Who Are The Leaders: Galatians 6:1-5
In a world prone to sinfulness, we who are crucified with Christ should be about restoration. Jesus came and died on the cross so our relationship with our Father can be restored. If we are following Christ’s example, we should be working in the people around us to help them understand their relationship with God can be restored, too.
Paul lets out a very subtle hint as to why he’s been focusing so much on the Spirit. The spiritual ones are capable of restoration. The spiritual ones are the leaders. The spiritual ones set the example.
Spiritual people are equipped to relate to others. The fruit of the Spirit contains attributes like kindness, mercy, love, joy, peace, and patience. These are traits that excel when dealing with other people. These traits shine amid conflict because people with these traits deescalate situations rather than making things worse. People with these traits talk people down from their emotional status.
This doesn’t mean spiritual people don’t stand up for what is right. Spiritual people sometimes create uncomfortable situations when change is necessary or repentance is required. The difference, though, is someone walking in step with the Spirit will create these situations knowing and believing resolution can be found. Life is full of areas needing improvement; spiritual people find those areas and work with people to bring about change while minimizing strife, conflict, and personal gain. The spiritual person doesn’t have to be right and they don’t have to win. The spiritual person wants the best for the community and does what is necessary to get there peaceably.
Paul also says we should test ourselves. We are all responsible for our own actions. We are responsible for how we respond to God’s call. We should be in the process of evaluating our thoughts and actions to ensure we act in as spiritual a manner as possible. God doesn’t expect perfection from us. He does, however, expect us to desire to follow Him and be willing to repent when we stray from the path.
There is another reason to examine ourselves. Because we are spiritual beings living in a fallen world, temptation is always at hand. It is far easier to be brought down than it is to bring someone else up. Another way of saying this is that human beings tend to rise only to the lowest expectation. Most of us are quite willing to meet the bar, but we’ll often settle for the easiest bar to meet. We should be mindful, then, to make sure we are not missing our mark as we pursue Christ.
Life is difficult. Making consistent good decisions is hard. We who walk with the Spirit should be the example to the rest of the world. We should be the leaders who let God shine through us. In a world prone to sinfulness, we who are crucified with Christ should be about restoration.
