Galatians 6 explained: Carrying Each Other, Boasting in the Cross

Helping someone who slips (vv. 1-2)

The word for "restore" was used for setting a broken bone, so the picture is careful repair, done gently by people who know they could fall too. Helping carry each other's heavy weights is what Paul calls the law of Christ, meaning the way of love Jesus taught.

Look at your own life (vv. 3-5)

Paul warns against feeling superior by comparing yourself with others, and says to examine your own conduct instead. The "load" in verse 5 is a different word from the heavy "burdens" in verse 2: each person answers for their own life, even while helping others with what is too much for them.

Reaping what you sow (vv. 6-10)

Students should share their goods with those who teach them. Using a farming picture, Paul says living for selfish desires leads to ruin while living by God's Spirit leads to eternal life, so keep doing good to everyone.

Large letters and pushy teachers (vv. 11-13)

Paul says he is writing in large letters with his own hand, but scholars are unsure how much he wrote himself or why, with guesses ranging from emphasis to poor eyesight. He says the teachers pressing these non-Jewish believers to be circumcised, the sign of joining the people under Moses' law, want to look good and avoid persecution, though they do not keep the law themselves.

Only the cross counts (vv. 14-16)

Paul's only boast is Jesus' death on the cross, which has cut him off from the world's way of measuring worth, so being circumcised or not means nothing next to God making people new. Scholars debate whether "the Israel of God" means all followers of Jesus together or Jewish believers in particular.

Scars and a blessing (vv. 17-18)

The "marks" were most likely scars from beatings Paul suffered for his message, perhaps compared to a brand showing whom someone belonged to. He ends by wishing them grace.

Key verse: Galatians 6:14

Something to think about

When someone you know messes up, what makes it hard to respond gently instead of harshly?