Bear with me here
Posted in burdens, galations 6:1-2, john 13:34-35, love, sarah's posts 0 comments
I was reading the sixth chapter of Galations last week. (It's a good book. I highly recommend reading the whole thing.) It's all stuff I've read before, but this time some of the verses really jumped out at me. Mainly, the first couple:
Brothers, if any is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
These two verses are about how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ. As believers, we expect more from our Church family, and we should. But that doesn't mean that when someone commits a sin we severely rebuke and excommunicate them; we must build them up with love.
In Martin Luther's commentary, he writes that Paul is not talking about doctrinal errors, but of the transgressions committed from giving in to our fleshly nature. If a brother or sister does something they shouldn't and repents of it, then those who are stronger must help that person get back on track. I'm not saying that whoever sins is so much weaker than those who help them, but in those moments we feel incredibly weak and should look to those who maybe don't have a problem with the same kind of sin, or have overcome it in the past. Don't be afraid to seek out help. It may be embarrassing or shameful, but chances are pretty good that the person you go to has committed some embarrassing and shameful sins as well. And if they want to rebuke you and just make you feel bad instead of helping to build you back up, find someone else. I hope no one thinks I mean to find someone who dismisses the sin, saying it's no big deal. It's just that after someone truly repents of what they did and doesn't want to do it anymore, what they need is help, not condemnation.
As it says in verse two, we are to bear each other's burdens. We are supposed to help our brothers and sisters with all of their burdens. Whether the burden is sin, financial, grief, anything, we are to help. If we do this, we fulfill the law of Christ. According to Luther, the law of Christ is the law of love. In John 13:34-35, Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." So let's commit to helping out our Christian family. Be there for them, help them. In other words, love them.
Brothers, if any is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
These two verses are about how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ. As believers, we expect more from our Church family, and we should. But that doesn't mean that when someone commits a sin we severely rebuke and excommunicate them; we must build them up with love.
In Martin Luther's commentary, he writes that Paul is not talking about doctrinal errors, but of the transgressions committed from giving in to our fleshly nature. If a brother or sister does something they shouldn't and repents of it, then those who are stronger must help that person get back on track. I'm not saying that whoever sins is so much weaker than those who help them, but in those moments we feel incredibly weak and should look to those who maybe don't have a problem with the same kind of sin, or have overcome it in the past. Don't be afraid to seek out help. It may be embarrassing or shameful, but chances are pretty good that the person you go to has committed some embarrassing and shameful sins as well. And if they want to rebuke you and just make you feel bad instead of helping to build you back up, find someone else. I hope no one thinks I mean to find someone who dismisses the sin, saying it's no big deal. It's just that after someone truly repents of what they did and doesn't want to do it anymore, what they need is help, not condemnation.
As it says in verse two, we are to bear each other's burdens. We are supposed to help our brothers and sisters with all of their burdens. Whether the burden is sin, financial, grief, anything, we are to help. If we do this, we fulfill the law of Christ. According to Luther, the law of Christ is the law of love. In John 13:34-35, Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." So let's commit to helping out our Christian family. Be there for them, help them. In other words, love them.
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