[… if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit] … should restore that person gently.
Summary: When it comes to restoring people’s walk with God, the first challenge is making certain our walk is on the right path.
Paul’s simple sentence about helping people avoid sin has turned complicated.
First, we need to understand what sin is. Apparently, based on the Greek word Paul chose, he is not talking about just any sin. The Greek word he used suggests a kind of unintentional sin.
Second, we have to know if we are living by the Spirit. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Am I living by the Spirit?”
Finally, if we understand what kind of sin Paul is talking about, and if we are confident that we are living by the Spirit, Paul encourages us to “restore” the sinner “gently.”
Of course, being “gentle” is one of the fruits of the Spirit.
Pastor Rich occasionally tells the story of a young man who invited a friend to church. When the friend showed up, he was wearing a hat. Not knowing any better, he walked into the sanctuary Sunday morning with his hat on.
This was too much for one of the older members of the church. Sensing the “sin” of disrespect, they proceeded to get in the boy’s face and angrily lecture them about wearing their hat in church.
The result of this correction wasn’t to restore anything. Instead, the young man’s friend left, angry and embarrassed. Even though Pastor Rich tried to make amends, he never returned.
Was the older church member living “by the Spirit?”
I don’t think so. “Fits of rage” or anything similar is more closely aligned to the “acts of the flesh” than any fruit of the Spirit.
So, what do you think about what the older member did? Was what they did a sin? If it was a sin, was it the kind of sin Paul was talking about?
Should someone say something to the older member who lost their composure over someone wearing a hat?* What if you were the only person who saw what had happened? Would you know how to deal with this situation?
It is easy to see how we might need all the “fruits of the Spirit” to deal with a situation like this. Patience (aka “forbearance”) is required because this type of correction takes time. Kindness is needed to pave the way for a discussion about what happened. Goodness is a prerequisite for having the credibility to address change. If we want to help this person, we have to be faithful to the Spirit’s leading within us and faithful to the one who has sinned. Finally, all of this must be handled gently to win their trust and help open their eyes to what the Bible says about this sin. Of course, without self-control, none of this is possible.
In a very real sense, the “fruits of the Spirit” are tools for dealing with spiritual problems. You might say that when it comes to helping others walk with God, the “fruits of the Spirit” are the “tools of the trade.” With the Spirit’s help, we can learn to use them all.
Application: Learn to apply all God’s spiritual tools in every life situation.
Food for Thought: How does prayer help us restore other people’s walk with God?
*Just so you know, Pastor Rich did address the situation with the people involved.
I like ” tools of the trade”.
🙂
I tend to be inquisitive and analytical in my approach to life. I am grateful that God created me with that spirit. When I apply it to His Word, I feel like I am given a gift each time. There is, however, a downside to it. I also tend to look for patterns, and fall into the trap that A+B=C. I tend to take things too literally. The Spirit doesn’t work quite like that, and prayer certainly doesn’t work quite like that. So when I read your question, and the “how” word, oh boy, that sets off the gears in my head.
A few things I do know about the power of prayer:
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
We could probably talk about the idea of “a righteous person” for a few weeks, but for the today’s meditation, James is speaking about one that places their faith in Christ, has made Christ Lord of their life, seeks to do the Will of the Father. The Bible documents “people of great faith” who ask the Father to intervein for others and are empowered to perform miracles.
Something we can learn from this is that when we, ourselves, place our faith in Christ, in greater and greater measure, we open ourselves up in greater measure for God to work through us. So, part of the “how” lies in our own obedience to God.
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness.”
Roman 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
We don’t have to “say the right words” but come to God in humility and love. I have, in times of distress (mine or others), called out to the Holy Spirit and the only disenable word in my mind was “help.” Yet, my prayer was answered. It wasn’t the words, but the condition of my heart.
“If we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”
1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
John 9:31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.
In order to ask according to His Will, we would need to know what His Will is. The Word of God is the best place to start. If we are to pray for the restoration of another, we must understand the difference between the Will of the Father and the shortcoming of the brother/sister. To not “judge” them according to what we think, but according to what the Bible says.
How does prayer help us restore other people’s walk with God?
If we approach God in prayer, present ourselves in humility and love, having shown obedience to His Word and seeking to obey Him, seeking His Will, loving Him first and others as ourselves, that condition of our heart is expressed to Him through the Holy Spirit. We are then following in the footsteps of Christ. Having placed our faith in the Father and His Will, we ask Him to intercede on behalf of another. As God has shown us through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, He is faithful to hear and act on selfless love.
Chris,
Your comments on “how” are interesting! I see what you mean about the mechanics of “how,” as in “how does this work.”
The other application of the word is “how” I intended it, which is where you ended up going. That is, “how” does prayer “affect” the outcome. (From an analytical standpoint, this is more of an external process question than an internal process question.)
As to your thoughts on “how,” I agree: Coming to God in prayer requires love and humility. Righteousness (being right with God) also plays a part, as you have pointed out. Ultimately, we acknowledge God’s sovereignty and lean into it.
Yeah, now that I read your response, I can see what you intended to ask. This kind of thing happens to me a lot. I’m glad that I was led to the “how” you intended.
And how!
🙂