Galatians 6: Community and Brotherhood

The movie Castaway brings up an interesting question: What would do if you were stuck by yourself on a deserted island? Could you survive without anyone else? For some it might be heaven, for at least a little while. However, Genesis 1-3 puts humanity solely in the category of needing community; both within a family structure but also with a larger societal structure. Why do immigrants seek out other immigrants from their homeland? They need the support from the community to survive.

When God created humanity, he made us for the purpose of being in relation to him—the vertical—but also horizontally in relation to other people. In Galatians 6, Paul touches on proper horizontal relationships when he exhorts the Galatians to live in such a way that they restore those captive to sin (v. 1) and bear each other’s burdens (v. 2). Paul breaks down the idea of boasting—setting themselves up as a means of comparison to boast about (v. 3-4). Constantly comparing yourself to your neighbor does not build community but often leads only to jealousy and bitterness. Instead, Christians are to live their lives in such a way that sows the grace and love of Christ to others and thus reap eternal life (v. 8-9). Let us then do good to everyone—especially those in the church (v. 10). Living in community comes with obligations and rewards. God calls us to love each other, but somehow in our families and in our churches this becomes incredibly difficult. So how do we live this way?

Our first step is to have a deep, personal relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. We cannot mistake receiving the benefits of being in a church and being involved in church as a replacement for loving and trusting in Christ personally. Out of this vertical relationship all other relationships flow. As we are conformed to Christ’s image our relationships with others begin to change and we become more gracious, patient and loving. Secondly, we must practice gracious corporate living. The grace we receive from Christ is the grace we must give. Only in community are we truly living the Christian life—there are no Christian hermits or lone rangers. Our interactions with other Christians give us encouragement and strength to face our burdens that we face. As we help carry the burdens of those around us God begins to change us and we conformed into Christ’s image.

Posted By Aaron