Growth Through Christian Service

GOLDEN TEXT: “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” —Galatians 6:2

GALATIANS 6:1,2; JAMES 1:22,26,27; 2:14-17; I JOHN 3:16-18

THE marginal reading of Galatians 6:1 is, “Brethren, although 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.” The word “although” in this admonition implies that the brethren might be inclined to ignore, or set aside, those who are overtaken in a fault, thinking of them as not being worthy of further attention or care.

But these need the help of the stronger brethren more than do others. To care for these is what is involved in bearing one another’s burdens. Sometimes the burdens and cares of life weigh one down to the point that he stumbles, or is overtaken in a fault. It is then that he needs our help. Such need our prayers, our sympathy, words of admonition and encouragement. Or it may be that he needs a helping hand along temporal lines.

James writes that “the prayer of faith shall save the sick.” (James 5:15) Here the word “sick” translates a Greek word meaning faint, or weary. It is the same word as used by Paul when he wrote that we should consider Jesus lest we be “wearied” and faint in our minds. (Heb. 12:3) It is a discouragement, or temporary illness of the new creature, the best cure for which is our prayers and our sympathetic fellowship. Thus we bear one another’s burdens.

In verse 5 of Galatians, 6th chapter, Paul writes, “Every man shall bear his own burden.” It is a different Greek word here that is translated “burden,” one which means “task,” or “service.” The thought is that every Christian has a task, or service to perform, and it is his responsibility to see that it is done. We should not expect others to do our work for us.

But in our Golden Text the word “burdens” translates a Greek word meaning “weight,” literally a burden which weighs down and crushes. These “burdens” we are to help others to bear, for often when they are crushed by them, they lose the will and strength to rise up alone.

We are to be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers, James writes. This applies to every admonition of the Scriptures—those which apply to our lives personally, and also those which admonish us to serve others. The bridling of our tongues comes within the first category; so does keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.

But there is more to “pure religion” than this. We are also to “visit the fatherless and the widows.” This does not mean that the only thing a Christian should do is to seek out all the orphans and widows in his community and visit them whenever he can. It is the same word in the Greek language which James used when he said that God at the first did “visit” the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. (Acts 15:14) In this case, the visiting is done through the proclamation of the Gospel message. Orphans and widows are those who are in need of guidance and help. They are symbolic of all those who are “poor in spirit,” and who are in need and ready to accept the Gospel when we visit them with it.

Visiting the “fatherless” and the “widows,” then, is fulfilling our commission to proclaim glad tidings to the meek, and to “bind up the brokenhearted.” (Isa. 61:1) If we fail to appreciate our privilege of doing this, it means that we are “hearers of the Word” only, and not “doers.”

Another important aspect of the Christian life is our service to the brethren. Following the example of Christ, we should be laying down our lives for the brethren. Willingness to do this is the true evidence of our love for them. We may be kindly disposed toward our brethren, soft spoken when in their company, and able to control our emotions in a way to give the impression of great friendliness, but if our love does not manifest itself in self-sacrifice on their behalf, it is but as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.

Verse 16 of I John 3 is misleading as it appears in the King James Version because of the added italicized words “of God.” The fact that they are in italics means that they are not found in the original Greek text. Their use gives the erroneous impression that God laid down his life. It is true that God gave his Son to be the Redeemer of the church and the world, but it was Jesus who died. It is the Son of God that is discussed in this chapter. He was manifested to take away sin, and this he accomplished by his death as man’s Redeemer.—vs. 8

The death of Jesus was, of course, a manifestation of divine love—that same principle of unselfishness that prompted the Creator to give his Son for the life of the world. And it is this example that we are to follow in laying down our lives for the brethren.

QUESTIONS

What is to be our attitude toward those who are “overtaken in a fault”?

Harmonize the two statements, “Bear ye one another’s burdens,” and “Let every man bear his own burden.”

What does it mean to “visit the fatherless and the widows”?

How are we to demonstrate our love for the brethren?

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