What does fulfilling "the law of Christ" mean in Galatians 6:2? The verse in focus “Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) Defining “the law of Christ” • The “law of Christ” is the Lord’s own summary command: “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another.” (John 13:34) • Jesus tied every divine requirement to love: “ ‘Love the Lord your God … Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) • Paul echoes this: “For the whole Law is fulfilled in a single decree: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Galatians 5:14) • James calls it “the royal law” (James 2:8), and Paul calls it “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:2). • Therefore, the “law of Christ” is the Spirit-empowered command to love others with the same self-giving love Christ showed us. How bearing burdens fulfills that law • Love is never abstract; it moves toward another’s weight and lifts it. • “Burdens” (Greek: barē) include moral failures (v. 1), sorrows, temptations, worries, material needs—anything too heavy to carry alone. • When believers stoop to shoulder those loads, love is no longer merely spoken; it is completed—“fulfilled.” • Christ Himself modeled this: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree.” (1 Peter 2:24) We imitate the One who first carried us. Key scriptural echoes • Isaiah 53:4 “Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows.” • Romans 15:1-3 “We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak … For even Christ did not please Himself.” • 1 John 3:16-18 “By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” • Romans 13:8-10 “He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law … love is the fulfillment of the Law.” Practical ways to live it today • Pray for and with someone struggling under guilt, anxiety, or grief. • Offer tangible help—meals, transportation, child care, financial assistance. • Gently restore a believer caught in sin (Galatians 6:1), bearing the weight of their repentance journey. • Listen without rushing to fix; shared tears lighten heavy hearts. • Share Scripture promises; faith-filled words strengthen drooping hands. • Partner long-term; burden-bearing is often marathon, not sprint. Motivation and power to obey • Christ first bore the crushing burden of our sin at the cross; gratitude fuels imitation. • The Holy Spirit writes the law of love on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Romans 5:5). • We sow to the Spirit, not the flesh (Galatians 6:8), trusting His fruit—love, kindness, gentleness (Galatians 5:22-23). • Love poured out now reaps eternal reward: “Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) Fulfilling the law of Christ, then, is simply this: receive His burden-bearing love, and pass it on by lifting the loads that weigh down brothers and sisters. |
    |