Bear One Another's Burdens

Fellowshipping Together
September 2024
Jason Lapp

Let’s just face it, the word burden is a scary word.  Burdens are weighty and can bring worry, doubt, fear, and sadness when experienced.  We don’t want to be a burden to another person.  We don’t want others to see the burden we are carrying around.  Burdens can be brought into our lives by God’s providential circumstances or as Paul says in Galatians, they can be brought upon by our own transgressions.  The person Paul talks about needs help because they are caught in a sin.  Who should help the person caught in sin by bearing their burden?

The text tells us who should help bear the burden, “you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness” (Gal. 6:1).  Paul is not talking about some spiritually elite class of Christians who have the responsibility to bear the load.  He is talking about those who “live by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25).  Every believer has this responsibility with one another.  The reason we teach the Bible here at the Bible Church is to equip you for this type of ministry with one another (Eph. 4:12).  We understand the power of prayer because of what the Bible says about prayer, so we pray for one another.  We understand the power of God’s Word because of what the Bible says about itself, so we have truth to speak to one another.  We understand that God has the power to free people who are burdened from sin, so we point people to Him.  We go to that brother or sister trapped in their sin and gently love them with the love of Christ.

What we need to keep in mind is that bearing one another’s burden means that load or burden will become a part of our lives as well.  An illustration about moving may help. Think of trying to move a dryer into your house.  You attempt to lift the dryer by yourself.  You get some distance, but up ahead are stairs to climb to enter the house.  In your head, you think you are okay.  You attempt to move the dryer yourself, but you are getting nowhere.  To make matters worse, your back is in serious pain at this point.  What do you do?  The smart thing is to call a friend to help you bear a part of the load.  When you call your friend, he comes to lift the dryer with you.  Part of that weight has shifted to your friend.  You are relieved of some of your burden because your friend has taken a portion of your burden upon himself.  This is what Paul is talking about when he tells believers to “bear one another’s burden” (Gal. 6:2).  It will cost you something to help or restore a fellow believer in need.
 
What is our motivation to bear the burdens of one another? If bearing the burdens of another person is going to cost you something, why do it?  The reason every Christian should have the mindset to bear one another’s burdens is because of Christ.  Every believer was once burdened by the weight of sin.  I can’t help but think of little Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress.  He wanted so badly to have his burden removed.  It weighed him down so badly that at times he had trouble moving forward.  Then he came to the cross and his burden fell off his back and rolled into the empty tomb.  Christ did not just bear some of your burdens, he bore all your burdens.  He took all your sin upon himself at the cross (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; 1 Peter 2:25).  This is why we should have the mindset to bear the burdens of one another.  We are not Christ, but we are Christ’s representatives.  Christ bore our burdens, so our desire is to bear the burdens of one another.