More Restoration Reminders

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)

The last part of this verse contains a warning: “consider yourself lest you also be tempted.” So what are the temptations? What are the dangers found in seeking to restore someone who has fallen into sin?

One of the easiest sins to which we fall prey and equally one of the most subtle is the sin of spiritual pride. And never is this more a temptation than when we are trying to “help” someone else with his problem with sin. We all know, if we are honest with ourselves, it is far easier to see the sins of others than it is our own. But it is also far easier to despise someone else for their sins than it is to look upon our own with equal vehemence. True humility thinks the best of others while thinking honestly about ourselves. It is in this way we are likely to be of any real help to those needing restoration.

But there is also the danger of falling into the very same sin we are seeking to root out in our neighbor. It is very common for one Christian who is struggling with a particular sin to try to help another who is having the same struggle. But rather than either one getting much help, they are often equally a further temptation to the other. This is not always the case, of course—two Christians struggling with the same sin may well be more motivated to hold one another accountable. But it is also not uncommon for two Christians “fighting” the same sin to sympathize with each other and let each other off the hook. If you are dealing with a particular problem, the best bet is to get help from others who have true strength in that area, and then, when you are stronger yourself, you may be of more help to those who are where you once were.

Then there are the equal and opposite temptations of either going too easy on the one hand or becoming too harsh on the other. What is particularly a problem is that we often bounce back and forth between these two extremes—presumably in “repentance” from the other—rather than finding the proper balance. Love and truth—the truth in love—are the twin keys that solve this problem best. True love will motivate us to speak the truth to others (“faithful are the wounds of a friend”), but true love will also move us to speak in such a way as to build up and not destroy, to encourage right things as well as pointing out the bad. As in all other things, the rule “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” provides a good measure as well.

“Dear heavenly Father, we give You thanks for Your love to us in our sanctification. Help us to love others as You have loved us, and help us to love them enough to call them to holiness. Keep us far from pride, and rather teach us to consider our own propensity to sin as well as our neighbor’s potential for repentance by the same grace we need. Protect us and deliver us from evil, and teach us to be wise in our confrontation of it in others. Help us to tell the truth in love and to love enough to tell the truth. Fill us with the Spirit of Holiness that we might be led into all truth ourselves and that we might be instruments in His hands for that purpose in the lives of others. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.”