Free Bible Commentary
“Galatians 6:1-5”
Categories: Galatians“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one will bear his own load.”
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Along with helping to restore brothers or sisters in Christ who have been caught in the grasp of sin (verse 1), it is also incumbent upon followers of Christ to “bear one another’s burdens” (verse 2). According to Vine’s Dictionary a “burden” is “a weight, anything pressing on one physically, or that makes a demand on one's resources.” Sometimes the demands of life just get too heavy to bear alone, and we need to help our brethren shoulder their burdens. We can be weighed down by sickness, illness, bereavement; money, marriage, or child-rearing problems, or any number of difficulties.
Paul said that when we bear one another’s burdens we “fulfill the law of Christ.” Many people believe that the law of Christ is simply “the law of love”. When Jesus walked with His disciples upon the earth, “He loved them to the end” or “to the uttermost” (John 13:1). The reason that Christ came to this world was to die for all the people that He created because He loves us so much. Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I believe that the law of Christ, in the broader context of inspired revelation, refers to all the commandments given to mankind to obey through the New Testament (Hebrews 1:1-2). But I think that Paul is singling out our responsibilities to our fellowman contained within that law in today’s verses. Love most certainly is the dominant aspect of the law of Christ as Paul pointed out in Galatians 5:14: “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’” The commands to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbor as our self are the two greatest commandments to ever exist (Matthew 22:36-40).
While it is vitally important that we help bear one another’s burdens, it is equally imperative that each person “bear his own load” (verse 5). Vine’s Dictionary defines the word “load” as following: “something carried, is always used metaphorically (except in Acts 27:10, of the lading of a ship); of that which, though ‘light,’ is involved in discipleship of Christ.” We all must accept our own responsibilities and carry our own weight, even though there are times when we all need help. There is no contradiction between bearing one another’s burdens and carrying our own load. Paul is merely counterbalancing the command to help with a warning to not enable.
Everyone in the kingdom of Christ is expected to do his own fair share. We will all stand before the Lord on Judgment Day as individual “free moral agents”. We all need to examine ourselves to make certain that each of us is doing our “own work” (verse 4). “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Please read Galatians 6:6-10 for tomorrow.
Have a great day!
-Louie Taylor
