How to treat Democrats and Republicans

Would you do me a favor before you read this post?

Would you go read a snippet from the ancient letter to the church of Christ in Galatia? I linked it for you here: Galatians 6:1-10.

The writer of the letter, the old apostle Paul, might as well be writing these instructions to the church of Christ in America today.

The one part of that snippet that I want you to repeat to yourself now is this: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

The law of Christ.

The Church of Christ, the branch of the Christian family tree on which my little leaf grows, is a bit obsessive with rules.

Growing up into young adulthood in the Church of Christ, if you asked me what Christianity is all about, I would tell you: “Obeying God’s rules.”

We studied the Bible under a microscope in search of those rules.

I have to be honest: It was not a happy thing. The God we imagined was a perfectionist with a migraine and a short temper. If we got the rules wrong, we figured he would send us straight to hell with a shrug. Then he would raise up new children for himself from the gravel in the church parking lot (Matthew 3:9).

So, we would hold on with white knuckles to any hint from scripture that kept us on God’s good side.

Any hint like “the law of Christ” in Galatians 6:2.

Yes, yes! We wanted to “fulfill the law of Christ” so we could live!

“Tell us: What do we have to do to fulfill the law of Christ? We need to know!”

It’s right there: “Carry each other’s burdens.”

Yes, in this way “you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

So, what does it mean to “carry each other’s burdens”?

It could mean that we help each other with our life needs.

For example, when my wife gave birth to our son, people from our church brought us homemade meals every night for a week. They carried our burden of cooking and preparing meals with a new baby at home.

Another time, when our family was struggling to make ends meet, a couple from our church gave us $1,000. They carried our financial burden for us.

I am sure you can think of times that someone carried your burden for you.

But I think Paul is talking about more than just sharing meals or money.

Go back and look at the verses just before and after Galatians 6:2:

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 may also be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves (Galatians 6:1-3).

This snippet of Scripture is about sin.

What is sin?

Forget the academic answer to the question.

You already know what sin is.

Sin is whatever you think it is.

That is, God created you with a conscience and I assume that conscience works for you. When your conscience starts to squirm, you know you’re doing something “sinful.”

God also created you with an innate sense of what is fair and just, good and right. “The decent thing to do,” as we might call it in public.

You know this innate sense works. Think about the last time you got angry about something in the news. Your anger probably came from your sense that someone did something unfair or unjust to someone else.

You know “sin” when you see it, whether it is in someone else or in yourself.

And that is what the old apostle Paul is writing about in Galatians 6:1-10.

He’s writing about the burden of sin.

Because you have a conscience, you know how this burden feels.

As one with a lot of personal experience with a guilty conscience, I know it does not feel good! I’m sure you know as well as I do that a guilty conscience–bearing the burden of “sin”–is miserable touching on torture.

I have also learned that one of the best ways to forget my own burden for awhile is to point out how other people’s burdens should be heavier than mine! As bad as I am, I can find someone worse if I just look around. “Piling on” someone else’s burden is a great way to make my own burden seem lighter (even it it’s not).

But isn’t this what we are all doing at the same time?

“Piling on” each other.

Think about American politics today. Think about the accusations, condemnation, and shaming that goes on among us.

We are piling onto each other.

These days, it feels like we’re going to bury each other alive under a mountain of judgment.

It is into this situation that the apostle Paul writes his teaching to us.

Right now, right now, the Spirit of God is speaking to the church of Christ in America through Paul’s words: Restore each other gently.

Do you think the “other side” is sinning?

Stop piling on.

Restore each other gently.

How?

By “carrying each other’s burdens”.

So what if you think Democrats are sinful?

So what if you think Republicans are sinful?

If you are an apprentice and student of Jesus Christ, the teaching is simple: Carry their burdens.

Yes, carry the burdens of your political opponents.

Do you see your political opponent struggling under the burden of anger, fear, sadness? Get up under them and help them lift!

Do you think that your political opponent is sinning? Don’t pile on with accusations and condemnation. Say: “I’ll carry that burden for you for awhile.” Yes!

In this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Of course! Isn’t this the Way that Jesus showed us? He neither accused nor condemned. He got down under the burden of our sins and lifted them up with him to the cross of his execution. Even as his killers watched him die, he volunteered to carry their sins, too!

So, of course, if we are to follow the Way of Jesus Christ–if we are to fulfill his law–we will do as Jesus did. We will carry the burdens even of those we think are most sinful.

How do I know this is what Paul meant?

Because he writes his teaching with a stern warning: Check yourself.

“But watch yourselves, or you may also be tempted…If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.”

While you’re busy pointing out how bad other people are, are you so sure that you’re not doing just as badly yourself?

If you think yourself better, more acceptable, more righteous, you better look again.

Better yet, look for someone whose burden you can carry. Look for someone you can restore to yourself (or to whom you need to be restored).

This is how you fulfill the law of Christ.

If you are an apprentice and student of Jesus Christ, I suggest you put this into practice now. If you feel like Democrats are awful sinners, “watch [yourself] or you may also be tempted.” Find some real Democratic voters this week and ask God to show you how to carry their burdens with a spirit of good cheer, humility, and kindness.

If you feel like Republicans are awful sinners, do the same. “Watch [yourself] or you may also be tempted.” Find some real Republican voters (some of them wear red hats) and ask God to show you how to carry their burdens with a spirit of good cheer, humility, and kindness.

In the church of Christ, the law of Christ is vastly more important than the laws of the United States.

If we, as Christians, truly wish to fulfill the law of Christ, this is the time when we must choose to make that law our priority.

How?

By making it our mission to restore each other gently.

We do that, not by piling on, but by carrying each others’ burdens.

Let’s resolve to fulfill the law of Christ together.

Grace and peace.