“Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.”—Galatians 6:1, NET
One summer, when I was in high school and on my way to a great NFL career (not!), I attended a church camp. To get in shape for the upcoming football practices, I went running in a field. And stepped into a hole and snapped my ankle!
Shooting pain soared from the bottom of my foot to the top of the hairs of my head. Trust me when I tell you I wanted the kindest, gentlest doctor on the planet to set that bone back in place.
This is the encouragement that Paul gives us: you who are spiritual – in other words, mature—restore the person with gentleness. Then he adds, “Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.” In other words, if the shoe were on the other foot, we would also want to be treated gently and with love.
Jesus told us how to respond when someone offends or sins against us. He specifically told us to go directly to the person in private, try to resolve the issue, and clarify our perceptions and the other’s intent. (See yesterday’s devotional.)
But what if we discover that the person has sinned and intends to continue?
Then the mission shifts to restoration. “Restore such a person,” says the apostle Paul. The Greek word for restore is a medical term used to describe the setting of a broken bone. Recalling my excruciating high school accident gives me a graphic understanding of how important it is to be restored “in a spirit of gentleness.”
A person who persists in sin is not in fellowship with the Lord or other Christians. In fact, he has made himself vulnerable to the enemy’s attack. Ignoring a fallen Christian’s sinful behavior is unloving and potentially dangerous.
God calls us to restore such a person.
We may feel we need to go to someone and “set them straight,” but we need to make sure we’re straight ourselves… about our attitudes and the goal, which is always to restore our brother or sister in love and gentleness.
