Friday, April 4, 2014

Galatians 6:3

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely
Galatians 6:3

3 For [gar] if a man [ei tis] think himself [dokeo] to be [einai] something [tis], when he is [on] nothing [medeis], he deceiveth [phrenapatao] himself [heautou].  KJV-Interlinear

3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  NASB

The conjunction, ‘for,’ points back to the previous verse as to the spiritual meaning of fulfilling the law of Christ, which is the behavior and attitude mandated by God.  But, enter self-delusion, wherein far too many do not understand the law of Christ, and therefore are incapable of fulfilling that mandate.

And, they lack that understanding because they have not learned the concepts of doctrine, through doctrine, because most folks do not study daily as they are also mandated to do.

No study means no learning, and no learning means no understanding, and no understanding means no compliance.  If you cannot comply with something then you cannot fulfil its requirements or expectations.

Therefore, when you believe that you are something, when you fail to do the things required in order to be that something, then you are fooling yourself.

And unfortunately that is where most of Christianity finds itself these days.  Too much superficiality, too much pretense, too much self-appointed expertise, and far too little genuine commitment to doing that which it demanded.  All talk and no walk.

And that is where Paul hits phony Christians between the eyes.  When all claim to be fulfilling the law of Christ, but in fact they have redefined that principle as doing nothing and then claim to be in compliance.

The law of Christ is the sum total embodiment of the spiritual life.  And the spiritual life demands confession in order to be in fellowship, a daily study in order to learn the principles and expectations of God, a repetition of that process on a daily basis in order to develop an understanding and orientation to God, to life, to people, and to self. And all of that eventually leads you in the maturing process as you grow up within your spiritual life.

The failure of most people is in their failure to comply with a daily study, their failure to confess regularly and live in fellowship, or in the spirit as previously stated, and therefore their spiritual life is dysfunctional and empty of any substance.


That simply means that when you get to heaven, you will discover to your dismay, that you do not qualify for the great rewards of heaven that Christ has waiting for spiritually mature believers.  You may want to revisit the Parables of Christ study.  If you sow no doctrine within your soul, then how can you expect to harvest anything?