THE KING’S BUSINESS
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office even upon his repentance. Paul is not talking about restoration to office. But he should be restored to his place in the body, should be received into fellowship, even though his sin has been o f the gross est character and he was caught in the very act. This restoration should be done “ in a spirit o f meekness,” i, e., with gentle ness and tenderness, and not with rough ness and severity (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24-26). The reason Paul gives for restoring the offender with meekness is one that should lay the pride o f every one o f us in the dust, “looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (cf. Matt. 7:2-5; James 2:13). When we see others fall our proud hearts often rise and say, “ I could never do a low, vile act like that,” but that is not the “ spiritual” way 'o f looking: at it. The spiritual way is to look carefully (the word translated “looking” indicates careful, close, scrutinizing looking) to ourselves, lest we also be tempted, and being tempted should fall. I f you were tempted just as the offending brother was, very likely you would fall. If you are sure you would not you are just the man who is in danger (1 Cor. 10:12). There is almost a touch o f irony in Paul’s words; “Ye which are spiritual, etc.” It almost suggests, “you who consider yourselves so spiritual, show that you really are so, not by casting a brother down as you are doing, but by restoring him to his place in the body.” Tuesday, May 28 . Gal. 6 : 2 - 5 . Paul here goes on to" tell _them that the “burdens” (or weights) to bear are not those o f the unnecessary ordinances, the Mosaic law (cf. Matt 23:4; Acts 15:10). which they were trying to impose upon Christians, but “one another’s burdens” of temptation, weakness, failure', and sin. By bearing these burdens o f one another, help ing one another to bear the weight of temptation, weakness, failure and sin, they would “ fulfill the law o f Christ”—which is the law o f love (John 13:34; 15:12; Rom. 15:3). This is “the law o f Christ” not only because He gave it, but much more
because He Himself perfectly exemplified it in His own life (cf. Phil. 2:5-8). And now Paul strikes a blow at that which most stands in the way o f gentle forbear-' ance in dealing with offenders, viz., self- conceit or spiritual pride. W e are a ll'o f us “nothing” in ourselves, and “ if any man thinketh himself to be something, when (in reality) he is nothing, he deceiv- eth himself” (cf.-Rom . 12:3; 1 Cor. f$:2), they do not deceive anybody else. There are many men deceiving themselves in that very way. Are you? Am I? Rather than thus deceiving ourselves we should each one o f us put our “own work’’ (not only our opinion o f ourselves, but our actual doing) to the test. We should put our own work to the test rather than that o f some one else, as we are so fond o f doing. I f we put our own work to the test instead o f putting the work o f others to the test, then we shall have our glorying in regard to ourselves, in our accomplish ment (if there be any, which is not likely) and not in regard to our neighbors, i. e., in their failure. How much of our glorying is not So much over what we have done, but over what our neighbors have failed to do. This lies at the root 1 o f our crit icism o f one another, we wish to glory and there is nothing we have really done to glory in, so we dwell on the faults of others, as that exalts us—in our own esti mation. The glorying that comes from self-conceited comparison . o f ourselves with others is mean and base indeed. The only thing to really glory in is the cross o f Christ (v. 14). Verse 5 begins with the word “For” because the phrase gives the reason why we should prove our own work rather than the work o f others. The, reason why is because “ each man shall bear his own burden (or load),” i. e., we shall each face our own responsibility. We are not to be held responsible for the failure o f others, but we are ,to be held responsible for our own failure. It is the height o f folly then to be scrutinizing and passing judgment upon others and not upon our own work. The word for “bur-
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