Scripture Reference: Galatians 6:1-10

Restoring Sinners, Examining Yourself (verse 1) – Continued

In order to bring healing to the sinner, we must have a compassionate view of the one who has sinned. Paul doesn’t define the kind of sin, he doesn’t need to, but he does describe the consequence of sin. He views the sinner as one who is caught in any transgression. When a person sins, other people are hurt; other people are victims of that sin. But we must remember that sinners themselves are also in some sense victims of sin. Abusers have also been abused. They have been overtaken, ambushed and seized by sin. Paul is not excusing the sinner of personal responsibility. But he is recognizing the terrible captivating force of sin. Just as Jesus said, “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34), so now Paul says that the one who sins is trapped by sin. When we view moral offenders as those who are enslaved and entrapped, we can have a more compassionate attitude toward them. We will want to help them break that bondage of sin over their life.

Paul appeals to those who are spiritual to help the one who is caught in a sin. The spiritual he speaks of here are not some elite leadership group of spiritual giants. All the way through the letter Paul has been emphasizing that all of his converts in Galatia have received the Spirit (Galatians 3:2-5, 14; 4:6, 29; 5:5, 16-18, 22-23, 25). All of those whom he addresses in verse 1 as brothers (understand Paul is also including sisters, according to Galatians 3:28) are spiritual, since all who are the children of God have received the Spirit of God, according to Galatians 4:6. In other words, Paul is calling on all who have believed the true gospel and received the Spirit to be actively engaged in the ministry of restoration. One way to “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25) is to restore one who has been trapped in sin.

Paul’s directive to the spiritual is to restore the sinner. The verb “restore” could be used in physical or material contexts to signify resetting a broken bone or mending a torn net (see Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:19). In spiritual contexts it meant perfecting in spiritual maturity and equipping for service (2 Corinthians 13:11; Ephesians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 3:10; Hebrews 13:21). In 1 Corinthians 1:10 Paul uses the same verb to express his desire that the divided church in Corinth “be united in the same mind.” In other words, in the same thought processes. The church had been broken and torn by divisions; it needed to be reset as a physician would reset broken bones and mended as a fisherman would repair torn nets. Here in Galatians 6:1 the verb restore calls for spiritual therapy so that a broken member of the body can once again work properly and perform its vital functions for the benefit of the whole body.

As long as any member of the body is broken, the whole body suffers. If the broken member of the body is amputated, the whole body suffers the loss. What is needed is restoration. The goal is the recovery of Christian brothers and sisters who have sinned so that the whole body will be healthy and productive again.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
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