Restoring the Wayward

Galatians 6:1-5

The Who and How of Restoration...verse 1: In the song, "Purer in Heart," there is the line, "keep me from secret sin." That line has always struck me as a little peculiar. As a Christian, we want our God to keep us from all sin, secret or public. But, we all realize that the spotlight of the public eye helps to keep us from public sin. Many a Christian has indulged in activities while away from home that he never would involve himself in on his home turf.

The truth is, sometimes we commit public sin on our home turf. Or, what we think is secret sin somehow becomes public knowledge. Moses thought no one saw him kill the Egyptian in a fit of rage. David thought no one would find out about his romp with Bathsheba, in a fit of passion. When our sin is public or when our secret sin becomes public knowledge, we are in a difficult strait. It is the Christian arrested for DWI. It is the Christian who is caught in an affair. It is the Christian who is caught embezzling funds. It is the Christian who has an angry outburst for everyone to see. The list is endless. The result is always the same. Shame, humiliation, alienation.

Unfortunately, the reaction of other Christians is sometimes the very worst thing possible: ostracization. We are quick to write off the child molester or the wife abuser or the alcoholic. Sometimes those who are caught in such sins are leaders in the church. An elder, a preacher, a song leader, or a Bible class teacher. Putting some distance between such a person and ourselves is an understandable human reaction. It is almost as though they are spiritually diseased. We do not want to get too close lest we be contaminated. The religious leaders in the first century reacted that way. They were incensed that Jesus allowed a "sinful" woman to touch him (Luke 7:39). Even Luke describes her as a woman "who had lived a sinful life."

Rather than treating those caught in sin as spiritual pariahs, Paul suggests a better way. "Restore him." But, Paul limits those eligible to be involved in the restoring process to those who are "spiritual." What does it mean to be spiritual? Surely it is those who manifest the fruit of the Spirit (see 5:22-25). So, before we even begin the restoration process, we need to do some self-evaluation. First, make sure that you have the proper objective...restoration. I have seen people who were destroyed by someone who was more interested in reading them the "riot act," than they were in restoration. Then, examine yourself to make sure you are qualified. Not everyone who is a Christian is qualified to be involved in restoration. You have to be a spiritually minded person. If you want a yardstick to see if you are, just go up to chapter 5 and read verses 22-25. Now, if you have met that criteria, you are ready to be involved in the restoration process.

Paul gives a further caveat to the restoration process. The person caught in sin should be restored "gently." We have all been to doctors who have a good "bedside" manner versus those who are gruff and rough. The latter type may still get the job done, but none of us likes to go to that type of doctor. We want someone who is going to be gentle with us, who is going to be patient with us, who is going to show compassion. Where did we ever get the idea that it is okay to be spiritually "rough" with people? Such treatment rarely reclaims the person caught in sin. Almost always it either alienates or devastates.

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