Restoring the Erring

Mike Johnson

  The book of Galatians can be divided into three sections.  Chapters 1-2 are autobiographical as Paul defends his apostleship, which is a foundation for what follows.  Chapters 3-4 are doctrinal.  Here, Paul defends his message about salvation through Christ without the works of the old law.  Finally, chapters 5-6 are practical, especially 5:16 through 6:10.  These verses pertain to daily Christian living and emphasize how we are to live and walk in the Spirit (5:16, 25).

As we also learn from chapter 5 (13-14, 22), love for others is a part of walking in the Spirit.  One way we show this love is found in Galatians 6:1, which says, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” Our study comes from this verse, which gives us answers to six questions on the subject of restoring those who go astray.  After discussing these questions, we will address other issues connected to restoring the erring.

Who Is He Addressing?

 He is addressing the “brethren.” This word had various meanings in Paul’s day as it does today.  However, in this verse, along with over 100 other times in the New Testament, he uses it to refer to fellow Christians.  Thayer defines the Greek word as “fellow-believer, united to another by the bond of affection; so most frequently of Christians, constituting as it were but a single family” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).  In Galatians, he uses this term eleven times; in other places, he even uses the phrase “beloved brethren” (1 Thess. 1:8; 1 Cor. 15:58).  Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ and children of God — a part of the same spiritual household or family (Gal. 6:10; 1 Tim. 3:15; Eph. 2:19).

Previously, Paul called the Galatians “foolish Galatians” and also asked, “Are you so foolish?” (3:1, 3)  He was also amazed that they were “turning away so soon” from the gospel of Christ (1:6).  However, his use of this the term “brethren” depicts a more conciliatory tone.  Earlier, he even referred to them as “my little children” (4:19), so, in the letter, he mixes strong rebuke with affectionate exhortation.

What Is the Situation?

 He speaks of a person overtaken in any trespass or sin.  The Greek word translated “overtaken” (NKJV) is also commonly rendered “caught.”  Scholars tell us that the verb correctly translates either way.  It can mean “overtake” or “detect.”  Because of this, two possible interpretations exist for this part of the verse.

The first approach pertains to the element of surprise, which a temptation often involves.  A person may be caught off guard and then yield.   As it might be put, “It is not so much the brother overtaking the trespass but the trespass overtaking the brother.”  The other interpretation may involve a brother simply determining that another is engaged in sin;  perhaps the sin is intentional and premeditated.  Regardless, a particular response is required.

Who Should Act?

 The spiritual person takes action.  Interestingly, the writer is not just addressing preachers, elders, and deacons but all who are spiritual.  A spiritual person is one who “walks in the Spirit” (5:16) and is “led by the Spirit (5:18).  It involves people who produce the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23), not the “works of the flesh (5:19-21), in their lives.

However, a spiritual person is not a perfect person.  If perfection is required, no one would be able to obey this commandment.  People who fit this qualification earnestly try to obey God’s Word and walk in the Spirit.   If we are not spiritual, we will probably be unsuccessful in restoring the erring.  (Note Matthew 7:1-6)

What Is the Mission?

 The spiritual person is trying to restore the erring.  The definition of the Greek word translated restore is  “ . . . to put a thing in its appropriate condition, to establish, set up, equip, arrange, prepare, mend.” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary)  The word was also used to refer to repairing a fish net.

Paul states the goal in 2 Timothy 2:26, which says, “and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” So we are trying to free someone from the “snare of the devil.”

Thus, the mission is not to aggravate, scold, or tell the person off.  Instead, it is to get the erring Christian to repent, straighten out a problem, and turn away from sin.

What Attitude Should Exist?

 The person who goes to restore the erring should do so with gentleness.  This disposition should always characterize Christians.  Earlier (5:23), he identifies gentleness as a “fruit of the Spirit.”  Elsewhere, Paul told a young evangelist (Timothy) the same basic message.  “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition . . . (2 Tim. 2:24-25a).  So even in our attempt to correct someone, we must have a gentle disposition.

Yet, in this book and elsewhere, Paul often used straightforward language in dealing with those who taught false doctrine and engaged in immorality.   Is Paul inconsistent?  No, Paul does not violate his own teaching.  The conclusion to be drawn is this:  we are to have an attitude of love and approach people with gentleness, but this does not preclude being forthright when needed as we try and get people to do right.

What Danger Exists?

 According to the last part of the verse, a danger exists.  The peril is that the person doing the restoring might “also be tempted.”  He might approach the erring one with an arrogant attitude, like the Pharisee who went to the temple to pray.  He said, “ . . . God, I thank You that I am not like other men — extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector” (Lk. 18:11).  A person could sin while trying to bring back the wayward.  Therefore, the person doing the restoring should not have a prideful attitude, full of conceit (5:26), and must recognize that he could be in the same position later.  If so, how would he want to be treated?

 Other Critical Issues

1. Restoring the erring is extremely important. First, it is crucial because God tells us to do it.  As Christians, we want to obey God’s commands (Heb. 5:8-9).  Further, it is also essential because the soul of someone is at stake.  James 5:19-20 says, “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”  To have our sins “covered,” means they have been forgiven (Ps. 32:1; 85:2-3).  The “death” under consideration is spiritual death.  (We will all die from a physical standpoint regardless of whether we repent.)  Sin causes spiritual death, and when we turn back from our sins, we are saved from eternal punishment.
2. Trying to restore an erring person might not be pleasant. A wayward person may resent the visit.  Someone might say, “What about you?”  They may say bad things about us to other people despite the love and gentle attitude we have shown.  This work can be discouraging, but it is still our responsibility to try and help them.
3. What if they do not repent? Ideally, we visit them and, like David, they say, “I have sinned” (2 Sam. 12:13).  But, sometimes, they might resist our efforts to get them to repent and do right.  If this happens, we must continue patiently working with them (2 Tim. 2:24-26; 4:1-2).  Others might also try and help in the effort (Mt. 18:15-17).  There is a point when church discipline is necessary (1 Cor. 5; 2 Thess. 3:6-10).  We must keep in mind; that some may have a hardened heart and may never repent (Heb. 6:4-6).  Regardless, we must not get discouraged in our efforts to do what this passage tells us.  Remember, the souls of people are at stake.

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 Troubled Over Growing Old

Connie. W. Adams

The Bible addresses the needs of people in every stage of life. In Titus 2:1-6, Paul gave instruction for “aged men,” “aged women,” “young women,” and “young men. “Each age has its own special challenges and growing older has its share. One wag said, “It is not so bad to get old, it’s just inconvenient sometimes.” But, if the normal course of life continues, we shall grow old.

As people turn from the middle years of life to face the sunset, they become aware that their time is shorter and respond in different ways. Some make vain attempts to recapture youth and give credence to the old saying that “there is no fool like an old fool.” Some become gloomy and pessimistic, interspersed with bitterness. Some become selfish and overly demanding of attention and make life hard for their families. Some become sharply critical of nearly everybody and everything. But some stay young at heart, interested in life to the very end, and as active as they are able to be. These truly adorn the golden years with grace.

Old Age to be Honored

 “Thou shalt honor the old man” (Lev. 19:32). David “died in a good old age, full of days, riches and honor” (1 Chron. 29:28). “The glory of young men is their strength, the beauty of old men is the grey head” (Prov. 20:29). Paul taught Timothy to treat older men as fathers and older women as mothers (1 Tim. 5:1-2). This places great responsibility on the older to live up to this honor. Neither was this intended to breed pride in the mere fact of age. In comparison to God, our days are “as an hand-breadth, mine age is as nothing before thee” (Ps. 39:5). The aged are not excused for sinful behavior. The aged and the young would suffer alike in the captivity (2 Chron.36:16-17). The older must not “despise” the young (1 Tim. 4:12). Eliphaz foolishly belittled Job for his youth (Job 15:7-10). But there is a deference and respect which the younger should accord the older.

Trials and Temptations of the Sunset Years

• Infirmity of the body. As we grow older, our bodies undergo significant changes. Ecclesiastes 12:3-5 symbolically pictures these changes. When youth has passed and “the years draw nigh,” then hands tremble, legs weaken (there is fear of falling and breaking a hip), teeth weaken and become few, sight dims, hearing is impaired, sleep is restless, the voice becomes weak, fear of heights limits us, hair turns grey or white, what used to be light is now a burden, sexuality fades, as “man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets.” That is the reality of aging. But as the “outward man” is perishing, the “inward man” is to be “renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16-18). When Jacob was old and his eyesight dim, he was still grateful for his blessings and wanted to bless the sons of Joseph (Gen. 48:8-11).
• The danger of forsaking the Lord. How sad it is to see men who have served God faithfully in the strength of youth and middle life, turn away from him in the older years. “And it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 11:4). Timothy was warned against “old wives fables” (1 Tim. 4:7). When the family is grown, there is more time on your hands, and the responsibilities of life have lessened, there is a temptation to spend too much time in idle talk, gossip, and running down the younger generation. Don’t!
• Loneliness. The feeling of being neglected (whether real or imagined) can sour the spirit. This becomes the bane of many older people and of those who care for them. While you have time on your hands, younger ones are as busy with life as you used to be. Do you remember when you were younger? How much time did you spend with lonely older people? Are you accessible? Or does your manner intimidate others and cause them to back off?
• Insensitivity. The fact that we are older does not exempt us from civility. What the Bible says about “gentleness” applies to the older too (Eph. 4:31-32). Some older people have developed the habit of bluntness to the point of injury. Age is no excuse for deliberately hurting others.

The Aged Can Bear Fruit for the Lord

Moses was eighty when called to Egypt to bring God’s people out of bondage (Exod. 7:7). His brother, Aaron, who went with him, was eighty-three. It is interesting that among the excuses offered by Moses, he did not say, “I am too old.” Caleb was eighty-five when he asked for and received his inheritance at Hebron (Josh. 14:10-14). Anna was eighty-four when she prophesied about Jesus (Luke 2:36-38). Paul described himself to Philemon as “Paul the aged” (Phile. 9). “Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing” (Ps. 92:13-14).

The counsel of the aged ought to be sought and respected. Rehoboam asked for and heard the counsel of the older men, but rejected it in favor of the rash advice given by his peers. His peers were wrong, the older men were right, and the king so angered the people that he lost ten out of twelve tribes, a division beyond repair. Paul said the aged women should set the example of holiness and should “teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed” (Tit. 2:3-5). There are two things to be observed here: (1) Older women have the duty to teach the younger, and (2) the younger women need to listen and learn. Yet, age does not guarantee that counsel is always right. Remember the old prophet who lied to the young “man of God” and cost him his life (1 Kings 14:11-18). The counsel of the aged must conform to divine truth, or it is useless.

Many congregations have suffered for lack of older members to lead the way. Many churches have been without adequate leadership because older members retire and move to warmer climates to fish, play golf, or putter in gardens, or to attempt to “go back home” after being away for thirty or forty years. This creates a gap in leadership in churches which need a good mix of ages, including older and experienced elders, deacons, and teachers. May I ask a question? What is the retirement age in the kingdom of God?

The Ideal

 “Honor widows that are widows indeed.” She is one who “trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day” (1 Tim. 5:3, 5). Those “taken into the number” (enrolled as recipients of care from the church, 1 Tim. 5:16) must be “threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, well reported of for good works; if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work” (1 Tim. 5:9-10). The presence of such older women in any church is a real asset to the cause.

“Aged men” are to be “sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience” (Tit. 2:2). Younger ears are listening and younger eyes are watching. The kind of men Paul described here are a treasure in any congregation.

As we near the end of the journey, while our bodies have slowed and weakened, may our spirits quicken as we glance backward to count our blessings and savor our memories, and then look ahead to the precious promises of the gospel and to an inheritance which is “incorruptible, undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:3-4).

“For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night . . . The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow: for we are soon cut off, and we fly away . . . So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Ps. 90:4, 10, 12).

When we have “gone the last mile of the way,” when the last deed has been done, when the last word has been said, “Oh bear me away on your snowy wings to my immortal home.”

                       https://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume50/07-april-06.pdf

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Turning Forgiveness Around

Greg Gwin

We hear it frequently in the news these days.  It has been a common defense in some high-profile criminal cases.  The basic argument is that people can be excused for committing even hideous crimes if they can demonstrate that something awful happened in their past.  Unfortunately, this approach has proven successful in our perverted justice system.  Murders, kidnappers, and sexual offenders of every sort have been set free or have had their sentences reduced.  As a result, we are seeing more and more criminals rush to assume “victim” status.

It is happening in the church, too.  It is not uncommon for sinful brethren to attempt to “turn the tables” on those who are trying to restore them.  “You didn’t show the proper love toward me;”  “You were unkind and didn’t help me enough when I needed you;”  “You were too harsh in the way you rebuked me;”  etc., etc., etc.  You see, they have learned how to become the “victims.”

We agree that brethren can sometimes approach situations in the wrong way.  All of us need to show love, forbearance, patience, and kindness.  Sometimes we fail in these things.  Everyone can do better.

But, we are weary of sinners turning the whole matter of forgiveness around.  If they have their way, the faithful ones are forced to beg them for forgiveness, while their own sins are ignored.  This simply will not work!

Observe the case of Peter rebuking Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8:18-24).  Simon was told that “wickedness” and a bad heart had left him in the “gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.”  Surely he could have complained about Peter’s harsh words or unloving manner.  Undoubtedly he could have countered with accusations about how he had been mistreated by others.  Instead, he humbly accepted the rebuke and requested prayer.  Sinners in the church today need to learn a lesson from him.

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Newton’s Model

The story is told that he had an atheistic friend who did not believe in God. Sir Isaac devised a plan to try to convince his friend that God did exist and had created the Universe. One day, he went to a carpentry shop and asked the owner to make a model of our solar system. This model was to be to scale, intricately painted, and designed to resemble, as closely as possible, the actual solar system.

Several weeks later, Sir Isaac picked up the model, paid for it, and placed it in the center of a table in his house. Sometime later, his atheist friend came over for a visit. When the friend arrived at Dr. Newton’s house, the model of the solar system caught his eye, and he asked Sir Isaac if he could inspect the model more closely. Of course, that was fine with Sir Isaac. As the atheist inspected the model, he stood in awe of the fine craftsmanship and beauty of the various pieces. After some time, the atheistic friend asked Dr. Newton , who had crafted this wonderful model of the solar system. Sir Isaac promptly replied that no one had made the model; it just appeared on his table by accident. Confused, the friend repeated the question, and yet Newton stubbornly clung to his answer that the model had just appeared, as it were, “out of thin air.” Finally, the friend became upset, and it was at that point that Sir Isaac explained the purpose of his answer. If he could not convince his friend that this crude replica of the solar system had ‘just happened by accident,’ how could the friend believe that the real solar system, with all its complexity and design, could have appeared just by time and chance? (Kyle Butt, MA, “Design Demands A Designer”  The Apologetics Press, www.apologeticspress.org Aug. 20, 2015.)

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A Preacher Who Wouldn’t Do

A church was in need of a preacher.  One of the elders was interested in finding out just what kind of a preacher the church wanted.  In order to do this, he composed a letter as though it had been received from a preacher and read it to the committee selecting a new preacher.

This was what the letter said, Gentlemen:

  Understanding that you need a preacher, I would like to apply for the position.  I have many qualifications that I think you would appreciate.  I have been blessed to preach with power and have some success as a writer.  Some say that I am a good organizer.  I have been a leader in most places I have gone.

   Some folks, however, have some things against me.  I am over fifty years of age.  I have never preached in one place for more than three years at a time.  In some places, I have left town after my work caused riots and disturbances.  I have to admit that I have been in jail three or four times, but not because of any wrongdoing.  My health is not too good, though I still get a good deal done.  I have had to work at my trade to help pay my way.

     The churches I have preached in have been small, though located in several large cities.  I have not gotten along too well with the religious leaders in different towns where I have preached, and I am sure they will not recommend me.  In fact, some of them have threatened me, taken me to court, and even attacked me physically.  I am not too good at keeping records.  I have been known even to forget whom I have baptized.  However, if you can use me, I shall do my best for you, even if I have to work to help with my support.

     The elder read this letter to the committee and asked if they were interested in the applicant.  They replied that he would never do for their church.   They were not interested in any unhealthy, trouble-making, contentious ex-convict; and were insulted that his application had ever been presented!  But one of them did ask the preacher’s name, and the elder replied, “The Apostle Paul.”

                                                                                         (Author Unknown)

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Editor: Mike Johnson