Galatians – Chapter Five XXI

by Ed Urzi

“But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!” (Galatians 5:15).

Galatians chapter four provided us with the real-life experience of three individuals -Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar- whose actions remind us that bad ideas may result in bad decisions that ultimately lead to serious consequences. In a similar manner, the Galatians’ decision to implement the bad ideas promoted by the false teachers of their era was leading the way toward something very dangerous: “You could end up destroying one another” (NIRV).

Although we are separated from the experience of the Galatian churches by many centuries, this passage carries an important message for every generation. If our lives reflect the same destructive tendencies that characterize those who criticize and attack one other, it may be time to examine the source of those attitudes. In some instances, those responses may be traceable to an idea, teaching, or belief that has little or nothing to do with true Biblical doctrine.

We can also benefit by considering Paul the Apostle’s experience with the first-century Corinthian church. Following his departure from Corinth, Paul was informed that some members of the church had started to enter into civil lawsuits against one another. Those decisions led to Paul’s candid response…

“But now one believer goes to court against another, and you let people who are not believers judge their case! The lawsuits that you have against each other show that you are already defeated. It would be better for you to let someone wrong you. It would be better to let someone cheat you” (1 Corinthians 6:6-7 ERV).

So Paul told the Corinthians that God would be far more honored if they simply accepted the wrong that had been inflicted upon them and move on. For our purposes, this means that we may sometimes have to absorb a personal loss in order to continue to live peaceably with other members of Jesus’ church. This does not mean that we cannot act to protect our interests but it does mean that we must be open to relinquishing our rights in certain instances lest we “…completely destroy one another” (GNB).

It also means we should keep the following counsel in mind…

“Let there be no more resentment, no more anger or temper, no more violent self-assertiveness, no more slander and no more malicious remarks, Be kind to each other, be understanding. Be as ready to forgive others as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32 Phillips).