In Galatians 6:1, the grace believer who is knitting together another saint who has been caught in a trespass is instructed to consider himself. The word “consider” means to carefully observe, examine, or fix one’s attention upon. Although the word consider conveys careful thinking or attentiveness, “scoping out” emphasizes a fixed gaze anticipating an action or response.
While Jesus was speaking to the Jews, He called out their generation for their unbelief. He warns them to pay close attention that the light in them is not darkness (Luke 11:35). Israel, as a nation, is a light to the world (Matthew 5:14). No one hides a lamp once it has been lit, yet the Jews were not evangelizing the Nations as they should have been (Luke 11:33). Since the lamp of the body is the eye, if the eye is without guilt, the whole body is full of light; however, when the eye is malignantly evil, the body is full of darkness (Luke 11:34). Darkness is a lack of God’s life in activity (1 John 1:5). Rather than following their Messiah, these Israelites were malignantly evil and continually sought a sign instead of expressing faith in God’s promise to them (Luke 11:29). Jesus instructed them to carefully scope themselves out to ensure their light is not darkness; they are not malignantly evil but shining forth as a light to the Nations.
In regard to the Church, we are to pay close attention to brethren who cause division and scandalize. They do not follow the doctrine that we have learned. Rather, they do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly. We are to avoid them because they deceived the simple (those who do not know wrong) through smooth words and flattering speech (Romans 16:17–18). In contrast to these, we are to scope out those who walk properly as a pattern to follow (Philippians 3:17).
The grace believer lives out from faith because he is righteous in Christ. As a result, those of the Church do not scope out the things they can see, but the things that are not seen. The things that are eternal are where our attention is to be fixed upon (2 Corinthians 4:18). Therefore, let us walk through faith, not through sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Additionally, among the saints, we are not to be high-minded; instead, we are to have the same frame of mind, be humble, and esteem others as better than ourselves. Our attention should not only be on our own things, but also on the things of others (Philippians 2:4). In all this, we are to have the same mind in us that Christ had. Regardless of who we are in this world or the value and position we hold, we are to subject ourselves to the will of God (Philippians 2:5-8).
Scoping out emphasizes paying close attention. The things that deserve this type of attention from us relate to our position in Christ, not what the world or false teachers offer.
