Let us not grow weary in well-doingThis phrase encourages perseverance in doing good, a theme prevalent throughout the New Testament. The Greek word for "weary" implies becoming exhausted or losing heart. In the context of Galatians, Paul addresses the challenges faced by early Christians, who were often persecuted and tempted to revert to old ways. The call to "well-doing" aligns with the fruit of the Spirit mentioned earlier in
Galatians 5:22-23, emphasizing actions that reflect a life transformed by faith. The exhortation is reminiscent of Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, where believers are called to be the light of the world (
Matthew 5:14-16).
for in due time
This phrase points to God's perfect timing, which is often different from human expectations. The concept of "due time" is echoed inEcclesiastes 3:1, which speaks of a time for every purpose under heaven. It reassures believers that their efforts are not in vain, even if immediate results are not visible. The idea of divine timing is also seen in the life of Jesus, who often spoke of His "hour" not yet coming (John 2:4,John 7:30), indicating a divine schedule.
we will reap a harvest
The metaphor of reaping a harvest is common in Scripture, symbolizing the results of one's actions. In an agrarian society, this imagery would resonate deeply, as it speaks to the natural law of sowing and reaping. This principle is also found in2 Corinthians 9:6, where Paul discusses generosity. The harvest represents the blessings and rewards that come from faithful service and obedience to God. It also alludes to the ultimate harvest at the end of the age, as described inMatthew 13:39, where the righteous will be gathered into God's kingdom.
if we do not give up
This final phrase underscores the necessity of endurance. The Christian life is often depicted as a race (Hebrews 12:1), requiring perseverance to reach the finish line. The warning against giving up is a reminder of the spiritual warfare believers face, as described inEphesians 6:12. The call to steadfastness is echoed inJames 1:12, which promises a crown of life to those who persevere under trial. This perseverance is not in human strength but through reliance on the Holy Spirit, as seen inPhilippians 4:13, where Paul declares he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Paul the ApostleThe author of the letter to the Galatians, Paul was a key figure in the early Christian church, known for his missionary journeys and theological teachings.
2.
The Galatian ChurchesThe recipients of this letter, the churches in Galatia were dealing with issues of legalism and the influence of Judaizers who were teaching that Gentile Christians must follow Jewish law.
3.
The JudaizersA group within the early church advocating for the necessity of following Jewish law, including circumcision, for salvation.
4.
The Early Christian CommunityThe broader context of the early church, which was navigating the integration of Gentile believers and the implications of the gospel of grace.
5.
Harvest ImageryA common biblical metaphor used to describe the results of spiritual labor and the blessings that come from perseverance in faith.
Teaching Points
Perseverance in Doing GoodThe Greek word for "grow weary" implies losing heart or becoming discouraged. Believers are called to maintain their commitment to doing good, even when results are not immediately visible.
The Promise of a HarvestThe assurance of reaping a harvest "in due time" encourages believers to trust in God's timing. The Greek term for "due time" refers to the appointed or proper time, emphasizing divine timing over human impatience.
The Importance of Not Giving UpThe phrase "if we do not give up" highlights the necessity of endurance. The Christian life is likened to a marathon rather than a sprint, requiring sustained effort and faithfulness.
Faith in God's FaithfulnessTrusting in God's promises is crucial. The harvest is guaranteed by God's faithfulness, not by our efforts alone. This encourages believers to rely on God's strength rather than their own.
Community EncouragementThe use of "let us" indicates a communal effort. Believers are encouraged to support one another in the journey of faith, fostering a community that uplifts and encourages perseverance.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Galatians 6:9?
2.How can we avoid becoming weary in doing good, according to Galatians 6:9?
3.What does "at the proper time" mean in the context of Galatians 6:9?
4.How does Galatians 6:9 connect with the principle of sowing and reaping in Scripture?
5.What practical steps can we take to persevere in doing good works?
6.How does Galatians 6:9 encourage us to trust in God's timing and promises?
7.What does Galatians 6:9 teach about perseverance in the Christian faith?
8.How does Galatians 6:9 relate to the concept of divine timing?
9.Why is "not growing weary" emphasized in Galatians 6:9?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Galatians 6?
11.What does "Not Grow Weary in Doing Good" mean?
12.What is the Bible's view on self-pity?
13.Does Santa Claus have Christian origins?
14.What does "do not lose heart" mean?What Does Galatians 6:9 Mean
Let us not grow wearyPaul knows how easy it is to feel fatigued when we serve Christ day after day. Life piles on pressures, results can seem slow, and opposition is real. Yet Scripture repeatedly urges us to keep going:
•2 Thessalonians 3:13: “But as for you, brothers, do not grow weary in well-doing.”
•Hebrews 12:3 reminds us to “consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
•Isaiah 40:31 promises that “those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength.”
Staying refreshed means fixing our eyes on Jesus, leaning on the Spirit, and receiving encouragement from fellow believers (Hebrews 10:24-25).
in well-doing“Well-doing” covers every act that lines up with God’s will—large or small.
•Ephesians 2:10 says we were “created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
•Titus 3:8 calls us to “be intent on engaging in good works.”
•1 Timothy 6:18 urges believers “to do good, to be rich in good deeds.”
Everyday examples include:
– showing kindness at home and at work
– sharing the gospel (Romans 1:16)
– giving generously (2 Corinthians 9:7)
– standing for truth (Ephesians 4:25)
Nothing done in love for Christ is ever wasted (1 Corinthians 15:58).
for in due timeGod has a precise season for every harvest. His timetable may stretch our patience, yet it is always perfect.
•1 Peter 5:6: “Humble yourselves... that He may exalt you in due time.”
•Ecclesiastes 3:1: “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”
Waiting on His schedule deepens trust and protects us from forcing premature results. Delayed answers are not denied answers.
we will reap a harvestReaping is the certain outcome of sowing to the Spirit (Galatians 6:7-8). The Lord guarantees fruit:
•2 Corinthians 9:6: “Whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
•John 4:36: “Even now the reaper draws his wages and gathers fruit for eternal life.”
Harvest can look like:
– transformed character (Galatians 5:22-23)
– people coming to faith
– answered prayers and opened doors
– eternal rewards kept in heaven (Matthew 6:20)
God’s economy never fails; what we plant by faith yields more than we imagine.
if we do not give upPerseverance is the bridge between sowing and reaping. Quitting short-circuits the blessing.
•Hebrews 10:36: “You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.”
•Revelation 2:10: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
•James 1:12 assures, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial.”
Practical helps:
– abide in Christ daily through Word and prayer (John 15:4)
– lean on the Spirit’s power, not mere willpower (Galatians 5:16)
– seek mutual encouragement; “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17)
summaryGalatians 6:9 calls believers to steady, Spirit-empowered endurance. Don’t let fatigue silence your service. Keep investing in every good work God places before you. His timetable is trustworthy, His harvest is guaranteed, and perseverance secures the reward. Stay faithful—you will see the fruit.
(9)
And.--Rather,
But. There is something of a stress on "well-doing," which continues the idea of "sowing to the Spirit" in the verse before: "But in well-doing, &c."
Be weary.--Rather,let us not be faint-hearted; lose heart.
Verse 9. -
And let us not be weary in well-doing (
τὸ δὲ καλὸν ποιοῦντες μὴ ἐγκακῶμεν [Textus Receptus,
ἐκκακῶμεν]);
but in doing that which is good,
let us not flag. That is, some sow unto their own flesh, some unto the Spirit; let us be of those who do that which is commendable; and not that only; let us do it with an unflagging spirit. Such seems to be the swaying of thought in the sentence; hence the position of the participial phrase before the verb: the participle is not a mere qualification of the verb, as it is in the rendering, "Let us not be weary in well-doing," and as it is in
2 Thessalonians 3:13; but, with an implied exhortation that such should be the case, it supposes that we are of the better class, and founds upon the supposition the exhortation not to flag. "That which is commendable (
τὸ καλόν)" recites, not works of beneficence only, but every species of moral excellence, comprising in brief the enumeration given in
Philippians 4:8, all of which is included in "sowing unto the Spirit," The verb
ἐγκακεῖν occurs in five other places of the New Testament -
Luke 18:1;
2 Corinthians 4:1, 16;
Ephesians 3:13;
2 Thessalonians 3:13. In every one of these six passages some of the manuscripts present the variant reading of
ἐκκακεῖν, which in all is adopted in the Textus Receptus, but is in all replaced with the general consent of recent editors by
ἐγκακεῖν. It is, indeed, questioned whether
ἐκκακεῖν is ever used by any Greek author. The difference in meaning is material:
ἐγκακεῖν is to be bad in doing a thing; while
ἐκκακεῖν, would probably mean to be so bad at a course of action as to leave it
off altogether. In the first four of the above-cited passages it is tendered in the Authorized Version by "faint;" whilst in
2 Thessalonians 3:13 and here it is rendered "be weary," that is, "flag." In all the notion of flagging appears the most suitable, and in
2 Corinthians 4:1, 16 necessary. In the present passage the course of thought requires us to understand it as not so strong a word as
ἐκλύεσθαι. Critics point attention to the play of phrase in connecting the expression, doing that which is
commendable or good, with the verb denoting being
bad at doing it. So in
2 Thessalonians 3:13,
μὴ ἐγκακήσητε καλοποιοῦντες. The epigrammatic combination would seem to have been a favourite one with St. Paul, occurring as it does in two letters written several years apart. Such playfulness is not foreign to his style. The use of the first person plural
may be merely cohortative, as above in
Galatians 5:24. But it may also he a real self-exhortation as well. In the long, long, weary, arduous conflict which St. Paul was waging throughout his Christian career, the flesh must often have felt weak, and have required the application of this goad. And this tone of personal feeling may, perhaps, be further discerned in the use of the phrase, "in due season;" the blessed reaping of joy may seem to us at times long in coming; but God's time for its coming will be the best time; let us, therefore, be resigned to wait for that. This seems to be the tone of the
καιροῖςἰδίοις, "in its own times," of
1 Timothy 6:15.
For in due season we shall reap, if we faintnot (
καιρῷ γὰρ ἰδίῳ θερίσομεν μὴ ἐκλυόμενοι)
. for at its own season we shall reap,
if we faint not.Καιρὸς ἴδιος is the season assigned to an event in the counsels of God; as in
2 Thessalonians 2:6,
ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ καῖρῳ, "in his season," of the revelation of the "man of lawlessness."
Καιροῖς ἰδίοις is used in
1 Timothy 6:15 with reference, as here, to the day of judgment; and in
1 Timothy 2:6 and
Titus 1:3, of the manifestation of the gospel. In every case the phrase appears to intimate that the season appointed by God, though not what man might have anticipated or wished, was, however, to be acquiesced in as wisest and best (see last note). The reaping is the same as that referred to in the previous two verses. "If we faint not." The verb
ἐκλύεσθαι in
Matthew 15:32 and
Mark 8:2 is to faint physically from exhaustion. In
Hebrews 12:3, 5 it is used of succumbing, giving in, morally; not merely feeling weak, but in consequence of weakness giving up all further effort. In this latter sense it occurs in the Septuagint of
Joshua 18:3 and in 1 Macc. 9:8. And this last is its meaning here. It expresses more than the flagging of spirit before mentioned; for that would not forfeit the reward of past achievement, unless it led to the actual relinquishment of further endeavour; this last would forfeit it (comp.
Revelation 3:11 and
2 John 1:8). Taking it thus, there is no occasion for understanding this phrase, "not fainting," as several of the Greek commentators do, including apparently Chrysostom, as if it meant thus: "We shall reap without any fear of fainting or becoming weary any more;" which surely, as Alford observes, gives a vapid turn to the sentence.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Let us not grow wearyἐνκακῶμεν(enkakōmen)Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1573:To be faint, be weary. From ek and kakos; to be weak, i.e. to fail.[in] well-doing,καλὸν(kalon)Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 2570:Properly, beautiful, but chiefly good, i.e. Valuable or virtuous.forγὰρ(gar)Conjunction
Strong's 1063:For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.in dueἰδίῳ(idiō)Adjective - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2398:Pertaining to self, i.e. One's own; by implication, private or separate.timeκαιρῷ(kairō)Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2540:Fitting season, season, opportunity, occasion, time. Of uncertain affinity; an occasion, i.e. Set or proper time.we will reap a harvest,θερίσομεν(therisomen)Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 2325:To reap, gather, harvest. From theros; to harvest.if we do not give up.ἐκλυόμενοι(eklyomenoi)Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 1590:To loose, release, unloose (as a bow-string), relax, enfeeble; pass: To be faint, grow weary. From ek and luo; to relax.
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NT Letters: Galatians 6:9 Let us not be weary in doing (Gal. Ga) 
