1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.3 If any of you think you are something when you are nothing, you deceive yourselves.4 Each of you should test your own actions. Then you can take pride in yourself, without comparing yourself to somebody else,5 for each of you should carry your own load.
6 Nevertheless, those who receive instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. People reap what they sow.8 Those who sow to please their sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; those who sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
My thoughts -
I like the language here in dealing with sin: "restore that person gently". Paul doesn't say that we should correct harshly, but restore gently. I feel like sometimes we miss this.
Now Paul has done a lot of "restoration" in this letter (and many others) and not all of it has been "gentle". He has some awfully strong words for the Galatian church in Chapter 5. You could make a reasonable case that when he says we are to "restore gently" here in dealing with sin he is talking about doing so with individuals caught in a specific incident and not with large groups imposing bad theology. I can go with that. I could also go with that Paul is saying what we should do, but not what we must do or what he's always done. I'm sure that Paul, in his day, did not always "restore gently". That he says we should may indicate that he's done it the other way and we should trust him that gentle restoration is better. Whatever his previous experience and intent may have been I have done it both ways (and had both done to me) and am certain that we should "restore gently". Part of the reason for this is found in the next verse:
But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
None of us is without sin. We all need to be restored, both on an interpersonal level (our relationships with each other) and a Spiritual level (our relationship with God). It works out best for all of us if we're in the "gentle restoration" business. None of us is perfect. None of us is without sin. We've all fallen and we will all fall again. We need to be able to help pick each other back up. We need to be able to, as verse 2 says "carry each other's burdens".
Now, does that contradict what Paul goes on to say in verse 5? Can we all carry each other's burdens while also carrying our own load? If everyone carried his/her own load then what burdens would be left that need to be carried? If you dig too deeply and too literally into anything here you end up pushing the imagery to absurdity.
We need to, as Paul says "test (our) own actions". We need to be aware of what we do, and our own sin. We need to make sure that we're right with each other and right with God so that we can then help restore our fallen brothers and sisters. Not a one of us is untainted by sin. We need to know that, to guard against it, and then not deal with the sins of others too harshly so that we can build them back up and restore them rather than just beat them down.
Does this mean then, if we're all tainted by sin, and we need to gently restore each other, that there are no real consequences for our sins and sin isn't a big deal? Look at what Paul says starting with verse 7:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. People reap what they sow. Those who sow to please their sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; those who sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
This is why we all need to be restored. Sin is a big deal. It corrupts everything. And when you are corrupted by sin and live to serve your own sinful nature you are not living life the way our Creator intended it to be lived and there are very real consequences that come out of that. Lives are destroyed. Relationships are broken. Suffering is caused. Sin is a big deal. That's why we need to be restored. If there weren't consequences, if it wasn't a big deal, then we wouldn't need restoration, gentle or otherwise.
If we live according to the will of our Creator/Sustainer then we have life, abundant and eternal. When we don't have have destruction. That we are all sinners doesn't change this fact, it only adds a sense of empathy and urgency to it. We who know God know how much we need God. We know our own limitations. We know that our own will has gotten us nowhere that we want to be. When our bothers and sisters fall we know the suffering that they cause to themselves and those around them. We know that they need to be restored and we need to lift them back up in the same way that we would have them lift us back up if we were in their position.
And we need to be strong for each other while being vulnerable to each other. Strong in continuing to live by the Spirit and not tiring of doing God's work and God's will. Vulnerable in that we know, but for the Grace of God, we would still be mired in our own sinful nature and if we don't continue to guard against temptation then we're headed right back where we were before Christ lifted us out of our sin.
It is not time yet, but we will reap a plentiful harvest if we keep working and lifting each other up.
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