Bearing Burdens Together: Living Out the Gospel in Community

The book of Galatians addresses a critical problem that many churches face: adding to the gospel and making salvation about works rather than Christ's finished work. When we add to the gospel, we create a worthless religion that destroys unity instead of creating it. Self-righteousness gets in the way of seeing Christ as Savior, ourselves as sinners, and the church as a family of brothers and sisters who support each other.

What Does It Mean to Bear One Another's Burdens?

In Galatians 6:1-10, Paul provides a practical solution to this problem: we must humbly bear the burdens of others and do good to the household of faith. This passage shows us that bearing others' burdens is good for both the church and for us individually.

When someone is caught in sin, those who are "spiritual" should restore them gently. But who are these spiritual people? They're not necessarily the teachers or elders, but those who display Spirit-filled character by not gratifying the flesh. The flesh loves things like lust, greed, laziness, gossip, and jealousy. It puffs itself up and becomes conceited.

The spiritual response to seeing someone in sin isn't to:

• Tell others about it so you can pray for them
• Quietly judge them from afar
• Thank God you didn't turn out like them

Instead, the spiritual response is to dismount from your "holy high horse" and come down to the sinner's level and point them to Jesus. Gently bring them back and save them from themselves.

How Do We Correct Others Without Being Hypocritical?

Paul provides an important qualifier to anyone who would restore a brother in sin: "Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted." We can go to a brother caught in sin to correct them and make things worse—not just for them, but for ourselves.

Jesus addressed hypocritical judgment when He said, "You hypocrites, first take the log out of your own eye so that you can clearly see to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Paul addresses how many of us think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. Comparing ourselves to someone else is easier than letting Scripture be our mirror.

As you walk with Christ, you increasingly become aware of how unimpressive you are. You realize there isn't really anything you do worth boasting about. Paul says, "Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Why Are Our Burdens Never Unbearable?

In verse 5, Paul says that each will have to bear his own load, which might seem confusing after saying we should bear one another's burdens. But ultimately, we humbly bear each other's burdens because each of us bears our own load. All of us will stand before God to bear our sinful load in judgment. Christ is the only one who can carry that burden for us.

The struggles of daily life are also burdens that we carry. Whether sin or struggle, we need help to bear these loads. In this life, we have the privilege to carry the burdens of the family of Christ.

None of your burdens are unbearable. This doesn't mean they're easy, but that they can be shifted and shouldered for you by the family of God:

• Addiction is not unbearable
• Singleness is not unbearable
• The struggles of parenting are not unbearable
• Divorce is not unbearable
• Losing a loved one is not unbearable
• Depression is not unbearable

Perhaps the humblest thing you could do is ask for help, but it's also one of the wisest.

Why Is the Gospel Our Greatest Good?

We do all these good things for each other because of the good that God does for us. Our greatest good—the thing we value most—is the gospel. It's the news that not one of your sins needs to be counted against you because Jesus Christ sets us free from the demands of the law. By grace, through faith in Christ, we can become children of God.

Christians need the gospel just as much as anyone else does. Don't give up in sharing all this good, because doing good bears eternal fruit, and we all need each other to persevere in the faith.

Application

Picture a church where we sing with one voice, where we rejoice with the happy and weep with those who mourn, where we prefer one another over ourselves, where we share our mutual woes and bear mutual burdens, where we're quick to forgive as Christ forgives, where we don't boast anymore on what we can bring, but only the cross.

That is what a right understanding of the gospel produces. When we understand what Christ has done for us, all we want to do is be like Christ for other people.

This week, consider these questions:

• What burdens am I carrying that I need to share with my church family?
• Whose burdens around me can I help bear this week?
• How can I specifically do good to someone in my church family?
• How can I boast in the cross of Christ rather than in my own accomplishments?

Don't grow weary of doing good. Don't give up. Keep sowing good things. Keep growing the fruit of the Spirit. Keep teaching the Word. Keep giving to your church. Keep asking for help. Keep restoring and encouraging your brothers and sisters. A harvest is coming soon if we don't give up.

You won't give up for two reasons: First, you have each other. Second, Christ will hold you fast. The love that He sought you with and the blood that He bought you with is the same thing that will seal you and keep you to the end. You are His. So live your life like you belong to King Jesus by doing good to all, especially each other.