The “law of Christ” Gal 6:2
Question
Could you please explain your understanding of that “the law of Christ” is in Gal 6:2?
Response
Briefly stated, my understanding is that in view of the corrective doctrine that Paul has set forth in the first four chapters of Galatians, (which is designed to effectually remedy the corruptive effects of the ‘bewitching’ doctrine that removed them from the truth of “the gospel of Christ” and from the truth of who God has made them to be “in Christ”), beginning in 5:1 and to the end of the epistle Paul now charges these saints to stand fast in the truth of who they are “in Christ” and walk uprightly in accordance with it. And in doing so, in Gal 5:2-12 Paul charges them to stand fast and walk uprightly in the truth of their justification unto eternal life “in Christ.” In 5:13-27 he charges them to stand fast and walk uprightly in the truth of their sanctification unto function life “in Christ.” And then in 6:1-18 he charges them to stand fast and walk uprightly in the truth of their vocational life “in Christ” being the members that they are of God’s “new creature,” the church the body of Christ.
So then in accordance with this, my understanding is that in 6:2 when Paul says, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ,” this is one of his exhortations for them to walk uprightly in the truth of their vocational life “in Christ” as members of the body of Christ that they are. And being such, the “law” or the operating principle that ought to effectually work within us to govern our conduct and behavior one towards another is the fact that we are Christ’s members. We, therefore, ought to look upon each other as the members of Christ that we are, and we ought to respond to each other just as members of a body are designed to respond to one another. Hence, I take “the law of Christ” to be just that; i.e. the issue we have been taught of Christ not only eternally and functionally living in us, but also functionally living through us as the members of His body that we are being “the body of Christ.” And so in particular when we respond to one another as per 6:1-2, that’s a consistent ‘body life’ response from one member to another member of the body of Christ, and in doing so we “fulfill the law of Christ” in accordance with us being the members of Christ.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
20011203 B69 S