Day 2
Lisa Scheffler, author
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At the end of the movie, iRobot, Sonny, the self-aware robot who helped save the day, asks what he’s supposed to do next. With the ability to make independent decisions, Sonny is not sure what his future should be. His human companion answers this way, “I think you’ll have to find your way like the rest of us, Sonny. That’s what Dr. Lanning [Sonny’s creator] would’ve wanted. That’s what it means to be free.”
As we’ve learned in our study of Galatians, that’s not a definition of freedom that Paul would endorse. Our Creator hasn’t left us to find our own way. As the ultimate source of love and goodness, he created us to be in a relationship with him, to flourish under his care and guidance.
That’s the beautiful thing about the freedom we experience in Christ. It’s not just freedom a from; it’s a freedom to. We’re free from the oppressive powers of sin and darkness and free to live differently — exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. By the Spirit we can enjoy our adoption into God’s family and escape our self-indulgent desires that can destroy. We can be free to love. That’s been Paul’s message here in Galatians.
Yet, Christians still struggle with sin. Sometimes we sin in devastating ways that not only hurt us, but hurt others. How should our brothers and sisters react when this happens? Paul helps answer that question in these verses.
Read
Galatians 6:1-5
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load.
In verse 2 Paul says to carry each other’s burdens, and in verse 5 he says everyone should carry their own load. How can both be true?
Reflect
To understand what’s going on in these verses, we need to remember that Paul is writing to a church in conflict. Recall that Paul’s opponents were coercing Gentile believers to be circumcised and treating them as unworthy of being included in God’s family (5:2, 2:12). Paul warned these believers against biting and devouring one another (5:15) and becoming conceited or provoking and envying each other (5:26).
Imagine being in a divided church where one group of people saw themselves as superior and everybody else as hopeless sinners. As they walked around in the self-righteous smugness, this group assumed that anyone whose life was falling apart probably deserved it. Will this community bear the fruit of the Spirit? No way. Paul is helping a divided church learn to walk in the Spirit, not just as individuals, but as a faith community.
Rather than standing over and looking down on another, Paul is instructing believers to care for each other. When someone is struggling with sin, we don’t turn our backs on them and thank God that it’s not us. The body should help restore our brothers and sisters trapped by sin — gently, in a spirit of humility. Recall that gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit. And so is love and patience, kindness and goodness. Part of fulfilling the law of Christ is to live in the love of the Spirit. As Paul has already pointed out, part of it is loving our neighbor as ourselves (5:14). He stated that fulfilling that command is to fulfil the whole law. This means carrying another’s burdens when someone is too weak to carry them alone.
We’ve all seen people broken down by sins they’ve committed. These situations can be complicated and messy — often those who sin have also been sinned against. We want to love, support, and care for one another while being honest about the destructive environment that sin creates. There really aren’t victimless crimes. Addictions never just hurt the addict, they hurt family and friends as well. Chronic fits of anger scar the people who have to learn to walk on egg shells. We can’t help but affect those around us when we embrace sin. That’s why it’s so important that the body of Christ watches out for each other.
Sin is a brutal master and human beings can be blind to its captive force. People seem to have an almost endless capacity for self-delusion and can justify almost any behavior. Let’s care enough to gently and humbly speak truth into each other’s lives. We can have compassion and empathy for those who are struggling without trivializing or minimizing their sin. It isn’t loving to see someone headed off a cliff and not try to warn them. Ideally, they will hear our call, feel our genuine concern, and turn back. We can embrace them and walk with them back to Jesus.
There is another danger when trivialize sin — we risk falling into temptation ourselves. It doesn’t matter if we are five or eighty-five, it’s easier to justify doing the wrong thing when other people are doing it. Healthy faith communities walk in step with the Spirit, together.
Paul warns against deception and asks people to test their own actions. Be self-aware and honest with yourself and God. “When we engage in this kind of self-evaluation, we are renewed in our commitment to our own God-given mission: that’s what it means for each one should carry his own load (v. 5).[1] We need to take responsibility for our own thoughts and actions and invite the Spirit’s conviction.
When we are quick to confess wrongdoing and receive God’s forgiveness, the Spirit will restore us to the right path. But we shouldn’t dance close to the edge between what’s acceptable and what’s questionable, or be so arrogant that we think we can never fall. Paul is speaking against unholy pride here. The antidote? Pray, seek guidance, spend time with the Father, and walk in step with the Spirit.
[1] G. Walter Hansen, Galatians, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), Ga 6:3–5.
Respond
Families look out for each other, and that should be especially true with our spiritual family.
Think about it this way. How likely are you to confess a sin that you’re struggling with? Imagine doing so in your small group or in front of a couple of Christian friends. If they are prideful, self-righteous, or quick to condemn, there’s a zero percent chance you ask for their help. If they are critical and disagreeable, you’re going to keep hiding those struggles behind a facade. You’ll never share one another’s burdens.
Now think about what would make you feel safe and comfortable enough to share your sin struggles with other believers? How can you become that kind of person — the kind of person that you’d ask to help bear your burdens? Let’s ask the Spirit to make us into those kinds of people, so we can create environments where people can grow in Christlikeness.
In Christ Fellowship’s Re:Generation groups, people are invited to share their struggles and receive instruction from God’s Word, and help, encouragement, and accountability from the group. If you feel trapped in a sin struggle, Re:Gen may be just what you need.