Burden Bearing: It’s The Law

BURDEN-BEARING
It’s The Law!

Life is a wonderful “gift” from God. It’s great to be alive! However, we know that the sin nature (the root) and sins (the fruit) burden the believer. Sin weighs us down. Therefore, we’ll have burdens and problems as long as we live. And they will be numerous and varied – family burdens, financial burdens, personal burdens, spiritual burdens, and burdens from the job. The donkey, a beast of burden, may be able to bear sack upon sack in its strength, but we can’t!

The Lord expects us to “bear one another’s burdens” – to share the weight and the load. In fact, it’s His “law” (Gal. 6:2). This wonderful principle encourages, compels and commands the Christian to lovingly share in his brother’s burden, thus fulfilling the law of Christ. Are you a burden bearer for others? Are you fulfilling the law of Christ? Let’s take a closer look at Galatians 6:2 – “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Bear Ye
The apostle Paul had written to the church in Galatia to correct an error; the saints there had begun mixing law and grace. They were involved in Judaizing principles. They believed in salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, yet they wanted to keep the Law. Paul reminded them that, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree’” (Gal. 3:13). He also told them, “For ye are sons of God by faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 3:26). As Paul concluded the epistle, he gave some instructions on the outworking of this new life in Christ.

Galatians 6:2 is written in the imperative mood: “Bear ye.” It is our responsibility not only to bear one another’s burdens, but also to know them. We can’t bear them if we don’t know them. He doesn’t say “Bear ye” to our natural family members or our close friends, although they probably would. He doesn’t just tell the church leaders to “Bear ye,” although they would be faithful in this responsibility. Paul didn’t tell the psychologists to “Bear ye.” He told the believers to bear one another’s burdens.

Because the verse is written in the imperative, it is a command that is actually saying, “You, the individual believer, bear your brother’s and sister’s burdens.” This reminds us of what Jesus said; “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (Jn. 13:34). He also stated, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn. 14:15). The individual Christian, out of love for the Lord and his fellow believer, should be challenged to bear the burden of those of “like precious faith.” Are we the “ye” in “Bear ye”?

One Another’s Burdens
The burdens of fellow Christians are numerous; it is the love of the Lord that makes us willing to carry some of the load, thus lightening their burden. In a natural sense, if we saw a person carrying six heavy packages, we’d run to assist him by carrying some of them. As a result, his burden is lightened. The same spiritual perception, energy and willingness is needed in the Christian realm. Spiritual perception is key; the burden-bearer may not be a good friend, but he is still a saint. We need to be aware of what is going on in our fellow believers’ lives. We don’t need to know all the details, but we should have a some sense of what is going on, and even more sense of what’s going on with our close friends.

Energy and willingness are necessary too – just like in the analogy of helping the person with the packages. Once we know about another’s burdens, we are responsible to bear them. One can bear a family’s financial burden by giving to that family. Of course, the giving is between you, the family and the Lord. One can bear a personal burden by being a good listener, and by praying specifically for the needs of others (1 Tim. 2:1). One can bear the burdens of others by listening to them and not just talking to them or at them.

Often we can bear a burden just by being there and supporting the burdened one. Hannah needed that support from her husband and perhaps her friends, but she had to go directly to the Lord (1 Sam. 1-2). Of course, the Scripture didn’t say gossip about one another’s burdens, or feel sorry for, or ignore one another’s burdens; it said to bear them. Whose burdens have you made lighter in the past year? Along with all the other Christian activities and responsibilities we may have, the Lord gave us the command to “bear burdens.”

Fulfill The Law Of Christ
It’s wonderful to hear that in bearing another’s burden, the bearer is actually fulfilling the law of Christ. That’s what Paul tells us. The law of Christ is contrasted to the Law of Moses which was compulsory. In Exodus 20:1-17, the Ten Commandments were given; the Lord also gave ordinances for personal living, such as this one: “If a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein, the owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his” (Ex. 21:33-34). The “burden” in these verses is caused by the man who dug the pit, yet he had to be told to “make good” on the situation.

The “burdens” that we are told to bear are not the ones caused by us; they are the burdens of the individual’s life. Often, they are not even the burdens caused by the believer himself, just the difficulties of life or trials allowed by the Lord. But the Scripture teaches us to bear them and thus “fulfill the law of Christ.” The law of Christ is the law of divine love: “And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us” (Rom. 5:5). Paul also wrote this to the Corinthian church: “For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that, if one died for all, then all were dead; and that He died for all, that they who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14-15).

Thus fulfilling the law of Christ results in lovingly bearing one another’s burdens. It would not be done in a compulsory fashion; it would be done willingly and lovingly. Because we love the Lord, we would willingly assist in the alleviation of a brother’s or sister’s burden; we would love to fulfill the law of Christ, being His body, His heart and His hands on earth.

Conclusion
Our love for the Lord can be expressed in many ways; but our love for the Lord is definitely seen in how we treat His people. The Lord Himself said, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another” (Jn. 13:35). Love is always seen in the good times, but love is definitely needed in the tough times. Saints are constantly bearing their own burdens. The Lord, as our Great High Priest (Heb.4:14-16), is faithfully bearing our burdens. But we, individually, have been charged to help by bearing one another’s burdens. Let’s endeavor to “fulfill the law of Christ” and lighten the load of His beloved saints.

By Al Stuart