gal 06v02 Bear Ye One Another Burdens and so Fulfill The Law of Christ

"BEAR YE ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS, AND SO FULFILL THE LAW OF CHRIST."

Galatians 6:2

These Galatians had foolishly been trying to bear the heavy burden of the Mosaic law. They had entangled themselves again with the yoke of bondage. They endeavored to establish righteousness for themselves by the works of the law. None of them said, "We are saved by our own works." Satan does not work in such an open manner. These law-mongers at Galatia were saying, "We are saved by grace, but only if we keep the law." Others of them said, "We are saved by grace alone, in so far as our justification is concerned; but in order to be sanctified we must keep the law as a rule of life." In reality their doctrine was the same. They were attempting to mix law and grace. They had forsaken the gospel way of salvation by grace alone.

Now, Paul says to them, "Do you want a law to live by? Then live by the rule of the law of Christ - LOVE." Here is a law which is a living principle. It touches the heart, influences the life, honors God, and is sympathetic toward and helpful to men. The whole law is fulfilled in this one thing - LOVE. Without it, all the pretentious, self-righteous piety which men claim to possess is hypocrisy.

It seems quite remarkable to me that those self-righteous people, who apparently want all men to know that they make the law of Moses their rule of life, usually forget that which is the essence and spirit of the law - LOVE. They are so righteous that they become stern, hard, severe, critical, and judgmental, which is being unrighteous. Even the righteousness of the Mosaic law is a righteousness of LOVE. But I have never found one of those self-righteous legalists who was tenderhearted, kind, and gentle. He looks at the killing letter of the law and becomes as hard and stern as death.

My friends, let this be the law by which we live - "LOVE ONE ANOTHER". Reject that which is hard, stern, and severe. "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you,"

WE DO NOT SAY THAT - The law is evil. The law is useless. The children of God are at liberty to break the law. Many, in an attempt to give the gospel of pure grace an ugly face, accuse us of teaching such evil things as these. WE DO SAY THAT - No man is saved by the law. No man is sanctified by the law. Christ fulfilled the law for us, as our Representative. We are not under the law. "THE LAW IS GOOD", but only "IF A MAN USE IT LAWFULLY". To use the law lawfully, is to use it as God intended for it to be used, to expose man's sin and guilt. But to use the law for a believer is to misuse the law altogether.