Galatians 6:1
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
What should be our attitude when a brother or sister is taken captive by the things of this world? In today’s social media setting, it seems that many of us simply take them to task publicly. The bigger they are…the harder they fall. We gather around the car wreck and speculate as to how it happened. How could they be so stupid? What were they thinking? Like the Pharisees, we preach to the crowds from our pulpits of self-righteousness, thundering as if we had never done anything wrong ourselves.
Many bible commentators spend time working through what it means to be “caught in any transgression,” delineating between sins that we can essentially “fall into” rather than sins that are premeditated/deliberate. I appreciate wrestling with the meaning of the original Greek word(s), but in this case, I feel led to focus more on the process itself. Whether you chose or even planned to sin rather than falling to some temptation that hit you out of the blue, the fact remains the same: When we discover another Christian in sin, or they come to us in confession, we need to seek to restore them “in a spirit of gentleness.”
John 8 records the story of a woman who had been caught in adultery and was dragged out into the public eye and brought before Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees were hoping to catch him in a trap (would he obey the Law and disobey Roman rule, or vice versa?), and cared nothing for true justice (where was the man she was sleeping with?). Approaching the woman with any care for restoration was certainly not on their minds, nor did gentleness in any measure enter the picture. Instead of stepping into their legalistic snare, he called them out based on their own sin record (who will cast the first stone?). After the left the scene, Jesus did not condemn the woman, but extended grace, mercy, and forgiveness…while also calling her out of her sinful lifestyle.
What would you have done? Paul commands three things (from Precept Austin Commentary):
First, a spiritual person should be the one to approach the brother/sister who has fallen (of the same gender is also a good idea). What is a “spiritual” person? Probably someone who would never describe themselves as such, but nevertheless is walking in the Spirit and producing the Fruit of the Spirit. Second, the restoration must be done gently. The word “restore” was used for setting a broken bone, and If you’ve ever had one, you know how painful that can be. And if the doctor is rough, he can make your pain much worse even as he tries to help you. That’s why the work of spiritual restoration must be done “gently” or as the King James Version says, “meekly.” It has the idea of doing something quickly, quietly, and with enormous kindness.
Finally, it must be done carefully, and includes a warning we all need to consider. Paul says that we should be careful in our helping lest we should fall into the same hole as our friend. Satan is tricky. He knows that if he can get one Christian trapped in sin, he may soon get another and then another. This is why doctors wash their hands so often. Not only must they avoid giving germs to their patients, but they must also guard against receiving germs from their patients. In our attempts to help struggling Christians, we must be careful lest we start making excuses, offering rationalizations, avoiding confrontation, and letting sympathy replace truth.
Matthew Henry once said, “We ought to deal very tenderly with those who are overtaken in sin, it may some time or other be our own case. This will dispose us to do by others as we desire to be done by in such a case.” Words to live by, to be sure.
