Wednesday Bible Study: The end of all things- Galatians

God is good.  He teaches lessons within lessons if you are willing to learn, reflect, and make application.  That last part is the toughest.  To me, pride is the root of our sin.  Everything, when you dig deep enough goes there.  It is a 360 degree, 24/7 problem.  And because of it, I'm going to do this a little bit different, focusing on just one part of the 6th chapter of Galatians.


Let me have Paul set the stage.


Gal 6:1  Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 
Gal 6:2  Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 
Gal 6:3  For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 

So the first two verses establish a principle- we're all in this together.  We have to work together in our faith.  Bedrock stuff.  See where the pride comes in?  I didn't either at first, but Paul did.  It begins to turn in verse 3.  But if you miss this- and another verse coming up- then the next part is gonna have you wondering where you got lost:

 Gal 6:4  But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 

Gal 6:5  For each will have to bear his own load. 

"Boasting in himself alone and not in his neighbor" seems to fly in the face of what just was said in verse three.  I didn't get the progression, do you?  Then, after a little looking at the commentators, I went to one last verse:

Gal 6:6  One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. 

I think I struggle with Paul because he doesn't always lay things out in a line.  He lines them up the way that they will make you think about his point.  Let me try lining them up linearly.

1- We all work together (VV 1-2)

2- Because of this, one who is farther down the learning curve is expected to teach those behind him (v6)

3- And that person up the learning curve needs to not get a high view of themselves- or let others get one (v3)

4- Therefore, we each need to examine ourselves.  Those ahead on the learning curve need to seek humility (v3 again), and those learning must watch for creating a hero/idol of the other (second half of v4).

Until I realized that, to my mind, v6 needed to come first, but I wouldn't have understood it yet there, this was a mess to me.  With that realization, it all makes sense.  This is why Paul sang the praises of the Berean Christians- they listened to Paul, but didn't idolize him.  The worked it out from the Scriptures themselves to make sure he got it right.

There is a very simple way to put this in our terms-"worship the savior, not the pastor".  But that simplicity leaves out the nuance of the principle.  Am I idolizing my teacher?  Is my teacher SEEKING idolization?  A very good example of this- and I'll leave it right there- is that pastor in Louisiana who keeps getting arrested for his church defying the quarantine.

He may not even realize it- pride loves to hide in the shadows.  He may think he's kind of a mini-martyr.  But the problem with being a martyr these days is, for most of us, no one's looking to feed you to the lions.  Instead of bowing your head to the chopper's block, you might actually be stepping up on a pedestal.

You know how I know when I'VE done good on these posts?  When I get to the end and say, "Wow, I really learned something here."  And thanks be to God, I did.