Deeper Commentary
CHAPTER 6
6:1
Brothers, even if a man is caught in any sin-
The Greek literally
refers to a fall; and the fall in view is the falling from faith in grace
of 5:4.
You who are spiritual-
Paul has been lamenting how the Galatians generally have left the way of
the Spirit, granted to believers who have fallen upon Christ as Abraham's
seed in faith alone. Paul seems to be advising the minority who remained
faithful to that calling as to how they should deal with the many who were
"at fault" in having rejected grace for legalism.
Restore
such a one in a spirit of gentleness, looking
to yourself-
“Restore” is elsewhere translated "perfect". God is at work to perfect or
literally 'mend' His people (s.w. Heb. 13:21; 1 Pet. 5:10). But He does so
through our efforts. Our attempts to restore others therefore have His
full co-working behind us. Note that like the parable of the lost sheep,
the assumption is made that we will be successful in the restoration. We
are to approach all such attempts, difficult and awkward as they are, with
the full hope that there will be a positive outcome.
Lest you also be tempted-
Recognizing, in this context, that the temptation to legalism is every
man's struggle. It's easy to forget this when dealing with legalistic
brethren.
6:2 Carry one another's burdens- I have suggested on :1 that the
particular fault or fall which is in view is the return to Jewish
legalism. The demands of such legalism are called "burdens" in Mt. 23:4;
Lk. 11:46 and particularly in this context Acts 15:28 "no greater burden".
Those who were spiritual, led of the Spirit, were not themselves burdened;
but they were to enter into the feelings of those who had burdened
themselves with unnecessary burdens. This was the spirit of Paul when he
wrote that to those under the law, he made himself as if under the law:
"To them that are under the law, I became as one under the law (though I
am not under the law), that I might gain those that are under the law" (1
Cor. 9:20). We wonder whether in fact Paul has in view Christians who had
returned "under the law", for he has used that phrase about the Galatians
in 5:18. It's too easy to shrug at the mental torments some get themselves
into, thinking 'Well that's their problem'. It is, but we are to walk
those burdened miles with them in order to restore them.
And so fulfil the law of Christ-
If we understand ‘the law of Christ’ in the same sense as ‘the law of
Moses’ then we have missed the crucial message that is in Christ; we have
merely exchanged one legal code for another. His is a spirit of grace
which specifically, legally demands nothing and yet by the same token
demands our all. And so in all our living and thinking, we must constantly
be asking ‘What would Jesus do? Is this the way of God’s Spirit? Is this
how the law of love teaches me to act? ’. To live the life of the Spirit,
to construct in daily living an ambience of spiritual life, is therefore a
binding law. Living according to the spirit / mind / example of Jesus will
mean that we naturally find the answers to some of the practical dilemmas
which may arise in our lives.
6:3 For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he
deceives himself- Paul has just warned at the end of chapter 5 about
the vainglory which comes from legalistic obedience. The basis of
salvation is that we realize that we are "nothing", and on that basis come
to the Lord for justification by grace through faith alone, knowing we
have no obedience to show. Even if we have obeyed some points, such as
circumcision, if we have not always obeyed the entire law, then we are
nothing. Paul applied the term to himself when arguing that although he
has "nothing" yet he "possesses all things" (2 Cor. 6:10) - a reference to
the promises to Abraham and his seed, and the language he uses in Gal. 4:1
about our inheritance- the heir who has nothing in hand shall possess all
things if he associates with the one true Heir, the Lord Jesus.
6:4 But let each man test his own work- In the context of arguing
about works, Paul is inviting those who trust in works to put those works
through the tests he has just spoken out in his argument about works.
Whilst it may be hard to believe, this says that we can prove / test /
judge our own works, and thus have rejoicing in ourselves. Although
self-examination is fraught with problems, and even our conscience can be
deceptive at times (1 Cor. 4:4), there is a sense in which we can judge /
discern ourselves now. We can judge brethren and find them blameless (1
Tim. 3:10; Tit. 1:6,7)- all the language of the future judgment (1 Cor.
1:8; Col. 1:22). We cannot personally condemn them, but we can judge their
behaviour against the judgments of God as revealed in the word. Some know
the judgments of God against certain sins, and yet still do them, in the
blindness of human nature (Rom. 1:32). Israel chose to be oblivious of
what they well knew; there was no (awareness of) God's judgment in their
way of life (Is. 59:8; Jer. 5:4) and therefore they lacked that innate
sense of judgment to come which they ought to have had, as surely as the
stork knows the coming time for her migration (Jer. 8:7). Judas knew in
advance of judgment day that he was condemned (Mt. 27:3).
And then shall he have his boasting in regard to himself alone, and not of his neighbour- Perhaps this is
sarcasm. Given his argument about the inadequacy of works, Paul may be
saying that of course nobody can boast in their works. For at the end of
chapter 5 he has criticized the vainglory of legalists in their few good
works. The "boasting" later on in this chapter (6:13) was of the Judaist
brethren. And Paul teaches against all such boasting: "But far be it for
me to boast" (:14).
But the words are also capable of being read as a statement about how
self-examination brings us face to face with our essential loneliness in a
healthy way: “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is
nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and
then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another” (Gal.
6:2-4). It is possible to have rejoicing in ourselves alone when we know
we have a clear conscience before the Father. But this can only come
through being genuinely in touch with oneself; the person who is subsumed
within an organization, who is totally co-dependent rather than an
individual freely standing before the Father… such a person can never
reach this level of self-knowledge. The N.I.V. says: “Then he can take
pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else”. We are
treading a terrible tightrope here, between the deadly sin of pride on the
one side, and the sin of devaluing our own God-formed personality on the
other. Only a person in touch with him or herself can have the rejoicing
or pride in one’s clear conscience [cleansed, of course, by grace in
Christ] of which Paul speaks here. Paul seems to have in mind the words of
Job when he speaks of how he will in the very end behold God with his own
eyes, “and not another” (Job 19:27).
Not only are we to perceive the value of others, but of ourselves too.
Gal. 5:26; 6:4 RV make the point that we shouldn’t be desirous of vainglory,
but of “his glorying in regard of himself alone”. Secured in Christ,
justified in Him, we can even glory in who we are in His eyes. We can be
so sure of His acceptance of us that there is such a thing as “the
glorying of our hope” (Heb. 3:6)- all ours to explore and experience.
6:5 For each man shall carry his own burden- I have argued on :2
that the burdens in view are those of keeping the Jewish Law. Even if we
try to walk with others on their burdened, legalistic road- we may not
succeed. And finally they will have to carry their own burdens.
By our words we will be justified or condemned. The false prophets were
judged according to their words: "Every man's word shall be his burden" at
the day of Babylonian judgment (Jer. 23:36). Gal. 6:5 alludes here in
saying that at the judgment, every man shall bear his own burden- i.e.,
that of his own words. And those words, in the context, would have been
statements and demands concerning obedience to law. These positions will
be cited back to me at the day of judgment.
6:6 One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one
who teaches- It could be that Paul now addresses some practical issues
in Galatia. However, he has urged them not to abandon him and to return to
him personally, and to resist the influence of others who were trying to
replace his influence. I have suggested throughout that perhaps he was
taking it all rather too personally. It could be that this teaching is
another example. He was the one who had taught them the word, as he had
often reminded them throughout the letter. Perhaps he is hinting that they
ought to be sending him material support, and indeed, they had a duty to
do that. The "good things" would appear from :10 to be the 'good' of
generosity to those in need, whether in the world or within the family of
faith. By doing so, they would de facto be declaring their loyalty
to him rather than some other unnamed individual who was seeking to have
them as his disciples and to poison them against Paul (5:10).
If the "good things" refer to the things taught by the teacher, then we
learn that even though some may be shepherds, they are still sheep; and
they are leading others after the Lord Jesus, “the chief shepherd”, not
after themselves. And they should remember that Gal. 6:6 requires “him
that is taught in the word” to share back his "good things", his knowledge
in Christ, with his teacher. This is possibly the meaning behind the
enigmatic Eph. 3:10- the converts of the church declare the wisdom of God
to the ‘principalities and powers in the heavenlies’, phrases elsewhere
used about the eldership of the church. The shepherd is to learn from his
sheep- a concept totally out of step with the idea of leadership in 1st
and 21st centuries alike.
6:7 Be not deceived- The natural connection is with the warning in
:3 to the self-righteous, self-congratulatory Judaists not to deceive
themselves- by thinking that a few acts of legal obedience such as
circumcision were the way to salvation. Paul here uses the same word the
Lord often uses in warning that in the last days, the believers must be
careful not to be deceived; as if Paul saw the collapse in Christ-centered
faith as a sign of His return. John uses the same word about the deceivers
who were seducing his converts to return to Judaism (1 Jn. 2:26; 3:7). The
"deceivers" are described as being "especially of the circumcision" (Tit.
1:10). This warning not to be deceived is similar to the message of :1-
that those with the Spirit should seek to restore those who had turned to
Judaism, but considering themselves lest they also be tempted (see notes
there).
God is not mocked-
To assume our obedience to commandment can save us is to mock God,
connecting us with the Jews who mocked the Lord Jesus on the cross, at the
very time He ended the Law and confirmed the new covenant of gracious
salvation.
For whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap- Knowing the terror of the Lord at the judgment,
knowing that Christ will come, Paul sought to use this to persuade men,
such as the believers at Corinth, to quit their sloppy attitude to God's
Truth. Properly apprehending the reality of judgment to come makes us see
the eye of the tiger, grasp the real issues of spiritual life, see the
real essence of cross carrying Christianity. We will believe that
whatever we sow, that we will reap; and we will therefore live
accordingly. "That" shall he also reap is emphasized by the Greek.
Those who trusted in works would reap what they had sowed- their few
paltry works. Nothing more would be added; the Lord's all necessary
righteousness would not be imputed to them, for they thought they didn't
need it, like the man who entered the wedding without a provided garment.
6:8 For he that sows to his own flesh- We have noted throughout
Galatians that Paul considers those now trusting in their own works to be
effectively paganic, Ishmael's children rather than Isaac's; and children
of the flesh (Gal. 4:29). Sowing to the flesh was by seeking justification
through their own works. And they would reap the result of that at
judgment day. 'Sowing to the flesh' is alluding to Eliphaz's description
of Job in Job 4:8. Eliphaz interprets Job's downfall as an example of
"they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same" (Job 4:8).
The conscious connection between these passages shows that Job was seen as
a type of the Jewish, self-righteous, often Judaist-influenced, members of
the ecclesia. However, the same passage also has connections with Job
13:9, where Job accuses the friends of mocking God- Paul has just spoken
of how the Judaizers were mocking God (:7). Gal. 6 is saying that those
who show themselves to be outwardly wise (:3), "making a fair show in the
flesh (constraining) you to be circumcised" (:12), are mocking God. Thus
the sweet-talking Judaizers infiltrating the believers in Galatia
correspond to both Job and the friends. Job learnt the lesson which all
Judaists have to learn.
Shall of the flesh reap corruption- At the day of judgment, the faithful shall have their corruption
swallowed up into incorruption (1 Cor. 15:42,50). But the rejected will
not be changed- they will remain in "corruption", because they reaped
exactly what they sowed. Which was their own works and their own effort to
attain salvation. Significantly, Col. 2:22 uses the same word about how
the Jewish commandments are to corrupt [AV "perish"]. This is where legal
obedience ends up.
But he that sows to the Spirit,
shall of the Spirit reap eternal life- As noted on :1, those who trusted in grace by faith and not works were
filled with the Spirit. Trusting in the operation of the Spirit and not
our own works is therefore 'sowing to the Spirit'. But the majority of New
Testament references to "he that sows" are to the Lord Jesus as He
features in the sower parable- nearly 40 such references! And it is He who
will 'reap' at judgment day (Mt. 25:24,26), sending forth His reapers who
are the Angels. The idea of reaping of the Spirit is a continuation of the
connection with 1 Cor. 15:42-44, which speaks of the resurrection as
corruption receiving incorruption, and the flesh being turned into Spirit.
So the reference is to the Lord's work at the resurrection and judgment.
Paul is cleverly changing the focus of the well known saying that a man
reaps what he sows. Indeed, if a man sows to the flesh by trusting in his
own works, he will reap corruption. But the Lord Jesus sows to the Spirit,
and those who respond to the Spirit He gives will be reaped by Him unto
eternal life. Thus the true believer in Christ will not be doing works
thinking that a reward will be received for them at judgment day. Rather
are we to allow and follow the work of the Spirit, the sowing of the
sower, the Lord Jesus; and He shall reap us into life eternal.
6:9 And let
us not be weary in doing well- Paul is balancing his position
by emphasizing that he is not at all teaching that we should not do works.
Those works, however, are motivated by a response to the great and saving
grace we have been shown. The Galatians had grown weary of the great
response to grace; and had preferred therefore to seek justification by
works, for that actually demands less "doing well".
For in due season-
At the day of judgment. We have noted the allusions to 1 Cor. 15, which
presents that as the time of reaping and incorruption. See on :10 As we
have opportunity.
We shall reap, if we do not give up- We as well as the Lord Jesus shall reap (see on :8 But he that sows
to the Spirit). The problem was that the Galatians were indeed 'giving
up'. They were giving up their understanding of salvation by faith without
works, and instead going for salvation by works. But their well doing,
their good works, were in fact decreasing! They were giving up sowing to
the Spirit! This is such a powerful point. Those who are truly grateful
for salvation by grace alone will respond far more enthusiastically than
those who think their good deeds can secure their salvation. The same
Greek word for "give up" is used in Heb. 12:3 about the Hebrew believers
who were also returning to the Law likewise being tempted to 'give up' or
"faint".
6:10 So then, as we have opportunity- This is the same word
kairos that has just been used in :9 regarding the "due season" or
time when we shall reap what we sowed. And that day is the future day of
judgment. But each "opportunity" or "time" is in fact judgment day for us.
For in essence, judgment is now.
Let us work that which is good toward all men- Paul is not saying 'Don't work! You don't need to,
under grace!'. Rather he is urging belief in the wonder of salvation
without works of obedience, knowing that belief in this will result in a
life and heart being totally gripped for Christ. No way can we be passive
to it. And we will indeed work what is good for all men. The "good" is to
be connected with the "good things" of :6; see note there.
And especially toward those that are in the family of the faith-
The believers generally
belonged to house churches, which were part of the patria of God
(Eph. 3:15). They belonged to another household, a household which they
perceived by faith- the household of faith. No wonder Celsus complained
that Christianity led its followers into rebellion against the heads of
households. Doubtless he was exaggerating, but the idea of having another
head of house, another patria , was indeed obnoxious to a slave
owning society. This is why the language of slavery permeates so much of
the New Testament letters; for according to Christianity’s critics, it was
largely a slave, female religion to start with. And of course, the unity
between slave women and free women in the house churches was amazing; it
cut across all accepted social boundaries of separation. The Martyrdom
Of Perpetua And Felicitas tells the story of how a Christian mistress
(Perpetua) and a slave girl (Felicitas) are thrown together into the nets
to be devoured by wild animals, standing together as they faced death.
This was the kind of unity which converted the world. There was to be now
the "household of faith", with people from all the 'other' groups now to
be accepted as 'brother' and 'sister', which meant denying the natural
ties to your family in the way that surrounding society expected- for to
them, loyalty had to be to family above all else. Denying this and putting
our bonding with Christ and His family first was indeed equivalent
to self-crucifixion (Mk. 8:34).
6:11- see on 2 Cor. 12:7.
See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand- Apparently a reference
to Paul's poor eyesight, and the fact he had written the entire letter
himself rather than through a scribe, as he wrote some other letters. He
mentions this because he has reminded them of how they wanted to pluck out
their eyes and given them to him (4:15). He has reminded them of that in
the hope that such an appeal to personal history together might provoke
their loyalty to him once again, and they would accept his rebuke and
return to faith in Christ. I have noted several times in these notes that
Paul's approach to the Galatians seems to me rather too high pressure, as
if he had overly invested in them personally to such an extent that he was
willing to apply all manner of pressure to bring them back to his fold of
influence. Maybe I'm being too hard on Paul, but the obvious observation
is surely that they ought to be following Jesus and the word of God rather
than Paul personally. Yet he is certainly here making a personal tug at
heartstrings over issues which concern life and death, and deeply personal
decisions about what we shall base our faith upon- law or grace. And these
issues can only finally be decided between a person and their God, rather
than as a function of their human relationship to a preacher.
6:12- see on Gal. 4:30.
It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be
circumcised- I suggested on 4:8
that this might mean 'To trust in circumcision'; for there are several
references to the Galatians returning to Judaism, as if the
audience was largely comprised of Jewish Christians. Paul began his letter
by using this same Greek word translated "forced" in complaining that
Peter had forced Gentile converts to live as the Jews; and noting that
when Titus had visited the Jerusalem ecclesia, he had not been forced to
be circumcised (2:3,14).
And only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ- This suggests that
those applying the pressure were already within the Christian movement,
who were feeling keenly the abhorrence of "the cross of Christ" which was
felt by both Jews and Gentiles.
6:13 For not even they who receive circumcision do themselves fully
keep the law- This recalls Paul's argument in chapter 5 that
circumcision is only one of the whole package of Laws; without completely
obeying the entire Law, those under the Law would be condemned.
But they desire to have you circumcised so they can boast about you- This suggests that the
'boasting' about works in :4 is being said sarcastically. Salvation by
works of obedience breeds pride and boasting; and such mindsets and
communities typically place much boasting on how many others they have
converted to their position. That was the situation in the Galatian
churches.
6:14 But far be it for me to boast except
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ- Paul's encouragement of some to boast in their
works in :4 is therefore surely sarcasm. The connection with :4 suggests
that Paul felt he had no works to boast about; rather he would only boast
in what Christ has done for Him. This is similar to the spirit of :8;
where the man who sows his works and reaps them is contrasted not with the
man who sows spiritual works and reaps them- but with the Jesus who sows
and reaps. It's not about us- it's all about Him.
Through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world- Another reference to
his co-crucifixion with Christ in baptism (2:20). We are therefore
crucified to the world because that is what Christ was. "The world" in the
context of :13 could refer to the need humans feel to be acting well in
the eyes of the world; the pride of life which is part of "all that is in
the world". Paul says he was not interested in how he looked to the world,
and whether his belief in the cross of Christ made him look obnoxious and
led to persecution (:12). Because he was hanging there with Christ,
identified with Him, and crucified thereby in the eyes of the world as
Christ had been. And thereby likewise the world, the desire to be seen as
smart and acceptable by our world, had been crucified to Paul.
The Lord’s death was so that He might deliver us from this present
evil world (Gal. 1:4); because of the Lord’s crucifixion, Paul saw himself
as crucified unto the world, and the world unto him (Gal. 6:14). The Lord
Jesus looked out across the no man’s land between the stake and the crowd;
He faced the world which crucified Him. We simply cannot side with
them. To not separate from them is to make the cross in vain for us; for
He died to deliver us out of this present world. The pull of the world is
insidious; and only sober reflection upon the cross will finally deliver
us from it. It’s a terrifying thought, that we can make the power of the
cross invalid. It really is so, for Paul warned that preaching the Gospel
with wisdom of words would make “the cross of Christ... of none effect" (1
Cor. 1:17). The effect of the cross, the power of it to save, is limited
in its extent by our manner of preaching of it. And we can make “Christ",
i.e. His cross, of “none effect" by trusting to our works rather than
accepting the gracious salvation which He achieved (Gal. 5:4).
The life of self-crucifixion, daily carrying a stake of wood to the place
where we will be nailed to it and left to die a tortuous death…day by day
living in the intensity of a criminal’s ‘last walk’ to his death; how
radical and how demanding this really is can easily be lost upon us. And
it can be overlooked how totally unacceptable was the idea of dying on a
cross in the context of the first century. In Roman thought, the cross was
something shocking; the very word ‘cross’ was repugnant to them. It was
something only for slaves. Consider the following writings from the
period.
- Cicero wrote: “The very word ‘cross’ should be far removed not only from
the person of a Roman citizen but from his thoughts, his eyes and his
ears. For it is not only the actual occurrence of these things or the
endurance of them, but… the very mention of them, that is unworthy of a
Roman citizen and a free man… your honours [i.e. Roman citizenship]
protect a man from… the terror of the cross".
- Seneca the Elder in the Controversiae records where a master’s
daughter marries a slave, and she is described as having become related to
cruciarii, ‘the crucified’. Thus ‘the crucified’ was used by
metonymy for slaves. The father of the girl is taunted: “If you want to
find your son-in-law’s relatives, go to the cross". It is hard for
us to appreciate how slaves were seen as less than human in that society.
There was a stigma and revulsion attached to the cross.
- Juvenal in his 6th Satire records how a wife ordered her husband:
“Crucify this slave". “But what crime worthy of death has he committed?"
asks the husband, “no delay can be too long when a man’s life is at
stake". She replies: “What a fool you are! Do you call a slave a man?".
The sense of shame attached to the cross was also there in Jewish
perception of it. Whoever was hung on a tree was seen as having been
cursed by God (Dt. 21:23). Justin Martyr, in Dialogue with Trypho,
records Trypho (who was a Jew) objecting to Christianity: “We are aware
that the Christ must suffer… but that he had to be crucified, that
he had to die a death of such shame and dishonour- a death cursed by the
Law- prove this to us, for we are totally unable to receive it". Justin
Martyr in his Apology further records: “They say that our madness
consists in the fact that we place a crucified man in second place
after the eternal God". The Romans also mocked the idea of following a
crucified man. One caricature shows a crucified person with an ass’s head.
The ass was a symbol of servitude [note how the Lord rode into Jerusalem
on an ass]. The caption sarcastically says: “Alexamenos worships God".
Yet with this background, “the preaching of the cross" won many converts
in the first century. “The Jews require a sign and the Greeks [Gentiles,
e.g. Romans] seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the
Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness" (1 Cor. 1:22,23).
Paul exalts that Christ “became obedient to death- even death on a cross!"
(Phil. 2:8 NIV). Those brethren and sisters must have endured countless
taunts, and many times must have reflected about changing their message.
But the historical reality of the crucifixion, the eternal and weighty
importance of the doctrine of the atonement, as we might express it today…
this was of itself an imperative to preach it. We cannot change our
message because it is apparently unattractive. The NT suggests that the
cross was not just something shocking and terrible, but a victory, a
triumph over sin and death which should be gloried in and thereby preached
to the world in joy and hope (Gal. 6:14). We may look at the world around
us and decide that really, there is no way at all our message will convert
anyone. We are preaching something so radically different from their
world-view. But the preaching of a crucified King and Saviour in the first
century was just as radical- and that world was turned upside down by that
message! People are potentially willing to respond, even though in
the stream of faces waiting for transport or passing along a busy street,
we might not think so. It will be our simple and unashamed witness which
will be used by the Father to convert them; we needn’t worry about making
our message acceptable to them. There was nothing acceptable in the
message of the cross in the first century- it was bizarre, repulsive and
obnoxious. But the fact men and women gave their lives to take it
throughout the known world shows the power of conviction which it has. And
that same power is in the Gospel which we possess. If we believe it rather
than merely know it, we will do the same with it.
6:15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything.
What counts is being a new creation- This seems to parallel 5:6 "For
in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything,
but faith working through love". Paul's argument so far has been: Faith
rather than works results in an identification with the Lord Jesus as the
seed of Abraham; for to him were the promises of salvation made, and not
through the Law. That faith and identification with Christ is confirmed by
the Spirit being sent forth into our hearts (4:5), which results in love
as the fruit of the Spirit (5:22). In that way, faith works through love.
The parallel to that is that "what counts is being a new creation"; in
other words, being created as Christ, being created as a Son of God as
Jesus was, with His spirit whereby we also cry out "Abba, Father" just as
He did. So the new creation in view is that we are created to be as
Christ. Hence if any man is in Christ he is a new creation (2 Cor.
5:17). The language of "new creation" need not call up ideas of planets
and a new cosmos. The new person created is Christ. Hence "the rule" of
the new creation (:16) is another way of saying "the law of Christ". The
Lord Jesus is "the image of every [new] creation" (Col. 1:15); we are made
/ created like Him, by the agency of the Spirit. He is thus "the beginning
of the creation of God" (Rev. 3:14). Hence the Gospel was preached to
"every creation" (Col. 1:23), i.e. every convert. No "creation" is not
open to the scrutiny of God's Word in Christ (Heb. 4:13). Clearly,
"creation" was a title for believers in the early church, so common was
this idea.
6:16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them- See on :15. The fact we are new creations, that we are Christ, should be the rule by which we live. The Greek is literally 'the canon'. The canonical standard of thought and living for us is that we are a new creation, brought about by the Lord's crucifixion. Perhaps that is the reference of the 'canon'- the reality of :14, to "boast [of nothing] except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world". The word 'canon' clearly alludes to the Law of Moses, which was abrogated by the Lord's death on the cross. We now have a new canon to live by- the implications of His cross. This is saying the same as the Lord giving us a "new commandment, to love one another as I have loved you" in His death on the cross. We are to walk or conform to this canon; the same word used in Gal. 5:16,26 for walking / conforming to the Spirit. For His cross is the essential presentation of the way of the Spirit.
The reality that we are new beings means that we have to learn
how to live all over again. The same word is used in Phil. 3:16: "Let us
walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing"; and Paul's great theme
in Philippians is that we should take on the mind of Christ. The "same
thing" we should "mind" is the mind of Christ. The rule of Christian life
therefore is to be Christ, to have His mind. Christ-mindedness is
therefore the rule of life in Him. To have His Spirit, which is freely
given to those who believe (4:5) is therefore utterly central and critical
to the Christian life.
And upon the Israel of God-
Paul clearly saw natural Israel as not "of God".
6:17 From now on, let no one cause me further trouble- The reason for this is
that Paul is connected with the sufferings of Christ. Those who trouble
him are doing so to the crucified Christ and will suffer accordingly.
For I bear-
This connects with the theme developed earlier in the chapter; the same
word is used about bearing the burdens of legalistic obedience (:2,5- see
notes there). The same word is also significantly used in Acts 15:10 about
being unable to bear the burdens of the Law. Paul's parting shot is
therefore that he does not bear the burden of needing to be obedient to
the Law, a heavy yoke which nobody was able to bear. Instead He bears the
cross of Jesus and is co-crucified with Him. And this is the whole
contrast; bearing the burdens of needing to perform and be obedient to
laws- or bearing the cross of Jesus through identification with Him.
Branded on my body the marks of Jesus- All through his life and witness, Paul was aware
of how he had rebelled against his Lord. He wrote that he bore in his body
the marks of the Lord Jesus. He seems to be alluding to the practice of
branding runaway slaves who had been caught with the letter F in their
forehead, for fugitivus. His whole thinking was dominated by this
awareness that like Jonah he had sought to run, and yet had by grace been
received into his Master’s service. Paul could conclude by saying that he
bore in his body [perhaps an idiom for his life, cp. the ‘broken body’ of
the Lord we remember] the stigmata of the Lord Jesus. He was so
clearly a slave belonging to the Lord Jesus that it was as if one could
see the marks of the nails in his body. Hence all the connections Paul
makes in his letters between the suffering servant / slave prophecies, and
his own experience. Paul has come over throughout his letter as
self-assured, confident he is in the right and others are in the wrong,
clearly and persuasively arguing for faith in Christ's cross as the only
way to salvation. But he closes in a very appropriate way; by again
asserting that indeed his life is totally tied up in the living and dying
of his Lord, but within that same statement, admitting that he had and did
in a way seek to avoid it.
6:18 Brothers, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen-
Paul has argued throughout that those who throw themselves upon the Lord's
grace will be given His spirit. His Spirit, His mind and thinking and
feeling, thus becomes ours. And he concludes by wishing this to ever be,
that we might have a spirit continually awed by our Lord's grace.
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