Galatians 6:4

But let every man prove his own work.

Faithful self-examination

Let us be careful to get the true balance to weigh ourselves. There are the scales in which the world weighs men and things, and decides their amount of good or evil. But these, or the like balance, are so appended to the beam as to favour one scale more than the other. They will therefore deceive us in forming our estimate of things; for sin, when put into them, and love for God, and devotedness to Him, like two feathers east into the scale, will weigh so light that they will kick the beam when the meanest worldly trifle is weighed against them, while the scale in which the world weighs their virtues will have a vast preponderance in their favour. There is also the balance of conscience, and this is more false and deceitful (if possible) than the other. The conscience of the natural man is like a fraudulent man with false weights and measures, from whom we shall be sure to have no just weight. We must therefore take the golden balance of the sanctuary. Here, indeed, even our best services, when weighed with the law of God, will be found wanting; but the fulness of the redemption in the blood of Jesus, the freeness of His promises to every repenting sinner, the merit of His sinless obedience--these, on which the believer builds his hopes, however nicely weighed in the balance of truth, will want nothing of that true weight which the justice of God will demand at our hands. (H. G. Salter.)

Necessity of self-examination

The reason why there is so little self-condemnation is because there is so little self-examination. For want of this many persons are like travellers, skilled in other countries, but ignorant of their own. (Archbishop Seeker.)

True self-examination

Around the masterpieces in the galleries of Europe artists are always congregated. You may see them standing before Raphael’s transfiguration, copying with the nicest care every line and tint of that matchless work, glancing constantly from their canvas to the picture, that, even in the minutest parts, they may reproduce the original. But if, at one side, you saw an artist who only looked up occasionally from his work and drew a line, but filled in there a tree or a waterfall, and there a deer or a cottage, just as his fancy suggested, what kind of a copyist would you call him? Now, true self-examination lies in ascertaining how nearly we are reproducing Christ. He has painted for us in no gallery; but His life glows fourfold in the Gospels, and our hearts are the canvas upon which we are to copy it. Let us not take occasional glimpses, and work meanwhile upon earthly designs; but let us look long and earnestly till our lives reflect the whole Divine image. (H. W. Beecher.)

Dread of self-examination

As it is an evidence that those tradesmen are embarrassed in their estates, who are afraid to look into their books, so it is plain that there is something wrong within, among all those who are afraid to look within He that buys a jewel in a case deserves to be cozened with a Bristol stone. (Archbishop Seeker.)

Urgency of self-examination

Remember that the time you have for self-examination is, after all, very short. Soon thou wilt know the great secret. I may not say words rough enough to rend off the mask which thou hast now upon thee; but there is one called Death who will stand no compliment. You may masquerade it out to-day in the dress of a saint; but Death will soon strip you, and you must stand before the judgment-seat after Death has discovered you in all your nakedness, be that naked innocence or naked guilt. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

True and false standards of character

I. The false standard of character. There is a very common mode of judging of ourselves and our friends which is in itself utterly false and unsatisfactory; I mean that mode of estimating character and works, not by what these are in themselves, but by what they are in comparison with the life of others. “I may not be what I ought to be,” a man says; “but, side by side with my neighbour, I have no cause to be ashamed.” The picture seems fairer if it has a dark background; and we fall into the habit of measuring our own goodness by other men’s want of goodness. Instead of making conscience the standard of duty, they practically make other men’s want of conscience the standard. They have no sorrow or compunction for anything they have done or left undone, so long as they can point to others who are more to blame than themselves--as if health were to be measured, not by the pulse and vigour of the patient, but by the feverishness and insensibility of another patient lying at his side!

II. The true standard of character. Let every man prove his own work; let him test it on its own merits and for its own sake; and let it be judged, not by the indolence and failures of others, but by its own character and worth. This method of judgment, whereby every man must; prove his own work, is in accordance with facts of the spiritual world; for “every man must bear his own burden.” The character is the outcome of a man’s life and labours. What the man is, is really the fruit of what he does, and of what he thinks and speaks day by day. The character of every man is the measure of his works. The character will continue to tell what a man’s life has been, and what in its inmost nature it continues to be. And in this matter each man bears his own burden--a burden in which others may sympathize, but which no human sympathy can relieve him of. God has made visible in man His eternal law, that every man’s own work is proved, so as to give him rejoicing or sorrow, as the case may be, in himself, and not in another. And there is all the more need to test and prove our own work, that the time for doing our work is fast passing away. Our influence is gradually, and in modes unnoticed and unseen, pervading all around us; and that influence for good and evil is what we are responsible for. (A. Watson, D. D.)

Self-examination

Mind is the principal distinguishing attribute of man. This undying principle enables us to reflect on our condition as accountable creatures, and on the connection between our present state and final destiny. It is to man, thus constituted, that Divine revelation is addressed. It regards him as capable of reasoning as well as feeling. Every man is required to prove his own work. Those who most need this counsel will probably least feel their need of it, which is the strongest argument for attempting to enforce it. The text prescribes an important measure, and enforces it by weighty considerations. Let us advert--

I. To the measure which it prescribes. “Let every man prove his own work.” This seems to imply that every man should be seriously concerned to ascertain his own real character and condition before God; and that in order to this he should carefully examine both his principles and practice, his heart and life, and thus prove his own work. Probably there is in these words an allusion to the process of proving the genuineness of metals, by putting them to the test.

1. The text supposes the existence of an authorized test. In the absence of a test the process of proof is impracticable. Every man must have some rule by which to try his work, or he cannot prove his own work. The Word of God, and nothing but the Word of God, is the authorized test of Christian character.

2. It requires the application of this test by every man to himself. The application of this test includes two things, namely, the examination of the Scriptures, and the examination of ourselves by the Scriptures. If either of these is neglected, the examination is but partial.

II. The motives by which this measure is enforced. Beyond the obvious importance and necessity of this self-scrutiny, the apostle adduces two considerations to prompt every man to the adoption of the measure.

1. He adduces the advantage that may arise from it at present. “Then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” The apostle supposes a favourable result of the investigation, and in this case he affirms it would yield peculiar satisfaction and joy. He whose own work is thus proved to be genuine has just ground for rejoicing.

(1) As it respects the question decided. Many questions about which we often perplex our minds and waste our time are after all but trifling, comparatively very trifling! But in the case before us the question is of the highest importance, of infinite moment. The extremes of bliss and woe, immortal bliss and endless woe, are involved in this question.

(2) As it respects the manner of deciding it. “Then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” His rejoicing arises from the testimony of his own conscience, and not from the opinion of others respecting him. He has not rested in the vain conceit of his own imagination.

2. He adduces the nature of the proceedings of the last great day. “For every man shall bear his own burden.”

Having endeavoured to explain the measure which the text prescribes, and the motives by which it enforces this measure, I shall close by--

1. Urging its immediate adoption.

2. By attempting to obviate sonic difficulties attending it.

In undertaking and prosecuting an examination of ourselves, we shall probably discover many and great defects. If the trial be impartial, this will certainly be the case. (Essex Congregational Remembrancer.)

Self-proving

I. A duty. Our work is good, and approved by God, if it have--

1. A good ground, viz., the will and Word of God, and not will-worship and human invention.

2. A good performance. Sincere, as in the presence of God, and with an honest heart.

3. A good end.

(1) God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:30).

(2) Our brother’s good (1 Corinthians 14:26).

II. A privilege.

1. Independence of men.

2. The blessed testimony of a good conscience (2 Corinthians 1:12). Hence learn--

(1) That if we would have a light heart we must approve ourselves unto God.

(2) That the common estimate of religion as gloomy is false (Proverbs 15:15; 1 Peter 1:18).

(3) That there is much spurious joy in the world, which arises, not from within, but without. There are those

(a) who rejoice in the opinions of others;

(b) in the fact that they have not been open offenders;

(c) in the virtue of their ancestors (John 8:33; Matthew 3:9);

(d) in that others are worse than themselves. (R. Cudworth.)