No Verse Is an Island Unto Itself. “let us do good unto all ‘men’ [?]...”
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)
However, most liberal-minded (world-loving, compromising) Christians take this passage out of context (making the Word of God of none effect—sterilizing it, filing down its teeth). The King James Version improperly inserts the word “men”, though it is not in the Greek text. This adds confusion and leads to sin, because “all men” is not the intention of the passage. No verse is an island unto itself but must be harmonized with all other passages so that Scripture is not contradicted or violated by disobedience in ignoring other commands.
The more-likely translation of the Galatians passage might be:
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all: greatly so unto them who are of the household of faith.”
The final clause is not referring to a different class of people, but is an amplification of the previous clause (hence the proper punctuation is a colon) in terms of the vehemence / fervency of the action. This can be compared to other passages such as, “...and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore...” (Ephesians 6:13,14). The focus is on the action, which is repeated for emphasis like an “!”.
“Do good unto all” does not supersede or invalidate any other passage; such as:
- “Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.” (Deuteronomy 23:6);
- “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matthew 7:6);
- “It is not meet to take the Children’s Bread, and to cast it to dogs.” (Matthew 15:26);
[Dogs and swine refer to aliens; God refers to His people as sheep, His children.]
- “shouldest thou love the ungodly and do good unto them that hate the Lord?” (II Chronicles 19:2);
- “ye who love the Lord hate evil” (Psalm 97:10);
“10If there come any unto you, and bring not this Doctrine [of Christ—the full Word of God], receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” (II John 1)
[God speed is any verbal (or written) well-wish or blessing, even “have a nice day” or “take care” or “good bye” (good bye being the shortened form of the Old English, “God be wi ye”). God takes such things seriously; those who do not are not of God.]
- “17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing [people] and I will receive you, 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (II Corinthians 6);
[The word “thing” does not appear in the text. The intention is “those who are unclean” that is “the unclean”; people is the topic of this entire chapter of II Corinthians, as well as the chapter of Isaiah that is refers to. The remnant is leaving Babylon; God commanded separation from all the alien people before leaving. Those of God’s people who intermarry with those who are not God’s people, breed their offspring out of the family of God. Whether the world or the Apostate Church or liberal “Christians” like that or not—that is what God declared; even as He always commanded. Individuals would not have their “feelings” hurt had they not violated what God commanded.]
- “25Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. 26And ye shall be holy unto Me: for I the LORD am Holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be Mine.” (Leviticus 20)
[Clean and unclean animals did not descend from a common parent, neither did they “evolve”; God separated them in the very act of creating them completely different and unrelated; and so also did He with people. That is why He commanded separation.]
This passage in Galatians 6:10 cannot be talking about the wicked, aliens, or those of our kinsmen who are in unrepentant sin or who reject Christ (as expressed in the verses above; and of which other verses could have been listed). God does not waste His Breath, speaking needlessly, impotently, or contradict Himself.
Likewise, Galatians 6:10 does not supersede or invalidate the passages concerning the qualifications for widows to receive assistance from the church (I Timothy 5)—and those widows had to have been faithful, godly, obedient members of that congregation. Those who lived ungodly, in rebellion, in sin, even of widows of our own people, do not qualify for the “doing good” of Galatians 6:10).