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Do we bear
one another's burdens or not?
Galatians 6:2 and
Galatians 6:5
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(Galatians
6:2) - "Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of
Christ."
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(Galatians
6:5) - "For each one shall bear his own load."
In
Galatians 6:2, the word for
"burdens" is baros. It means "heaviness, weight, burden, trouble."1
In Galatians 6:5, the word for
load is "phortion" and means "of burdensome rites."1
The first verse is speaking of helping one another through troubles and the
second is speaking of the responsibility each person has in those troubles
and sins.
"The Christian does in fact test himself by carrying
his own load. This does not contradict verse 2 because the reference
there is to heavy, crushing, loads (baros)—more than a man could carry
without help. In this verse a different Greek word (phortion) is used
to designate the pack usually carried by a marching soldier. It is the
"burden" Jesus assigns to His followers (cf.
Matt. 11:30). There are
certain Christian responsibilities or burdens each believer must bear which
cannot be shared with others. Jesus assured His disciples that such burdens
were light."2
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1. (Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA:
Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.)
2. Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible
Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications,
Inc.) 1983, 1985.
Return to
Bible Difficulties - Romans to
Philemon
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