Thought On This Chapter
GAL 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil
the law of Christ.
GAL 6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.
These two verses have been pointed to by scoffers as a
contradiction. They say which is it. Are you to let people bear your
burdens or are you to bear your own burden. As is the case so often, the
scoffers do not even look at the context. There is no contradiction here.
First lets look at the context of verse 2 by looking at verse 1.
GAL 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye
which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering
thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
This is talking about restoring a Christian who has
fallen to temptation. Out of love and in the spirit of meekness we are to
help bear his burden. We are to consider the fact that it could be us in
that situation, and we should act accordingly and help out. After the
context is set in verse one, then we have verse 2. GAL 6:2 Bear ye one another's
burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
The law of Christ is the law of love. John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved
you, that ye also love one another.
Verse 2 is talking about a certain kind of burden.
A burden that we are to help with.
Now lets look at the context of the 2nd kind of burden
that each person is to bear for himself.
GAL 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something,
when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
GAL 6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then
shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
The context is talking about a persons work that they
do for Christ. A man is to prove his own work. Whatever job the Lord
gives you to do you are responsible to do it. You are to bear your burden
for your service for the Lord. If you take a job in the church, then you
should not be pushing it off on others. You should not be unfaithful to
it. There are burdens of service that are ours to bear. We are
responsible to do them and not another. We will give an answer to God at
the judgment seat and not someone else for how we served. So in verse 5 it
says, "For every man shall bear his own burden."
There is no conflict between verse 2 and verse 5.
They are simply talking about the burden of falling into temptation and the
burden of service. Two totally different types of burdens. The one
we are to help bear and the other is ours to bear alone.
(Of course the second one is not advocating working in
the ministry alone. We are to work together. It is talking about our
individual responsibility to work.)
Thought On This Chapter
GAL 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
It is an inescapable truth. God has ordained it.
You will reap what you sow. This principal is all throughout the
Word of God. King David is an example. Because he had a man killed
with the sword, God decreed that the sword would never depart from David's
house. Because David laid with another man's wife in secret, another man
was going to lay with his wives in public. David troubled another man's
family and trouble never left David's family. David realized his great sin
and asked for forgiveness, and God did forgive him. However, getting
fellowship restored with God does not do away with the consequences of the sin.
David still had to reap the consequences of the sin that he sowed with
Bathsheba.
God will not be mocked. All men will reap what
they sow. That includes Christians. If you sin and get drunk and
kill someone with your car. You can find forgiveness, but that life will
not come back. God does not undo what you did. You will still reap
what you sow.
This principal should cause us to ponder more closely
the decisions we make in life. Before we make a mistake; before we fall
into some sin; before we please the flesh, we need to remember that God
will not be mocked and His child or not, He will make us reap what we sow.
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