Restore Him Gently

One of the great things about belonging to the family of God is our responsibility to one another. The New Testament is filled with "one anothers" to direct our actions as we follow Him. Jesus demonstrated these "one anothers" perfectly and we are given instruction through the Word as to how we are to treat each other. The final chapter of Galatians contains a little instruction that is often ignored or at least not fully applied.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. (Gal 6:1-5)

We have a mutual responsibility to each other. If I am "caught" in a sin, my fellow Christian has a responsibility to help me escape. If I see my brother or sister trapped in a sin, I am to intervene in their lives to help carry that burden. You may be asking why we should do such a thing... "why would I entangle myself in someone else's problems?". The answer to that question is fairly simple, first, God wants His children to live in such a way that He is glorified. We are to live righteously!  Secondly, James tells us that when we do that, when we rescue a child of God from their entrapment, we "save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins". (James 5:19-20) So, it is about life here and hereafter. It is about helping each other live rightly here and helping each other get to live with God in the hereafter. I know that might make some of you uncomfortable, but read the Book and let me know where I am wrong.

Paul warns us in this passage in Galatians that we are to be careful because we can be tempted by what we are helping others deal with. If I am a recovering alcoholic, I don't need to go sit with someone that is drinking. If I am struggling with pornography, I am not the one that needs to go to the strip club to bring a brother home. If I am dealing with drug dependency, I don't need to go to a party to pull a sister out of a bad situation. We need to be wise in our helping is what Paul is saying. We have a responsibility to each other and we have a responsibility to ourselves, to keep ourselves from temptation. We are to help carry each other's burdens, but we are also to carry our own load.

As members of God's family, may we all determine to be alert to each others activities and be open enough to know when someone is trapped in sin. Once we know about it, let us be busy pulling each other from the snare of sin. Our lives here are to be rich and full in Christ Jesus and our lives hereafter are to be eternally spent with the Father. Even Paul was concerned that he might come up short after he had taught so many others... So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Cor 9: 26-27). May we have his attitude as we help others and keep a watchful eye on ourselves.