Bearing One Another's Burdens
The community of faith shares life's difficulties, fulfilling Christ's law of love.
Paul commands, 'Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.' This burden-sharing is the practical expression of love within Christian community. We are not designed for isolation but for mutual support. Burdens too heavy for one become manageable when shared by many. This teaching addresses financial, emotional, spiritual, and practical needs. Read Galatians 6:2 with 6:5 — “each will carry their own load.” Different words: the crushing burden is shared, the ordinary pack is not. The church at its best is a burden-bearing community.
Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's 'Life Together' describes Christian community where 'bearing burdens' is central to shared life.
Epistle to the Galatians
Written about in
- What Christianity says about grief
Galatians 6:2 says carry each other's burdens; three verses later it says each will carry their own load. The Greek words differ — the crushing weight is shared, the ordinary pack is not. This is the tradition's practical answer to grief: somebody else cooks for you.