Wise Love

Christians justified by faith in Jesus are no longer under the burden of law-keeping, but we are called to fulfill the “law of Christ” – that is, to love one another the way Jesus loves us. To do this, we must recognize the difference between a burden (v. 2) and a load (v. 4). A burden is too heavy to carry alone, whereas a load is a reasonable personal responsibility that must be carried alone. Loving wisely begins by soberly assessing our own weaknesses and vulnerability to temptation. This humble self-awareness teaches us to carry our own load, and to refuse to carry the load of others. The same humility trains us also to share our burdens with others, and to help bear their burdens, too. Love like this is only possible because Jesus has fulfilled the law for us, and has empowered us with his own Holy Spirit living within us.