Together # 34
A Together that Heals
A Together that Heals
Carry One Another's Burdens
copyright by Dick Wulf, 2018
Help pay the consequences of one another's sins. Lift the burden of past sin from one another's shoulders. Fully correct each other's mistakes. In this way, be very much like Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty.
Ps 38:4; Luke 11:46; Gal 5:1; Gal 6:2
This Together of bearing one another’s burdens is one of our greatest privileges. When we carry one another’s burdens resulting from sin, we get to help pay the consequences when they are overwhelming. This is probably the closest thing we can do to the greatest thing Jesus ever did for us – pay the penalty for our sins.
We should recognize how wonderful it is to help with consequences like paying another’s debt, interceding to bring two people back to peace with each other, and restoring a person’s confidence after they have made a serious mistake. Such opportunities to carry another’s burden stretch our spirits to be like the spirit of Jesus and we come a little more conformed to His image.
But, carrying one another’s burdens must be done this side of heaven. Once we die we will no longer have the chance to help pay the consequences of another’s sins, since sin will not exist in heaven. Never again will we have the opportunity to be so like Jesus when He went to the cross to pay the penalty of our sin.
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin,
you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.
But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
Carry each other’s burdens,
and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Gal 6:1-2
you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.
But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
Carry each other’s burdens,
and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Gal 6:1-2
Note that this command of Galatians 6:2 to “carry one another’s burdens” is in a paragraph about sin. This is not about carrying in the groceries. It is not about helping one another with just any difficult thing. It is about helping other Christians when the consequences of their sins are far too much for them to deal with alone.
We might think, “Now, wait a minute! The consequence of sin is death. We can’t help pay that consequence.” That is correct – for those who are not saved by Christ’s death. But this command is to help carry the burdens of Christians where that “death consequence” has already been taken care of. This command is to help bear the “consequences” that come when a redeemed person acts ungodly, not the “penalty” which has already been paid.
God knows that we will sin and the consequences can become overwhelming. Therefore, He gives instructions on how He wants to provide for us when they do get more difficult than we can handle by ourselves. This Together of carrying one another’s burdens applies when our deviation from the ways of God creates troubles for us. However, two other Togethers are quite similar, yet different in emphasis. These are “Face and Endure Hardship Together” and “Face Discipline and Judgment Together”.
“Face and Endure Hardship Together” has to do with the difficulties of everyday living and serving God, not those stemming from someone’s sin. When a single mother with limited income has a car repair she cannot afford and we help, that is enduring hardship together. It is not typically a person’s sin that causes cars to break down. When we help a frail elderly person to take care of a need, we are facing hardship with that person, but not because of that person’s sin. Growing old is not a sin, even though it might be caused by the inherent sin in the human race. Most of the difficulties of life where we walk together and help one another require this Together of facing and enduring hardship, which is discussed in its own section elsewhere.
Furthermore, the Together “Face Discipline and Judgment Together” focuses on helping one another with God’s sanctification process in each of our lives and, occasionally, in all of us corporately. God brings or allows challenges to come into our lives to disciple us. He loves us, so He disciplines us. When God judges us and brings the need for corrective action on our part, we are to walk that road together. An example might be a father breaking his leg by God’s hand so that he will spend more time with his children while recuperating. This would be God shaping him by discipline to become a better father and the Lord may need us to help him pay the bills. This Together to face God’s discipline and judgment is discussed in its own section.
To repeat, in contrast with these other two Togethers, this Together of carrying one another’s burdens relates to dealing with the consequences of a Christian’s sin, and is not related to everyday hardships or growing from God’s discipline. It is helping repair a wrong. It is because God wants it done. God knows we are sinners and sometimes cannot dig ourselves out of the deep holes we create.
We might think, “Now, wait a minute! The consequence of sin is death. We can’t help pay that consequence.” That is correct – for those who are not saved by Christ’s death. But this command is to help carry the burdens of Christians where that “death consequence” has already been taken care of. This command is to help bear the “consequences” that come when a redeemed person acts ungodly, not the “penalty” which has already been paid.
God knows that we will sin and the consequences can become overwhelming. Therefore, He gives instructions on how He wants to provide for us when they do get more difficult than we can handle by ourselves. This Together of carrying one another’s burdens applies when our deviation from the ways of God creates troubles for us. However, two other Togethers are quite similar, yet different in emphasis. These are “Face and Endure Hardship Together” and “Face Discipline and Judgment Together”.
“Face and Endure Hardship Together” has to do with the difficulties of everyday living and serving God, not those stemming from someone’s sin. When a single mother with limited income has a car repair she cannot afford and we help, that is enduring hardship together. It is not typically a person’s sin that causes cars to break down. When we help a frail elderly person to take care of a need, we are facing hardship with that person, but not because of that person’s sin. Growing old is not a sin, even though it might be caused by the inherent sin in the human race. Most of the difficulties of life where we walk together and help one another require this Together of facing and enduring hardship, which is discussed in its own section elsewhere.
Furthermore, the Together “Face Discipline and Judgment Together” focuses on helping one another with God’s sanctification process in each of our lives and, occasionally, in all of us corporately. God brings or allows challenges to come into our lives to disciple us. He loves us, so He disciplines us. When God judges us and brings the need for corrective action on our part, we are to walk that road together. An example might be a father breaking his leg by God’s hand so that he will spend more time with his children while recuperating. This would be God shaping him by discipline to become a better father and the Lord may need us to help him pay the bills. This Together to face God’s discipline and judgment is discussed in its own section.
To repeat, in contrast with these other two Togethers, this Together of carrying one another’s burdens relates to dealing with the consequences of a Christian’s sin, and is not related to everyday hardships or growing from God’s discipline. It is helping repair a wrong. It is because God wants it done. God knows we are sinners and sometimes cannot dig ourselves out of the deep holes we create.
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
Ps 38:4
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
Ps 38:4
The comment of Jesus to the Jewish leaders shows that He expects us to get involved in lightening burdens.
And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
Luke 11:46
|
God wants none of us to live under slavery to burdens.
For freedom Christ has set us free;
stand firm therefore,
and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Gal 5:1
stand firm therefore,
and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Gal 5:1
In His consistent way of loving us, God has a “backup plan” for when we get in over our heads because we did not live His way. God provides help from other Christians when we bring trouble too big for us to bear because of our own sin. We are His vehicle for lifting the burdens from one another’ shoulders. In this way, among others, the Christians we help can experience the light burden of Jesus.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:30
Matthew 11:30
Take the troubles that can come from taking on a house mortgage or renting a home. If the house or rent payment was very reasonable with regard to income when initiated and then a person loses his or her job, the trouble that comes is merely the hardship of regular living. It requires that God’s people face and endure this hardship together.
If the initial mortgage payment or rent was reasonable but God allowed unforeseen crises like flooding or a refrigerator breaking, this could just be the normal hardship of life, but it could also be God’s discipline. God might have in mind getting that kingdom citizen to depend on the King rather than money. In this case that believer’s Christian Inner Circle is to face this trouble with him or her in the sense of facing discipline and judgment together.
However, if the beginning house payment or rent was reasonable but the Christian cannot pay it because of spending sprees for gambling, alcohol, drugs, too many clothes, or too many luxuries, then the trouble comes from sin. In this case, the biblical mandate is for that person’s Christian Inner Circle to help carry the burden of sin, probably helping pay the mortgage payment or rent until the person moves to a less expensive home. Of course, other Togethers would have to be implemented to help the individual change.
Once in a while, a few of us might need to carry the total burden of another believer. However, most of the time we should pay only a portion of the consequences so that the believer faces his or her own discipline and judgment from the Lord. (Almost always when we need to help carry the burden of another Christian’s sin, we also need to help that believer face God’s discipline.) God certainly does not want us to be “rescuers” who enable another Christian to sin in the same way over and over again.
A good rule of thumb, and one we counselors use, is to try not to do anything for someone that they can eventually do for themselves. Otherwise, people do not grow, do not get stronger, and, in this case, do not become more righteous. When a person cannot do all that is needed, then that is the time to step in.
But, sometimes bearing another’s burden just means helping them do what they need to do to make things right by firmly pointing out what needs to be done and then walking alongside of them with the other needed Togethers. Actually, taking the time to implement other Togethers is a form of carrying another’s burden. Instead of helping pay a debt, for example, what might be needed is helping a person shunned for selfishness learn to consider the needs of others. So, to the extent that this is inconvenient, it is carrying the burden.
It is often easier to step in and help when the person is in deep straits and we can see that it is rooted in tragic circumstances. We might easily rush in to help a fellow Christian who is addicted to drugs, even more so if it began before the person was saved by Jesus. Serious predicaments call out the compassion in us, or should.
But, when a close Christian friend deliberately sins and does something stupid and then faces overwhelming consequences, it is sometimes hard to get ourselves to step in and carry some of the burden. We can think, “He or she got himself or herself into this trouble, and he or she can just get out of it. He or she should have ‘known better’.”
Sometimes that is the right way to think as long as it doesn’t come from a judgmental attitude. Perhaps the person needs to feel the full pain resulting from the sin. And, if the person can pick himself or herself up, then there is no need to help carry the burden.
It is probably best to not rush in and help carry a burden before it has become painful. Pain motivates people to change. Most situations are not emergencies. We can almost always wait for the person to be a bit desperate and want to change. Remember, suffering has great power to build godliness.
Carrying one another’s burdens of sin cannot be the primary responsibility of churches and larger fellowships. Sin and its overwhelming consequences will most often become known in a Christian’s inner circle of believing friends, family, and spouse. Careless sins in relationships, finances, careers, and many other areas and their troublesome consequences can usually not be hidden from friends or family members. The need to reconcile the person with a spouse, rebuild a neighbor's fence damaged through carelessness, or even pay off a foolish debt will be exposed in the more transparent relationships of Christian friends and family members.
Carrying the burden of one another’s sins should be one of Christianity’s most powerful witnesses to an unbelieving world. It is so like Jesus Christ. And that is what people outside of the faith need to see.
Opportunity to Become More and More Like Jesus Christ
If the initial mortgage payment or rent was reasonable but God allowed unforeseen crises like flooding or a refrigerator breaking, this could just be the normal hardship of life, but it could also be God’s discipline. God might have in mind getting that kingdom citizen to depend on the King rather than money. In this case that believer’s Christian Inner Circle is to face this trouble with him or her in the sense of facing discipline and judgment together.
However, if the beginning house payment or rent was reasonable but the Christian cannot pay it because of spending sprees for gambling, alcohol, drugs, too many clothes, or too many luxuries, then the trouble comes from sin. In this case, the biblical mandate is for that person’s Christian Inner Circle to help carry the burden of sin, probably helping pay the mortgage payment or rent until the person moves to a less expensive home. Of course, other Togethers would have to be implemented to help the individual change.
Once in a while, a few of us might need to carry the total burden of another believer. However, most of the time we should pay only a portion of the consequences so that the believer faces his or her own discipline and judgment from the Lord. (Almost always when we need to help carry the burden of another Christian’s sin, we also need to help that believer face God’s discipline.) God certainly does not want us to be “rescuers” who enable another Christian to sin in the same way over and over again.
A good rule of thumb, and one we counselors use, is to try not to do anything for someone that they can eventually do for themselves. Otherwise, people do not grow, do not get stronger, and, in this case, do not become more righteous. When a person cannot do all that is needed, then that is the time to step in.
But, sometimes bearing another’s burden just means helping them do what they need to do to make things right by firmly pointing out what needs to be done and then walking alongside of them with the other needed Togethers. Actually, taking the time to implement other Togethers is a form of carrying another’s burden. Instead of helping pay a debt, for example, what might be needed is helping a person shunned for selfishness learn to consider the needs of others. So, to the extent that this is inconvenient, it is carrying the burden.
It is often easier to step in and help when the person is in deep straits and we can see that it is rooted in tragic circumstances. We might easily rush in to help a fellow Christian who is addicted to drugs, even more so if it began before the person was saved by Jesus. Serious predicaments call out the compassion in us, or should.
But, when a close Christian friend deliberately sins and does something stupid and then faces overwhelming consequences, it is sometimes hard to get ourselves to step in and carry some of the burden. We can think, “He or she got himself or herself into this trouble, and he or she can just get out of it. He or she should have ‘known better’.”
Sometimes that is the right way to think as long as it doesn’t come from a judgmental attitude. Perhaps the person needs to feel the full pain resulting from the sin. And, if the person can pick himself or herself up, then there is no need to help carry the burden.
It is probably best to not rush in and help carry a burden before it has become painful. Pain motivates people to change. Most situations are not emergencies. We can almost always wait for the person to be a bit desperate and want to change. Remember, suffering has great power to build godliness.
Carrying one another’s burdens of sin cannot be the primary responsibility of churches and larger fellowships. Sin and its overwhelming consequences will most often become known in a Christian’s inner circle of believing friends, family, and spouse. Careless sins in relationships, finances, careers, and many other areas and their troublesome consequences can usually not be hidden from friends or family members. The need to reconcile the person with a spouse, rebuild a neighbor's fence damaged through carelessness, or even pay off a foolish debt will be exposed in the more transparent relationships of Christian friends and family members.
Carrying the burden of one another’s sins should be one of Christianity’s most powerful witnesses to an unbelieving world. It is so like Jesus Christ. And that is what people outside of the faith need to see.
Opportunity to Become More and More Like Jesus Christ
Moreen worked in home health care and met Carol, a Christian who had suffered a severe stroke from too much drug abuse. After the stroke Carol was like a ten-year-old in her thinking and behavior. She was not taking adequate care of herself and needed to go into an assisted living facility. Moreen arranged this, but there was no one to help Carol move all of her belongings to her new home. Carol was faced with an impossible burden resulting from her past substance abuse.
Moreen and her husband Gerald jumped at the chance to help. Taking time off work, they moved Carol. It only took a half day, but it was well worth it to practice being like Jesus. They grew a little more in being joyful in helping, not just doing it because it needed to be done. |
Even before Jesus paid the penalty for their sins, he paid the consequences of the sins and mistakes of others during his 3 years of ministry with his disciples. For example, he restored the ear Peter in haste cut off of the high priest’s servant at Jesus’ arrest.
Jesus died for all mankind, even murderers. So, this command to carry one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ includes all Christians. When it is hard to talk ourselves into helping someone with the consequences of some horribly offensive sin, it might help to realize that here is a chance to become greatly like Jesus in our spirits. We should want such challenges for maximum growth spiritually.
If we want to grow ever more like Jesus, this carrying of one another’s burden from sin is pure gold. Not that all of the other Togethers are insignificant, they are very important. But this one! This one is so similar to Jesus’ greatest sacrificial act for the benefit of others that it can help us be so much more like Him. Really more like our Savior! This is great benefit from carrying one another’s consequences of sin.
The Bible does not show us many times when Jesus helped pay the consequences of another’s sin because the narrative was to emphasize His paying the penalty. And since we cannot possibly pay the penalty for the sins of another in the spiritual sense, as Jesus did, our greatest chance to be like Jesus is to help with the consequences. Unfortunately, we do not often seize opportunities to do this.
We Christians all sin and face consequences. Usually they are not overwhelming. However, when they are, we think we must face them by ourselves. After all, didn’t we get into the mess by ourselves? The tragedy of this is that we don’t tell one another that we need help often enough. And, when Christians do confess their sins, that is seen as the end of a process rather than the start because we have not been taught the Bible’s emphasis on faith together.
For example, one of us (like myself) will admit that we are eating too much and putting on unhealthy weight. Prayer for the overweight person will be pledged. Good. That is step one. And, it might be the only step in helping carry the burden of that person’s over-eating problem. But, those in that person’s Christian Inner Circle where there is more frequent and natural contact have more responsibility and more opportunity in this situation to become more like Jesus. They can, for instance, eat less around that person, cook less, or exercise with that person.
With regard to an opportunity to help a person in danger of developing diabetes lose weight, that person’s Christian Inner Circle could each schedule a different day of the week to walk with that person and use exercise to burn calories. Also, those best at encouraging could make a few phone calls or send a few texts a week to give the person courage to eat less. Another person might cook a low-calorie meal that might taste better to the person than what he or she normally eats.
In another vein, stress and anxiety are often the result of the sin of not trusting God. There are plenty of stressed Christians to give us many opportunities to help with the consequences of their sin of distrusting God. This will require long-term implementation of various Togethers to help such a believer depend on God and dismiss fears. Doing so can be seen as a very great privilege to become more like Jesus, or an unwelcome task. Hopefully, we can grow in our spirits to see the opportunity over the difficulty.
If a fellow Christian at work makes a person feel unattractive by a cruel comment, all of the watching non-Christians can feel justified in disregarding God Who has been dishonored by one of His own. But, if another Christian in that workplace, perhaps one who doesn’t even like or associate with the offending Christian, comes in and apologizes for the other Christian’s behavior and goes on to build the offended person back up, the watchers may see God’s honor restored.
Friendships that are just for fun are not all that useful to eternal life. But friends who look into one another’s lives will have the opportunity to carry sin-caused burdens. This will make them more like Jesus who looked in on us and paid for our transgressions.
Parents are very used to helping their kids when they have made a mistake bigger than they can remedy. For example, how often has a mom and dad helped a child get back into the good graces of a sister he has stolen from, hit, falsely accused, or demeaned? But, do these parents know that they are growing in Christlikeness? Whether they do or not, they are. Their role and situations require growth of their spirits to be able to help their children work out of their mistakes.
It is probably harder for husbands and wives to carry one another’s burdens, but they often must. Spiritually being “one flesh” ties them closely to one another’s sins. At times they make sinful choices together and must “face the music” together. But, when one sins and there are negative consequences, the other often has no choice but to help face those consequences. Being rude to a disliked relative is a too common example.
Understandably, there might be strong resentment toward the other spouse for doing something wrong. One way to handle this, and probably the best way, is to be thankful that there is an opportunity to be so like Jesus. Jesus did not seem to be resentful when Peter denied him three times the night He was betrayed. Within hours he died for Peter. And Jesus died for us instead of being angry at us. We can fight off resentment, roll up our sleeves, and carry the burden of another’s sin by making things right or, at least, better.
Parents can help children become significantly like Jesus if they assign to them the task of carrying burdens in the family. Often a parent will have an older child take care of a mess a younger sibling created. But, what about having the younger one help the older one? Let’s imagine that a teenager does a lousy job cleaning the kitchen just before the family is to leave for the zoo. Here is a case where the parent can tell all of the other children to go into the kitchen and each do over one kitchen-cleaning task so they can be more like Jesus. And so that they can get to the zoo sooner.
There are times when a father says something too angry to one or more of the kids. He can make an apology, but the other children can be encouraged to help everyone forgive and get back in a good mood. It probably is necessary for family members to remind one another what a privilege it is to help out when another has made a mistake. Everyone needs to want to be like Jesus, as well as help the family run well.
If we want to become more and more like Jesus over the years, then we will want to be involved in carrying burdens in more and more difficult situations. Helping with increasingly more awful consequences of sin brings us closer to being like Jesus who took onto Himself the sins of rapists, crime lords, murderers, terrorists, and adulterers who would accept His substitutionary death.
Opportunity to Worship God
Jesus died for all mankind, even murderers. So, this command to carry one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ includes all Christians. When it is hard to talk ourselves into helping someone with the consequences of some horribly offensive sin, it might help to realize that here is a chance to become greatly like Jesus in our spirits. We should want such challenges for maximum growth spiritually.
If we want to grow ever more like Jesus, this carrying of one another’s burden from sin is pure gold. Not that all of the other Togethers are insignificant, they are very important. But this one! This one is so similar to Jesus’ greatest sacrificial act for the benefit of others that it can help us be so much more like Him. Really more like our Savior! This is great benefit from carrying one another’s consequences of sin.
The Bible does not show us many times when Jesus helped pay the consequences of another’s sin because the narrative was to emphasize His paying the penalty. And since we cannot possibly pay the penalty for the sins of another in the spiritual sense, as Jesus did, our greatest chance to be like Jesus is to help with the consequences. Unfortunately, we do not often seize opportunities to do this.
We Christians all sin and face consequences. Usually they are not overwhelming. However, when they are, we think we must face them by ourselves. After all, didn’t we get into the mess by ourselves? The tragedy of this is that we don’t tell one another that we need help often enough. And, when Christians do confess their sins, that is seen as the end of a process rather than the start because we have not been taught the Bible’s emphasis on faith together.
For example, one of us (like myself) will admit that we are eating too much and putting on unhealthy weight. Prayer for the overweight person will be pledged. Good. That is step one. And, it might be the only step in helping carry the burden of that person’s over-eating problem. But, those in that person’s Christian Inner Circle where there is more frequent and natural contact have more responsibility and more opportunity in this situation to become more like Jesus. They can, for instance, eat less around that person, cook less, or exercise with that person.
With regard to an opportunity to help a person in danger of developing diabetes lose weight, that person’s Christian Inner Circle could each schedule a different day of the week to walk with that person and use exercise to burn calories. Also, those best at encouraging could make a few phone calls or send a few texts a week to give the person courage to eat less. Another person might cook a low-calorie meal that might taste better to the person than what he or she normally eats.
In another vein, stress and anxiety are often the result of the sin of not trusting God. There are plenty of stressed Christians to give us many opportunities to help with the consequences of their sin of distrusting God. This will require long-term implementation of various Togethers to help such a believer depend on God and dismiss fears. Doing so can be seen as a very great privilege to become more like Jesus, or an unwelcome task. Hopefully, we can grow in our spirits to see the opportunity over the difficulty.
If a fellow Christian at work makes a person feel unattractive by a cruel comment, all of the watching non-Christians can feel justified in disregarding God Who has been dishonored by one of His own. But, if another Christian in that workplace, perhaps one who doesn’t even like or associate with the offending Christian, comes in and apologizes for the other Christian’s behavior and goes on to build the offended person back up, the watchers may see God’s honor restored.
Friendships that are just for fun are not all that useful to eternal life. But friends who look into one another’s lives will have the opportunity to carry sin-caused burdens. This will make them more like Jesus who looked in on us and paid for our transgressions.
Parents are very used to helping their kids when they have made a mistake bigger than they can remedy. For example, how often has a mom and dad helped a child get back into the good graces of a sister he has stolen from, hit, falsely accused, or demeaned? But, do these parents know that they are growing in Christlikeness? Whether they do or not, they are. Their role and situations require growth of their spirits to be able to help their children work out of their mistakes.
It is probably harder for husbands and wives to carry one another’s burdens, but they often must. Spiritually being “one flesh” ties them closely to one another’s sins. At times they make sinful choices together and must “face the music” together. But, when one sins and there are negative consequences, the other often has no choice but to help face those consequences. Being rude to a disliked relative is a too common example.
Understandably, there might be strong resentment toward the other spouse for doing something wrong. One way to handle this, and probably the best way, is to be thankful that there is an opportunity to be so like Jesus. Jesus did not seem to be resentful when Peter denied him three times the night He was betrayed. Within hours he died for Peter. And Jesus died for us instead of being angry at us. We can fight off resentment, roll up our sleeves, and carry the burden of another’s sin by making things right or, at least, better.
Parents can help children become significantly like Jesus if they assign to them the task of carrying burdens in the family. Often a parent will have an older child take care of a mess a younger sibling created. But, what about having the younger one help the older one? Let’s imagine that a teenager does a lousy job cleaning the kitchen just before the family is to leave for the zoo. Here is a case where the parent can tell all of the other children to go into the kitchen and each do over one kitchen-cleaning task so they can be more like Jesus. And so that they can get to the zoo sooner.
There are times when a father says something too angry to one or more of the kids. He can make an apology, but the other children can be encouraged to help everyone forgive and get back in a good mood. It probably is necessary for family members to remind one another what a privilege it is to help out when another has made a mistake. Everyone needs to want to be like Jesus, as well as help the family run well.
If we want to become more and more like Jesus over the years, then we will want to be involved in carrying burdens in more and more difficult situations. Helping with increasingly more awful consequences of sin brings us closer to being like Jesus who took onto Himself the sins of rapists, crime lords, murderers, terrorists, and adulterers who would accept His substitutionary death.
Opportunity to Worship God
God looked from heaven and saw DeSean going with his friend Thomas to help him apologize to his wife and try to make things right. DeSean knew that there would be a lot of raised voices and arguing. DeSean hated yelling. It reminded him of the misery of his childhood with its constant screaming. But, DeSean knew Jesus and wanted to be His servant. He knew the command to carry the overwhelming burden of a friend’s sin.
When God watched all of this happen, He saw His Son Jesus in DeSean. God considered this worship – fantastic, costly worship. Worship that did what it was supposed to do – reflect His own character back to Himself. God knew that DeSean did it to glorify Him as well as to help his friend. |
God has given us the very great and precious privilege to help pay the consequences of another Christian’s sin. When we do so, we worship God by reflecting back to Him the closest imitation possible of Christ’s paying the penalty for our sin.
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
John 14:9
John 14:9
Jesus is the visible image of God the Father. Therefore, whenever we let Jesus live through us, we reflect Jesus back to the Father. This is worship: reflecting God’s image and character back to Himself. Therefore, in carrying one another’s burdens, burdens brought upon ourselves by sin, we are reflecting Jesus paying for sins, the most loving act of God.
God knows we will occasionally do things our own way and find ourselves over our heads in disagreeable consequences. But, he wants his church to be a worshipful bride, not a defeated and discouraged society. So the Lord commands us to help one another with the consequences of sin.
As we help carry the burdens of ever more horrible or complicated sins of other Christians, we offer increasingly more costly worship. To illustrate with a silly example, if Jesus ate with a purple fork and we did the same, we would be like Jesus and reflect less valuable worship to God. But, if Jesus moved a ton of rock with a wheelbarrow and we did the same, it would be more costly worship. Similarly, when we help someone get back in the good graces of another church member he or she offended, that is worshipful carrying of another Christian’s burden from sin. We should do it. But, if we have the opportunity to stick with a Christian at work who got caught bearing false witness against the boss, that might take months of coaching and perhaps even advocacy with the boss. We should do that also, and it would be even more worthy worship.
Reflecting to God something so similar to His paying the penalty for our sins is much more worshipful than what we too often limit our worship to, such as church services. We want to sing worship and pray worship together in church, but let’s not value that kind of worship so much to overlook the extremely valuable worship of the Togethers, especially carrying one another’s burdens.
Not only should we be more and more willing to carry the burdens of other Christians, but each of us must remember that we need to let other Christians help us out of the holes we dig for ourselves. We need to make possible the worship of God by others through being a willing recipient of help. When others step in to help with our sinful burdens, they worship God in this most meaningful of ways.
How Used in Battle to Defeat Evil and Satan
God knows we will occasionally do things our own way and find ourselves over our heads in disagreeable consequences. But, he wants his church to be a worshipful bride, not a defeated and discouraged society. So the Lord commands us to help one another with the consequences of sin.
As we help carry the burdens of ever more horrible or complicated sins of other Christians, we offer increasingly more costly worship. To illustrate with a silly example, if Jesus ate with a purple fork and we did the same, we would be like Jesus and reflect less valuable worship to God. But, if Jesus moved a ton of rock with a wheelbarrow and we did the same, it would be more costly worship. Similarly, when we help someone get back in the good graces of another church member he or she offended, that is worshipful carrying of another Christian’s burden from sin. We should do it. But, if we have the opportunity to stick with a Christian at work who got caught bearing false witness against the boss, that might take months of coaching and perhaps even advocacy with the boss. We should do that also, and it would be even more worthy worship.
Reflecting to God something so similar to His paying the penalty for our sins is much more worshipful than what we too often limit our worship to, such as church services. We want to sing worship and pray worship together in church, but let’s not value that kind of worship so much to overlook the extremely valuable worship of the Togethers, especially carrying one another’s burdens.
Not only should we be more and more willing to carry the burdens of other Christians, but each of us must remember that we need to let other Christians help us out of the holes we dig for ourselves. We need to make possible the worship of God by others through being a willing recipient of help. When others step in to help with our sinful burdens, they worship God in this most meaningful of ways.
How Used in Battle to Defeat Evil and Satan
Probably the biggest challenge for the Coordinator of Fellowship and Community at Calvary Church was teaching leaders how to give the work of bearing the consequences of one another's sins to the church’s small groups. The Christians had been living an individualized faith for many years before Calvary saw the importance of community and significant biblical relationships between believers. It certainly wasn't an automatic response to help a person out of the mess he or she had created. But the three leaders of Sally's, Joe's and June's small groups now frequently encourage all members to bear one another’s burdens that came from sinfulness.
Sally's group bore the burden of her bitterness and slowly helped her leave her past behind. As for June, a couple of women from her daytime ladies' small group have befriended her husband Bob and taken time to see his good qualities. They meet regularly with June to point out how she might better appreciate her husband. Her heart is softening. Joe's small group actually contacted his estranged, non-believing wife and cleared the way for him to apologize. A husband-wife team from the group went with him when he talked to his wife to keep Joe from digging himself into a deeper hole. Joe's wife could not forget or forgive him, so another woman from the group, one the group thought would be able to more easily relate, befriended Joe's wife to help her heal of bitterness. Eventually, Joe and his wife were reunited by the group and are struggling to make it together under the group's supervision. (No, Joe's wife is still not a believer. But the group is her friend, and they are praying for her.) |
The devil has been leading God’s people into sin ever since the Garden of Eden. From then on, the evil inherent in mankind has created and multiplied bad behaviors for thousands of years.
We are on the front lines of battle with Satan in our closest Christian relationships. When our spouse sins and brings onto himself or herself bad consequences, the devil wants us to disgustedly back off and not help deal with those consequences. When a child or a parent in a family makes a serious mistake from selfishness or disregard of biblical instruction, Satan wants the family members to shame the person, or better yet, to treat it lightly. When someone does something horrible, the evil one wants that person’s Christian friends to look the other way, be too busy to help the person face the consequences and correct the situation, or wash their hands of their continually wayward friend.
It is not just that our own relationships and our own successes are hindered by the consequences of our sinfulness. The devil will use the burdens of our sins to rob us of time to defeat him and glorify God. In essence, when the consequences of our sins become overwhelming, we are kept out of the battle against evil and Satan.
The consequences of sin can either lead to (a) repentance and help from others to face and remedy the consequences or (b) discouragement that takes the person out of the journey of faith. The first easily defeats Satan. The second cannot be acceptable – it is too dangerous for the individual as well as the church.
Embarrassment and humiliation are some of the consequences of sin. Often people cannot bear these feelings alone and drop out of church fellowship because of shame. Or they fear judgment by others. Often both. In this case, carrying one another’s burdens means not letting these Christians isolate themselves from help. We are to maintain contact and help them with their sinful burdens until they are fully accepted back into their larger fellowships. While more may often be necessary, just walking alongside during the process of repentance is sharing the burden of another's sin.
One of the most common sins that overwhelms Christians is debt. If debt comes from buying an expensive, fancy car to feel better about oneself and not being able to make the payments, the consequences are from sin. There are a thousand ways that we can sinfully spend and find ourselves over our heads in debt. If the Christian cannot eliminate the debt of the too expensive car, then the Christians in his or her Christian Inner Circle need to help with the consequences. This will likely be helping the person sell the car and downsize. In rare occasions, it could mean helping to pay the balance owed when the sale price is not enough to pay off the loan. We carry the burden so that the believer can rejoin the battle against evil.
This is what Christians are to do. Can you see how this sacrificial love, doing without something ourselves in order to help a believing friend or family member with a stupid decision and debt, would mark us as followers of Jesus to the unbelieving world? This can be a critical testimony to a culture that denies God’s existence.
Suppose the sin is that a friend, family member or spouse has called someone a very insulting name in a fit of anger. If that person is not able to restore the relationship, other Christians are to step in. I remember early in my marriage saying something that hurt my wife Jean’s feelings so much that no amount of asking for forgiveness was effective in restoring the relationship. So, I took the situation to our small group Bible study and asked the group to help us restore harmony. What they did was carry my burden from my sin that I could not take care of myself.
Let’s also take a sin that has done far more damage to the church than we admit – extramarital sex. For this discussion, let’s talk about a man who has had an affair with a woman at work and has been kicked out of his home. His wife and kids want nothing to do with him. He is losing everything dear to him because of his sin. It is more than he can handle alone.
This calls for carrying one another’s burdens. But not immediately. A divorce may be looming, but it won’t happen overnight. It is probably helpful for the person to be in great pain for a while, no matter how much he thinks he cannot handle it. Sure, he needs to be kept from self-destructive behavior, but help should be delayed until he truly wants to do the work required to set things right with his wife. When he is at a total loss as to what to do, he should be ready to face his sin, repent in earnest, pray and let his close Christian friends and relatives help carry the burden.
This man’s Christian friends must get involved in facing the disaster caused by his sin against his wife, his marriage, and his Lord. Even though the wife can get a divorce because it is biblically permissible, at least the man’s Christian Inner Circle knows that it would be best, especially for the kids, if the marriage can be saved. These caring Christians know that a brand new kind of marriage, one more biblical, more loving, more helpful, and more enjoyable needs to be created. Restoring the marriage that was not strong enough to resist extramarital sexual temptation is not good enough. But, creating a fantastic new marriage can start a successful new beginning.
Therefore, a long period of patiently helping this man carry the burden of his sin will be required. Some risky things might be necessary, such as trying to help the wife become vulnerable and give the man another chance once he has made some deep changes. Firmness with the man will be necessary because he will probably want reconciliation long before he is a different person. The journey from regret to different attitudes and behaviors will be tough because it will take longer than he can tolerate loneliness.
Almost all serious problems require this Together of bearing one another’s burdens: alcoholism, irresponsibility, discouragement, gossip – you name it. Each of us attacking our own sinfulness will find it hard to break bad habits, whether they be small or big. Think not only of a Christian alcoholic trying to lick the addiction. Think of a Christian who finds fault with everyone. It is very hard, not only to change, but to deal with the consequences of such sin.
There is another reason we need to help carry one another’s burdens if that believer is in our Christian Inner Circle. Their sins may be a result in some way of our own sinfulness. We may have neglected to pay enough attention to how they were living their lives outside of God’s direction.
We see in Joshua 7 that God declared one person’s disobedience to actually be the sin of the whole nation, and, even more so, of those closest to the person named Achan who sinned against God. Achan stole some of the sacred plunder from the fall of Jericho and buried it in his tent. As a result, 36 soldiers died in what should have been an easy battle against a very small foe. When Joshua inquired of the Lord why this had happened, God said that Israel, the whole nation, had sinned against Him. The consequence was those soldiers’ deaths, leaving wives without husbands and children without fathers, because the nation had not kept this sin from happening. And, those who were in the best position to keep track of Achan’s actions, his family, were put to death. (We want our needs to be the first priority in all of the universe, when it is God’s honor that must be most important.)
As uncomfortable as it is to understand, this and a few other examples from Scripture show that sins committed by a Christian are in spiritual reality the responsibility of his or her Christian Inner Circle. This is not totally foreign. A child’s misbehavior is the responsibility of his or her family, mostly the parents. And, a brother’s shoplifting witnessed by a sister is still to some degree her misbehavior.
The point is that because we might be somewhat responsible for the sins and consequences of those in our Christian Inner Circles, we should help with the negative consequences. If our friend bought a car that deprived his family of some of their more basic needs, could we have prevented the bad consequences if we had spoken up? If our spouse mistreated his or her sister with the consequence that the relationship suffered, could we have seen it coming and given biblical counsel? If one of our children is selfish and causes harm in the family, did we ignore teaching that everyone in the family must watch out for everyone else?
When we help another Christian make right a bad situation they have created, we thwart the devil’s schemes. We bring that believer back into the church’s battle to defeat evil in order to honor God. We win a victory for God out of a potential defeat. We help God humble Satan who ruined the purity of heaven.
How in the Sinful Environment this Together Prepares Us for Heaven
We are on the front lines of battle with Satan in our closest Christian relationships. When our spouse sins and brings onto himself or herself bad consequences, the devil wants us to disgustedly back off and not help deal with those consequences. When a child or a parent in a family makes a serious mistake from selfishness or disregard of biblical instruction, Satan wants the family members to shame the person, or better yet, to treat it lightly. When someone does something horrible, the evil one wants that person’s Christian friends to look the other way, be too busy to help the person face the consequences and correct the situation, or wash their hands of their continually wayward friend.
It is not just that our own relationships and our own successes are hindered by the consequences of our sinfulness. The devil will use the burdens of our sins to rob us of time to defeat him and glorify God. In essence, when the consequences of our sins become overwhelming, we are kept out of the battle against evil and Satan.
The consequences of sin can either lead to (a) repentance and help from others to face and remedy the consequences or (b) discouragement that takes the person out of the journey of faith. The first easily defeats Satan. The second cannot be acceptable – it is too dangerous for the individual as well as the church.
Embarrassment and humiliation are some of the consequences of sin. Often people cannot bear these feelings alone and drop out of church fellowship because of shame. Or they fear judgment by others. Often both. In this case, carrying one another’s burdens means not letting these Christians isolate themselves from help. We are to maintain contact and help them with their sinful burdens until they are fully accepted back into their larger fellowships. While more may often be necessary, just walking alongside during the process of repentance is sharing the burden of another's sin.
One of the most common sins that overwhelms Christians is debt. If debt comes from buying an expensive, fancy car to feel better about oneself and not being able to make the payments, the consequences are from sin. There are a thousand ways that we can sinfully spend and find ourselves over our heads in debt. If the Christian cannot eliminate the debt of the too expensive car, then the Christians in his or her Christian Inner Circle need to help with the consequences. This will likely be helping the person sell the car and downsize. In rare occasions, it could mean helping to pay the balance owed when the sale price is not enough to pay off the loan. We carry the burden so that the believer can rejoin the battle against evil.
This is what Christians are to do. Can you see how this sacrificial love, doing without something ourselves in order to help a believing friend or family member with a stupid decision and debt, would mark us as followers of Jesus to the unbelieving world? This can be a critical testimony to a culture that denies God’s existence.
Suppose the sin is that a friend, family member or spouse has called someone a very insulting name in a fit of anger. If that person is not able to restore the relationship, other Christians are to step in. I remember early in my marriage saying something that hurt my wife Jean’s feelings so much that no amount of asking for forgiveness was effective in restoring the relationship. So, I took the situation to our small group Bible study and asked the group to help us restore harmony. What they did was carry my burden from my sin that I could not take care of myself.
Let’s also take a sin that has done far more damage to the church than we admit – extramarital sex. For this discussion, let’s talk about a man who has had an affair with a woman at work and has been kicked out of his home. His wife and kids want nothing to do with him. He is losing everything dear to him because of his sin. It is more than he can handle alone.
This calls for carrying one another’s burdens. But not immediately. A divorce may be looming, but it won’t happen overnight. It is probably helpful for the person to be in great pain for a while, no matter how much he thinks he cannot handle it. Sure, he needs to be kept from self-destructive behavior, but help should be delayed until he truly wants to do the work required to set things right with his wife. When he is at a total loss as to what to do, he should be ready to face his sin, repent in earnest, pray and let his close Christian friends and relatives help carry the burden.
This man’s Christian friends must get involved in facing the disaster caused by his sin against his wife, his marriage, and his Lord. Even though the wife can get a divorce because it is biblically permissible, at least the man’s Christian Inner Circle knows that it would be best, especially for the kids, if the marriage can be saved. These caring Christians know that a brand new kind of marriage, one more biblical, more loving, more helpful, and more enjoyable needs to be created. Restoring the marriage that was not strong enough to resist extramarital sexual temptation is not good enough. But, creating a fantastic new marriage can start a successful new beginning.
Therefore, a long period of patiently helping this man carry the burden of his sin will be required. Some risky things might be necessary, such as trying to help the wife become vulnerable and give the man another chance once he has made some deep changes. Firmness with the man will be necessary because he will probably want reconciliation long before he is a different person. The journey from regret to different attitudes and behaviors will be tough because it will take longer than he can tolerate loneliness.
Almost all serious problems require this Together of bearing one another’s burdens: alcoholism, irresponsibility, discouragement, gossip – you name it. Each of us attacking our own sinfulness will find it hard to break bad habits, whether they be small or big. Think not only of a Christian alcoholic trying to lick the addiction. Think of a Christian who finds fault with everyone. It is very hard, not only to change, but to deal with the consequences of such sin.
There is another reason we need to help carry one another’s burdens if that believer is in our Christian Inner Circle. Their sins may be a result in some way of our own sinfulness. We may have neglected to pay enough attention to how they were living their lives outside of God’s direction.
We see in Joshua 7 that God declared one person’s disobedience to actually be the sin of the whole nation, and, even more so, of those closest to the person named Achan who sinned against God. Achan stole some of the sacred plunder from the fall of Jericho and buried it in his tent. As a result, 36 soldiers died in what should have been an easy battle against a very small foe. When Joshua inquired of the Lord why this had happened, God said that Israel, the whole nation, had sinned against Him. The consequence was those soldiers’ deaths, leaving wives without husbands and children without fathers, because the nation had not kept this sin from happening. And, those who were in the best position to keep track of Achan’s actions, his family, were put to death. (We want our needs to be the first priority in all of the universe, when it is God’s honor that must be most important.)
As uncomfortable as it is to understand, this and a few other examples from Scripture show that sins committed by a Christian are in spiritual reality the responsibility of his or her Christian Inner Circle. This is not totally foreign. A child’s misbehavior is the responsibility of his or her family, mostly the parents. And, a brother’s shoplifting witnessed by a sister is still to some degree her misbehavior.
The point is that because we might be somewhat responsible for the sins and consequences of those in our Christian Inner Circles, we should help with the negative consequences. If our friend bought a car that deprived his family of some of their more basic needs, could we have prevented the bad consequences if we had spoken up? If our spouse mistreated his or her sister with the consequence that the relationship suffered, could we have seen it coming and given biblical counsel? If one of our children is selfish and causes harm in the family, did we ignore teaching that everyone in the family must watch out for everyone else?
When we help another Christian make right a bad situation they have created, we thwart the devil’s schemes. We bring that believer back into the church’s battle to defeat evil in order to honor God. We win a victory for God out of a potential defeat. We help God humble Satan who ruined the purity of heaven.
How in the Sinful Environment this Together Prepares Us for Heaven
The focus of Jason’s Christianity was looking for God to bless him with many good things. He was not in the faith for God, but for what was in it for himself.
Unfortunately, Jason’s Christian friendship group did not help one another learn about living for God and the Lord’s desire for Christian relationships. They focused only on doctrine. A lot of the Bible was overlooked by the single pursuit of knowing about doctrine but not carrying their faith into real, day-to-day living with others, especially Christians. In not even considering Galatians 6:2 which commands carrying one another’s burdens, Jason missed the joy of doing something very similar to Jesus’ most loving act for all believing mankind. Jason felt sorry for those whose decisions had given them overwhelming negative consequences, but he did not feel the need to help them. He felt that if people had to pay dearly for their bad decisions that was justice and would teach them a lesson. And, thus, Jason did not prepare in this way for heaven. When he got there, he could not be given any reward of service that would require the ability to help those who previously in a sinful culture held themselves back from godliness. Jason was happy in heaven, but with a less-significant reward and a lower quality of eternal life. |
How will carrying the burdens of other Christians in this life improve our spirits for heaven? In heaven we will not ever have to carry the burdens of anyone’s sins because there will be no sin there. But what is required of us now to help pay the consequences of another’s sinfulness will develop our spirits to be more like that of Jesus.
Consider that Jesus paid the penalty not only for fairly good people, but also murderers, rapists, human traffickers, and other horrible sinners if they believe in God’s gift of Jesus’ substitutionary death. Until we can help carry the burdens of Christians who have done such repulsive sins, we have room for the growth of our spirits into more Christlikeness.
What would it take for us to help with the tragic consequences of a believer’s really bad behavior? The answer to this question is the key to knowing how carrying one another’s burdens of sin will prepare us for heaven.
When we think of Jesus willfully going to die on the cross, the first thing we should consider is that He was fully committed to doing the Father’s will.
Consider that Jesus paid the penalty not only for fairly good people, but also murderers, rapists, human traffickers, and other horrible sinners if they believe in God’s gift of Jesus’ substitutionary death. Until we can help carry the burdens of Christians who have done such repulsive sins, we have room for the growth of our spirits into more Christlikeness.
What would it take for us to help with the tragic consequences of a believer’s really bad behavior? The answer to this question is the key to knowing how carrying one another’s burdens of sin will prepare us for heaven.
When we think of Jesus willfully going to die on the cross, the first thing we should consider is that He was fully committed to doing the Father’s will.
Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed,
“My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it,
your will be done.”
Matt 26:42
“My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it,
your will be done.”
Matt 26:42
What is necessary for us to carry another’s burdens of sin is to have spirits that want to do God’s will in more and more difficult assignments. The task of Jesus was to be nailed to a cross, suffer tremendous pain, and die for the Father’s plan to redeem His people.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
All Biblical obedience requires wanting to do the will of God, but some things require more determination than others. Jesus dying on the cross took more determination to do the will of God than, say, turning water into wine or healing people. Think of the suffering required of Jesus to die on the cross contrasted to the lack of suffering of His other miracles.
This Together of helping to pay the consequences of another Christian’s sin requires that our spirits be quite determined to do the will of God. I doubt we would consider it difficult to give a hungry person a meal, even though he or she had wasted money on liquor or drugs. To do so would require a spirit willing enough to do what God wanted, but it would not take much more purity a spirit than the unredeemed spirit of a non-Christian. However, going without something we really wanted to bail a person out of the burden of some destructive sin would require far more suffering and loss. To do this, we would have to allow the Holy Spirit to develop our spirits to seek and do the will of God in deeper ways. Allegorically, it would take a larger spirit than to merely give a hungry person a meal.
There will be wonderful work in heaven for those who in the bad environment before death were Christlike enough to not hold people’s sins against them and help carry their sin-caused burdens. In heaven, they will be qualified to help believers whose sins back before death held back their godliness. They will help them develop more spiritual maturity and be able to enjoy God and his heaven at higher levels.
Thus, helping pay the consequences of another Christian’s sin that requires a bit more sacrifice than ever before develops our spirits for a higher quality of life in heaven because of a deeper commitment to do God’s will. Others would not be so prepared from their lives before death. Note again that this does not have to do with our happiness. Every citizen of heaven will be happy, but not every citizen will be equipped to glorify God at the same level. Here is the chance for us to opt for a greater contribution to God’s glory.
It really is no different now. We each glorify God to the degree we are committed to do His will. Someone who smiles in the name of Jesus at the person in line behind her at the grocery store glorifies God. And, He is pleased with this. However, a person who cancels a vacation to pay someone’s rent because a job was lost because of embezzlement glorifies God a lot more. Which level of blessing God in heaven do each of us want to be prepared to do?
To develop this spiritual skill of carrying another’s sin-caused burdens, we need to get to the point where we look forward to opportunities to do so, just as Jesus looked forward to dying for us. We can develop the ability to look for such opportunities as God has them cross our paths. And, we can learn to be more and more joyful about doing so.
Let’s determine to help one another grow in our ability to help others with the burdens they have brought upon themselves.
How this Together Can Make it Really Good in Heaven
This Together of helping to pay the consequences of another Christian’s sin requires that our spirits be quite determined to do the will of God. I doubt we would consider it difficult to give a hungry person a meal, even though he or she had wasted money on liquor or drugs. To do so would require a spirit willing enough to do what God wanted, but it would not take much more purity a spirit than the unredeemed spirit of a non-Christian. However, going without something we really wanted to bail a person out of the burden of some destructive sin would require far more suffering and loss. To do this, we would have to allow the Holy Spirit to develop our spirits to seek and do the will of God in deeper ways. Allegorically, it would take a larger spirit than to merely give a hungry person a meal.
There will be wonderful work in heaven for those who in the bad environment before death were Christlike enough to not hold people’s sins against them and help carry their sin-caused burdens. In heaven, they will be qualified to help believers whose sins back before death held back their godliness. They will help them develop more spiritual maturity and be able to enjoy God and his heaven at higher levels.
Thus, helping pay the consequences of another Christian’s sin that requires a bit more sacrifice than ever before develops our spirits for a higher quality of life in heaven because of a deeper commitment to do God’s will. Others would not be so prepared from their lives before death. Note again that this does not have to do with our happiness. Every citizen of heaven will be happy, but not every citizen will be equipped to glorify God at the same level. Here is the chance for us to opt for a greater contribution to God’s glory.
It really is no different now. We each glorify God to the degree we are committed to do His will. Someone who smiles in the name of Jesus at the person in line behind her at the grocery store glorifies God. And, He is pleased with this. However, a person who cancels a vacation to pay someone’s rent because a job was lost because of embezzlement glorifies God a lot more. Which level of blessing God in heaven do each of us want to be prepared to do?
To develop this spiritual skill of carrying another’s sin-caused burdens, we need to get to the point where we look forward to opportunities to do so, just as Jesus looked forward to dying for us. We can develop the ability to look for such opportunities as God has them cross our paths. And, we can learn to be more and more joyful about doing so.
Let’s determine to help one another grow in our ability to help others with the burdens they have brought upon themselves.
How this Together Can Make it Really Good in Heaven
Salina is filled with joy continuously. When she came to heaven her body had just been left behind in a car crushed by a drunk driver. She entered through the pearly gates and was soon given her reward. It has been a place of service that really fits her. Salina is completely fulfilled because her obedience on the sin-contaminated earth to the command to carry one another’s burdens was exceptional. She learned upon entering heaven that too few took this command any more seriously than to help someone out only occasionally when it was easy.
It was her aptitude for helping that qualified Salina for this assignment to help those entering heaven who are spiritually delayed. She was able before death to not hold others’ poor decisions against them, leaving judgment to God. Instead, she concentrated on loving others and helping them face the terrible consequences of their bad choices. And, since she was also frequently obedient to the Together to “teach one another”, she now teaches Heaven Appreciation classes at the University to those delayed in many spiritual qualities. Salina’s new friend Donald, another like her in carrying other people’s burdens but who excelled in the Together “disciple one another”, conducts the laboratory portion of the class, held off University grounds where the action is. |
Ever been really happy and content after doing something you knew God wanted done? Well, all of us will have that continually in heaven as we go about serving God as well as enjoying the things He has for us there. Our joy in fulfilling the will of God in heaven will always be a hundred percent. So, we will all be full of joy in serving God.
However, that one hundred percent does not mean joy as much as possible, but 100% of capacity. Even a relatively insincere Christian today will have complete joy in heaven, but complete in the sense of his or her capacity.
As an example from this side of heavenly bliss, I can enjoy a beautiful piece of music to 100% of my ability (capacity). Yet, because I cannot read music, cannot distinguish instruments in the music, have never played an instrument, and know nothing about music appreciation, my 100% is nowhere near someone else’s full joy. Nor should it be. Yet, when I hear that song or instrumental, I am as happy as I can be. I do not wish I could be happier.
However, I care a lot about being a husband by biblical standards. And a father and grandfather, even a great-grandfather. I am content with my low capacity and full fulfillment with music, but I am constantly wanting to be a better husband, father, and grandfather. When I get to heaven, it will be with a spirit limited in the extent to which I can appreciate music. But, I will have a spirit much more skilled in loyalty to those God puts in closer relationship with me.
When it comes to being able to do God’s will, shouldn’t we all aspire to attain as great a capacity as possible? This is not like appreciating music or even being a good husband. This is God we are talking about. Hopefully, we can each year with increasing conviction say what Jesus said:
However, that one hundred percent does not mean joy as much as possible, but 100% of capacity. Even a relatively insincere Christian today will have complete joy in heaven, but complete in the sense of his or her capacity.
As an example from this side of heavenly bliss, I can enjoy a beautiful piece of music to 100% of my ability (capacity). Yet, because I cannot read music, cannot distinguish instruments in the music, have never played an instrument, and know nothing about music appreciation, my 100% is nowhere near someone else’s full joy. Nor should it be. Yet, when I hear that song or instrumental, I am as happy as I can be. I do not wish I could be happier.
However, I care a lot about being a husband by biblical standards. And a father and grandfather, even a great-grandfather. I am content with my low capacity and full fulfillment with music, but I am constantly wanting to be a better husband, father, and grandfather. When I get to heaven, it will be with a spirit limited in the extent to which I can appreciate music. But, I will have a spirit much more skilled in loyalty to those God puts in closer relationship with me.
When it comes to being able to do God’s will, shouldn’t we all aspire to attain as great a capacity as possible? This is not like appreciating music or even being a good husband. This is God we are talking about. Hopefully, we can each year with increasing conviction say what Jesus said:
“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
John 4:34
John 4:34
If we have faithfully helped pay the consequences of another Christian’s sins and put that believer back on his or her feet, we will go to heaven with a strong spirit to do the will of God there. A strong spirit in this respect can be given more demanding tasks from God, since nothing can be asked of us in heaven that we will be unable to do. What God asks of us will depend on the various strengths of our spirits. He will not cross that line where we would be unable to do His will and sin in heaven.
This is not confusing to those of us who play or pay attention to sports. A coach only expects performance at the position for which a player has been prepared, and only to the capacity of skill attained. The clearest example for those of us who follow professional football is when a rookie quarterback comes in to play in a preseason game. He is not asked to run complicated plays because he has not had time to prepare for complicated strategies. He doesn’t know them yet. He has not practiced them yet. To ask him to do something he is not adequately qualified to do is to bring defeat.
If one of us who has an annual income of $100,000 declares, I will help carry a person’s burden of sin up to $100, his spirit will be held back from becoming stronger in doing God’s will. That would have been like Jesus saying to God, “How about if I don’t die on the cross but give a bunch of money to the poor?” However, if that person had a meager income, that $100 would be a greater sacrifice and she or he would end up with a greatly strengthened spirit to take to heaven and do more dedicated things for God.
It seems logical that we will all enter heaven at different levels of spiritual maturity. Some will be seriously immature because before death they resisted or were indifferent to growing in Christ. As a result, they will have much to learn, fortunately this time without the hindrance of sin. Therefore, some in heaven will need to help these “stunted Christians” grow in ways they should have accomplished before death. Those assigned to this task might just be those who in the fallen condition of earth, without resentment or pride in their own righteousness, excelled in working with those who hurt themselves through their own sinfulness. These saints will have proven their ability to love those who held themselves back. They will be the ones selfless enough to give effort for the remedial growth in Christ of those who enter heaven from half-hearted Christian lives. It will be a privilege for them to serve God in this way.
A Christian in heaven who is developmentally delayed in the spiritual discipline of joy will be happy and content with his level of joy. But another Christian in heaven who is skilled in carrying another’s burden will come by and expose a higher joy, thus helping the other to grow in the understanding, appreciation and experience of joy.
There will also be those who before death were able to trust God for their daily needs more than others. These saints will have been able to carry the burdens of others more easily through provision of time and money. These will gain another blessing for heaven, that of having spirits higher in the ability to trust God. Again, everyone will trust God, but higher capacity to trust God will allow these with greater trust to take advantage of more difficult adventures and responsibilities in heaven .
Here is an inadequate way to look at this. If one Christian’s spiritual maturity of trust in God’s provision upon leaving sin behind at death is an 8 on a 1-10 scale, that person will have trust for areas of service as well as challenging adventures at level 8. A citizen of heaven who came with only a level 4 in trusting God will be completely happy but only be able to take on service and adventures at level 4 or below. So, life would be different for persons with spiritual maturities of trust at levels 4 and 8. Yet, each will be satisfied because expectations would be no higher or lower than their ability to trust.
Let’s grow in our ability to carry the burdens of another’s sin with joy. Let’s want to qualify ourselves for more responsible ministries in heaven and experience higher satisfaction. And, let’s want to go to heaven with a higher level of trust for whatever surprising things await us there.
Opportunity for a Closer Relationship with God through Eternity
This is not confusing to those of us who play or pay attention to sports. A coach only expects performance at the position for which a player has been prepared, and only to the capacity of skill attained. The clearest example for those of us who follow professional football is when a rookie quarterback comes in to play in a preseason game. He is not asked to run complicated plays because he has not had time to prepare for complicated strategies. He doesn’t know them yet. He has not practiced them yet. To ask him to do something he is not adequately qualified to do is to bring defeat.
If one of us who has an annual income of $100,000 declares, I will help carry a person’s burden of sin up to $100, his spirit will be held back from becoming stronger in doing God’s will. That would have been like Jesus saying to God, “How about if I don’t die on the cross but give a bunch of money to the poor?” However, if that person had a meager income, that $100 would be a greater sacrifice and she or he would end up with a greatly strengthened spirit to take to heaven and do more dedicated things for God.
It seems logical that we will all enter heaven at different levels of spiritual maturity. Some will be seriously immature because before death they resisted or were indifferent to growing in Christ. As a result, they will have much to learn, fortunately this time without the hindrance of sin. Therefore, some in heaven will need to help these “stunted Christians” grow in ways they should have accomplished before death. Those assigned to this task might just be those who in the fallen condition of earth, without resentment or pride in their own righteousness, excelled in working with those who hurt themselves through their own sinfulness. These saints will have proven their ability to love those who held themselves back. They will be the ones selfless enough to give effort for the remedial growth in Christ of those who enter heaven from half-hearted Christian lives. It will be a privilege for them to serve God in this way.
A Christian in heaven who is developmentally delayed in the spiritual discipline of joy will be happy and content with his level of joy. But another Christian in heaven who is skilled in carrying another’s burden will come by and expose a higher joy, thus helping the other to grow in the understanding, appreciation and experience of joy.
There will also be those who before death were able to trust God for their daily needs more than others. These saints will have been able to carry the burdens of others more easily through provision of time and money. These will gain another blessing for heaven, that of having spirits higher in the ability to trust God. Again, everyone will trust God, but higher capacity to trust God will allow these with greater trust to take advantage of more difficult adventures and responsibilities in heaven .
Here is an inadequate way to look at this. If one Christian’s spiritual maturity of trust in God’s provision upon leaving sin behind at death is an 8 on a 1-10 scale, that person will have trust for areas of service as well as challenging adventures at level 8. A citizen of heaven who came with only a level 4 in trusting God will be completely happy but only be able to take on service and adventures at level 4 or below. So, life would be different for persons with spiritual maturities of trust at levels 4 and 8. Yet, each will be satisfied because expectations would be no higher or lower than their ability to trust.
Let’s grow in our ability to carry the burdens of another’s sin with joy. Let’s want to qualify ourselves for more responsible ministries in heaven and experience higher satisfaction. And, let’s want to go to heaven with a higher level of trust for whatever surprising things await us there.
Opportunity for a Closer Relationship with God through Eternity
In heaven I am taking a stroll through an orchard in bloom. Suddenly, Jesus is beside me. He hugs me and I am thrilled. Eventually, He speaks of dying on the cross in the midst of sin. I remember a time when I helped pay the consequences of another’s sin and had to skip a vacation to pay off the other person’s foolish debt. I tell the Savior of this time and mention that I can sort of relate to His dying on the cross. He smiles broadly and replies that He remembers I did that and is glad that we share a similar experience. Then He hugs me again.
He and I feel a special bond through empathy that is worth every sacrifice back before death wherein I helped to carry someone else’s burden. |
However it miraculously occurs, when in heaven we have a conversation with God about Jesus joyfully paying the penalty for our sins, we can relate and connect if we have carried the burdens of others before death where sin was everywhere. The more inconvenient and painful that which we did for others, the more we will bond with God.
When a mother or father sees one of the children giving up something important for a sibling with a greater need, she or he is overjoyed. That parent will not only appreciate that child, but feel closer because of appreciation. And, the greater that child’s sacrifice for the good of a brother or sister, the greater will be the admiration of the parent. Why would it not be the same with God? In heaven God will be close to everyone, but closer to those He appreciates and admires.
Empathy with God and He with us will come from the similarity of God’s sacrifice of His Son for us and our sacrifices for Christians burdened with the results of their sin. Appreciation from God will come to the level that we have done His will in helping with the consequences of the sins of His people. Empathy and appreciation will yield more closeness with God. For eternity.
Praise & Prayer Regarding this Together
Father God who sent Your Only Begotten Son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins, I and those in my Christian Inner Circle will need Your help to grow our spirits to be willing to help pay the consequences of another Christian’s sin. Help us to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit that all of us give You more glory by growing in our ability to have a deeper commitment to You and sacrifice our own time and money to occasionally carry the burden of someone else’s waywardness.
Please help us all to become more like Jesus and from time to time lay down our lives for other Christians who have gotten in way over their heads because they have made sinful choices. Whether it is to spend our precious time to help correct a wrong or our money to dig a person out of a debt he or she cannot possibly pay, empower us to have the greatest joy in being so much like Jesus.
May our lives worship You more because we reflect Jesus back to You when we carry the burdens of the sins of others. Since Jesus has paid the penalty for even horrible sins, give us the opportunity to reflect back to You Your nature by facing with other Christians the difficult situations they have created for themselves.
Make us strong in Your power to defeat the devil by joyfully facing the consequences when others in our Christian Inner Circles sin. Satan wants us to be disgusted with people, so I ask that we be so strong in what the Bible teaches that we avoid judging others, no matter how bad or foolish they have been. Allow us to show the devil that in Your power we can undo what he has caused through bringing evil into the world as well as the temptations he places before Your people.
Help us all to prepare for heaven by letting You fill us with such gratitude that we have been forgiven that we can carry the burdens of the sins of other Christians now and, then, in heaven be so much more grateful for being allowed to be there.
When a mother or father sees one of the children giving up something important for a sibling with a greater need, she or he is overjoyed. That parent will not only appreciate that child, but feel closer because of appreciation. And, the greater that child’s sacrifice for the good of a brother or sister, the greater will be the admiration of the parent. Why would it not be the same with God? In heaven God will be close to everyone, but closer to those He appreciates and admires.
Empathy with God and He with us will come from the similarity of God’s sacrifice of His Son for us and our sacrifices for Christians burdened with the results of their sin. Appreciation from God will come to the level that we have done His will in helping with the consequences of the sins of His people. Empathy and appreciation will yield more closeness with God. For eternity.
Praise & Prayer Regarding this Together
Father God who sent Your Only Begotten Son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins, I and those in my Christian Inner Circle will need Your help to grow our spirits to be willing to help pay the consequences of another Christian’s sin. Help us to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit that all of us give You more glory by growing in our ability to have a deeper commitment to You and sacrifice our own time and money to occasionally carry the burden of someone else’s waywardness.
Please help us all to become more like Jesus and from time to time lay down our lives for other Christians who have gotten in way over their heads because they have made sinful choices. Whether it is to spend our precious time to help correct a wrong or our money to dig a person out of a debt he or she cannot possibly pay, empower us to have the greatest joy in being so much like Jesus.
May our lives worship You more because we reflect Jesus back to You when we carry the burdens of the sins of others. Since Jesus has paid the penalty for even horrible sins, give us the opportunity to reflect back to You Your nature by facing with other Christians the difficult situations they have created for themselves.
Make us strong in Your power to defeat the devil by joyfully facing the consequences when others in our Christian Inner Circles sin. Satan wants us to be disgusted with people, so I ask that we be so strong in what the Bible teaches that we avoid judging others, no matter how bad or foolish they have been. Allow us to show the devil that in Your power we can undo what he has caused through bringing evil into the world as well as the temptations he places before Your people.
Help us all to prepare for heaven by letting You fill us with such gratitude that we have been forgiven that we can carry the burdens of the sins of other Christians now and, then, in heaven be so much more grateful for being allowed to be there.
Ever increasing practice of the Togethers of Scripture will (1) create in you the loving essence of Jesus, (2) give Jesus the kind of love He requested, (3) provide you with the most significant spiritual lifestyle which is attainable only through Christian community, (4) offer significant worship to God by reflecting his own character back to him through your behavior, and (5) bring God’s kingdom to earth as asked for in the Lord’s Prayer. And for heaven, such growing obedience to Scripture now will later (6) qualify you for a more responsible place of service as reward in heaven, and, (7) most important of all, give you greater empathy with God for a closer relationship with Him for all of eternity.