Commentary on Galatians 6.1–6.2

[Gal 6:1] "Brothers, if a man is overtaken in any trespass …" For since they were avenging their own passions under the guise of rebuke, and seemed to do this on account of sins while really wishing to establish their own love of rule, he says: "Brothers, if a man is overtaken." He did not say, "if he commits," but "if he is overtaken," that is, … restore such a one. He did not say, "Punish," nor "Condemn," but "Restore." And he did not stop even here, but, showing that they must be very gentle toward those who are tripped up, he added: "in a spirit of gentleness." He did not say "in gentleness," but "in a spirit of gentleness," showing that this pleases the Spirit too, and that to be able to correct sinners with forbearance is a spiritual gift. Then, so that the one correcting another may not be puffed up, he put him too under the same fear, saying: "Looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted." For just as … so that, if ever they themselves should fall into poverty, they may obtain the same; so we too must act. That is why he gives a compelling reason, saying: "Looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted." And he pleads for the one who has sinned: first by saying, "if he is overtaken"; second by the word that implies great weakness; then by "lest you too be tempted," laying the blame on the spite of a demon rather than on the slackness of the soul. … For since it is not possible for a human being to be without fault, he urges them not to be exacting examiners of the offenses of others, but even to bear the faults of their neighbors, so that their own too may be borne by others. For just as in a building the stones do not all have the same position, but one is fit for a corner but not for the foundations, another for the foundations but not for a corner, so it is in the body of the church. One may see this very thing in our own flesh too; and yet one part puts up with the other, and we do not seek everything from all. For what is contributed in common makes up both a body and a building. "And so fulfill the law of Christ." He did not say "fulfill," but "fill up together," that is, all of you fulfill it in common, by bearing one another. For example: so-and-so is quick to anger, you are sluggish; bear, then, his vehement impulse, so that he too may bear your dullness. And so neither will he sin, being borne by you, nor will you go wrong in the things in which you are burdensome, since your brother puts up with you. So, stretching out a hand to one another where you are about to fall, fulfill the law in common through one another, each filling up what is lacking in his neighbor by his own patience. But if you do not act so, and each is going to prosecute his neighbor's faults, nothing that ought to be done will ever be done among you. For just as in the body, if someone required the same function from all the parts, the body would never stand, so too among brothers there is much war if we seek everything from all. "For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself." Here again he is on the watch against arrogance. For one who thinks he is something is nothing, giving this opinion of himself as the first proof of his worthlessness. "But let each one test his own work." Here he shows that we must be examiners of our life, and not superficially, but must test what we have done with exactness. For example: did you do something good? Consider whether it was done from vainglory, from compulsion, from hostility, in hypocrisy, or for some other human reason. For just as gold seems brilliant before the furnace, but when it is given over to the fire, then it is shown for what it is, everything false being separated from what is genuine, so too our works, when … we shall see that we are liable to many charges. "And then he will have his boast in himself alone, and not in another." He says this not as laying down a law but as condescending; as if he said: "… to boast; but if you must, not against your neighbor, like the Pharisee." For one who has been trained in this will soon give up the other too. That is why he allowed this, so as to remove the whole little by little. For one who has grown used to boasting in himself alone, and not against others, will quickly correct this fault too. One who has not thought himself better than others (for this is the meaning of "not in another"), but takes pride in examining himself by himself, will later stop doing even this. And so that you may learn that this is what he wishes to bring about, see how he restrains him by fear. Having said above, "Let him test his own work," he here adds, "For each will carry his own load." He seems to be setting down a reasoning that prevents boasting against another; but he is correcting the boaster so that he does not think highly even of himself, bringing him to the thought of his own sins, and weighing down his conscience with the words "load" and "carrying." "Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches."

Here at last his discourse turns to teachers, that they should enjoy much attention from their disciples. And why did Christ legislate in this way? For in the New Testament too this law is laid down, that those who proclaim the gospel should live by the gospel; and likewise in the Old the Levites had many revenues from those under them. Why, then, did he arrange this? To teach humility. For since the dignity of teaching often puffs up those who hold it, curbing their pride he put them under the necessity of needing their disciples; and he gave the disciples in turn an occasion of becoming more ready for goodwill, training them through goodwill toward their teachers to be gentle toward others too; which produced no small love on both sides. For if it were not as I have said, why did he who fed the ungrateful Jews with manna put the apostles in the necessity of beggars? Is it not clear that by this he was producing great goods, humility and love, and that the disciples should not be ashamed at giving? … seems to be a matter of shame; but it no longer seemed so, since the teachers practiced it with all boldness. So the disciples gained not a little from this too, being trained by these things to despise all glory. That is why he says: "Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches." That is, let him show every generosity toward him; for he hinted at this by saying "all good things." "Let nothing be the disciple's own," he says, "but let all things be common. For he receives more than he gives, and so much more as heavenly things are better than earthly ones"; which he showed elsewhere too, saying, "If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?" That is why he calls the thing "sharing," showing that an exchange takes place. And from this the bonds of love too became much warmer and firmer. If, then, the teacher seeks only what is sufficient, he remains in his proper dignity even while receiving. For this too is to his praise, to devote himself to the word so much as to need others, to be in great poverty and to despise all worldly things. But if he oversteps the measure, he has ruined his dignity, not by receiving but by lack of measure. Then, so that the wickedness of a teacher may not make the disciple more reluctant in these matters, so that he often passes him by when he is poor because of his character, he says further on, "And let us not grow weary in doing good"; but here he shows the mean between such … and ambition in worldly things, saying: "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." For just as with seeds it is not possible for the sowing to be one thing and the harvest another, so too with works: one who casts into the flesh luxury, drunkenness and unlawful desire will reap what comes from these. What are these? Punishment, retribution, shame, mockery, corruption. For the end of costly tables and delicacies is nothing else but corruption; for they are themselves corrupted, and they corrupt the body along with them. But the things of the Spirit are not so; they are in every way the opposite of these. Consider: you have sown almsgiving: the treasures of heaven and eternal glory await you. You have sown chastity: honor and prize await you, and the praises of angels and the crowns from the judge of the contest. "And let us not grow weary in doing good; for in due season we shall reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, and especially to those of the household of faith." So that no one might think that one ought to care for teachers and feed them but neglect the others, he carries his discourse out to all, and opens the door of such generosity to everyone; and he goes so far as to bid them show mercy to Jews and Greeks, in due order, but still to show mercy. What is the order? To show greater care for the faithful. And what he does in his other letters, he does here too, speaking not only of showing mercy, but of doing it generously and continually; for the word "sowing" and the bidding not to grow weary hint at this. Then, since he had required a great thing, he sets the reward at the door, mentioning a new and wonderful harvest. For among farmers not only the sower but also the reaper endures much toil, …; but then there is nothing of this, he says; which he shows by saying, "In due season we shall reap, if we do not give up." By this he urges and draws them on; and from the other side he presses and pushes them, saying: "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good." For just as we are not always masters of sowing, so neither of showing mercy. When we are carried off from here, even if we wish it countless times, we shall accomplish nothing more. The virgins bear witness to my words: though they had shown countless zeal, because they did not depart with abundant almsgiving they were shut out of the bridal chamber; and so does the rich man who overlooked Lazarus. For he too, since he was bereft of this ally, though he lamented and entreated much, received mercy neither from the patriarch nor from anyone else, but remained continually parched, without any pardon. That is why he says, "As we have opportunity, let us do good," and "to all"; and by this above all he frees them from Jewish narrowness. For that way of life directed all its love for mankind toward its own kin; but the philosophy of grace calls land and sea alike to the table of almsgiving, though it shows greater zeal toward its own. "See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. Those who want to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised." Consider how much pain grips that blessed soul. For just as those who have fallen into some grief, or lost one of their own, or suffered something unexpected, have rest neither night nor day while the grief besieges their soul, so too the blessed Paul, having said a few words about conduct, returns again to the former matters that most troubled his soul, saying: "See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand." Here he hints at nothing else but that he wrote the whole letter himself, which was a sign of great sincerity. For in the other letters he dictated and someone else wrote; this is clear from the letter to the Romans, for at the end it says, "I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you." But here he wrote it all himself. And he did this here of necessity, not only out of love but also because of the evil suspicion … in matters in which he had no part, and he was said to preach circumcision and to pretend that he did not preach it; he was therefore compelled to write the letter in his own hand, laying up beforehand a written testimony. And "how large" seems to me to point not to the size but to the ungainliness of the letters, all but saying: "Though I do not know how to write very well, I was nevertheless compelled to write it myself, so as to stop the mouths of the slanderers." "Those who want to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only so that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For not even those who are circumcised keep the law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh." Here he shows that they underwent this not willingly but under compulsion, giving them an occasion to withdraw, almost pleading for them, and urging them to leap away quickly. What is "make a good showing in the flesh"? To be in good repute among men. For since they were reproached by the Jews as having departed from their ancestral customs, "So that they may not be charged with this," he says, "they want to ruin you, making their defense to those men through your flesh." He said this to show that they were not doing this for God's sake; as if he said: "What is being done has nothing to do with piety; all this is done out of human ambition, to please unbelievers, so that believers are cut, and they choose to offend God in order to please men." For this is the meaning of "to make a good showing in the flesh." Then, showing that from another side too they are deprived of pardon, he convicts them again of ordering this not only to please others but also from their own vainglory. That is why he added, "so that they may boast in your flesh," as having disciples and being teachers. And what is the proof of this? "For not even they themselves keep the law," he says. Even if they kept it, they would deserve to be accused; but as it is, their very aim is corrupt. "But far be it from me … in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Yet the thing seems shameful; but in the world and among unbelievers; in heaven and among the faithful it is glory, and the greatest glory. Poverty too is shameful, but to us it is a boast; and to be despised is ridiculous to many, but we take pride in it. So too the cross is our boast. And he did not say, "But I do not boast," or "I do not wish to boast," but "Far be it from me," as one praying against something absurd, and he called on God's alliance to achieve this. And what is the boast of the cross? That Christ took the form of a slave for my sake and suffered what he suffered for my sake, the slave, the enemy, the ungrateful one; yet he so loved me as to give himself up. What could be equal to this? For if servants are proud when they are merely praised by their masters, and these of the same nature as themselves, how should we not boast when the Master, the true God, is not ashamed of the cross borne for us? Let us not, then, be ashamed of his ineffable care either. He was not ashamed to be crucified for you, and are you ashamed to confess his boundless care? It is as if a prisoner who had not been ashamed of the king should become ashamed of him because he came to the prison and loosed his bonds himself. But this is the utmost madness; for on this very account we ought to take the greatest pride. "Through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." He calls the world here not heaven or earth, but the affairs of this life, the praise of men, retinue, glory, wealth, all such things that seem splendid. "These have become dead to me." Such must the Christian be; this is the word he must always carry about. For he was not content with the first manner of dying, but brought in another too, saying, "and I to the world," hinting at a twofold death, and saying: "Those things are dead to me, and I to them; neither can they capture and subdue me, for they are dead once for all; nor can I desire them, for I too am dead to them." Nothing is more blessed than this death; for it is the foundation of the blessed life. "For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." Did you see the power of the cross, to what a height it has raised him? For it not only put to death in him all the affairs of the world, but set him far above the old way of life. What is equal to this height? The man who was ready to die for this circumcision and slaughtered others for it, the cross persuaded to leave it, as being on a level with uncircumcision, and to seek strange and wonderful things that are above the heavens. For he calls this way of life of ours a new creation, both because of what has happened and because of what will be. Because of what has happened: our soul, grown old in the old age of sin, was all at once renewed through baptism, as if created anew; that is why a new and heavenly way of life is required of us. Because of what will be: heaven and earth and the whole creation will be changed to incorruption together with our bodies. "Do not speak to me, then," he says, "of circumcision, which no longer has any power; for how will it appear, when all things have been so changed? But seek the new things of grace. For those who pursue these will enjoy peace and kindness, and would properly be called by the name of Israel; while those who think the opposite, even if they were born of him and carry his name, have fallen from all this, from both the kinship and the very name. For those who can properly be Israelites are those who keep this rule, who abstain from the old things and pursue the things of grace." "From now on let no one cause me trouble." Here he says this not as one who is weary or has lost heart. For how would one who chose to do and to suffer everything for his disciples have been worn out and given up now, he who says, "Be urgent in season and out of season," who says, "God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses out of the snare of the devil"? Why, then, does he say this? To check their slack minds, to throw them into greater fear, to make fast the laws he had laid down and not allow them to be continually disturbed. "For I bear on my body the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ." He did not say "I have," but "I bear," like one who takes pride in trophies or royal insignia; even though this too seems to be a matter of reproach. But he takes pride in his wounds; and like the standard-bearers among soldiers, so he exults in carrying wounds about. Why does he say this? "Through these," he says, "I make my defense more brilliantly than by any argument or speech. For these send forth a voice louder than a trumpet against those who contradict me and say that I play a part in my doctrine and say things to please men. For if one saw a soldier come out of the battle line covered in blood and with countless wounds, he would not bear to judge him guilty of cowardice or treachery, since he carries the proof of his valor on his body. So you must cast your vote in my case too," he says. "And if anyone wishes to hear my defense and to learn my mind, let him look at my wounds, which offer more proof than these words and letters." At the beginning of the letter he clearly showed his unfeigned mind from his sudden change; at the end, from the dangers that came of it. For so that no one might say that he changed with a right intention but did not remain in the same purpose, he brings forward as witnesses that he did remain: the labors, the dangers, the blows. Then, having defended himself clearly on every point, and having shown that he said nothing of what he said in anger or hostility but holds his affection for them unshaken, he establishes this very thing again, closing his discourse with a prayer full of countless good things, saying: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen." With this last word he set a seal on all that went before. For he did not simply say "with you," as with the others, but "with your spirit," leading them away from carnal things, everywhere showing the kindness of God, and reminding them of the grace they had enjoyed, which was able to lead them away from all the Jewish error. For to receive the Spirit belonged not to the poverty of the law but to the righteousness that comes by faith; and to keep it once received came, again, not from circumcision but from grace. That is why he closed his exhortation with a prayer, mentioning grace and the Spirit, at the same time calling them brothers and asking God that they might continually enjoy these things, securing them in a twofold way. For the same words were both a prayer and a complete teaching of what had been said, and became for them a double wall. For the teaching, by reminding them of the good things they had enjoyed, held them more firmly in the doctrines of the church; …