1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Herman Tu

Have you ever rebuked someone? I never have. But often when we look around at church and see sin amongst us, I want to take the speck out of my brother’s eyes and restore them in purity. But Jesus tells us to take the log out of our own eye first (Matthew 7:3-5).  So how exactly should we navigate this?

Paul teaches us how to address this. Remember that the context is Paul correcting the Galatian church for adding circumcision as a requirement to become a Christian.

Paul commands his brothers and sisters who are “spiritual” to restore the person caught in wrongdoing “with a spirit of gentleness”. There is a beautiful expression here of the reality that we have been made new by the Holy Spirit. Gentleness was one of the fruits of the Spirit we saw yesterday. We are no longer of the flesh but of the Spirit, so we walk in the Spirit and behave with gentleness. At the same time, even though we are of the Spirit, Paul recognises that we need to continually check our hearts and watch for the “log” in our own eyes, to guard us from deceit and jealousy.

To me, that is a pretty good formula already: remembering that we are of the Spirit, restoring with gentleness, and guarding our hearts in the process.

But Paul wants us to do more than restore others. He wants us to relieve their burdens. He says next: “Carry one another’s burdens,” which will “fulfill the law of Christ.” We’re to walk alongside one another, so that when a brother or sister’s sin is too heavy, you might take some of the weight off them.

We have been forgiven by Christ Jesus, saved from the condemnation of sin to live freely under the Word of God. The fellow believer who sins is still a brother or sister saved by grace. Realising this enables you to thank God for his amazing love. How radical is that? It’s never you against them. It is us together against sin.

Give thanks to God that we have been forgiven through Jesus, and pray for those who are navigating situations of rebuking and restoring others, that they may be shaped by the love of Christ.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Herman is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.