In Galatians 6:1-2, Paul says, “Brother’s 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”.
IN PROPER CONTEXT: Paul is speaking about being “CAUGHT” in sin red-handed. The word “caught” here connotes being “appreciated” or taken bey surprise, caught red-handed. Paul says that the “spiritual” (see Corinthians 2:15) are to “restore” such a person. The word “restore” here is a term used for setting bones and mending fishing nets.
All of us are susceptible to temptations. Thus gentle and circumspect restoration is the proper response when, through weakness, someone falls into sin (trespass). At times times of life’s hardships (burdens) which speaks to a heavy weight, whether literal or figurative, the Greek word for “Bare” speaks to something that is too hard to endure alone. The gospel involves self-sacrifice for the benefit of those who are weak (Romans5:6). Thus for Christians to imitate such behavior, they follow the “law of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:21). This phrase could refer to three things:
FIRST: To the principle by which Jesus Himself lived.
SECOND: To the love command as a summary of all law as the summary of all law (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39; Romans 13:8-10) or…
THIRD: To the teachings of Jesus as a new Torah that replaces the law of Moses. These three overlap for sure, so we ought to be careful as to making sharp distinctions between the three. The last view however seems more likely since Paul knew Jesus’ teaching well, and he st up the law of Christ as a contrast to the law of Moses.
IMPROPER CONTEXT: AVOID THE ABUSE OF THESE VERSES BY TAKING THEM OUT OF CONTEXT: It’s very easy for Christians to are these verses out of context for their own self-benefit through using others unrighteously. As believers in Jesus Christ we like all people, face burdens in life. We as believers need to be discerning as to differentiate between a true “NEED” and a “WANT” when a person is able to carry their own burden. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:2 to “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”. What Paul is NOT saying is for a Christian’s to take advantage of one another and become a burden or over-burden by “unnecessarily” over/depending on other believers. These are “EXCESS” burdens that we need to share with one another, which is in contrast to the “load” (different Greek word) used in verse 5, which means the normal amount each must carry for himself. Paul says by doing so that we are fulfilling “…the law of Christ” . This is speaking to for example the commands of Christ, especially the new commandment to love one another (John 13:34).
In today’s world, there are many needs, but also Christians who act selfishly, using this verse to take advantage of other Christian’s (who misunderstand and even over-apply these verses) when no true “necessity exists”. According to www.Dictionary.Com the word “NECESSITY” means “the fact of being required of indispensable”. For example, “…did it, not because he wanted to, but by necessity”.
Going back Galatians 6:1-2, the term “FULFILL” suggests that choosing to “BEAR” another Christian’s “BUDERS” (or restore to bear another’s Christian from under some sin, v.1) is precisely what Christ expects of all believers. The Greek word for “burdens” refer sot something beyond one’s normal capacity to carry, as opposed to a standard “load” (v.5), which is what a person could be expected to carry. But again, this is not a license to take advantage of others which would be sinful.
Lastly, living under grace is not license to expect other’s to do us favors when we ask for a favor or help within the body of Christ. There are times when it more right to simply tell people “NO”. For example, if a wealthy widow within the church asks for help in her yard when she is plenty able to pay someone to do that work, it’s a sinful request and act for her to ask and consume resources that can be used by another widow or any person who is in true need due to their burden. As a side note, more often than not, those who don’t ask for help are often the people who need help with their burden’s the most. It’s a selfish vs. selfless issue in many (not all) cases.
IN CONCLUSION: God made clear to us through Paul this: “Brother’s 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”.
In application, we as the more spiritual, are to help fellow believers who have fallen into sin get out of their sinful state and “RESTORE” them as opposed to knock them down. For us to help others a life of love an service (5:5:6-13). Hence, we must help other’s carry their “burdens” unconditionally when a true needs arises, and be discerning and careful against even believers who seek to use or even over-use our time, energy and resources for reasons of convenience. Finally, when approached, we as believers are called to remove the emotion and apply clear reason to differentiate between a “want” from a “need”. It’s OK to respond to unnecessary requests for help by a person with no “true burden” with “NO”. It’s not only OK, but the right thing to do. And in the end, let’s be careful to abide by God’s command through Paul in Galatians 6:2 to “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” but guard ourselves against those who seek to over-depend uprightly on us and others in the name of Jesus. For such behavior is evil, sinful, selfish-and takes away from our ability to truly help others within the body of Christ who truly need us to bear their burdens when truly warranted.
