How should we deal with the sin of others?
Nov 15, 2011
The Race for Grace - part twenty-three in a study of the book of Galatians
By Mike Gaudet
How should we deal with the sin of others?
“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” Galatians 6:1
President James Garfield was killed in 1881 both by an assassin’s bullet and by a physician’s probe. After being shot, attending physicians stuck unclean fingers and metal probes into the President’s wound in order to locate the bullet. The infection that resulted from these attempts to restore Garfield to health ended up killing him.
In the spiritual realm, it is also true that an ill advised “cure” can cause more harm than the presenting “disease.” This is why Paul reminded his readers that when someone is “caught in a sin” it’s important to “restore him gently.”
As a Pharisee in first century Judaism, Paul would have been tough on sin. Israel was a theocracy. There was no separation between church and state. Religious leaders were the politicians and law enforcement professionals were under their control. In this respect, first century Israel resembled modern day Islamic states. Paul had a reputation for dealing with sin harshly. In fact, when he met Christ on the road to Damascus, he was on his way to hunt down and imprison Christians.
After his conversion Paul had to adjust to the practice of gentle spiritual restoration. This dramatic change in “bedside manner” was all the more challenging because Paul’s gentleness was wrongly attributed to weakness and timidity.
Paul’s opponents continued to use harsh methods in the exercise of spiritual leadership. In his letter to the Corinthians Paul observed, “In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!” 2 Corinthians 11:19-20
Paul’s detractors were ready and willing to dole out “slaps . . . in the face” in order to enforce spiritual discipline. They attributed Paul’s lack of like-minded aggressiveness to spiritual weakness. With tongue in cheek Paul “confesses”, “To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!” 2 Corinthians 11:21
Paul responded to allegations of weakness by arguing that his gentle manner was a reflection of the way Jesus Himself treated people. “By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you.” 2 Corinthians 10:1 Paul saw something his critics couldn’t see . . . harsh sacred probes and judgmental spiritual intrusions do more harm than good.
The word translated “restore” in the passage is used to describe the process of setting a broken bone. While Paul encouraged the practice of assisting followers of Christ, he cautioned his readers not to imitate the methods of harsh spiritual guides. When an intervention is carried out with a judgmental attitude the “patient” might walk away with a properly set bone but they will also be left with a lethal spiritual virus infecting their heart.
When spiritual rescue attempts are laced with a “holier-than-thou” attitude more harm is done than good. The shame and fear that infect the heart because of such treatment erodes trust in God.
When we come alongside others who’ve been “caught in a sin,” we “may be tempted” to adopt a self-righteous attitude. The sin of self-righteousness doesn’t appear on many of our “sin lists.” Jesus, however, reacted more strongly to those who were self-righteous than to those who were unrighteous.
Jesus described Himself as “gentle and humble in heart.” Matthew 11:29
He modeled gentle spiritual restoration.