Rd Galatians 6: 1-18

Galatians 6:1 Perhaps no passage in the bible has hurt more people in the church than this: "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." Make sure you read this carefully, it may not say what you think it. Let me make a couple observations. There is not a perfect method for correcting people in transgression except it be in love, and even then it's not always pretty. I'm convinced it's not what you say that offends, it's how you say it, and restoration (NKJV) or attunement (CLNT) in the church or outside the church is no exception.

First, lets submerge ourselves in prayer, without that, forget it. No matter how eloquent your speech, your likely to put your foot in your mouth.

Second, the word "overtaken" is important. Overtaken means "get before", precipitate, or come aforehand, from the Greek word "prolambano". Is this transgression by your brother overtaking his life? Is it coming before God on a consistent basis? If not its probably too soon to intervene. Did you know scripture makes a distinction between a transgression and a sin. A transgression is breaking a known law of God, hence the thought "get before"(see Romans 4:15). When transgressing God's laws are given a back seat, God is actually overtaken in importance. A sin is falling short of the glory of God, which we all do quite frequently. (see Romans 3:23) When we are restoring let's make sure our brother is truly in transgression and in need of it.

Third, "you who are spiritual restore". What does it mean to "be spiritual"? Does it mean someone who reads the Tara cards or someone who does yoga 2 times a day? No. Being spiritual means being the opposite of physical. Someone who's physical (the bible uses the word carnal) is someone who cares only about their welfare. They are selfish and caught up in what the world can do for them. Being spiritual is simply keeping our eyes on what is above (i.e. Christ) and how we can best love our neighbor, in the spirit of "gentleness". It may mean bearing their burden for a while until the Spirit does a work in their life. My dad always says when in doubt, wait, it will work itself out, and it usually does.

Finally, "considering yourself lest you also be tempted" takes me to Matthew 7:3, "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Take a look in the mirror, a long look, before you ever criticize someone else's shortcomings. Boy, do I need to hear that. It seems being critical is popular because it makes us feel good. It's ironic that in fact it actually sabotages us instead of benefits us, because we become more critical of ourselves. It's true. Christ said it well in Matthew 7:1-2 "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." Who did you think was judging and measuring back? God? I think it's talking about ourselves or the world itself turning and judging us, but either way we bring it on ourself. Think about it...

Grace, MB