We are called to reach the sinner, but also to restore the stumbling. All of us have known church members who have been “overtaken in [some] trespass.” These did not keep their guard up and have their armor on—were not diligent and vigilant. Thus, the temptation crept up on them and the trespass overtook them.
One thinks of Peter—a genuine follower of Christ. Yet, he was in slumber when he should have been in supplication. He relied on the strength of his flesh rather than the power of the Spirit. He did not heed the Lord’s warning. His resolve in which he boasted proved insufficient in the hour of trial and he was overtaken by trespasses—denying the Lord. Yet, he would be restored by the Lord, (John 21). Read that for it is the perfect pattern for the principle Paul presents here.
How do we restore the fallen?
We do so MATURELY with the resource of God as “you who are spiritual.” The spiritual man is the one who is filled with the Holy Spirit. Such are mature in faith and robust in devotion. Paul describes the spiritual man in contrast to the natural man (a lost soul) and the carnal man (an immature believer) in 1 Cor. 2:12-3:3. There is maturity for such a one has wisdom from the Word—their faith nourished by moving beyond the milk of Scripture to the meat of Truth. They have a Biblical worldview, seeing everything through the lens of the Word. Such have discernment against error and evil creeping up on them. They have cultivated right thinking and righteous living. Yet, it is not dependence on human resolve, but reliance on heaven’s resource that keeps them from stumbling and equips them to restore those who have been overtaken.
We do so maturely and TENDERLY, for to restore the fallen not only demands the resource of God, but also the requirement of gentleness, “restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”
The Greek word “restore” was used in the ancient world for a physician setting a broken bone and in the New Testament of a fisherman mending a torn net, (Mk. 1:19). Both of these would require a gentle touch. If someone has a broken arm, they will not recover use of it without setting it, but you do not go twisting and yanking on it or you will do more damage. A torn net is useless in catching fish, but it needs to be mended gently, lest a bigger hole results.
My wife has accused me of being “a bull in a china shop” when it comes to repairs around the house. The repairs needed to be made, but sometimes I have pursued them with such zeal that I did more harm than good. Some in the church may possess a spirit of legalism instead of love. They are right to detect where someone has stumbled, but they express condemnation instead of compassion. Rather than lifting the fallen out of the mud, they stomp them down further.
We do so maturely, tenderly, and HUMBLY, “considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” This is our reflection on danger.
How do we respond when a member of our church family is overtaken in a trespass? It is far too easy to say, “I would never…and how could they?” Instead, it is a call for us to consider our own peril and reply, “There, but for the grace of God go I!” The warning is, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall,” (1 Cor. 10:12).
Maturely, tenderly, and humbly let us restore the fallen.
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