Setting – Paul provides some helpful application to correct the issues found in chapters 1-5
Content – The focus is helping other members of Christ. If someone is caught in sin, other members who are being lead by the Spirit (Gal 5:19-26), need to restore that member’s relationship back to God. In the restoration process (v. 1) “looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted”; don’t get caught up in the same sin.
You help other members when you (v. 2a-NLT) “Share each other's troubles and problems”, those daily life issues that can weight one down. In doing so we (v. 2b) “fulfill the law of Christ”
Verse 3 (NLT) “If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.” Instead (Phil. 2:3) “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” because (Phil 2:5) “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus”. Christ was humble (Phil 2:6) “although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped”
If we do find that we are doing the right thing (v. 4-NLT) “then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.”
Lastly, (v. 5) “For we are each responsible for our own conduct”, each person is their own responsibility.
Application – We must help other members of the family of God, this is exactly what Christ did for us. We aren’t lowering ourselves when helping others, because Christ “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped”. But if we find that we have something to offer we can “enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well”
Everyone has something to offer the family of God. God created us with unique traits to offer the family of God, but we must use our gifts and talents with humility. We need to maintain a correct balance or perspective of what we have to offer the family of God. As I state, “humility must exceed ability”.
Since we have Christ as our example, it comes down to following how and what he did.
Content – The focus is helping other members of Christ. If someone is caught in sin, other members who are being lead by the Spirit (Gal 5:19-26), need to restore that member’s relationship back to God. In the restoration process (v. 1) “looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted”; don’t get caught up in the same sin.
You help other members when you (v. 2a-NLT) “Share each other's troubles and problems”, those daily life issues that can weight one down. In doing so we (v. 2b) “fulfill the law of Christ”
Verse 3 (NLT) “If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.” Instead (Phil. 2:3) “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” because (Phil 2:5) “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus”. Christ was humble (Phil 2:6) “although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped”
If we do find that we are doing the right thing (v. 4-NLT) “then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.”
Lastly, (v. 5) “For we are each responsible for our own conduct”, each person is their own responsibility.
Application – We must help other members of the family of God, this is exactly what Christ did for us. We aren’t lowering ourselves when helping others, because Christ “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped”. But if we find that we have something to offer we can “enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well”
Everyone has something to offer the family of God. God created us with unique traits to offer the family of God, but we must use our gifts and talents with humility. We need to maintain a correct balance or perspective of what we have to offer the family of God. As I state, “humility must exceed ability”.
Since we have Christ as our example, it comes down to following how and what he did.
Comments