Pride

You who are spiritual. Really, is their anyone fearing this who thinks they are not spiritual? The problem developing is the the admonition to assist other Christians in time of need without either looking down on their misfortune and unwilling to help because of their their deluded high self opinion. The other end is is verse 4 where we try to get someone to do what we do, playing manipulative victim. Both are forms of stinky, icky pride. And pride, above all other sins, is the sin God detests more than any other.

For some reason, we seem to put up with pride, it is welcome and received almost everywhere. The humble person realizes that all they have comes as an unwarranted gift from a gracious God.

Other

Law of Christ: Love one another. Trespass, go off mark, not  huge sin. Restore: to set  a broken bone or mend a fishing net. The verse at  1 Cor 2:15 shows us the insight of the spiritually mature Christian.  

Loads and Burdens

Gal 6:2  Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. Burden is the Greek word baros- it means weight, excessive load, connotation is somebody puts a hundred pound rock in your backpack. As this verse says, these are to be shared among Christians; we were never supposed or expected to bear burdens alone.

Gal 6:5  For each one shall bear his own load. Load here is the Greek word phortion, it means a load, or a cargo. A cargo is something that one is expected to carry, my share of responsibility. I spend  most of my working day, as a matter of fact, determining for my company’s package car drivers exactly what is a fair load, and not an excessive burden.

As is the Law of Love, so this giving is an evidence of the heart condition of the Christian. Jesus gives us the foundation in Luke 16:13 and its parallel  Mat 6:24. Again, it’s not a requirement, but an evidence, a fruit of the spirit.

By having the Galatians jumping through the circus hoops of the Law, especially circumcision, these people sought to dominate the Galatians and anyone they could suck in.

But Paul understood better than most. He, as a dominant Pharisee recognized the power of domination by being chained to the Law, and ultimately to recognize its meaninglessness in being saved from one’s sins.

The Judaizers sought to mutilate the body with circumcision; Paul had been mutilated for Christ and the Gospel by the marks he bore:

• 2 Cor 11:25-33 shows three times beaten with rods (Acts 16:22),
• Stoned in  Acts 14:29, shipwrecked in Acts 27, jailed,
• Let down in a basket to escape the Judaizers and on and on.

The message seems to be “Don’t tell me about body mutilation, I have lived it for Christ. The difference is that one is self-inflicted, the other, the result of preaching against (in essence) that very affliction!