Bear One Another's Burdens ...

Tuesday, July 26, 2016. If you take the New Testament serious, it is a great advice! It is realistic, and it is helping to develop healthy relationships. When you are faced with difficulties due to some other person's behavior, there is a passage in the letter to the Galatians which can help to guide you. But we also need to address the difficulties with this!

Caught in Transgression …

Let us first read Galatians 6, the first two verses. The apostle Paul writes this letter, with words which could not be better chosen. Here is what he says:

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal 6, 1-2)

Let us first note: humans tend to not be perfect. What ever rule or measuring system you choose, you will find many points where we fail. We all have ideals, we have ideas of what we want to be and how we want to behave. But we usually fail to be fully like that. We might succeed here or there, with various steps. But we will also find many points where we fail to be what we want to be or what others want us to be.

But Paul does not talk about human ideals here, but about God's law, about his character and his commands. And he talks about a situation where someone sees another believer to do the wrong things. This is what is meant by “caught in transgression”.

Restoration …

The goal of all our actions and words needs to be restoration. That is what God has as his central goal. The whole New Testament is a testament of restoration. The mission of Jesus is healing and restoration. The mission of the church is reconciliation.

Here, we are called to carry it out in the spirit of gentleness. We are called to act knowing that we are not better, that we are also tempted.

We are called to bear one another's burdens. That can be very easy! It can be hard work at times. Important here is the direction of our actions: we are there to help one another. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord. It does not mean to accept all nonsense, but to guide it back to where it should go, in clarity and kindness. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts