Galatians 6:1

3. Mutual and common Church communion, Galatians 6:1-10.

a. Mutual meek reproof, Galatians 6:1-5 .

1. Brethren Calling their affectionate attention to a new start of thought, yet strictly connected with the vainglory of the last verse of the last chapter. The new thought is, Correct a transgressing brother without airing your own superiority.

Man Though speaking specially of a member of a Christian Church, Paul uses the term designating us as a responsible being, carrying the term consistently through Galatians 6:3-5; Galatians 6:7.

Overtaken Does this mean, overtaken by temptation, and inadvertently involved in fault? or, detected in his fault before he had a chance to escape? The translators, by omitting the word και , even, and giving fault where the word should be transgression, have preferred the former sense, making it a comparatively venial case. The truer rendering would be, If a man be even unexpectedly detected in the very act of transgression. And the real thought is, Even in the most unequivocal case of a sinner, reprove and restore, not with a display of vainglory, but with meekness. The word for overtaken is προληφθη , foretaken, that is, taken before he could escape.

Spiritual Those of Galatians 5:16; Galatians 5:18; Galatians 5:25, who walk in, and are led by, the Spirit. Even these need an admonition not only to restore the sinner, but to restore him in the right spirit. No earthly sanctification places us above the need of admonition, or of care over our own spirit and methods.

Considering thyself St. Paul here drops into the singular number very forcibly to carry the admonition to every man’s individual breast.

Thou For thy spirituality exempts thee not from temptation; nay, it may have its own to vainglory and censoriousness. If it be well to “profess sanctification,” it is still better to so “live it” as that others should profess it for you. The neighbours of John Brainard said, that “he was as holy a man as ever his brother David was;” though John is not recorded as himself so saying.

Restore Repair, reconstruct. It is an image taken from any structure broken or disarranged by mishap. It may refer to a machine with its parts disordered, or to a body with its limbs dislocated, or, as here, figuratively to a soul broken or disordered by sin.

Tempted St. Paul delicately avoids fully saying, lest thou also be caught in a fall.