community group discussion guide

Forgiveness and Renewal

Galatians 6:1-10
(3/10/24)

5 minutes

During Lent, spend the first 5 minutes as a group, privately reflecting on these three questions. The first two questions will remain the same each week, and the third will swap out. (Note for CG leaders: Add an optional discussion time as you see fit.)

  1. Where do I need to renew my relationship with God?
  2. Who do I need to forgive and whose forgiveness do I need to seek?
  3. Who do I need to treat with grace and gentle restoration?

introduction

As we continue in our sermon series on Forgiveness and Renewal, we now consider the significance of the gospel in creating a restorative community. The Apostle Paul instructs the Galatian church to restore and support one another with a spirit of gentleness when facing moral failures. The passage we’ll look at today underscores the importance of perseverance in doing what is good and extending grace to all, especially within the church community.

opening question

How hard is it for you to invite a Christian friend into your life to carry your burden?

read Galatians 6:1-10 (ESV)

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.

6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Take a few moments to reflect on the Scripture. Share some insights, questions, or points that strike you. Then read what follows.

growing in and with christian community

Why we should be humble and gentle to help others. Growing more acquainted with our temptations and sins, and experiencing Christ’s forgiveness should make us into a people who are more humble and grateful. How can we mock and look down at others’ failures when we ourselves fall short and receive God’s undeserved mercies? We are able to be humble and gentle with others because we are conscious that each of us is susceptible to temptation.

Who should restore others and how do you do it? In writing to the Galatians, “the Apostle Paul knew that believers will falter, and he may have feared that the Galatians would respond harshly to one of their own if he or she failed to meet the high standards of the Christian life”1 (which he discusses in the previous chapter, Galatians 5). So, Paul points out at least two things: 1) who should do the work of restoring those caught in sin (v. 1), and 2) what is the manner in which the restoring of another should be done.

Paul instructs the Galatians that those who are spiritual should restore those caught in sin in a spirit of gentleness (v. 1). Here, Paul is not alluding to the kind of lenience that overlooks the sin that’s in view, but he is calling for the kind of sensitivity and consideration with no hint of arrogant superiority. Consider a helpful imagery: the word “gentleness” (v. 1) in the original Greek was also the same medical vocabulary of ancient Greece that meant “to set a fractured or dislocated bone.”

Not giving up. Paul’s emphasis on restoring those who have fallen is one of many specific duties and instructions that the apostle outlines (throughout chapters 5-6) for the Galatians to practice in doing good to one another. And John Calvin explains why Paul deliberately reminds the Galatians of such duties—naturally, we are lazy in demonstrating love in action and we let trifles get in the way of loving people. Calvin knew that Christians are limited human beings who get discouraged, exhausted, and drained in their efforts to care for many people who are unworthy, ungrateful, and needy. So, Paul affirms the Galatians and encourages them to keep doing the good work, so that they will not faint through weariness.

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1 Silva, Moises. The New Bible Commentary, Galatians, p 1219.
  1. What does Paul mean by those who are “spiritual” in verse 1?
  1. Why is spiritual maturity an important condition for taking the initiative to seek restoration for those who have been caught in sin?
  1. Discuss the imagery of a fractured or a dislocated bone in light of restoring someone gently. What practical wisdom can you draw from this imagery as you think about what gentle restoration can look like?
  1. What are some common challenges or obstacles that we might face in persevering in doing good (v. 9)?
  1. Believers are duty bound to do good to all persons whether or not they are Christians. Are there opportunities that God might have divinely given to you to fulfill (v. 10)?

group application

How can our community group actively seek opportunities to do good to all people, both within and outside the church? And what impact can this have on our witness and the spread of God’s love?

invitation to pray

Would you join us in praying for Redeemer West Side as we search for our next senior pastor? You can use the following meditative prayer guide to reflect on God’s living word and to intercede on behalf of our church. It will be updated monthly with new Scripture and prayer requests.

Note: If your group is short on time, you can start with the 3rd reading.

Tips for small groups:

  • Four volunteers can be the scripture readers.
  • The facilitator can read the silent reflection questions aloud and keep time (30–60 seconds).

During the prayer times after the 2nd and 3rd readings, we encourage you to use the style of conversational prayer, which emphasizes listening and uses short prayers that build upon one another. Review the Conversational Prayer Guide together before you begin.

meditative prayer

Psalm 40:1-4

I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!

1st Reading: Read the Scripture aloud twice.
  • Silent reflection: What words or phrases stand out to you?
  • Share with the group: Take turns saying those words or phrases aloud.

2nd Reading: Read the Scripture aloud. 
  • Silent reflections (30–60 seconds each):
    • In your life, how has God shown you his presence and trustworthiness?
    • How has God shown his faithfulness to our church?
  • Pray conversationally about these topics: 
    • Who God is (his attributes; “God, you are…”) 
    • What God has done for you personally, for Redeemer, and for our City

3rd Reading: Read the Scripture aloud.
  • Silent reflections (30–60 seconds each):Based on these verses, how can you confidently and expectantly intercede on behalf of Redeemer West Side?
  • Pray conversationally about these topics: 
    • This transition period of our church
    • Pastors, staff, lay leaders, congregants
    • In February, the pastor search committee published our church and pastor profile and identified initial candidates to interview, and will continue the interview process in the month of March. While we will provide monthly updates to the congregation, to maintain the purity of the process, these interviews and candidates will remain confidential. We are humbled by the trust you have placed in us, and continue to rely on your prayers through this expectant phase of our work.
    • Redeemer’s future as part of God’s continued movement in the City

© 2024 Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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