Throughout Paul’s letter, he has assumed that the Christian life is not lived in isolation. Life in the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, they are not individual accomplishments or mountaintop experiences, but actions toward fellow believers. Gentleness, kindness, patience, peace—these are qualities that come to the fore in the way we treat fellow human beings. This is faith working through love (Galatians 5:6), self-sacrificial service for the good of your brother.
As Christians, we have been gathered to be part of a new community. United to Christ, if the Spirit dwells in you, you have become part of a new family (see Galatians 4:4–7). A family where we call God our Father, confident of his love and favour. A family where we have duties towards one another, along with our own individual responsibilities. We need to be taught how to behave in this family, and that is what Paul does in Galatians 5:26 – 6:5.
Typically, when it comes to social settings, they tend to be a place for competition. At a sports club, you compete for prizes and positions. No one wants to end up last and if that is you, you will either train harder or move on to something else. In the classroom, there is also pressure to perform. You want to beat your friend in the various tests you are given, maybe not in every subject, but at least in one or two. Graduating to the business world and things are no different. Whether you work for a company or yourself, fighting for promotion or clients, competition is all around us, it is unavoidable. Even in safe spaces like the home, children compete for mum or dad’s affection.
Competition in and of itself is not sinful and it has its place. It is a good gift from God, it encourages hard work and ingenuity. Even in church there may be a time for friendly competition. In his second letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 9:1–5), Paul mentions how the generous gifts given by churches in the southern part of Greece actually served to encourage those in the north to do the same. It is a good thing when our actions, when our generosity can stir others to do the same.
Still, and this is vitally important, as Christians we are teammates and not rivals, teammates working towards the same goal. Adopted family members trying to help each other, conscious of the fact that our place in God’s church is a result of his grace and mercy. We are not here because we are better than anyone else. We are not here because we have kept God’s law where others failed. No, we are all sinners saved by the life and death of Jesus Christ, beggars who have found bread.
That is a truth that Paul has been highlighting in his letter, a truth we need to hear again and again, because if we forget it, if we think church is just another social setting with new ladders to climb, well then it will be a breeding place for the worst kind of pride and envy.
It is pride when I see others failing in areas that I succeed, envy when someone is blessed by God in ways that are different from me, and despair even, when I fall short of the standards that everyone else seems to have attained. What is more, there will not be any desire to help others. If we neglect the gospel, there will be a constant need to impress. Whether it is circumcision, Bible memorization, or children that sit nice and quiet during the service, I have to help myself first and foremost. I have to make sure that I am ahead of everyone else, or at least just above the middle.
A focus on self, in comparison to others is a fleshly way of thinking. It comes to us very naturally. It is our default setting, but it has no place in God’s church. We must fight against this temptation. Specifically, to use Paul’s example, when I see someone falling into sin or caught up in an ungodly pattern of behaviour, our flesh says, Look how much better I am,
the gospel says, That could have been me. I am just as likely to fall as everyone else, and so I must treat them as I would want to be treated, with gentleness and compassion.
Likewise, when I am enjoying a time of prosperity and comfort, good health and other joys, I do not pat myself on the back as if I deserve these things, as if I am being rewarded for my godly habits. No, I give thanks to God knowing that it can all change in an instant. Bearing each other’s burdens and living in a peaceful and supportive community are things we will do only if we remember and focus on God’s grace in Christ.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.