"Brothers, if also a man should be caught in any trespass, you [all] the spiritual [one]s be restoring such the [one] in a spirit of gentleness, looking out at each of you, not also you should be tempted."
-Invariably, for as long as we tarry in these earthly tents with a certain degree of crucified-but-not-quite-dead-yet flesh, we will sooner or later find ourself giving in to the desires of the flesh in some form or fashion. Me-first, me-better is bound to rear its ugly head at some point. We will mess up, we will be caught up by sin, and very well could be caught in that sin. The question is whether my line crossing was more inadvertent and unintentional, or was it perhaps more deliberate and premeditated. And having crossed the line, is my heart soft enough to admit the mistake? Am I in a lowly-enough frame of mind where I am willing to turn around and forsake whatever it is I have gotten myself into, to return home to the Father from the place to which i have wandered?
-Truth is, my not-so-low-minded flesh does not like to admit to making a mistake, is rather loathe to being corrected, certainly not publicly, but not even in private. And so Paul’s instruction here is that for anyone who may find themself in the role of having to confront a fellow Christ-follower who has wandered off the path, there are three things they must keep in mind.
-First, keep in mind that our goal is restoration. This is the word used for mending a fishing net, to mend, restore, strengthen. We’re not merely trying to correct a behavior, we are looking to bring the wayward son (or daughter) back into the family. We want to mend the soul but also the body of Christ, a family whose effectiveness in blessing all the families of the earth is directly tied to the love and oneness which normally naturally just oozes out - barring injury. As long as the body does not become fractured or incapacitated by the disqualification of one of its members. Glory is in the offing, the ceiling is the roof for the body which remains vitally connected and faithful to the Lord and to one another. And so we want to bring our wayward brother or sister back into the fold. We want to bring them home. And in doing so, we succeed in mending one of those oh-so-debilitating holes in our net.
-Second, our method is gentleness. The Lord Himself is described as having that kind of strength under control which would not break a tender stalk or snuff out a candle’s tiny flame (Isaiah 42.3). He tells us that He is gentle and humble, His yoke is easy (Matthew 11.28-30). No massive wind of yelling here. No strong arm tactics. Here is where we find thirst-quenching soul-rest. This is what we really need when we are bogged down and ensnared in the swampy muck of fleshy living. Satisfying relief from the wearying, burdensome weight of sin and brokenness. Our brothers and sisters don’t (usually) need an irate parental unit, they don’t need a bully, they need a sympathetic counselor, one who can put an arm around them and say, come on, let’s get out of here and go home. They need grace. Not apathy, not permissive license, not a line of grace long enough for them to hang themselves. Rather they need gentle-and-firm grace which neither condemns nor beats them up but which comes alongside and says, it’s ok, nobody’s perfect - but you are meant for way better than this.
-Third, our mindset going in is one of cautious humility. Nobody is perfect. We are no better than this one whom we are trying to restore. We are not more beloved or precious in our Savior’s eyes. Nor are we any more immune to fleshy temptations and waywardness than the poor soul we are hoping to restore. Not better, not at all immune. There are no anti-flesh innoculations. Truly, there but for the grace of God go I, and Paul here reminds us of that fact. We are all vulnerable to temptation, and when we go to that prodigal brother or sister, it typically will involve us moving toward whatever they’ve gotten themselves into, and we need to be extra careful that we don’t step in it ourselves. But make no mistake, engaging here is not an option. We must engage with our wayward brothers and sisters - humbly, gently, mendingly... Our brothers and sisters, our body, our net, depends on it.
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