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In this section, Paul develops some of the implications of walking by the Spirit. Paul focuses on concrete situations in which the fruit of the Spirit may operate. The situations Paul here selects are those that develop out of the legalism which is the error with which the letter deals. The theological error of legalism produces practical errors, sins. Legalism’s good intention is to produce righteousness; to its surprise it produces the opposite, sins. Then its solution is to try harder. When that does not work, it blames the sins on man’s lower or sinful nature. The Biblical solution is to reject the legalism that is the cause of the sins, and to accept and to adopt the Biblical theology of salvation by grace through faith and its practical implementation, walking by the Spirit and not by law. To walk by the Spirit is to walk in love which is the fulfilling of the law of Christ.

GALATIANS 6:1-5.
1. Brethren, if indeed a man is overtaken in some failure, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you too be tempted.  2. Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.  3. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  4. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in himself alone and not in another.  5. For each one shall bear his own load.

6:1. “Brethren, if indeed a man is overtaken in some failure, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Paul opens this section again by addressing his fellow-Christians as brethren. This sets the tone of the section because it deals with interpersonal relationships. The first situation Paul deals with is that of the one who has been overtaken in some failure. Contrary to the intention of legalism, one is overtaken by sin (Rom. 7:8-11). The Greek verb, prolambano, which is translated “overtaken,” literally means “to take beforehand,” hence “to overtake, to surprise.” Not only is the one under law surprised by the sin, but legalism is always surprised by the results that it produces, the sins. The Greek word, paraptoma, which is translated “failure,” literally means “a falling beside,” hence “a false step, blunder, failure.” It is not the usual Greek word for sin, hamartia. The result of doctrinal legalism is sins, which from the point of view of grace, are not a falling short of the law, but are blunders and failures from which one must be restored. The Greek verb, katartizo, which is translated “to restore,” means “to render fit or complete,” hence “to mend, repair.” It is used for the setting of a dislocated or broken bone and making it fit and useful. This must be done with care. This is what love would do. This grace (love in action) can be done only by one who is walking by the Spirit. Paul calls such ones, “you who are spiritual.” He is not referring to some class of self-designated mystical, superior spiritual people. By this term, pneumatikoi, he means those who are walking by the Spirit. They have that fruit of the Spirit, meekness, by which they consider themselves, lest they also are tempted. The temptation is to legalism. To adopt a superior attitude that this cannot happen to me is to fall into legalism: to place oneself under a standard to which one compares oneself and considers oneself capable of always conforming. The Greek word, prautes, which is translated “meekness or gentleness,” means “gentleness, humility, courtesy, considerateness, meekness” in the older favorable sense of “unassuming.” A meek person is one who is soft, not hard, toward God and others; not weak but having controlled strength.

6:2. “Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.”

Paul continues his discussion of the first situation. He exhorts his readers to bear one another’s burdens. The Greek word, bare, which is translated “burden,” means “a weight.” A burden is something too heavy for one person to bear alone and must be shared by others. Paul is probably referring to the burden that legalism imposes (Acts 15:10). This seems to be implied by the last clause of the verse: “thus fulfil the law of Christ.” Not only does love fulfill the law in bearing one another’s burdens, but it also removes the legalistic weight of the law and replaces it with the easy yoke of Christ (Matt. 11:28-29). The law of Christ is the commandment He gave: Love one another even as I have loved you (John 13:34).

6:3. “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”

Paul continues his discussion of the first situation. He explains why they must bear one another’s burdens as discussed in the previous verse. He does this by discussing the situation mentioned in the last verse of the previous chapter ( 5:25). Legalism produces an overblown view of oneself by the attempt to conform to the standard of the law. In the attempt to be justified by the law one is tempted and often does over value one’s works in order to make oneself conform to the standard. Such ones deceive themselves. Paul is here probably referring to the work of the Judaizing teachers.

6:4. “But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in himself alone and not in another.”

Paul continues the discussion of the previous verse. He exhorts them to examine their own work. This is the way to correct such an overblown view of oneself and self deception. Such a sober and objective evaluation of one’s work will limit boasting to himself and not to others. The Jewish legalists were boasting in the circumcision of others and Paul is attempting to eliminate such boasting.

6:5. “For each one shall bear his own load.”

Paul concludes the discussion of the previous two verses. He gives the reason for such self examination of one’s own work: each man must bear his own load. The Greek word, phortion, which is translated “load,” literally means “something borne or carried,” hence, a ship’s cargo. The legalist is thus forced to carry his own load. There is no other one to carry it for him; legalism separates men from each other and places them in competition with each other. There is no contradiction between verses 5 and 2; not only are different Greek words used in these two verses, but also different subjects are being discussed. In this verse Paul is discussing legalistic burden bearing and in verse two he is discussing the burden bearing of love.