Galatians 5:15 Meaning

But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Galatians 5:15, ESV

Paul’s point is that you will destroy yourselves ultimately — just like animals bite and devour one another — if the Church bites and devours one another.

How do we “bite and devour one another”?

How do we do that?

By backbiting. By slandering. By unkind gestures — expressions — looks — starting factions and causing or breeding contention amongst the saints.

None of us will end up crossing that finish line if we devour ourselves.

Deal with issues

But this is why it’s so important as a church that when issues arise we have to always address them right away — to not allow issues to fester and to bubble up.

Rather we must seek to be at peace as a church always. We are to seek the good of this church together.

Our goals as a church ought to all be aligned. We all ought to want to put away our selfishness — and desire to be united together as a church around Christ and around the gospel — encouraging one another to run well.

How to “watch out that you are not consumed by one another”

And we do that by directing each other’s eyes to the finish line.

We do that by never allowing each other to take our eyes off of the cross.

And we do that by making sure that our our eyes are set lovingly upon our neighbor in this church.