Matthew Henry Commentary
 
 

Galatians 6:4-6

 
But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden. 6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
 

We are advised every one to prove his own work, v. 4. By our own work is chiefly meant our own actions or behaviour. These the apostle directs us to prove, that is seriously and impartially to examine them by the rule of God’s word, to see whether or no they are agreeable to it, and therefore such as God and conscience do approve.

This he represents as the duty of every man; instead of being forward to judge and censure others, it would much more become us to search and try our own ways; our business lies more at home than abroad, with ourselves than with other men, for what have we to do to judge another man’s servant?

From the connection of this exhortation with what goes before it appears that if Christians did duly employ themselves in this work they might easily discover those defects and failings in themselves which would soon convince them how little reason they have either to be conceited of themselves or severe in their censures of others; and so it gives us occasion to observe that the best way to keep us from being proud of ourselves is to prove our ownselves: the better we are acquainted with our own hearts and ways, the less liable shall we be to despise and the more disposed to be compassionate and help others under their infirmities and afflictions.

That we may be persuaded to this necessary and profitable duty of proving our own work, the apostle urges two considerations very proper for this purpose:— This is the way to have rejoicing in ourselves alone. If we set ourselves in good earnest to prove our own work, and, upon the trial, can approve ourselves to God, as to our sincerity and uprightness towards him, then may we expect to have comfort and peace in our own souls, having the testimony of our own consciences for us (as 2 Co. 1:12), and this, he intimates, would be a much better ground of joy and satisfaction than to be able to rejoice in another, either in the good opinion which others may have of us or in having gained over others to our opinion, which the false teachers were wont to glory in (as we see v. 13), or by comparing ourselves with others, as, it should seem, some did, who were ready to think well of themselves, because they were not so bad as some others.

Too many are apt to value themselves upon such accounts as these; but the joy that results thence is nothing to that which arises from an impartial trial of ourselves by the rule of God’s word, and our being able thereupon to approve ourselves to him.

Note,

(1.) Though we have nothing in ourselves to boast of, yet we may have the matter of rejoicing in ourselves: our works can merit nothing at the hand of God; but, if our consciences can witness for us that they are such as he for Christ’s sake approves and accepts, we may upon good ground rejoice therein.

(2.) The true way to have rejoicing in ourselves is to be much in proving our own works, in examining ourselves by the unerring rule of God’s word, and not by the false measures of what others are, or may think of us.

(3.) It is much more desirable to have matter of glorying in ourselves than in another. If we have the testimony of our consciences that we are accepted of God, we need not much concern ourselves about what others think or say of us; and without this the good opinion of others will stand us in little stead.

The other argument which the apostle uses to press upon us this duty of proving our own work is that every man shall bear his own burden (v. 5), the meaning of which is that at the great day every one shall be reckoned with according as his behaviour here has been. He supposes that there is a day coming when we must all give an account of ourselves to God; and he declares that then the judgment will proceed, and the sentence pass, not according to the sentiments of the world concerning us, or any ungrounded opinion we may have had of ourselves, or upon our having been better or worse than others, but according as our state and behaviour have really been in the sight of God.

And, if there be such an awful time to be expected, when he will render to every one according to his works, surely there is the greatest reason why we should prove our own works now: if we must certainly be called to an account hereafter, surely we ought to be often calling ourselves to an account here, to see whether or no we are such as God will own and approve then: and, as this is our duty, so if it were more our practice we should entertain more becoming thoughts both of ourselves and our fellow-christians, and instead of bearing hard upon one another, on account of any mistakes or failings we may be guilty of, we should be more ready to fulfil that law of Christ by which we must be judged in bearing one another’s burdens.

Christians are here exhorted to be free and liberal in maintaining their ministers (v. 6): Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth, in all good things. Here we may observe, The apostle speaks of it as a thing known and acknowledged, that, as there are some to be taught, so there are others who are appointed to teach them.

The office of the ministry is a divine institution, which does not lie open in common to all, but is confined to those only whom God has qualified for it and called to it: even reason itself directs us to put a difference between the teachers and the taught (for, if all were teachers, there would be none to be taught), and the scriptures sufficiently declare that it is the will of God we should do so.

It is the word of God wherein ministers are to teach and instruct others; that which they are to preach is the word, 2 Tim. 4:2. That which they are to declare is the counsel of God, Acts 20:27. They are not lords of our faith, but helpers of our joy, 2 Co. 1:24. It is the word of God which is the only rule of faith and life; this they are concerned to study, and to open, and improve, for the edification of others, but they are no further to be regarded than as they speak according to this rule.

It is the duty of those who are taught in the word to support those who are appointed to teach them; for they are to communicate to them in all good things, freely and cheerfully to contribute, of the good things with which God has blessed them, what is needful for their comfortable subsistence. Ministers are to give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine (1 Tim. 4:13); they are not to entangle themselves with the affairs of this life (2 Tim. 2:4), and therefore it is but fit and equitable that, while they are sowing to others spiritual things, they should reap their carnal things. And this is the appointment of God himself; for as, under the law, those who ministered about holy things lived of the things of the temple, so hath the Lord ordained that those who preach the gospel should live of the gospel, 1 Co. 9:11, 13, 14.

 

Tent-making and Galatians 6:6 Related Discussions

Question: 

I am not a scholar. How can I get simply information about the disciples and people that were in homes for small fellowships. How did they make a living. Like with Lydia she made dyes and was she one of the women that followed the disciples.

Thank you.

Response: 

Scholar or not, you demonstrate from your answer that you are looking to the Word for these answers, and that is really the only place to look. One thing I can tell you straight away is that there is really no other significant source of contemporary information about these sorts of things other than what is found in Acts and the epistles. The earliest good source on the Church outside of the Bible is Eusebius, and he didn't write until the fourth century, got a good deal of his info from the Bible and from those who had speculated before him based on nothing but the Bible, and really has little if anything to say on this issue you ask about as far as I am aware (Eusebius is available in an English translation with facing Greek text in the Loeb Classical Library series). The Apostolic Fathers provide some small evidence for Church polity in their own day, but nothing I can recall about the support for ministry during the days of the apostles. This brings us back to my original point: what we know about all this is what we can glean from the Bible, and in fact we know rather a lot from that true source. Without any question, it is a biblical principle that believers in any organized fellowship are responsible at some point for providing a living for those who minister the Word to them.

Let him who receives instruction in the Word share in all good things with him who gives instruction. Galatians 6:6

Galatians 6:6 is an important verse for the Church in our day precisely because it is so little understood, so little appreciated, and so little applied, a fact that marks out our Laodicean era as filled to the brim with false priorities. To take but one example, I have a good friend who has sacrificed dearly for the better part of his adult life to prepare and then to make available good, solid teaching of God's Word (and he is a gifted man). Today he finds himself working in a secular job (with the disadvantage of having started some thirty years behind where he would have had he not made the teaching of God's Word his priority). Far from being a fault, he made the opportunity available to have the fresh water of God's Word plentifully available, but over time there haven’t been many serious and consistent takers. Trouble is, there are very, very few groups of Christians, whether inside or outside of denominations, who really want this.

They may want someone with credentials, but they are generally not interested in getting deep into the Word. Very often, even when there is a passing interest in such things, the limited resources which small groups have (and usually it is only very small groups which have a genuine corporate interest in serious Bible teaching) are often allocated in what I would call short-sighted ways. To whit, people yearn for a building, or, if they have one, for a bigger/better building. Since serious Bible teaching always drives more people away than it attracts (a unique feature of the truth), this often leaves the pastor shorted.

What I tell people who ask for advice in such situations is that the first responsibility for any group of people who wish to have their own Bible teacher/pastor is to support that person in an acceptable manner before even thinking about spending money on anything else whatsoever. The whole point in gathering together as Christians is for the nourishment of the Word, and if a group of people decide to make the commitment to a sole source (i.e., hire a man), then that is their number one responsibility. As the Galatians 6:6 verse makes clear (and also 1Cor.9:3-14; 1Tim.5:17-18), this was a problem from the early days of the Church, for even the apostles were often given short shrift when it came to material support. It is interesting to me that Gal.6:6 is given in the context of Christian good works (verses 7-10), and in that context it is placed first by Paul, the implication being that to devote care, concern, and financial resources to general works of charity without first having taken care of your own pastor is a huge misapplication of truth. That would seem to stand to reason, but this has nevertheless always been a problem even among otherwise very dedicated Christians (the principle of familiarity breeding contempt seems to apply here: Matt.13:57).

One final point on this. "All good things" in Galatians 6:6 refers to everything such a teacher-pastor might have need of. That may or may not include financial support (generally it would), but it would certainly include other things as well such as respect (1Tim.5:17), prayer (Rom.15:30; 2Cor.1:11; Phil.1:19; Philem.1:22), and encouragement (1Cor.16:17-18; 2Cor.7:4-7; 7:13; 2Tim.1:16; Philem.1:7), to name a few that come to mind.

You might also look at this link: Does the Bible require financial support of pastors?

The best example we have of self-support among the apostles is, of course, that of Paul and his companions (Acts 18:3; 20:34-35; 1Cor.4:12; 9:6-18; 1Thes.2:6-9; 2Thes.3:8-10). As to the occupations of believers, we have every reason to believe from the information in scripture that they earned their livings in a way analogous to what we do today, namely, they worked at the jobs and professions that were available to them and to which through talent and circumstance they were suited. You mention Lydia; we know that Prisca and Aquilla were tent-makers by profession like Paul (Acts 18:3); scripture gives us no reason to believe that the Ethiopian eunuch changed his profession as an official of that country, or that Philippian jailer changed jobs after salvation, or that the Roman centurion Cornelius of Acts 10 left the Roman Army. Certainly, it was difficult for believers to belong to certain professions whose professional organizations participated in cult worship of one sort or another, but other than this complication we should surmise that believers of the first days of the Church faced the same challenges we face in balancing a working life with a dedicated Christian life. At times, of course, persecution was also a factor (See the link: Historical examples of persecution [from Peter #25]). That is a major reason why in the very first days of the Church there was a need for sharing everything in common from the standpoint of simple survival (Acts 4:32-37), a situation which will come up again during the Tribulation for some believers.

This is not to say that people haven't written about this subject. You might check out Merril C. Tenney's New Testament Survey (especially parts 3 and 4) for an overview of what we know from the Bible about the situation in the early Church. For the situation with contemporary Jews see Alfred Edersheim's Sketches of Jewish Social Life, and for a general survey of the life and times of the Bible, Merril F. Unger's Archaeology of the New Testament is very good (the title is somewhat misleading - it is not a technical book).

I hope this is all of some help to you. I am encouraged by your continued dedication to the Word of God.

In Him who supplies all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Jesus Christ.

Tent-making and Proverbs 22:29 Related Discussions-Os Hillman


Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. - Proverbs 22:29

The Lord has called each of us to be excellent in what we do. Those whom God used in the Kingdom as workplace ministers were skilled and exemplified excellence in their field. Not only were these men skilled, they were filled with God's Spirit.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship" (Exodus 31:1-5).

Consider Huram, the master craftsman of bronze in whom Solomon entrusted much of the temple designs. He was a true master craftsman (see 1 Kings 7:14).

Consider Joseph, whose skill as an administrator was known throughout Egypt and the world. Consider Daniel, who served his king with great skill and integrity. The list could go on—David, Nehemiah, Acquilla and Priscilla.

I recall the first issue of an international publication we began. It was common to hear the comment, "It doesn't even look like a Christian magazine." They were saying the quality and excellence exceeded what they equated to Christian work. What a shame. Has inferior quality become synonymous with Christian work?

May we strive for excellence in all that we do for the Master of the universe.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24).