WISE UNTO SALVATION

Jack Davis

Part 1

II Tim. 3:15-17, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Thank God for the insight we are given to the Scripture’s real value. Herein we gain access to every aspect of this great salvation. The Holy Scripture is sent to guide us in spiritual resourcefulness, teaching us to redeem the time, and as we have opportunity, to do good to all men, especially to the household of faith. Realizing the profit of the Scripture is indeed great gain. Our Apostle Paul admonished Timothy (and us) to meditate on the things he had written, and to give himself wholly to them, that his profiting may appear unto all, I Tim. 4:15-16.

Paul asked in Hebrews 2:3, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation.” Hebrews 6:9, “But beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.” He wrote in II 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.” Therefore the partakers of eternal salvation have so much to gain by the exercise of God-given wisdom.

WISDOM FROM ABOVE: “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth” James 3:13-14.

Those among us, endowed in heart and mind to holy conduct, by a holy walk, demonstrate a heavenly wisdom and power. Consider I Cor. 2:4-5 and I Thess. 1:5. James describes, in 3:14-16, an unwise attitude which leads to such foolish conduct. These are not something to boast about, or glory in. We do well to seek the Lord earnestly for deliverance from these for they will only hurt and hinder us. The wonderful Word of truth searches out the heart, and would make us know that there is no deliverance realized in denying their presence…”lie not against the truth.”

“This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” James 3:15-18.

Wisdom from above is not sent down that we may glory in how wise we, or our actions, are. Col. 2:23. This wisdom is divinely produced in us as we feed upon the Word, drink in of the Holy Spirit, and whole heartedly submit to His control in our life. If we will give Him heed, He checks wrong actions, and prompts us to do the will of God. Consider well eight New Creation characteristics of wisdom from above, V. 17.

What a rich treasure trove is God’s Word, shall we not invest time, energy, the most earnest interest therein? Our Father often uses the most unlikely creatures to teach us profound truth. Consider Prov. 30:24-28, “There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

WISE IN PREPARATION: “The Ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;” “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O Sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man? – Prov. 6:6-11.

Shall we learn from the ant to make hay while the sun shines? Some of God’s people, that are not strong in themselves, are making present opportunities count for eternal worth. The Psalmist wrote, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” – Psalm 90:12. He was not just counting days, but having our days count for the Lord. Who can measure the eternal loss a “little” present neglect will bring?

The apostle Paul urges us to “watch, and be sober.” “Wherefore he saith, awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See than that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” – Eph. 5:14-16.

This is our time to prepare for eternity. The ant can teach us to be spiritually industrious, resourceful. Israel was told to prepare to meet their God, Amos 4:12. We are wise to prepare for that meeting in the air. God would teach us to be “Laying up in store for (ourselves) themselves a good foundation against a time to come, that (we) they may lay hold on eternal life,” hence, all the wealth accompanying this great salvation - I Tim. 6:19.

Read Luke 16:1-13. Oh, let us conduct our business as children of light, far more wisely than the children of this world. Has not God committed to our trust true riches?

The “children of this world” seem to be showing greater prudence and zeal in going after the temporal, material things, than the “children of light” are in interest of their spiritual eternal inheritance. May we not learn of the wise use of our material means in interest of spiritual increase?

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Those aware of their spiritual need enough to be more than passive concerning His abundant supply are blessed indeed. He also said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matt. 5:3,6. Herein we may sense an aggressive attitude of those wise unto salvation toward divine provision. We may see more on this as we consider the wisdom of the spider.
Continued in the next issue.

THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER’S HAND

Anita Clark – Pastor – Carbondale, KS

“When He [Jesus] was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold there came a leper and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Matthew 8:1-3

Leprosy is an ancient disease, and was incurable in the past, but now early diagnosis and treatment can cure it. It is transmitted by coughs and sneezes - droplets through the air spread the disease. Leprosy represents sin in the world and in the life of an unbeliever. In Jesus day there was no cure or medicine to help stop the ravages of this disease. But, “Jesus put forth His hand and touched him.” This touch of Jesus to this man with leprosy shows the first touch that we need from Jesus the Son of God to bring deliverance from our sin.

Leviticus 13 is dedicated to what Israel was to do if any of them developed leprosy. In that portion of the Word it speaks about the infection being in the flesh of the body. Germs from outside the body enters the body and affects the nerves killing the tissue. It is very destructive to the tissue of one’s body. Leprosy speaks in type, of sin in all humanity because of the fall of Adam and Eve. Romans 5:12, says, “Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men.” Every one who is born in this world has a sin nature, and as the Scripture says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23. There was no cure of the sin of mankind. Jesus had to come to provide salvation for us. We could never be righteous enough to please a holy God by our own good works.

The helpless condition of this poor leper was not solved by his good works, only by the Lord Jesus, curing his condition. The same is true of all humanity. There was no way to cure us of the dread disease of sin without the Lord Jesus’ death for us on the cross, only through faith in what Jesus did to pay the penalty for us, are we delivered from our dread condition.

In Matthew 8:14-15, we read of Peter’s mother-in-law being healed by Jesus. “And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose, and ministered unto them.” A fever is manifested when there is some internal problem. When she was healed she immediately got up and prepared a meal for Jesus. As we saw with Jesus touch in healing the leper, now we see Him healing to restore this woman’s ministry and service. Philippians 2:13, says, “For it is God which works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.” By His touch, He cures the inward need bringing about deliverance from sin by the new birth, and then He brings service to God by touching us inwardly so we can serve Him with ability from within - from the life of Christ in us and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Mark 8:22-26, we read another incidence where Jesus touched another person. “And He cometh to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him. And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of town, and when he had spit on his eyes and put His hands upon him...And he was restored, and saw every man clearly.” At first the man could not see very clearly. He saw a blurred vision of men walking as trees. After Jesus put His hands on him the second time, he saw clearly. When Jesus touches us supernaturally our spiritual sight gets better and better, as we keep on believing, and stay close to Jesus. This is called “revelation.” Our eyes are opened to some truth, but as we meditate, staying in the presence of Jesus through His Word, and depending on Him for help, and of course the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, we begin to understand with Spiritual insight greater revelations.

Hebrews 11:1-2 states, “Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith....” He opens our eyes to revelations of His written word, as we seek Him and believe. He touches us and gives us Spiritual vision, which grows more and more as we keep looking unto Him and His Word.

In Matthew 20:29-34 two blind men sat by the road, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou son of David.” The multitude rebuked them and told them to hold their peace, but they cried out even louder, “Have mercy on us, O Lord…” They asked Jesus to heal their eyes, and He came over to them, (verse 34), “So Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.”

Again the Master’s touch made them absolutely whole. Anytime we need Spiritual insight from the Lord, whether its is a revelation of the Word of God, i.e. some thing we do not understand, if we earnestly call out to Him, He will hear and give us insight of His divine truth. Are you walking in the light and in full sight of God’s Word and plan, or can you not see or understand what the Lord is doing in your life? Keep on seeking His help. He will come to you and reveal His truth.

Mark 7:31-37 is another account where the Lord Jesus touched an individual who had a problem. Verse 32 says, And they bring unto Him one, that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech Him to put His hand upon him.” We can look at this in a Spiritual sense - that is for an individual to have a problem with hearing the Word of God and all the truth, and also to have a problem speaking forth the Truth revealed to him by the Lord and Holy Spirit. The Lord is the one who calls an individual to bring forth the Word of God, but first that one must hear the Word and learn what is the truth. Revelation 2 & 3 the Lord says several times, “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.” After we are cleansed from our spiritual leprosy, we need to “hear the word of the Lord.” This is spoken of in the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37:3, the Lord God asked Exekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live? Again He said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, Oh ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.” Again, when we are deaf to the Word of the Lord, we can not speak it plainly. So the results is, we begin to be able to teach others, for our tongue is set free by the touch of the Lord Jesus.

Isn’t it wonderful to feel the touch of the Master’s hands. I used to model clay, and I was impressed with the steps it takes for a pot or anything to be molded. The very first step is to “wedge” the clay. This takes quite a long time. One method is to throw the clay down hard on the work surface several times. Another is to roll and cup the clay at least 75-100 times, working it very hard. It makes the clay more pliable, and must be done before the clay is ready to be molded into something like a pot or bowl, etc. formed by the potter. After the pot is formed, then its time to fire the pot in a furnace, called a kiln. Can you see how all this applies to what the Scripture is speaking of, when it says, “But now, Lord, Thou art our Father, we are the clay, and Thou our Potter, and we the work of Thy hands” Isaiah 64:8. A promise is “Now know I that the Lord saveth His anointed, He will hear from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand” Psalms 20:6. This applies to the Lord rescuing us from danger, but also think of it too in His molding us into His image by all the trials and tests we go through in this life. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” Phil. 2:13. Praise the Lord for His mighty work! The Following Poem expresses this wonderful work God does in our lives, which starts with His touch in giving us salvation and then His continued touch, working in us until we are completely what He wants us to be.

Is God Wrong?

There seems to be a lot of people that find the need to correct God. Many of them even claiming to be Christians. They would have us believe that what is written in God’s Word is either misunderstood, or just no longer valid. Things that do not align with their desired lifestyle or behaviors must be wrong or outdated.

So, this leaves us to determine who is right and who is wrong. “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome  when thou art judged.” Romans 3:4. “Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?” Job 40:8. “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” Psalm 119:160.

I may be called in question for using God’s Word to demonstrate that God is never wrong, and He alone can be true. Let me suggest this: if God is not always true and right, then none of what He says can be trusted. Therefore, we must throw out the entire Bible. But no one is suggesting that, only that certain things are no longer true.

It is the way of mankind to want the truth to be such that it justifies his behavior. Satan’s very first attack was against God’s integrity. Genesis 3:1-5. He did not completely throw God out, just that not everything God said was true. This tactic is still in use today by our enemy Satan. He is not looking to completely discredit God, only enough doubt about God’s truthfulness to swerve people aside. 1 Timothy 1:6, 6:20-21, 2 Timothy 2:18.

Swerving is very dangerous. If you swerve just a small amount from the straight road, it does not take very long to be very far away from the original path. A one degree deviation, puts you almost two feet from the path at one hundred feet of travel. Satan is not looking to turn God’s people 180 degrees, just enough to get off the path and start losing their testimony for God’s glory.

So, is God wrong? No, never. He is the origin of truth, and He never changes. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do  it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Numbers 23:19. “For I am the LORD, I change  not; . . .” Malachi 3:6a. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8.

If there is ever any doubt about what God’s Word says compared to what man says, always go with God’s Word. It will always prove to be right. We will always be better off for believing God’s Word and following Him.

Gordon Crook

LIVING THINGS: GOD

E. C. Richards

In this subject, and the common faith referred to in the book of Titus, it would seem superfluous to refer to God as “living,” for it was to be taken for granted. Nevertheless, in the fog of unbelief, the lack of treating God as living, and as the whole scope of the way of faith we are called to, it has some justification to think on these lines. We had previously considered the Word of God as living, and so continuing on with that premise, the Word of God, the Bible, says “living God” some twenty-eight times. It has as emphatic ring and perhaps some exasperation on the part of the divine Revelator, the Holy Spirit. We understand that God is a Trinity of Persons, but there let  us think for a bit about the One called the Father. He is living and we have living contact with him. He is our Father, as the Son so kindly told us on the day of His resurrection.

One of the Scriptures that speak of this great Being in these terms is I Tim. 3:15. “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” Here our own people by His own placing, the church an age-long people in formation and with an eternal future, are called the “church of the living God.” It would seem that He thinks it very important that this part of His great people know that He is living. Surely, the church hasn’t always acted as if He were living, for they often direct their own steps actually ignoring Him. Of course, there is that which is called “church,” that is, not actually His, but is an imitation, and hence, He is not their God. Let us not ignore our Maker, our Owner, our Keeper for that is not the attitude of wise men. At any rate, we know that He is living for His Word declares it so.

John 6:57: “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.” He, the Father, is given as the ultimate source of all human life, both Jesus and all those who believe in Jesus. This passage is in the discussion which Jesus had with the murmurers concerning Himself as living Bread, the Giver and Sustainer of spiritual life. There is reason for His stressing this quality of the Father, “living,” for there was question about the validity of Jesus’ claim of being this Central One of human spiritual and permanent life. So, our second important point presenting God as living is that He is the Father of real lasting humanity. It is a blessed thought, that of God being our actual Father by right of bringing us into being. He created us in Adam, and after falling away from Him, He has begotten us of His own nature and life which cannot fall ever.

James 1:17-18 days, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of His own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” Specifically, we want to point out the reality of “begetting” that this Great Being has performed. Again we say, that is certainly an attribute of a living Person, that of propagating its own kind. Our reverend Father has done that.

II Cor. 6:17, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” The wonder of these words is that this One so Mighty, so Wise, so Great, is willing to actively be a Father in life to those born of Him in this earth which is too antagonistic to Him and His ways. Praise God, He will do such. As we take in His Word and look to Him, we will have the joys, and sometimes the severity, resulting from His very practical Fatherhood.

John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Jesus here describes this God of His (and ours) as One that desires worship. It would be foolish to worship something or someone that didn’t actually exist in some life-form.

David said in Psalm 96:5, “For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD MADE THE HEAVENS.” The real Almighty God lost out in the life-contact with the mass of peoples long ago. Even the people, Israel, deteriorated into idol worship, which was extremely lamentable and foolish. These were literal figures of man’s fabrication. Even the irreligious have materials of secular meaning that are as gods to them.  The spiritually wise know that men does not have a spiritual vacuum. Something will always take the place which belongs to Him in their passions, if there is not there the living God. The real worship takes place unto a real Being and is accepted of Him.

Acts 14:14-15, “Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.” After a great act of healing performed by this living God, the prime apostles of His gave the simple appeal to turn from the idolatrous practices to that God who so dramatically had demonstrated His living quality. That makes sense today, too. We may turn the worship tendency, which is built into our spirits, into a direct worship of the living God, instead of to the myriads of substitutes thrown at us.

I Thess. 1:9, “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” Here Paul, the Apostle, gives it succinctly as the relationship with God as of servant to Master. It doesn’t make sense to serve someone that is either dead or never existed. As implied earlier, the medium of faith is a fertile field for deception, and is energetically fertilized as such. An absentee God can be quite vague to the unspiritual mind. This informs us that He is not a Phantasm, but a real Person. We can’t be practical directed by a flighty theory, but a lively existent Spirit is the real Master of the believer. It was so at Thessalonica, in Rome, in London, in New York, in Kansas City, In Los Angeles, in Tokyo and in Seoul. In some of these places, and perhaps in all of them, people have given their spiritual and life-direction to this behind-the-scenes Being and been happy to do so. Praise the Lord for that! He had promised to direct the steps of a good man (a redeemed one) and He has, does, and will do so.

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And finally, let us fix our eyes on another aspect of a living Being, that of emotions. The greatest emotion is love.  The Great One has fully demonstrated this at the cross of His Son as given in the above Scripture. Love is very vital, meaningful and healing to the human soul. We have this exemplified in the cross, and verified and continued by the resurrection and present intercession of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Look at a few Scriptures evidencing motion: Matt. 3:17, “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Note: “pleased,” a very vibrant emotion. Psalm 7:11, “…God is angry with the wicked every day.” Anger in very indicative of life. Again, Neh. 8:10, “Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So, this wonderful emotion, joy, the people of God are privileged to have. It surely comes from the life of its source. He, too, has joy, jealousy, peace, compassion.

Many emotions stem from this fountain of life that is God. I rather think that even in nature, which He set in motion and still has final control over, the emotions of a great living Being are reflected. Remember, that at both the death and resurrection of Christ there were great earthquakes, and an eerie darkness, too, at the time of the final hours of the cross. Likely, the many motions of nature such as: violent storms, falling rain, penetrating rays of the sun, beautiful heavenly bodies, flora and fauna of diverse attractions, cold and heat, surging seas, majestic mountains, inspiring waterfalls, wide prairies, flowing rivers, all express something felt by the Creator and Ruler of it all and, in fact, of us all.

Friends, bow before the LIVING GOD, and be thankful He is benevolent and not like His competitor, the mighty Satan, who is a lier and a murderer. Bless the name of the living God, our Lord’s, yours and mine. Amen!

GALATIANS 6:1

Debra Isenbletter, Pastor

Christian Assembly, Springfield, Missouri

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Vs. 1-2
 Paul begins with an admonition to all brethren, to all believers, but the foundation for being able to do what Paul asks goes back to the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). There is a sharp contrast in the previous chapter between the “works of the flesh” and Rev. 19:13, “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”
 The “fruit of the Spirit:” The flesh has no fruit, only works and none of them are good. Fruit comes from within, from the life of Christ because it is the very nature of Christ. It is Who He Is. That fruit was seen in everything He said and everything He did, in every miracle, in every lesson taught, in every interaction with those he came in contact with. The fruit of the spirit is spiritual, not natural it is a testimony of the spiritual life we have in Christ. Therefore, to have the attitude in v1 and then do what Paul admonishes in v2 is only possible through the manifestation of that fruit in a yielded heart.
I like to break a verse down when I study it and take it in small portions and have given a title to each portion of this verse to show the differences in brethren. There are differences and yet in a yielded heart they become balanced and work in harmony, which is how the Body of Christ should be seen.
 1.    Every Brother: Brethren,
 2.    Guilty Brother: if a man be overtaken in a fault,
 3.    Spiritual Brother: ye which are spiritual,
 4.    Forgiving Brother: restore such a one,
 5.    Meek Brother: in the spirit of meekness;
 6.    Discerning Brother: considering thyself,
 7.    Tempted Brother: lest thou also be tempted.
Every Brother: The word “brethren” can speak of natural brethren, such as those born of the same two parents or those who have the same father or mother. It can refer to those having the same national ancestor therefore they belong to the same people. Abraham is an example of being the same national ancestor to the Jews. The word “brethren” can speak of spiritual brethren, such as a fellow believer; those united to one another by a bond of affection. The affection is their affection for Christ which enables them to have an affection for one another.
Paul emphasizes our relationship with one another. We are all “brethren” in Christ, we are all “brothers” by blood – His Blood. The “brethren” Paul is writing to are all those in the Body of Christ. We are “brethren” whether we are Jews or Gentiles (Gal. 3:28) because Christ unites and binds us together. We are all connected to one another. How we act (whether good or bad) affects the rest. How we react to that act also affects the rest. Our remembrance of this relationship will give us balance and the right perspective. Since all are included in this admonition, that inclusion also refers to both the sheep and the shepherds. All are responsible.
Guilty Brother: if a man be overtaken in a fault. The phrase “if any man be” refers to every man, to anyone. This applies to all believers. Any one of us can be overtaken. Any one of us can sin.
Paul had just written about the “works of the flesh” in the previous chapter. Those depending upon the Law would find that their dependence only showed up the weakness of the flesh. And along with that failure of the flesh, in trying to keep the law there was the danger of religious self-righteousness. That self-righteous attitude left no room for compassion or understanding.
The word “overtaken” means “to anticipate;” “to have an opportunity” “to take one unawares.” The idea is of a believer being caught by surprise and falling into sin. This does not seem to be a deliberate sin, one thought out and planned. If we are walking after the flesh, the flesh will look for “an opportunity” there is an “anticipation.” But there can also be a sudden temptation that takes us by surprise, that gets the better of us. Peter did not plan on denying Jesus but was caught in a moment of weakness. We all have things that we struggle with and as long as we are in a body of flesh we will always have those battles. There is a difference between deliberate sin and being “puffed up” and not grieving over that sin (I Cor. 5:1-2) and those that have let their guard down and are caught off guard. This really shows how we need to be constantly vigilant, which goes back to the previous chapter where we are admonished to “live in the Spirit” and “walk in the Spirit.” Our dependence is our greatest strength and our independence our greatest weakness.
The word “in a fault” comes from to “fall aside, fall away.” It is “a side-slip; a lapse, a deviation.” It can be “a (willful) transgression” or it can be “an (unintentional) error.” The Holy Spirit will show us which. Here it is a false step, or a slip and it stands in contrast to the word “walk” which means “walk in a straight line” (Gal. 3:5). It is not the “transgression” used in Gal. 3:19, which there is “a willful stepping beyond the limits imposed by the law” (Wuest). Here the “fault” does not seem to be deliberate or intentional. It is being “caught off guard” by sin. It is “a slip” or “a lapse” into sin. It can also speak of a “falling away” from the truth.
In Galatians we see this “fault” which is a “lapse, deviation” in many different forms. We see it when they received “another gospel” (Gal. 1:6). We see it when Peter compromised because of legalists and he refused to eat with the Gentiles (Gal .2:12). We see it when the Galatians did not “obey the truth” of grace (Gal. 3:1). We see it in the split between Jews and Gentiles, in not acknowledging “ye are all the children of God by faith” (Gal. 3:26-28). We see it in the “works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19-21)
There was a falling away from the truth of grace to legality seen in the above examples. In that context, those caught up in the teaching of the Judaizers who realized what had happened, were to be restored. Whether the fall is moral or doctrinal, when someone is “overtaken,” they can be restored. The safeguard for the saint is faith in and dependence upon the Gospel of Grace.
Spiritual Brother: ye which are spiritual. The word “spiritual” comes from “a breath (blast) or breeze.” It speaks of one who is filled with the Spirit and who is governed by the Spirit. The Amplified translates: “you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit].” Going back to the foundation of the word, those that are “spiritual” are a “breath of fresh air” in the Church. They can be a gentle “breeze” of refreshing. They can be a mighty “blast” of power. They are a breath of fresh air because they yield to the Word of God.
 1.    Those that are spiritual— “live” and “walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25)
 2.    Those that are spiritual— manifest the “fruit of the Spirit”. (Gal. 5:22-23)
 3.    Those that are spiritual— are able to “judge all things” (I Cor. 2:15)
The spiritual person is not only discerning but also gracious in dealing with a brother “overtaken in a fault.” He is like the Good Samaritan who pours oil and wine on the open wound, who picks up the wounded one and carries him to a place where he can heal and be restored. (Luke 10:30-35).
A.S. Copley writes that this “implies that some of those Galatian Christians were spiritual. They were not all under law. They were to do their part in recovering the legal from legality, or from any offense by which they might be overcome. Those that are spiritual dare not boast in their spirituality. “What hast thou that thou didst not receive?” (I Cor. 4:7) They, too, may be tempted; for they still dwell in a mortal body. No matter how spiritual we may become, we can glory in the cross only (Gal. 6:14).”
To be continued in the next issue.