Gal. 6:6  "Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things."

Plainly, this is teaching that the student is to communicate unto the teacher in all good things. The teacher spends a lot of time in studying and prayer and in teaching those whom the Lord has led them to. To be a teacher and preacher of the gospel and the word of God requires a lot of time and sacrifice on the part of the gospel minister. Countless hours are spent on studying and reading and meditating on the scriptures and many hours are spent in prayer asking God to reveal his truths unto the preacher. Further, the gospel preacher spends much time going to the meeting places and often under hazardous conditions in order to preach and teach the word. He makes many sacrifices, including sacrificing time and effort away from his wife and children in order that others may be blest to hear the gospel preached. He also, often, suffers the persecution of unbelievers and scoffers and religious and secular organizations that oppose the preaching of the grace of Christ. He does these things because of the love of Christ and that: 2 Tim. 2:10 "Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory."

The word, communicate, appears in the New Testament three other times beside the above:

    1. Phil 4:14 "Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. 15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. 16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. 17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God."

    2. 1 Tim. 6:17 "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."

    3. Heb. 13:16 "But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

The word, communicate, comes from the Greek word, koinoneo, meaning to share with others, distribute.

Paul tells us of the importance of communicating unto the needs of the gospel minister in 1 Cor. 9:7-14: "Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel."

While the scriptures do not teach anywhere that a minister of the gospel should be salaried, yet the teaching is plain that those who are taught in the word have a loving responsibility to communicate unto those who teach the word. Paul said that this is a sacrifice that is acceptable and well-pleasing unto God.

Gal. 6:7-10  Gal. 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."

There are many lessons taught us in this passage of scripture. First, we are taught that we not to deceive ourselves: "Be not deceived." Many people deceive themselves into thinking that in going through the ceremonies of religion that they are doing what is pleasing to God. They take no thought of the type of lives they are living, but think that ceremonial exercises are all that God requires. In Matthew chapter 23, the Lord warned the Pharisees, scribes and hypocrites about the hypocrisy of ceremonial religion without a change in their manner of living. A portion of this passage is quoted below:

Matt. 23:23 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

Second , we are told that "God is not mocked." To be mocked means to be ridiculed. God does not take kindly to the ridicule of men. A person who ridicules God can fully expect to receive of God's timely judgment upon him for such blasphemous behavior. The grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar mocked the service of God and was destroyed in the very night that he mocked.

Third, we are told that we reap what we sow. This is a natural truth that teaches us an important spiritual lesson. In nature, what we plant in the ground is what we can expect to come up out of the ground. If we plant watermelon seeds, we do not expect carrots to come up. We expect watermelon seeds sown in the ground will bring forth watermelon plants. Another lesson in nature is that we reap where we sow. I have never sown seed in one plot of ground and reaped the fruit of those seed in another plot of ground. We reap where we sow! Thus, we sow in this time world, and we reap in this time world. We do not sow in this time world, and then reap in the glory world. That would violate the law of nature.

When we sow to our flesh nature, we will reap the fruit of that flesh nature. Gal. 5:19-21 told us the fruit or work of the flesh. All the fruit or work of the flesh is sinful. To sow to the flesh means that we will reap the corruptible fruit of sin.

Furthermore, if we sow to the incorruptible nature of the inner man that is born of God, then we will reap the fruit of that everlasting life given us in the new birth. That fruit we are told in Gal. 5:22, 23 is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance."

Obviously, the best and most God-honoring life of a child of God is for him to sow to the Spirit. This will result in praise, honor, and glory to God, and will result in him bearing the fruit and blessings of the Spirit.

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." It is true that we do not always immediately see the results of our reaping to the Spirit. This is also true in nature. In nature, there is a planting season that is followed by a growing season, and then a reaping season. The fact is that the good that we do and the seed that we sow spiritually often need to be allowed to grow and then it will bear fruit in due season. If, however, we give up (faint) before the fruit is produced, then we will not see the fruit of our labors that we began. We need to be patient and then we will reap as the Lord has promised us.

"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." It is true that we do not always have opportunity to do good. If we do not have opportunity, then we cannot do the good that we may desire to do. However, when we have opportunity, then we should be prepared to do good and then do it unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. The problem so many of us have is that we have opportunity and means and then fail to do the good that we should. We should put away pride and greed and help those in need:

    1. 1 John 3:17 "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"

    2. James 2:15 "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?"

Gal. 6:12-15  "As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature."

People's actions are often predicated upon their motives. Those who had taught that you are saved by the grace of Christ, but you must be circumcised did not desire to suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. They found that by changing the message from the grace of Christ to what man can do, that it eliminated the persecution of the Jews and the religious and secular leaders. This suited them well. However, it is not honoring to Christ.

Their system made a fair show in the flesh. It appealed to the fleshly nature of man. It touted what man could do to get right with God. It ignored that it is impossible for man to get right with God. Only God can make us right with Him. Even today, with the myriad of "grace, but" doctrines that are being taught, they all exalt man and what they say that man can do. It excites the flesh. People get excited in hearing these false doctrines telling them how much man can do to get himself saved from sin.

These people glory in the flesh and its actions. They glory that they have fulfilled a ceremonial set of rules and they glory in other people fulfilling those same ceremonial set of rules.

The fact is that the law requires perfection and we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. None of us has ever kept the law to perfection. We have not kept the law nor do those who are taught in a legalistic system have kept the law. Yet there is the glory of man in the actions of the flesh in keeping a set of rules devised by man.

We have no room to glory in the flesh. The only thing that we can truly glory in is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. This boasting is not of self, but is boasting of what Christ has done for us in that he redeemed us from our sins on the cross. We who believe in salvation by grace alone boast of what Christ has done. Those who believe in a "grace, but" doctrine boast in what man does. Man will say, "I believed and therefore I got saved," or "I accepted the Lord as my personal savior and therefore I got saved," or "I believed, I accepted the Lord, and I was baptized and therefore I got saved." This is all boasting in the actions of men. In contrast, those who believe the bible truth that salvation from sin is by grace alone will say, "I was a depraved, hell-deserving sinner, and Christ saved me by his grace alone through his atoning sacrifice on the cross." This gives all the praise to Christ.

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." The "new creature" is the result of the work of Christ in "regeneration." Whether a person is circumcised or uncircumcised will not make a man a new creature. Only Christ by his grace can make a man a new creature. This is all that avails in the eyes of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Gal. 6:16  Gal. 6:16 "And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God."

The word, rule, means a standard (of faith and practice). The Greek word for walk is "stoicheo" which means "to march in rank." Thus, to walk according to this rule literally means to march in rank according to this standard of faith and practice. Paul is telling us that we are to march in rank with the standard of salvation by grace alone and that our practice should not incorporate elements of the old law service.

Further, Paul tells us that all of us that walk according to this rule, will experience the peace of God that passes understanding and the tender mercy of God will be manifest to us in our lives as it will be upon all the "Israel of God."

The Israel of God has meant different things in different ages. During the Old Testament economy, God had made a covenant of worship with the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that as a nation composed the nation of Israel. God made this covenant with them on Mt. Sinai. This was the Old law covenant.

In Romans chapter nine, Israel is defined there as the spiritual born children of God regardless of their race or ethnic background: Rom. 9:6 "Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." This use of Israel embraces all the elect family of God.

In this current New Testament economy of worship, Israel is defined as those who worship God in Spirit and in truth under the New Testament: Heb. 8:8-12 "For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Thus, the Israel of God Paul is referring to above is the Lord's church kingdom in this New Testament age.

It is here in the New Testament church that we as God's covenant people find peace and mercy in worshipping God in Spirit and in truth.

Gal. 6:17   "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus."

Paul had marks in his natural body that were evidences of the fact that he did not preach any other gospel other than the "grace of Christ." Had he perverted the true gospel of the grace of Christ and preached a "grace, but" doctrine he would not have suffered the persecutions that he did. However Paul willingly suffered for the cause of Christ that he might honor and glorify the name of his blessed Redeemer.

Some of the things that Paul suffered for the cause of Christ are listed in the following verses:

1. 2 Cor. 11:23 "Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? 30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities."

    2. 2 Cor. 1:6 "And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation."

    3. Gal. 5:11 "And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased."

    4. Phil. 3:8 "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,"

    5. 1 Th. 2:2 "But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention."

    6. 1 Th. 3:4 "For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know."

    7. Acts 9:15 "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake."

Likewise, Paul told us that all who will live Godly in Christ Jesus can expect to suffer persecution: 2 Tim. 3:12 "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

Gal. 6:18   "Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen."

Grace is the closing signature in each of Paul's epistles:

1. Rom. 16:24 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
2. 1 Cor. 16:23 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."
3. 2 Cor. 13:14 "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen."
4. Eph. 6:24 "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen."
5. Phil. 4:23 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
6. Col. 4:18 "The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen."
7. 1 Th. 5:28 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."
8. 2 Th. 3:18 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
9. 1 Tim. 6:21 "Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen."
10. 2 Tim. 4:22 "The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen."
11. Titus 3:15 "All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen."
12. Phile. 1:25 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen."
13. Heb. 13:25 "Grace be with you all. Amen."

With each signature concerning God's grace, Paul punctuated it with the word, "Amen" meaning surely, beyond doubt. There is no reason to doubt God's grace.