6:2=
212;the
burden spoken of here is that of one another’s weaknesses. A very necessary part of the church
experience is that someone is willing to bear you or you are willing to bear
someone. Without this awarene=
ss, we
will feel isolated and among strangers.&nb=
sp;
The Galatians liked to shoulder things like circumcision, but such
things do not fulfill the law of Christ.&n=
bsp;
Religious commandments always make the doer feel accomplished and
successful in some sense, but cannot produce a church life environment of
mutual care.
6:3=
212;a
legal church life stimulates pride.
In fact, any accomplishment in the realm of law can cause a saint to
lose his or her sense of sobriety.
The result is that they feel that they cannot descend to the level of
others in order to care for them.
6:4-5—Our s=
tanding
before God is not based on how favorably we compare to others. In a legal environment, much of our
self-assessment comes from others being our standard of measurement. We should seek rather to have a pe=
rsonal
accountability to the Lord. E=
ventually,
each of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ according to what =
we
were and what we did, without reference to others.
6:6= 212;those who are helped should render “good things” in return to the one= who helped him. The church life o= ught not to be a “one way street,” where some are always caring and others are always being cared for. We should also consider those who care for us, and any needs they mi= ght have. Such a “two-way&#= 8221; church life is then healthily burdened, not with things, but with one anoth= er.