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THE KING’S BUSINESS
regarded as “spiritual people.” T h e .word translated “ restore** is the word used for reducing a dislocated member or limb to its place: each believer is a member o f the body o f Christ (1 Cor. 12:12, 14, 27), and a Christian who falls into sin is a dislo cated member, not a severed member, and the strong members should restore this dislocated member to its place. Note well how it should be done, “ in a spirit of meekness,” that is, with gentleness and tenderness, not with gruffness and severity (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24-26). The reason that Paul gives for doing this is remarkable and every one o f us should lay it to heart, “looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” T o many o f us when we see another fall it never occurs that we might fall in that same way. Indeed we are often tempted to say, “ I could never com mit such a low, vile act as that.” But according to this verse that is not the "spiritual” way o f looking at it. The one who is the surest he would not, is the one who is most in danger (1 Cor. 10:12). These words o f Paul, “ looking to thyself lest thou also be tempted” should lay the pride o f each one o f us in the dust (cf. Matt. 7:2-5; Jas. 2:13). v. 2. "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law o f Christ." There are burdens that we ought to bear, and there are burdens that we ought not to bear. The burdens we ought not to bear are those of the .unnecessary ordinances o f the Mosaic law (cf. Matt. 23:4; Acts 15:10) ; the bur dens that we ought to bear are “one another’s burdens” o f temptation, weak ness, failure and sin. In bearing these bur dens o f others with them we fulfill the law o f Christ (cf. ch. 5:14; John 13:34; 15:12; Rom. 15:3). The law o f love is called the law o f Christ •not merely' because He gave it, but even more because He perfectly exemplified it (Phil. 2:5-8). v. 3. “For if a man think (thinketh) himself to be something, when he is noth ing, he deceiveth himself.” W e should not overlook the little word “ for” with which this verse begins. It connects the verse
with the two verses that precede, and thus shows us that it is self-conceit or spiritual pride which most stands in the way o f gentle forbearance in dealing with offend ers. It is because we think we are some thing when we are really nothing, that we look down with scorn upon the one who is overtaken with some grievous sin. “If a man thinketh himself to be something” when in reality “he is nothing,” he deceives himself, but he does not deceive anybody but himself (cf. 1 Cor. 8 :2 ). Are you deceiving yourself in this way? The truth is that none o f us is anything, and when we imagine that we are “ something” we are victims o f self deception. v. 4. “But let every (each) man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing (his glory) in ( add, regard of) himself alone', and not in another (o f his neighbor)." Instead o f deceiving our selves we should put our own work (not merely our opinion o f ourselves, but our actual doing) to the test. W e should put our “ own” work to the test and not that o f some one else. I f we did this we should have our glorying in our own accomplish ment and not because o f our neighbor’s failure. Most o f our*-glorying is not over something we ourselves have actually done, but over something our neighbor has failed to do. This explains why it is we are all so ready to criticise others: there is nothing we ourselves have really done to glory in so we dwell on the faults o f others and thus exalt ourselves. The only thing to really glory in is the cross o f Christ (v. 14). v. 5. For every (each) man shall bear his own burden.” This gives the reasons why we should prove our own work rather than that o f others, viz., that “ each man shall bear his own burden (or load),” that is we shall bear our own responsibility. W e are not held responsible for the failure o f others, therefore we best not bother about the failure o f others, but we shall be held responsible for our own failure (Rom. 14:12), and therefore we should always have a sharp eye out for that. The word translated “burden” in verse 5 is
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