Having reflected on our duties towards one another, we must not forget our individual responsibilities. We may have the same surname so to speak, but we are not the same person. As Paul says in Galatians 6:5, there is a specific load that we must bear.
On a first reading, it is not so clear why Paul mentions this load. In a passage that is focused on family responsibility, it seems out of place, an odd way to finish his train of thought. With further reflection, however, we can see how it actually serves to reinforce what he has already said. Instead of comparing ourselves to each other, instead of making fellow believers our standard, as if we are competing for status and blessing, we must reflect on our life in relation to God’s revelation. Not me versus others in church, but me submitting to God’s Word. This is my task in God’s family.
Am I fulfilling the duties that God has given to me? Am I bearing the loads that I have? If I see that I have made progress in the Christian life, most definitely I must rejoice and praise God for the work of his Spirit in me. This is the kind of boasting that God wants from me. Not comparisons with others, but to marvel at what God has done in me and through me, to reflect on our own progress in sanctification and give thanks for changes that God has made.
A good example of this is a well-known quote attributed to the English slaver John Newton. Converted at sea, he was involved in human trafficking for many years before becoming a Christian and eventually going on to become a minister of the Word. Towards the end of his life, he is said to have written the following words: I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.
When we measure our life against God’s revelation, there is no place for pride; our sins are exposed. Our status as undeserving, adopted children is highlighted. This is the key to fighting envy. This is the key to loving service. Reflections on God’s grace. The good news of what he has done for us in Jesus. Nothing else will spur us on to joyful burden bearing. Life in the Spirit is grace from start to finish.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.