According to his usual custom, the Apostle Paul divided his letter to the Galatians into two parts, a theological part (chapters 1-4) and a practical, or hortatory, part (chapters 5-6). Chapters 5 and 6 have four main sections. In 5:1-15, God instructs us in the proper use of our liberty and in verses 16-26 about the meaning of walking according to the Spirit. Chapter 6:1-10 is about bearing one another’s burdens and verses 11-18 form the conclusion.
Chapter 6:1-10 has two parts. The first five verses are especially about bearing one another’s burdens by restoring those who have been overtaken in trespass, and the last five are about bearing one another’s burdens by doing good to all. In this brief post, we’ll look just at verses 1-5 and in a later post, God willing, at verses 6-10.
Understanding the structure of verses 1-5 helps with understanding the basic message. The structure is not precisely a chiasm, but it has some of the characteristics of chiasms. Verse 3 is the center and gives the ground for the surrounding exhortations. The two exhortations in verses 1 and 2 are about our dealings with our brothers and sisters in the church and the two in verses 4 and 5 (the exhortation in verse 5 is implied rather than directly stated) about ourselves. So far, it seems a pretty straightforward chiasm, but note now that the symmetry of the two sides is not quite what we would expect. Verse 1 does not correspond with verse 5 (as in a normal chiasm) but with verse 4. Note the secondary exhortations (the primary ones are to restore the sinner and bear one another’s burdens) to consider yourself (v. 1) and to examine your own work. And verse 2 does not correspond with verse 4 but with verse 5. Both verses talk about bearing burdens (load in v.5). In brief, the structure is not ABCBA (normal chiasm), but ABCAB, where each letter represents a consecutive verse.
What’s the point of this careful construction? It makes clear that verses 4 and 5 are a continuation of the thought of verses 1 and 2 and that verse 3 applies to all the surrounding verse, not just to verse 1 and 2.
Verses 4 and 5, therefore, explain in more detail what it means to consider yourself lest you also be tempted. Each part of those verses has something to contribute to the explanation.
“Let each one examine his own work.” This adds two things. 1) In dealing with a brother who has sinned, we are not only to consider ourselves, but especially to examine our own work. The thrust of it is very similar to Jesus’ words about removing the beam from your own eye before you try to take the speck from your brother’s. 2) When we are dealing with a brother’s sin, we have a very strong tendency to focus entirely on what he has done and to forget that we have sinned at least as greatly as he, though perhaps in different matters. We must not think that we are better than our sinning brother. Let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.
“Then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” Other passages (e.g. Rom. 4:2, 1 Cor. 5:6) translate the word for rejoicing with boasting or glorying. That would be better here also. Paul is saying, as it were, examine your own work and then boast in it, if you can. The words have a sharp edge to them that is meant to remind us that we have no more reason for boasting (cf. v. 14) than our sinning brother. That clarifies also the meaning of the final phrase of the verse, “and not in another.” When our brother sins, we like to compare ourselves favorably with him. We have boasting in him. We justify ourselves in relation to him. We say to ourselves, and perhaps to others at least by implication, “I would never do a thing like that.” Paul says, “If you’re going to boast, boast in yourself, not in another. Don’t put down your brother to exalt yourself.”
This also sharpens our understanding of verse 5. “Each one shall bear his own load.” If you examine your own work honestly, you will find that you have at least as great a burden of sin to bear as your brother. And, if you know that, then you will be able to restore him in the right spirit, the spirit of humility and helping him to bear his burden. You will approach him not as a Pharisee and righteous man, but as a fellow sinner.
Verse 3 gives the ground for all these exhortations: “If anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” If you think you are something when you see your brother sin, that just exacerbates your basic problem of pride and self-deceit. You are nothing. You are nothing in yourself. You also become nothing to your brother. You cannot help him bear his burden if you are not bearing your own and if you have been overtaken by the sin of pride.
The Scriptures here teach us a profound wisdom, the wisdom of fearing the Lord and esteeming others better than ourselves.
Next time we’ll look at verses 6-10.