24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
The reference to crucifixion in 24 links up with Paul's earlier statement in 2:20, and gives the 'manward' side where 2:20 gives the Godward, and underlines faith's response to, and expression of, the divine reality of what God has done for us in Christ. If that is our position in Christ - crucified with Him and alive unto God - this is faith putting it into practice as a reality in experience. Let us live, Paul means in 25, in character with our position, that is, walk in the Spirit, and be loving, longsuffering, gentle, self-controlled. Two specific examples of this now follow, in 26 and 6:1, one negative and one positive. 'Vain glory' refers to self-conceit, to having a false or inflated idea of one's own importance. This clearly can affect our attitude and conduct towards others. On the one hand, it provokes people, for there is a challenge inherent in it - this is the essentially competitive element in 'self', which always wants to be on top. On the other hand, envy is the obverse reaction, since we are always likely to encounter someone who is better than we are, a fact which self resents bitterly. J. Stott puts it thus: 'If we regard ourselves as superior to other people, we challenge them, for we want them to know and feel our superiority. If, on the other hand, we regard them as superior to us, we envy them. In both cases our attitude is due to 'vain glory' or 'conceit', to our having such a fantasy opinion of ourselves that we cannot bear rivals.... The correct attitude to other people is not 'I'm better than you and I'll prove it', nor 'You're better than I and I resent it', but 'You are a person of importance in your own right (because God made you in His own image and Christ died for you) and it is my joy and privilege to serve you'.'