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. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:1, 2 (ESV)
At the end of Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, one of the instructions with which Paul closes his letter is “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) The exhortation is embedded in Paul’s teaching about gently restoring a brother who is entangled in some sin or unintentional error. While the concept of bearing others’ burdens may apply to things like sorrows and difficulties in general, the context reveals that Paul is speaking of bearing the burden of others’ sin. This is reinforced by the explanation, “and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Christ bore the burden of our sin for the purpose of propitiation and commanded His disciples to “love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) It seems clear that Paul is instructing believers that, by bearing the burden of one another’s sin for the purposes of restoration, we are loving one another as Christ has loved us. This Christ-like love’s standard of measurement is not self-love, as in “love your neighbor as yourself,” but self-sacrifice, as in “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us in this way, we ought also to love one another.” (1 John 4:10)
How do we “bear one another’s burden” of sin?
Recognizing that Others’ Burdens Are Our Burdens.
Paul’s teaching raises the question as to how we bear the burden of our brother’s sin and how this lightens the burden for him. The answer must certainly begin with the understanding that the Bible reveals that others’ burdens are our burdens. Although many passages reveal this truth, perhaps the Scripture which most directly teaches this reality in the Body of Christ is 1 Corinthians 12. Here, in the midst of an important treatise on the nature of the Church as a body which God has designed in such a way “so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for one another,” we are told, “If one part (member of the body) suffers, every part suffers with it.” (1 Cor. 12:25, 26a) It is interesting that the previous chapter (11) contains rebuke and correction from Paul regarding divisions, and in the succeeding chapters (13 - 14:1) Paul points to love as of greatest importance; provides the most comprehensive description of what this self-sacrificing, Christ-like love looks like in relationships between believers; and exhorts believers to “follow the way of love.” (1 Cor. 14:1)
It is clear that this is what underlies Paul’s directive that we are to bear one another’s burdens. When my brother, a fellow believer, is ensnared in a sin, the burden of his sin is mine to bear along with him. I cannot begin to consider how practically I am to bear my brother’s burden without first recognizing this truth. When I comprehend this teaching of Scripture and embrace the responsibility to bear the burden of my brother’s sin, it does lighten his burden, because I am committed that he will not bear it without me.
Addressing Another’s Burden of Sin Spiritually
After introducing the topic of a brother “overtaken in a fault” in Galatians 6, Paul addresses his instruction to those “who are spiritual.” By this, he does not mean that his instructions are reserved only for those who have attained a high degree of spiritual maturity. He is certainly referring to believers, that is, those who have the Spirit of Christ indwelling them. He is probably also implying that believers are to deal with these matters spiritually as opposed to in the flesh. If I am going to bear the burden of my brother’s sin, I must have a distinctly spiritual perspective and motivation. I must not respond in a manner that is natural to the old self, still under the influence of the sinful nature. Were I to do so, my response would not be bearing my brother’s burden but adding to it.
Being Careful for Ourselves so that We Are Not Tempted
Paul warns that we must be very careful in these sort of interactions, or we will face temptation. (Gal. 6:1b) I don’t believe he means that I will be tempted to indulge in the same sin as my brother. Paul’s concern seems to be about other temptations to which I might be subjected. If my brother’s sin is directly against me, my fleshly temptation is to add to his burden by being vengeful, wanting him to suffer for what he has done to me, by keeping score, by developing a bitter spirit through focusing upon his offense. I might also be tempted to indulge in the sin of hypocrisy, having a hyper-sensitivity towards my brother’s sin, while experiencing little or no conviction or remorse with regard to my own. If my brother’s sin is against someone else, and I am merely aware of it, the temptation of my flesh is to add to his burden by concluding that it is his problem to solve or by taking up the offense and self-righteously judging him. I might also be tempted to participate in gossiping about him or slandering him, compounding the burden of his sin and drawing others in to sin as well. But if I recognize that I am called to respond to the matter as one in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells, if I am determined to conduct these interactions according to the teaching of God’s Word, if I have a proper caution against my own temptation to sin, the manner in which I address the matter of my brother’s sin will lighten his burden, because it requires that I must not add to his burden through yielding to these fleshly responses.
Seeking to Restore Him in a Spirit of Gentleness
Paul reveals the purpose of his instruction when he writes, “you...should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” Restoration must be the goal in responding to a brother’s sin in the Body of Christ. Moreover, such restoration must be pursued in humility and gentleness empowered by the Spirit of God. It must not be characterized by a harsh advocacy for stern punishment. The objective is not justice, it is restoration to right relationship with God, right relationship with the person or persons who were sinned against, and right relationship with the community of believers. The method for this restoration is not demanding justice but delighting to show mercy as our heavenly Father does. (Micah 7:18; Matthew 18:21-35). The Lord certainly requires that we act justly, but only in the context of loving mercy and walking humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). When, as the Body of Christ, our initial inclination in response to a brother’s sin is to consider what consequences he must be made to suffer instead of how he may be restored in a spirit of gentleness, I believe we may be sure that we are more likely operating according to the flesh rather than the Spirit, waging war with the weapons of this world, rather than those that have “divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:1-6)
The restoration which Paul has in mind requires the repentance of the person who has been entangled in sin. But we must remember that, in Romans chapter two, after sternly warning against “passing judgment on someone else,” Paul asks, “...do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4) This spirit of gentleness, which motivates and guides the restoration of a brother entangled in sin, lightens the burden of his sin by communicating a godly kindness which can lead him to full and genuine repentance.