Biblical Building Block #12 - Bear One Another's Burdens (Galatians 6:1-2) – PART 1

Today’s devotion is an excerpt from a Bible Study Series taught at Fellowship Baptist Church, titled “Biblical Building Blocks for Strengthening Relationships.”

Biblical Building Block #12 - Bear One Another's Burdens (Galatians 6:1-2) – PART 1

Galatians 6:1-2, Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

The ministry of restoration is to restore the fallen. Have you ever known a Christian who seemed to just naturally be a burden-bearer? I’ve known a few burden-bearing Christians. But I’ve discovered that, while some people may do this initially because of their natural temperament, Christians who do this over the decades do so because of growth in grace. No one is perfect. We all fail. Some have some great failures. Our attitude towards them is to help them back up, not to let them remain down. The word “brethren” is found over 200 x’s in the New Testament. It refers to those who are born into the family of God. Notice, the phrase “if a man". This means a person who is just like the rest of us. Therefore, he or she faces the very same temptations we do, for all temptation is common to all men (I Corinthians 10:13).

1.The Case for the Restoration. "… be overtaken in a fault…" (Galatians 6:1).
Here we see that it is possible for a Christian to be overtaken in a fault. This refers to a fellow Christian who has failed in his or her Christian walk and fallen into sin. No believer is a 100% fall proof. The word overtaken means caught by, to be taken by surprise, or unexpectedly. The word overtaken carries the idea of someone running from sin, but the sin is faster, so it overtakes the person. Let us not forget that our God is the God of the second chance and he wants erring Christians restored. None of us, no matter how spiritual we may seem, are above being overtaken by some sin. That's why I Corinthians 10:12 gives us what warning? I Corinthians 10:12, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” As an example, a person may lose his temper and strike someone before he realizes what he is doing. When that happens, we must remember the words of Jesus in Luke 6:31. Luke 6:31, “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” This means you should ask yourself, "How would I like to be treated if I were overtaken by some sin?"

2.The Chosen for the Restoration. "… ye which are spiritual…" (Galatians 6:1).
This work of restoration is not to be taken on by the weak or novice in the faith, but by those who are spiritual. What does it mean to be spiritual?
1) We are walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).
2) We are not practicing the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21).
3) The fruit of the Spirit is evident in our life (Galatians 5:22-23).
The point is, we cannot restore someone to a Spiritual walk if we are not walking in the Spirit.

3.The Conduct of the Restoration. "… restore such an one…" (Galatians 6:1).
The word restore means to repair or mend. Restoration is not the toleration of sin. It involves stopping the sin, correcting the sinner, and forgiving the sinner. Depending on the seriousness of the sin, it may also involve some justified discipline. The word restore carries the idea of "repairing, mending and returning to a former state; setting a broken arm or leg or for mending nets." The setting of a broken bone requires much wisdom and work. Those nets have failed the fisherman. They had become worn, and as a result broke, and were unable to hold fish. They were unable to be used in the work because of the condition they were in. They weren't being mended so that they could be put on a shelf. Rather, the fisherman was going to put the mended nets back into service. When someone has fallen, they should never give up, but make things right so they can get back in the service for the LORD. With this in mind, Christians must help wayward believers to mend and heal spiritually by guiding them in their desire and efforts to turn from their own defiant ways, to surrender to Christ’s control and to renew their full devotion to Jesus Christ.

How we approach a fallen brother is of utmost importance. It is a very delicate matter. The brother will be very sensitive and perhaps embarrassed and easily shamed. He could become so ashamed that he would be too embarrassed to return to the fellowship of believers. He could also feel that he would be unwelcome for what he has done is just not acceptable among believers. Therefore, unless he is approached in the right spirit, he could feel he could never be used again for service. This, of course, means that the ministry of restoration is of paramount importance for the life of a dear brother is at stake. It is the ministry to which God has called us. We are to walk restoring men to the service of the Lord and the fellowship of His church. Believers are to help the brother, help cut the sin out, set him right, mend him, restore him, and lead him back to the Lord for service.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You know how broken this fallen world is. With all who are broken that You send my way, give me the wisdom and grace to restore them the way Jesus would. In Jesus Name, AMEN!

Thank you for reading PART 1 of Biblical Building Block #12 of this series. Please visit this website tomorrow for PART 2 of Biblical Building Block #12 of this series.

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