If Anyone Thinks He is Something

“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. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.” (Galatians 6:1-5 ESV)

“Caught” can be “caught in the act,” or it can be “trapped in sin” or “taken by surprise” or “overcome, overtaken, or stricken” by any transgression (any falling away, sin, deviation from truth, error, or wrongdoing). But what is clear is that it requires that the person be restored (adjust to being in good working order; to bring into its proper condition). So there is a definite sense of a falling away and of the need to be brought back to good working order.

And this word “restore” is a medical term used for “setting dislocated limbs.” And how do they do that? They'll carefully push and pull on the dislocated joint to move it back into alignment. So this is not painless. But the most important treatment for a dislocation is putting your joint back in its correct place. And that is the entire object of restoring a Christian who has fallen back into sin back to being in good working order spiritually.

So this is not about giving people a pass and told that it doesn’t matter or that everyone sins so that they shouldn’t feel so bad about their sin. And it isn’t about telling them that they just need to “claim who you are in Christ” so that it alleviates the guilt that they feel for sinning. And this isn’t about someone who just had a slip of the tongue or a momentary lapse in good judgment that can immediately be corrected.

This appears to be a falling away and something that requires intensive treatment in getting that “dislocation” back into alignment. So this sounds more like a fall back into sin that hangs there for a while, for this is comparative to a dislocated joint and as something that requires the help of a brother or a sister in Christ to get that person back into proper working order. So this may also require some church discipline, too.

But, from what I know on this subject, the person who has fallen away has to want to be brought back into proper working order. It is not something than we can force upon anyone. The individual has to cooperate and work with the “physician” who is attempting to bring his “dislocation” back into proper alignment. Yet this doesn’t mean that we say nothing or that we do nothing, but that people can only change who are willing to change.

And if you yourself are trapped in sin, or if you have just recently been brought back into proper working order yourself, you are probably not the person to try to help put another in proper working order lest you should be tempted and fall back into sin yourself. And I have seen this take place. A person believes he has overcome his addiction, because he deceives himself, but in trying to help someone else is tempted and keeps on in his sin.

So, if you are someone who is going to help a fallen brother or sister in Christ back into proper working order, spiritually speaking, you should be someone who is seasoned in your walk of faith in obedience to the Lord who is on solid ground biblically and spiritually from walking the walk for a long while and who is not someone who keeps returning to the same sins over again. For the blind cannot help the blind to see.

But then if you are someone who has been walking with the Lord in faithfulness and not in sin, consistently for a long while, don’t be prideful, and don’t be overconfident, and take heed if you think that you stand lest you fall. We have to enter into these situations in the fear of the Lord knowing full well that we could be tempted, and so we must be fully armored up and prepared and being watchful so we don’t fall to temptation.

So, know well your own strengths and weaknesses and don’t “tempt fate,” so to speak, by going into situations thinking that you cannot fall. And don’t be naïve and think that everyone is legitimate. So don’t believe every story you hear coming from the mouths of the sinfully addicted. Pray through every situation and always ask the Lord for his counsel and direction, for he knows what is best. And then just follow his leading, and be wise, not foolish!

And yes, we are to bear one another’s burdens, but we are also to be wise spiritually and be discerning and use good judgment. For there are many scam artists out there just waiting to take advantage of us. And we are not to pacify people in their sins. The only way we are going to help anyone is to be honest, but loving, and to do what we know is necessary, though painful, in order to help that brother or sister to true victory over his/her sin.

For the truth of the matter is that if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not walks of obedience to our Lord, we do not know God, we are not in fellowship with the Lord, and we will not inherit eternal life with God unless we repent and turn away from our sin and turn to God to follow him in obedience to his commands, and we keep on following him. So don’t take sin lightly – either your sins or other people’s sins.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Broken and Contrite  

An Original Work / May 13, 2012

I come before You, Lord, my Savior,

With humble heart and crushed in spirit.

I bow before You, I implore You,

Heal my broken heart, I pray.

Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master,

You are the King of my heart.

Lord, purify my heart within me;

Sanctify me, whole within.

Oh, Lord, I long to obey fully

The words You’ve spoken through Your Spirit.

I pray You give me grace and mercy,

Strength and wisdom to obey.

Father God, my heart’s desire,

Won’t You set my heart on fire?

Lord, cleanse my heart of all that hinders

My walk with You, now I pray.

Oh, Jesus, Savior, full of mercy,

My heart cries out for understanding.

I want to follow You in all ways,

Never straying from Your truth.

Holy Spirit, come in power,

Fill me with Your love today.

Lord, mold and make me; 

Your hands formed me;

Live Your life through me, I pray.

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