What does it mean to bear one another's burdens?

TL;DR:

Galatians 6:2 exhorts believers to “bear one another’s burdens.” We can show love by helping bear one another’s burdens through difficult situations both spiritually and materially, ultimately pointing them to the One who can give them rest.

what does the bible say?

The phrase "bear one another's burdens" is found in Galatians 6:2. It expresses the idea that the body of Christ (the church) should be a support system for each other materially and spiritually. Each of us has individual responsibilities that we must attend to (Galatians 6:5), but we occasionally need others’ help and encouragement (Hebrews 10:24–25). Bearing one another's burdens is compassion in action: we not only feel sympathy, but we also do what we can to help. At the same time, we are not obliged to bear another’s burdens without limit. Galatians 6:5 uses the Greek word phortion, translated as "load" and referring to a non-transferable personal burden. Galatians 6:5 makes it clear that each of us is responsible for carrying our own loads, but Galatians 6:2 makes it clear there are times we are over-burdened and need others to help us carry the weight. While we cannot determine how someone else behaves—nor are we called to be responsible for their portions—we can support them through their difficulties and encourage them to live in a godly way. We can walk alongside them through their difficulty, pointing them to the One who can ultimately carry their burdens and give them rest (Matthew 11:28).

from the old testament

In the Old Testament Mosaic law, the Lord provides an example of helping community members, even if they’re not our friends, when He gives this command to the Israelites: “If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him” (Exodus 23:4–5). Here, the community of believers of the one true God were instructed to help one another.
The Israelites were commanded to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Bearing a brother or sister’s burden falls under this command.
The Lord wants His people to help one another. This was inherent in the Mosaic law: “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be” (Deuteronomy 15:7–8).

from the new testament

A young lawyer tried to test Jesus by asking Him what the greatest commandment is. Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40). Jesus later told His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Helping those in one’s church family to bear their burdens falls under Jesus’ command to love.
Acts 11:27–30 describes how the church at Antioch learned of a prophesied famine about to take place in Judea. Each individual gave "according to his ability" (Acts 11:29). They could not prevent or end the famine, but they did what they could to lighten its impact and the suffering it would cause.
In Romans 14, Paul exhorts believers to manage their own behavior around weaker believers so as to not cause them to stumble in their beliefs (Romans 14:13–19). This is an example of bearing another’s burden by letting go of trivial matters that might encourage a less mature believer to fall away from the faith.
James uses the importance of acting to bear the burdens of a fellow believer as an illustration for how works result from faith: “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:15–17).
John writes about caring for others as a practical result of our love for God. “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 4:17–18). Bearing our brothers’ and sisters’ burdens means taking action to help them.

implications for today

Part of being a member of the family of Christ is bearing each others’ burdens. If a fellow believer is struggling with a difficult situation, we can help bear the burden by helping to relieve some of the weight they’re carrying. For instance, we might buy groceries for a church member who recently became unemployed or connect that person with a promising job opportunity at our place of employment. Besides material help, we must offer emotional and spiritual support to encourage perseverance through tough times. If we know someone is struggling with a particular sin, we may offer spiritual support and accountability. We pray with and for one another, check in, and invest in one another’s lives as brothers and sisters of one another and fellow members of the body of Christ.

At the same time, we must also be aware of individual responsibility (Galatians 6:5; 1 Timothy 5:8). We need to be diligent with the things entrusted to us and also be mindful of not taking on burdens not intended for us. Sometimes that means allowing others to suffer the consequences of their poor choices so that they will learn and mature (1 Thessalonians 3:6–15). Other times it means resisting our own urge to be a primary source of emotional comfort or try to take on a role that only God can fill in another person’s life.

Our role in bearing one another’s burdens is to be discerning, help carry heavy loads, and provide tangible and spiritual help and encouragement. We cannot expect others to do for us what God has asked us to be responsible for. We also should not do for them what God has given them responsibility for. Nor can we ever take the place of God in supporting or guiding others. Discernment will allow us to distinguish what God is calling us to in any given situation (James 1:5). Whatever it looks like practically, the overarching aim is loving others as Christ does, with grace and truth (John 1:14; 13:34–35; 1 John 4:7–11).

understand

Bearing one another's burdens means actively helping others through difficult times, both materially and spiritually.
Bearing one another’s burdens involves more than sympathy—providing practical help and pointing others to Jesus for ultimate relief.
Bearing one another’s burdens does not mean enabling ungodly or unwise behaviors or attitudes.

reflect

How can you actively support others when they are struggling?
Are there ways in which you need to improve your help for those in need, whether in your attitude or actions?
How do you, or can you, ensure your support respects others’ personal responsibilities and points them to Jesus instead of enabling them?

engage

How can we address both spiritual and material needs effectively in our church community?
What are practical ways to offer support without enabling dependence?
How can we measure the effectiveness of our efforts in bearing one another's burdens to ensure they lead to real relief and growth for those we support?