Bearing One Another’s Burdens

Galatians 6:1–8 NRSV

My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads. Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.

The Message

Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your life.

Be vert sure now, you who have trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.

Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!— harvests a crop of weeds. But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

Paul spells out specific guidelines for believers to repair their broken relationships. This is directly related to the problem of division in Galatian churches. Previously in Galatians Paul talks about “biting and devouring each other” and “provoking and envying” each other.

I can think of some modern day examples of this happening now and these last few years.

Paul lays out how people led by the Spirit can bring healing to their divided churches. The responsibilities include both the believers’ corporate responsibilities to one another and the individual believer’s accountability before God.

Our public care for one another must be matched by integrity in our private walk before God.

Make note of how corporate responsibilities and individual accountability are woven together in this section:

corporate: restore him (or her) gently

individual: watch yourself

3. corporate: carry each other’s burdens

4. individual: each one should test his (or her) own actions…each one should carry his or her own load

5. corporate: share all good things with his or her instructor

6. individual: do not be deceived....a man or woman reaps what he/she sows

7. corporate: do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers

Moral failure is a reality of life here on earth and in our churches. What matters is our response as a church. We could call people out and condemn them. It would cause shame to the individual and alienate them from the church and possibly from God. This is what is happening in this church in Galatia. The church is divided as a result of their harsh judgement of one another. Paul wants to show that the occasion of sin is an opportunity for Spirit-led people to display the fruit of the Spirit in order to bring healing to the individual and unity in the church.

Does anyone remember what the fruits of the Spirit are?

Love

Joy

Peace

Patience

Kindness

Generosity

Faithfulness

Gentleness

Self-Control

In order to bring healing to the individual and the community, we must have a compassionate view of the one in the wrong. Paul does not define what kind of sin or the consequence related. The language suggests the individual is a victim of the sin, saying “one who is caught in sin” as in a trap.

When a person makes a mistake, other people are hurt, but they themselves are also victims.

Note that Paul is not saying it is our responsibility to catch someone in sin. It is not the charge of Christians to find and point out wherever we see other’s failures.

Paul appeals to those who are spiritual to help the one who is caught. The spiritual are not some elite leadership group of spiritual super heroes. Paul is calling on all who have received the Spirit of God, that is, those who have believed the gospel, to be actively engaged in the ministry of restoration.

These exact methods of restoration are not described by Paul. They vary according to the individual circumstances. But Paul does specify the manner of restoration. Restore him or her gently. Literally, he says, restore “in a spirit of gentleness.” One aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. Does this mean for Christians to act with violent emotions or arrogance? With judgement? No I don’t think that’s what gentleness is.

Gentleness could look like loving the person through their struggle. It could look like walking with the individual through what they are going through, not allowing your own expectations to guide their healing. It could look like active listening and compassion.

Paul doesn’t just call us to help restore others and pay attention to where others are failing.

He shifts to our own needs for restoration.

He moves it from a plural form, addressed for all, to command a self-examination in the singular form, addressed to each individual. Corporate responsibility must be undergirded by the personal integrity of each individual before God. In other words, I can’t complain about the state of your side of the street if mine is also a disaster.

As for carrying burdens. Paul turns again to corporate responsibility of all Spirit led Christians. We must carry each other’s burdens and serve one another in love.

The list of these burdens could be infinite. Physical, emotional and mental struggles, cancer, addiction, poverty, relationship struggles.... we must help our brothers and sisters carry these because boy are they heavy.

When we carry each other’s burdens in this way, we fulfill the law of Christ. This in contract to the law of Moses which focuses on how we observe the behaviors of others.

Is it carrying another’s burden to tell them that their behavior is wrong? To judge them based on what you see?

There is a meme circulating that says something like “ be kind, you never know the battles others are fighting” In other words, we never know the whole story or the reasons behind why someone is struggling. And that’s not always for us to know. But it would be so life giving and restorative for us to assume there is more to it than we know and to have empathy for others.

In verses 3-5, Paul turns back to the need for self-evaluation. This is absolutely necessary because we are always in danger of fooling ourselves. We have to evaluate our own work. Not base our success on our comparison to others. I know how hard this is today with all of the different social media platforms and infinite ways to feel like we don’t measure up to other’s instagram perfect lives.

This also touches on the danger of pride. Talking about someone who “thinks he (or she) is something when he or she is nothing” Paul is addressing those who thought so highly of themselves they were unable to take on the servant role that would enable them to carry the burdens of others.

Have you ever witnessed someone being super rude to a server at a restaurant? This comes to mind hearing this part of the verse. How much must someone think of themselves to treat others in such a way.

The end of this passage states that We reap what we sow. I don’t know if I believe in Kharma but this warning seems clear enough. We cannot stay neutral. We have to choose wether or not to help others. We get back what we are choosing to do.

Lets Pray