is a critic of thoughts intent of the heart.  All scripture is God breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof , for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be mature, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Study to show thyself mature, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Delight thyself unto the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass.  For He will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee. Trust in the Lord, for in the Lord is everlasting strength.  Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain you, He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.  Stop worrying about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God which passes all understanding will garrison your hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus.

And now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you without blemish before the presence of His glory, with exceeding joy. To the only wise God, even Jesus Christ or Lord, to whom be glory, and majesty, dominion and power, forever.  Amen.  Believe it!

Galatians 6:17

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:17

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17 From henceforth [loipou] let [parecho] no man [medeis] trouble [parecho] me [kopos] [moi]: for [gar] I [ego] bear [bastazo] in [en] my [mou] body [soma] the marks [stigma] of the Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous].  KJV-Interlinear

17 From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.   NASB

There are a couple of words that are important to understand in this verse, in order to properly understand the entire verse and what Paul is saying. 

Henceforth, ‘loipou,’ means never again.  It does not mean and therefore, as in a conclusion.  It does not mean and finally, as in making a closing argument.  It means never again, as in something can never again occur.

Second, Paul states that ‘in’ his body, not on his body, are the marks of Jesus, ‘Iesous,’ meaning God is salvation, and using the word, Lord, ‘kurios,’ meaning the supreme authority.

Therefore, Jesus is God.  Jesus is the supreme authority.  Jesus is the source and means of salvation.

And, from the previous verses, we know that in Christ, who is Jesus, by the way, we are made a new spiritual species in accordance with the plan and process designed and defined and provided by God.

And on that, no man, no person, no angel, no created being can bring trouble, ‘parecho,’ cannot present it, can’t bring it, can’t offer it, can’t bring it near, can’t keep it, cannot affect or impact the life of a new spiritual being, in whom are the marks and works of Christ.

Marks are not holes in the body, not whip marks across the back, not cuts on the head, lest any fool would try to imitate self-mutilation, which would be nothing more than a poor imitation of mans works.

To imitate Christ, is to create in the soul, the spiritual life that God has designed.

Marks on the body are as worthless as a physical body is worthless when it is left behind after death has claimed the person.

The Judaizers who had been promoting false teachings with regard to works, and because of whom this letter to the Galatians was written, had claimed a marriage with Christ, but by false means.

Salvation in effect marries the believer with God through Christ.  And as we have already studied, the body or the essence of the spouses belongs to each other.  One cannot claim marriage and then withhold themselves from their spouse, demanding that their spouse abide by the marital vows, while they do not.  That is a double standard.

In the spiritual life, the believer belongs to Christ, but cannot claim Christ while refusing to abide by the mandates of the scriptures.  God honors his word in you.  If it is not in you legitimately, then there is nothing to honor.  No honor, no blessings to speak of.

The Judaizers claimed that works were required, while the truth is, that works are not a part of this divine relationship.

And once a person has believed in Christ, in the correct manner, which is by believing in Christ, then no one can remove that.  No one can make you do something more, and have any impact on your spiritual life.

The marks of Christ ‘in’ you, are accomplished by doctrine in the soul and the proper application of that doctrine to your life.  Salvation is the beginning of that entire and lifelong process.

This is eternal security.  You cannot ever lose your salvation.

You can only make your spiritual experience better by complying with Gods mandate for pursuing your spiritual life in the manner that He has designed.  Pursuing works or ignoring Gods mandates is nothing more than an insult, by claiming something that is not a part of the relationship, and rejecting something that should be a part of the relationship.

Galatians 6:16

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:16

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16 And [kai] as many as [hosos] walk [stoicheo] according to [kanon] this [touto] rule [kanon], peace [eirene] be on [epi] them [autos], and [kai] mercy [eleos], and [kai] upon [epi] the Israel [Israel] of God [theos].   KJV-Interlinear

16 And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.   NASB

Faith without works, or works without faith, are empty. If you are not complying with this mandate, then you really need to read this study.  Both complete ones spiritual life.  Neither can be without the other.  There are two processes that make up the spiritual life.  The first is the learning process or the construction of spiritual faith, and the second is the doing process or spiritual work, which is spiritual production. 

And this is the rule from the previous verse, to which Paul is referring.

Human works and spiritual works are different things.

Human work applies to anything that a person does while out of fellowship.

Unbelievers are obviously always out of fellowship since they do not have a spiritual life.

Believers generally get out of and into fellowship, by means of sin and confession.  Most believers live most of their lives out of fellowship, unfortunately.

Human works is addressed by the Mosaic Law, to which works or the energy of the flesh is noted.  Human works gain you nothing in the spiritual life, because it is man by mans efforts seeking the approval of God.  And God never recognizes human effort.

Spiritual works, are all things done while in fellowship, because it is God working through doctrine, in you.  Spiritual works are the production of the spiritual life, typically referred to as gold, silver, and precious stones.  These are things of intrinsic value that remain with you forever. And, become the basis for your passing evaluation when you stand before Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ, which by the way, is a good place to be, especially if you have extensive spiritual production.

In contrast, the production of the flesh or human works is referred to as wood, hay, and stubble, which is burned away by a special cleansing fire when you get to heaven.  It is like washing away the filth of this world from your soul.  Nobody wants to go to heaven, dirty.

Anyway, the new spiritual species, from the prior verse, is the rule that encompasses the entire spiritual life process.

You must learn and grow up by means of a daily study, supplemented by your thinking about what you have learned and how it applies to you. You supplement by memorizing bible verses, in order to help you keep your mind focused on doctrine and your spiritual life. For the same reason you pray daily.  And it is these things that help stabilize your spiritual growth process.

Also, there is the spiritual production, which is the doing, which is the obedience to God with respect to your responsibilities and obligations to self, to family, to others and so forth in this world.  This includes integrity, honesty, giving, charity, tolerance, empathy, compassion and so forth.

To be a new spiritual species, means you need to function as the new creature that you are, in Christ.  It is not a cafeteria, wherein you can pick and choose what you will or will not do, but an all-inclusive process aimed at completing the essence of your entire life.

The result?

Peace, ‘eirene,’ referring to the rest or peace of the soul, or the soul at rest, relaxed, prosperity, quietness, poise, and so forth.  This is spiritual maturity.

And mercy, ‘eleos,’ which is Gods grace in action, or the blessings from God to the believer who is advancing in their spiritual life.

Note, that these two attributes, peace and mercy, belong to the spiritually growing believer, not to the dysfunctional or stalled spiritual life of the believer who is not complying with what God expects.

Galatians 6:15

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:15

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15 For [gar] in [en] Christ [Christos] Jesus [Iesous] neither [oute] circumcision [peritome] availeth [ischuo] any thing [tis], nor [oute] uncircumcision [akrobustia], but [alla] a new [kainos] creature [ktisis].  KJV-Interlinear

15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.  NASB

In all of history, there have or will be five creations.  They are the angels, the universe, man, believers, and eventually the new universe to come.

The real difference between the believer in Christ and the unbeliever, is that the believer is created as a new creature, or born again, or a new spiritual species, while the unbeliever remains as the flesh he was created from, body and soul.

In order to live in Heaven and in eternity with God, each person needs something more.  And that something more is the human spirit, which is created instantly when the individual initially believes in Christ.  That is why we say, born again.

There is nothing that you can do to gain this new status.  Neither circumcision, nor uncircumcision, nor ritual, nor belief system, nor rites, nor customs, nor culture, nor elevated rank due to wealth, beauty, talent or whatever, nor by race, color, or even complexion.  There is nothing you can do or wish in order to qualify you for life with God, except by believing in Christ.

Faith is the only means of salvation, the only means of your rebirth, the only means of your becoming a new creation.  And that, you being a new creation, is what is required in order to set you apart from everyone else.

Whatever it is that you do in life, whomever you are in life, has nothing to do with you being saved and never will have anything to do with your salvation.

You cannot save yourself.  You cannot ever get credit for saving yourself.  You cannot look to anyone or anything in this world to accomplish salvation for yourself.

Faith and faith alone is the only means of being saved.  And that faith is expressed only one way, which is to believe in Christ.  You have only to think, ‘Father, I believe in Jesus Christ.’  And that is all there is to being saved.  You only have to believe one time in your life and you are saved. 

Being born again is a onetime event.  Becoming a new creation is a onetime event.  And once you have been newly created, newly born, then nothing and no one can undo those events.  You cannot unborn or uncreate yourself.  Therefore, once saved, always saved.  It is permanent and you can never lose it, cancel it, or even throw it away.

Galatians 6:14

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:14

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14 But [de] God forbid [me] [ginomai] that I [emoi] should glory [kauchaomai], save [ei me] in [en] the cross [stauros] of our [hemon] Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos], by [dia] whom [hos] the world [kosmos] is crucified [stauroo] unto me [emoi], and I [kago] unto the world [kosmos].  KJV-Interlinear

14 But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  NASB

The simple truth in life is that you do not have anything to boast about, nor do you have anything to elevate or promote yourself in, because there is nothing that you are or have accomplished that was not first placed in your path and life, by God.

Jesus Christ controls history, not you, not anyone.

There are only two mechanisms through which your life can function, the spiritual mechanism or the flesh mechanism.

The spiritual process requires you to forego your fleshy side, by confession of your sins to God the Father, and thus positioning yourself inside the fellowship or spiritual environment, then reading or attending a daily bible study, and then learning that content, and then using it in your life.  That is the simple mechanics of the spiritual life.

The fleshy side is simply you pursuing your own life through your own effort or by some predefined ritual, or by indifference, or by rejection of Gods method.  In other words, by any means that is not Gods process.

The spiritual process is more than just learning the words.  Anyone can read and understand the words.  Any unbeliever, even Satan can do that, and it does them no good whatsoever.

The real value in the spiritual process, is the process.  The content just helps you to keep your focus, while at the same time, God builds a spiritual structure within your soul.  Note, you do nothing, really, except doing your daily study.  And God does all of the work.

So, in life some have phenomenal intelligence, phenomenal abilities, phenomenal talents, phenomenal capabilities, phenomenal capacities, and on and on, while most of us have little if any of these things.

Are you better because you have great skin tone, or great talent?  No.

Life now may be easier on you, if you have these kinds of advantages, but real life is not in the attributes of this world.

So, boasting of you works, boasting of your accomplishments, boasting of your deeds, boasting of whatever it is that you are proud of, are misplaced boasts, because you did not plan your own birth, you did not design your own genetics, you did not time your life in history at this point in history. 

In reality, you did nothing that God did not prearrange first, for you.

There is only one person to whom you owe everything, and that person is Jesus Christ, who executes every detail of Gods divine plan for history, during history, which includes you.

So, given that God has done more for you than you could ever do for yourself, you owe God a hearing and you have a responsibility to God to grow up and learn what He intends for you to learn and what He intends for you to accomplish, through His work.  Which, by the way is far more than you could do in a thousand lifetimes.

Galatians 6:13

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:13

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13 For [gar] neither [oude] they themselves [autos] who are circumcised [peritemno] keep [phulasso] the law [nomos]; but [alla] desire [thelo] to have [peritemno] you [humas] circumcised [peritemno], that [hina] they may glory [kauchaomai] in [en] your [humeteros] flesh [sarx].   KJV-Interlinear

13 For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh.  NASB

Anyone who promotes false ideas, and then tries to get others to follow those false ideas, does so only to boost their own ego of accomplishment.  It has nothing to do with the benefit or merit, or lack of it, for others, it is all in the selfish persuasion of the promoter.

They do not even comply with their own beliefs.

Our example here is circumcision, which is promoted falsely, as a means to obtain salvation.  But circumcision is a part of the Law of Moses, sometimes called the Law of God.  And if you are arguing that one aspect of the Law is required then you should be consistent and comply with the entire Law. But those who promote the Law do not even abide by the Law in its entirety.  And they don’t because no one can.  So their argument is not even possible.

It is the same with works.  When people try to invent their own way of salvation or their own way of spirituality, then they are relying on works, or the energy of their own effort.  And this is of course a rejection of Gods spiritual design.

More subtle than the circumcision argument, but false just the same.

When you pursue spiritual principles and concepts by means of your own invention, then you are in fact rejecting Gods method of spirituality.  This means that you are not impressed with Gods plan, because you have rejected Gods plan, but are impressed with your own plan under the presumption that your methods are better than Gods methods.

Therefore, your boasting is in yourself, which is a lie, by the way.  Because God is truth and rejection of Gods plan is in effect a rejection of truth, which leaves you with lies.

So, knowing that the flesh is a temporary thing and that when it ends, it rots.  Therefore, investing in the energy of the flesh, which means investing in your own effort, is in effect investing in a temporary and eventually in a rotting belief.  Leaving you with what?

Galatians 6:12

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:12

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12 As many as [hosos] desire [thelo] to make a fair shew [euprosopeo] in [en] the flesh [sarx], they [houtos] constrain [anagkazo] you [humas] to be circumcised [peritemno]; only [monon] lest [hina me] they should suffer persecution [dioko] for the cross [stauros] of Christ [Christos].  KJV-Interlinear

12 Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.  NASB

There are many believers in Christ, who do not pursue their spiritual life in the proper way, and they end up as spiritual losers in life.  Works and faith are mutually exclusive and cannot be combined.  Trying to observe works while at the same time promoting faith, is playing both sides of the fence and is a false pursuit.  Trying to avoid criticism and to please everyone, too, is an almost hopeless and impossible pursuit. 

And as Paul states here, those who promote works, and herein using circumcision as the example, do so only to avoid criticism or persecution from their peers.

They do not engage in a daily study, and therefore they do not learn the proper attributes of the Christian life.

With that failure to learn and failure to understand, many believers pursue false ideas.  And any idea or belief that is not legitimate, amounts to works.  All works are false when it comes to the spiritual life.

In this example, the Jewish leadership tried to make circumcision a requirement of salvation.

And as stated here, they did so in order to avoid ostracism from their Jewish peers.  Therefore they promoted faith on the one hand, but only when combined with circumcision in order to make salvation complete.  And that idea is a false idea.

They were Christians and Jewish, therefore the phrase, for the sake of Christ.  But their fear was not of God, but of other Jews who were locked on to the idea of circumcision as being a mandatory component of salvation.

No one can be saved by means of works.  No one can be saved by means of any overt thing that they do.

Likewise, no one can advance in their spiritual life by means of their own works design, which basically means they reject Gods mandate to study, while believing that they are not required to follow Gods mandates, that they have their own way of doing things.

This too, is a cheap attempt to get out of obeying Gods commands, by making their own beliefs more important than Gods process for learning and growing.

While the Jews of old tried to comply with peer pressure, in order to escape criticism, so too, people even in our current day, try to seem spiritual, but in reality do nothing more than say the right things in an effort to impress people rather than God.  But too, pursuing works is also an attempt to avoid or get out of ones spiritual obligations, by simply deciding that they are unnecessary.

Ignorant people can easily fool ignorant people with their false fronts of spirituality.

Wise people, on the other hand, are not fooled by others, because they are not impressed by what others say or do.  They are impressed with the doctrine within their own soul, which is what really matters.

Works and faith do not go hand in hand.  To pursue one means that you reject the other.  The spiritual life functions in a specific way and you cannot define your own way of growing up in the spiritual life.

Neither can you blend together works with faith and have a good result.

You cannot do a wrong thing in a wrong way, for it is wrong.

A wrong thing done in a right way is likewise wrong.

A right thing done in a wrong way is also wrong.

You must do a right thing in a right way in order for it to be right.

Galatians 6:11

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:11

http://www.dailybiblestudy.org

11 Ye see [eido] how large [pelikos] a letter [gramma] I have written [grapho] unto you [humin] with mine own [emos] hand [cheir].  KJV-Interlinear

11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.  NASB

Paul wrote an important letter to the Galatians, and to those who prefer to hide behind noble sounding remarks, but in effect doing nothing, the warning of their self-imposed failure is clear, but only if they take the time to listen, or in our case to read, and to learn of their error and mis-direction.

The phrase for, large letter, ‘pelikos,’ does not refer to the size of the letters written, nor the length of the epistle, for at this point it is not yet finished.  It does refer to the context of the subject at hand, which is an extremely important subject, because it is the one subject in which most people are led to failure in life.

Large here means important or great as in of great importance.

Works verses faith, is the subject. 

Works refers to the one thing that God has excluded from the spiritual life. Namely your attitude as it remains separate and apart from Gods design for the spiritual life.

And it is very important because people hide behind works in many ways.  They try to pursue their spiritual life on their own terms, but also, they avoid their spiritual responsibilities by coming up with all manner of excuses, generally veiled in cute or noble sounding phrases, followed by doing nothing.

And this is the sad mistake that people make.

God does not need anyones effort in the divine plan.  Gods plan for history would, and will, come to its proper conclusion even if no one did anything as God mandates.

But what people miss, is that God gives everyone an opportunity to participate in the spiritual plan, by incorporating bonafide spiritual activities within their spiritual life.

Whether you do or not, is your business and decision, but to ignore such an opportunity, means you lose out on the vast benefits that come with obedience to His will.

Remember that opportunity comes only during this life. Once you leave this world, those opportunity doors close, and you go to heaven only with whatever spiritual resources you did comply with, assuming that there are any.

Paul has covered several topics within this subject, from circumcision to financial support.  And we have covered them all in detail, in these six chapters.

But the last word remains with you. You have either learned something, namely spiritual production through faith, or you have ignored it in order to remain with your pursuit of personal views in order to avoid what God expects of you.  And, realize that God expects nothing from you, that He has not already made provision for in some way.

So, you can work for your spiritual brownie points, you can avoid your own personal responsibilities and let someone else carry the load, you can invent some rather cute excuses to justify your way out of the spiritual mandates placed on us all, or …

You can get with a legitimate daily study, learn a thing or two, and sooner or later get your life in order.

To ignore what God says, is a total waste of ones life.  So why would anyone live their whole life and waste it, when compliance with all of the spiritual requirements is so easy?

Galatians 6:10

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:10

http://www.dailybiblestudy.org

10 As [hos] we have [echo] therefore [ara] [oun] opportunity [kairos], let us do [ergazomai] good [agathos] unto [pros] all [pas] men, especially [de] [malista] unto [pros] them who are of the household [oikeios] of faith [pistis].   KJV-Interlinear

10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.   NASB

The Facebook participation has now exceeded 112,000 and continues to grow by the minute, it seems. Many thanks to those who have read the entire studies and have learned, and have also provided their financial support so that this daily study can reach many tens of thousands.  And here is our verse of opportunity, verse ten.  Good, ‘agathos,’ does not mean intentions where you are all talk and really do nothing, but it means good as outlined in this whole passage where you have the opportunity to help others, and then really do something.

Good refers to the principle of helping others as God has defined help.  Namely promoting the opportunity for others to have a spiritual life so that they can in turn have a better life, even if not now, then certainly in eternity.  Being saved from the Lake of Fire, is by far the greatest good that you can promote to those who are not saved.

And you have that same similar opportunity to participate in Gods plan, but only while you are alive in this world.  Once you leave this world, then your opportunity to help, ends.

Good applies to unbelievers, but in that respect the only thing you can offer is the presentation of the gospel so that they can be saved. 

Certainly in this world, there is the need for clothes and food and blankets and medical care and so forth, but if a person is not saved, then all of the medical care in the world will not help them in the Lake of Fire.

There are many organizations that provide the various earthly needs throughout the world.

But simultaneously, there is a greater need for the gospel.  And once people are saved, then they need to move forward in their spiritual life and have access to their daily food for the soul, or bible doctrine.

This serves to help people in their personal lives, even to have a better life, and to deal with life itself.  But it also helps to insert a bit of stability into this devils world, through divine viewpoint.

If people have truth in them, then they will make smarter decisions, which will impact their life, their neighborhood, their country and so forth.

As goes attitude toward Christ and doctrine, so goes life and history, and your own personal life.

Galatians 6:9

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:9

http://www.dailybiblestudy.org

9 And [de] let us [ekkakeo] not [me] be weary [ekkakeo] in well [kalos] doing [poieo]: for [gar] in due [idios] season [kairos] we shall reap [therizo], if we faint [ekluo] not [me].  KJV-Interlinear

9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.  NASB

We all have two phases of our life.  This life we live here and now in this world, and the next life which will take us into eternity.  The decisions you make now, will determine your entire eternal future.  Don’t mess up your life by pretending.  Don’t mess your life up by refusing to learn what God wants from you and for you.  This life is by far the shorter of the two, lasting just a few decades, if that, and the next life will last forever.  We are here now, to prepare ourselves for the next life.  It is then, that all of our dedication, or lack of it, will be rewarded or not.

In this life we have to set up our priorities and decide if the next life is going to be a part of those priorities or not.

Here in this world we grow up and learn responsibilities and engage in whatever our chosen field of work is going to be.  And it is by those choices that we are able to provide the necessary logistics of life, for ourselves and our family, in this world.

But that is all those choices provide, whatever it takes to get along in life, during our life, until the end of our life.  Then the next life begins when this one ends.

That is when you have to be prepared, because there are no do-overs, no returns to make changes and try again.  Once you are gone, then you have to deal with whatever it is that you dedicated your life to, while in this world.  And you have to deal with the repercussions forever.

That is a long time.

So, the very first decision you have to make is to believe in Christ.  That sets the stage for your living in heaven rather than in the Lake of Fire.

The next decision that you must make is a series of decisions that you need to make day after day, for the rest of your life here in this world.  You need to learn what it is that God wants you to learn. And that doesn’t take much time out off your day.  Maybe a few minutes a day, but they are very important minutes, nonetheless.

And those daily decisions are two-fold.  The first is to live in fellowship, which you obtain when you confess your sins, and the next is to participate in a daily bible study.

Now, here is where the real miracle of life occurs.

Anyone can read the bible, but only those believers in fellowship, benefit from the content of the bible.

Sure we all know the stories of the baby Jesus, and David, and Noah and so forth.  But the real benefit, is acquired when you study the bible daily, while is fellowship, which allows the Holy Spirit, whom you cannot detect or feel or sense in any way, takes that spiritual food and incorporates it into your soul, thus building up within you, a spiritual palace and fortress.

It is not the words per se that build, but the obedience and repetition and consistency to study, and thus God does all of the building in your behalf.  That is where the supernatural power and magic and miracle occurs, that God preforms for you, and in you.

And it all occurs behind the scenes, so to speak, because you do not feel anything, you just learn and grow and mature, and sooner or later you realize the phenomenal changes that have occurred in your life.

Often times it seems like life is too difficult, that God is not there, that there is nothing more than the repetitious activities of day to day living.  When you pray, no one answers, no one texts you back, there is no confirmation email from heaven, and so it can be difficult to depend on faith alone, because it is so intangible.

But, one day you will leave this world.  And having seen all of the many examples of blessings and cursing's, which this world displays, it is far better to be on the blessings end of life, rather than on the cursings end.

So, persevere, keep up your positive outlook.  Do not fall away or fade from your daily study, because one day in your life, God is going to call you home, and it will be then, that all of your dedication, boring as it may often times seem, will be well worth it, beyond your imagination.

And if you have any imagination at all, that can be a lot.  Far more than this world could ever offer, and more.

Galatians 6:8

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:8

http://www.dailybiblestudy.org

8 For [hoti] he that soweth [speiro] to [eis] his [heautou] flesh [sarx] shall [therizo] of [ek] the flesh [sarx] reap [therizo] corruption [phthora]; but [de] he that soweth [speiro] to [eis] the Spirit [pneuma] shall [therizo] of [ek] the Spirit [pneuma] reap [therizo] life [zoe] everlasting [aionios].  KJV-Interlinear

8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.  NASB

The word for sow, ‘speiro,’ means to scatter as in seed or investment, to seed, to receive as in acceptance or belief.  And there are only two things in this life that you can invest in and those are the flesh or the spirit.

The flesh represents all non-spiritual things.  The spiritual represents all things that are from God.

The word for reap, ‘therizo,’ means to harvest, to receive.

And there are only two possibilities for harvesting, which are corruption or life.

Corruption, ‘phthora,’ means decay, ruin, destroy, perish.

Life, ‘zoe,’ means life in the greatest and fullest possible sense imaginable.  Which means no loss, no decay, no failure, no insecurities, and so forth.

The things of the flesh come from the world. It is all that you pursue or indulge in regardless of their nature.  More important it does not include those things that are mandated by or designed by God.

To invest in the flesh, or the temporal things of life, you simply need do nothing with respect to the Bible and especially do nothing that God mandates and expects of you.

And that is exactly what most of the world does, which is to say, they do nothing expected of them in the spiritual sense. They do not study daily, they do not confess daily if not more often, they simply pretend spiritual things as they float their way through life, or they disregard the spiritual side of life altogether for lack of interest.  Anything that you invent or self-define is the same as doing nothing.

To invest in the spiritual, you have to wake up and learn what it is that God wants and expects of you, and then use and live by those principles.  But of course you have to learn first.

You have to want to learn before you can learn.  You have to engage in a learning activity before you can expect any benefits.  Then you have to use what you learn in order to reap the benefits of what it is that you have learned.

Disregard your spiritual life or pretend that you know what you are doing when you really do nothing, and you will get nothing but failure, loss, and corruption out of life. That means your life is nothing more than historical filler.

Make the changes within yourself and pursue your spiritual life as God has defined that pursuit, not you, by first having believed in Christ for only Christians can have a functioning spiritual life, then confessing often enough so that you live in fellowship, also defined by God, and then participate in a daily study, under instruction, so that you can invest in and capitalize from the phenomenal blessings that God has prepared for you.  And then have a greater life that you will never have from this world.

Galatians 6:7

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:7

http://www.dailybiblestudy.org

7 Be [planao] not [me] deceived [planao]; God [theos] is [mukterizo] not [ou] mocked [mukterizo]: for [gar] whatsoever [hos] [ean] a man [anthropos] soweth [speiro], that [touto] shall he [therizo] also [kai] reap [therizo].  KJV-Interlinear

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.  NASB

The summary of your life is wrapped up in the concept in this verse with this phrase, ‘what you sow.’  By not reading the studies, you miss the whole point of life.  The vast majority of people pretend their way through life, and after a while they believe their own pretense, and thus fail miserably, leaving them with embarrassment and great disappointment and nothing much more.

And this results in the greatest deception in all of human history, which is people deceiving themselves by pretense and then making that pretense a truth, which it is not.

God has issued several mandates for us to follow, in order for us to have the greatest possible life, both now in this world, and especially in eternity.

We are mandated to study and learn doctrine.  Most people do not pursue this.  We are mandated to support the teaching of doctrine.  Most people do not do this.  We are mandated to live a life based on faith and not works.  Most people violate this principle.

And the ultimate and final result of all of this, is the result of your life.

If you sow nothing, meaning you disregard Gods mandates, then should you expect to harvest anything?  And yet people do just this and expect that they will be quite successful in eternity, only that they will be greatly disappointed when their reward is nothing, because they did nothing.

The sowing and reaping concept is one of the oldest principles in all of human history.  No planting means no harvest, means no food, means you starve, means you die.  It doesn't get any simpler than that.

If you plant, then you harvest and then you eat and then you live.  And when you plant a lot, then you harvest more, and then you have more to sell and so you can have more things in life.  What part of that is not clear?

It is the same with the spiritual life.  Only our sowing comes in the form of studying the bible, by means of instruction, thus planting doctrine inside of your soul, which grows and generates a great harvest of spiritual production.

More doctrine, more learning, more growth throughout your entire life, means that you will have a phenomenal spiritual life and therefore when you face Christ, in heaven, your will receive phenomenal blessings and rewards and so forth.

You can look around you in this world for examples of blessings in great wealth as in billionaires, in talents as in the arts or music or sports, in intellect as in innovators, in anything that you can think of where there are examples of great blessings.

Likewise, ignore God and live in your pretended and worthless world and get nothing and there are certainly many symbolic examples of having nothing, such as in poverty, starvation, handicaps, disorders, awkwardness and so forth.

So, which would you prefer, wealth or poverty?  Which offers more advantages?

And in the spiritual life, you really are able to determine your own future outcome.  So why would you fail intentionally?

Before you were born into this world, you had no say as the many facets of your life.  That is the works of this world.

But in the spiritual life, you have every opportunity to determine your future, simply by choosing to pursue your daily bible study.  Why would you choose against that?

So I ask again.  Which is more desirable, wealth or poverty?

Pursue your spiritual life by adhering to Gods mandate to engage in a daily study, and thus grow up and complete your life, and therefore gain virtually everything you can imagine and more.

Or, do nothing and get nothing.

Such a difficult decision!

Galatians 6:6

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Galatians 6:6

http://www.dailybiblestudy.org

6 Let [de] him that is taught [katecheo] in the word [logos] communicate [koinoneo] unto him that teacheth [katecheo] in [en] all [pas] good things [agathos].  KJV-Interlinear

6 And let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches.  NASB

One of the most avoided topics in Christianity, is the concept of tithes and offerings.  Christians have an obligation to support and promote the teaching of the word of God, to others, but most fail because they ignore the subject and pretend that someone else will carry the load or burden of this obligation, thus relieving them of having to do it, just as they avoid reading their daily study, which too is mandated by God.

It is easy to talk the talk and in effect do nothing, but to fulfil your obligations as taught in the  prior verses where we studied that every person has to carry their own spiritual burden, this includes supporting the instruction of doctrine so that the entire world in effect, can have an opportunity to learn and grow up in their spiritual lives. 

Selfishness is not an option.  But selfishness and greed are what occur when obligations are ignored.

This is a two way street, however.

The teacher, or the one who gives instruction, ‘katecheo,’ means to inculcate with repetition of instruction.

The teacher teaches, and the hearer hears and takes in the instruction into their soul, thus building up a spiritual structure toward the completion of the hearers, or students, soul, thus establishing them for reward and blessings because of their spiritual resources learned.

Likewise, the hearer has an obligation of communicate, or share, ‘koinoneo,’ which means to link, join, transfer, to share, to distribute, from their resources, all of which come from God, as we should already know.

All that we have comes from God, and thus to withhold anything which God provides, and not fulfill His mandated obligations, which He provides for, is again taking from God and then not using it in the proper fashion, is greed or selfishness. 

Now, unlike many of the religious organizations out there, the giving part is not a percentage defined by the Bible.  Most like to collect ten percent, but that too is a sort of organizational greed.

The Mosaic Law specified ten percent to the Temple each year, ten percent to the government each year, which is a total of twenty percent, and then ten percent every third year, for the poor or what we would call charity today.

But we know that the Mosaic Law has been abrogated and is no longer in force.  We also know that most governments demand far more than ten percent when you add up all of the taxes for national, state, local and the many hidden excise taxes added into products, and so forth.  The governments of the world take far more than they should, which is regulatory abuse of powers. 

But, nevertheless, all Christians have an obligation to support the teaching of the word of God, or to find a way to support it, to the best of their ability, just as the instructor has an obligation to teach daily.

We each have our burdens of obligations.  We each have to fulfill our own obligations and not sit back and presume that someone else will do them for us. And, we each will one day stand before Christ and answer for our decisions.

It would be embarrassing if others did their part and you did not.

God does not place a burden on anyone, greater than a person can handle. God always makes provision so that you can fulfill your obligations.

It is left to you, then, to figure out your obligations, figure out how you are to carry them out, and then to carry out your responsibilities, and then of course face the consequences, be they good or not.

As for this bible study, donation links are available for donations, but since many people around the world cannot afford that, there is advertising included on the many internet pages, but of course you have to visit the page in order for those ads to be displayed and in effect generate revenue courtesy of your effort.  All in all, the ads are only pennies, but bit by bit it helps pay the bills and promotional costs that help get the teaching of bible doctrine to people throughout the entire world.  And of course you can help in that effort if you wish.