There are issues in which believers will disagree. In such cases, we should understand that we will independently stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
At times, believers tend to get at odds with other believers. Instead, we should be thankful for our fellow believers and the benefits they bring to the body.
Christianity was never intended to be made up of mindless and robotic men and women. People can come to different conclusions without being sinful in doing so.
More knowledgeable Christians should never mock or disdain weaker believers, nor should they become stumblingstones toward these brethren.
People's motives in serving Christ vary from pure to sinful. However, other men’s motives should not rob us of the joy of Jesus Christ being preached.
Those who are constantly defending themselves in the midst of wrongdoing find it difficult to receive knowledge and understanding. This is the point of today's passage. Our society increasingly resorts to making excuses as to why they feel it unnecessary to be taught or corrected for wrongdoing. Unfortunately, many Christians are increasingly guilty of this same character flaw. However, the Bible promises to guide the meek in judgment; that is, the meek will be led of the Lord in matters of judgment. In addition to this leading, the Lord will also teach the meek His way. However, when we are quick to defend ourselves when feeling threatened, we will not learn the Lord's lessons. We will not be guided by Him in judgment, nor will we be taught His way.
Every Christian is called to be a servant of the Lord toward others. In this service, God specifically instructs us how to serve in the right way and with the right spirit. The Bible shows us that God’s servants should be “gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient.” Additionally, believers should instruct in meekness “those that oppose themselves.” Unfortunately, God’s people often struggle with balance and overcompensate or undercompensate in their dealings with the lost or the backslidden. For instance, Christians sometimes allow the wicked to gain control when they fail to respond. Those who do speak up sometimes oppose their adversaries with a vengeful anger. Neither extreme follows God's precepts. As God’s servants, we are to respond to others in God’s behalf using His methods. God desires to give the lost and the backslidden “repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” so “that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” We should strive to assist in bringing about God's desired outcomes.
Most saved women who have an unsaved spouse would testify that their chief concern lies with seeing their husbands come to know Christ as Saviour. The context of today's passage reveals how an unsaved husband can be won to Christ through his wife's actions. Displaying a meek and quiet spirit is paramount in such efforts. This meekness is to be worn and displayed much like an ornament, and such a spirit is of great price in the sight of God. Most women who are married to unsaved men will admit that their husbands tend to treat them with a lessening degree of devotion as the marriage ages. Regardless, the Bible admonishes wives in this situation to respond in meekness toward their husbands with the goal of winning them to Christ. Today's passage specifically applies to wives with unsaved husbands but also has far reaching application to all believers.
Today's passage contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. The works of the flesh are works done by man in his own strength and abilities; whereas, the fruit of the Spirit is the natural growth in the believer's life when surrendered to the leading of God's Spirit. The Bible lists eighteen works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) but only one ninefold fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The fruit of the Spirit includes many wonderful things such as love, joy, and peace. However, meekness remains one of most undervalued characteristics in that list. Similar to the other fruit, meekness should naturally mature in the believer's life as he yields to the Lord. When a believer lacks meekness, it is because he is not properly surrendered to God's will.
The Bible describes the Corinthian Church as carnal. In fact, some of the believers at Corinth had become puffed up that Paul was not personally coming to visit them. Instead, the apostle Paul sent Timothy to the church of God at Corinth with words of warning. Paul informed them that he could come to them with the rod of judgment or “in love, and in the spirit of meekness.” Paul strongly believed in dealing with wayward believers in the spirit of meekness. He expressed as much in Galatians 6:1 when he wrote: “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.” Paul favoured restoration and believed that responding in love and meekness was generally the best avenue for that restoration. Often, the prideful response of those who should be reacting spiritually toward wayward believers simply drives these believers further away from God.
