1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load. (Galatians 6:1–5, ESV)
Today, we’ll look at a third element found in a gospel community according to this passage. In the previous two posts, we saw how the gospel community restores others (1) and bears one another’s burdens (2-3). So, what is the third element that works with the others to make the church an environment of true life change?
3. Responsible for Ourselves (4-5)
A gospel community is filled with people who are responsible for themselves. Paul said, “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load” (4-5). As I mentioned previously, our continual work or load differs from occasional burdens. Our work or load is the life Christ has individually assigned to us.
This whole paragraph from Paul is incredibly balanced. It helps us carve out a middle path between two extremes. [1] Rather than forgetting all about our church family so that we fill our lives with personal or family-oriented activities, God tells us to make room for burden-bearing and restoration (1-3). Rather than being so consumed with others that we forget to tend our own field, God tells us to test our own work and bear our own load (4-5).
To walk this middle (and biblical) path will require us to test our lives (4). Through self-examination, we can design a life we will be glad we lived (boast, 4).
Do you see what Paul has done? He has taken us through three phases of the gospel community. If this passage were a flow chart, one arrow would point from you to others, and it would only go one way because restoring others is a one-sided affair. Another arrow would point to others but back to you because when we bear one another’s burdens, we both help and receive help when needed. And the last arrow would point within, right back to you, because we are called to assess our lives and bear our own portion.
And when we bear our own load, we are a huge blessing to the gospel community (5). In a sense, a gospel community is like a kitchen shared with many roommates. It functions best when each person cleans up after themselves. There will, of course, be many times we need others to encourage or support us, but by tackling the life Christ individually designed for you, the rest of the community is blessed. When I sacrificially love my wife, diligently raise my kids into adulthood, earnestly work at my job, or walk with God each day, everyone else’s load becomes a little lighter because I haven’t created as many messes for others to clean up. The gospel allows for all this because it creates a new humanity, a Jesus-centered community, and the church, by saving individuals. So, though we are birthed into God’s family, we are individual sons and daughters who must “work out our own salvation” (Phil. 2:12). One day, we will stand before God. And if we have personally trusted Christ’s work on the cross, we will find our names written in a big book with billions of others—individuals in the gospel community.
Conclusion
All this burden-bearing and gentle restoration is only possible in a gospel church. Without the cross, we are fossilized into an environment and culture of legalistic human effort. This leads to an unwillingness to help others, along with an allergy to vulnerable transparency. Soon, the very community that should have loved, saved, healed, and lifted burdens like Jesus did becomes a burden. So we must keep our focus on Jesus and his wonderful cross so that we can be a blessing on others’ journeys and be blessed ourselves.
Many video games embrace the premise of the quest or the battle where players must navigate various obstacles and enemies to solve the puzzle, end the war, and win the game. I am partial to the original 1986 Nintendo Legend of Zelda. Your character is young Link, who embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Zelda. He starts with barely anything but amasses treasures, tools, and weapons from various characters who help him along the way.
Games like Zelda illustrate the challenge, difficulty, and quest of life as we know it. We can relate. The obstacles of life are nonstop. The temptations are real. The burdens are huge. And though we know we’re called to our own work and our own load, it is refreshing to be part of a church where others help you stay on track. And when a church is rightly centered on the gospel, it has the tools it needs to help everyone on their quest. When we wander into sin, the gospel community reminds us that Jesus died for those sins on the cross. When we are overburdened, the gospel community carries them with us just as Christ bore our burdens on the cross. And we never know when we will need to receive or give this help. So, our best move is to personally press into the body of Christ, walk in the Spirit, and commit to a life fulfilling the law of Christ.
[1] Harmon, Matthew S. 2021. Galatians: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary. Lexham Academic.
