6:14,15
Paul reiterates that the Law is summed up in the command to “love your neighbour as yourself” (Lev 19:18). It is interesting that Paul puts the emphasis on the second great commandment, not on the first (love God). Our attitudes towards each other are so important. The Judaisers were wanting to tie the Galatians up in the Law. Paul tells them that they need to get to the heart of the Law. If they continued down the Law line they would end up devouring each other. And there is much evidence from history of churches doing that. We are to serve one another, not bite and devour each other. In Christ we are a new creation, it is the recreative work of God in our lives that counts, not any rules that we may follow. But note also that God doing a recreative work in our lives implies that we will become ever more Christlike. There are no grounds whatsoever in the Bible for thinking that Christ’s forgiveness means we can do what we like and get away with it.
6:16-18
Paul now brings the letter to a close. He has spoken firmly about false teachers, and those who follow them. Here he declares a blessing upon those who walk in faith. Paul had suffered much for Christ (and would suffer more). The Galatians dalliance with Judaism ha caused him much grief (Gal 4:19), he asks that they do this no more. The letter finishes with a typical Pauline blessing, that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with their spirit.
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