“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.” (Galatians 6:2-5)
What? How can this passage tell me to bear someone else’s burden, but then say “each will have to bear his own load”?
The book of Galatians rebukes a church where influencers had corrupted the gospel by teaching the necessity of “Jesus plus other performance benchmarks” in order to be in right standing before God. And whenever we aim to prove our Christianness through performing righteous deeds, something interesting happens. Far from making us more holy, that need to prove our own righteousness actually makes us more unholy. It twists our hearts so that we run over others in order to get ourselves ahead. Even if we are outwardly serving them, it’s out of wrong motives and a sense of competition, which leaves everyone feeling lonelier and dirtier in the end.
These verses at the end of the book are a bit tongue-in-cheek: “Ok, if you really must have a law to perform, try this one: make yourself less important than others!” It’s literally impossible to self-righteously measure yourself as better than someone else while at the same time you are sacrificing for them in a self-deprecating way. Bearing one another’s burdens in a way that truly serves them always requires humility and can only be borne out of genuine love. It’s one thing to go through the motions of love because you know you’re supposed to. It’s a whole other thing to truly lift another’s burdens, as these verses command. If you’re not willing to do that, it’s because you really think you’re something, and that you shouldn’t have to stoop quite that far in order to get your good deed points.
But when the true and simple gospel of “only Jesus in our place” takes root, then the law of self-elevation through performance is replaced with “the law of Christ” (v. 2), or as it’s called elsewhere, “the law of love”, or “the law of liberty”. When we’re really free like that, then we lose all sight of ourselves and how we measure up as we pour ourselves out for another. This is because faith in the pure gospel has transformed our hearts, causing us to embrace two responsibilities with sobriety and joy. First, we feel a responsibility toward those with whom we’re tempted to compete. Unlike Cain, we say freely and wholeheartedly, “I am my brother’s keeper!” Love compels me to bear another’s load. But secondly, we also recognize our responsibility toward God, that we will give account before Him (not people!) as to whether our life was marked by gospel love. If you think you’re too important to bear another’s burden, you’re not really bearing your own load before God. You’re relying on being able to boast of a better track record than others, instead of examining your own genuineness – which the Judge of All will infallibly see.
So, fulfill the law by not relying on the law! Become something by considering yourself nothing. And bear the burdens of others as you bear your authentic self before God. You can only live in this way as you trust that you’re already ok in Jesus. If so, His Spirit promises to bring the Galatians 6:2 life to fruition in you.