Last time we asked: How do we use the freedom we have from the law? Based on Galatians 5:13-26, we gave two answers. First, we do not use our freedom from the law as an opportunity to satisfy our sin nature. We do not use the freedom we have in Jesus to deliberately sin. Secondly, we should use the freedom we have from the law to love our neighbor as ourselves by treating others the way we want to be treated and by walking in the Spirit. This means that rather than allowing ourselves to be guided by our desire to satisfy our sin nature, we allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit of God, which is based on love.
However, we all know that as saved, but sinful creatures, in a fallen world, we are still very much prone to sin. So this morning, Paul is going to help explain what we should do when a fellow-Christian gets caught up using their freedom to satisfy their sin nature. We are going to look at Galatians 6:1&2 which state, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Point 1: Notice who Paul is addressing.
In Galatians 6:1, Paul said, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression…” He is addressing “Brothers”. The Greek word for “brother” means: a member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian. So, understand Paul is speaking to and about fellow Christians. He is speaking to his brothers and sisters in Christ. He is speaking to his adopted siblings in the family of God. He is not talking about those outside the Kingdom of God. So, this is not directed to the those outside the church but within.
Point 2: Notice the topic Paul is addressing them about.
Paul said, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression.” He is talking to fellow-Christians about transgressions or your Bible might say trespass. What is a transgression? A transgression is the violation of a law or a command. When we go 60 in a 45 MPH zone, we have committed a transgression. When we pass on a double yellow lane, we have committed a transgression.
In the same way, when we violate a command of God, we commit a transgression; we sin. A transgression is sin. This implies it is very possible for a Christian to be overcome by sin. That the Christian can use their freedom from the law in a way that is sinful, which leads them on a path that is not godly. When we lie, steal, covet, commit adultery, look lustfully at one someone else, when whe have fits of anger, when we indulge in our sensual pleasures, when we dishonor our mother and father, when we have sex outside of marriage, when we love anything more than God (idolatry), when we use course joking, when we use words we should not, when we commit acts of drunkenness, when we get involved in wild parties, when we engage in same-sex relastionships, when we commit abortion, when we change the gender God had chosen us to be, we have violated a command(s) of God.
Point 3: Notice that Paul doesn’t say ‘when’ a fellow-Christian gets caught in a transgression but “if”.
Gal. 6:1 states, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression.” That’s unusual, usually we see it’s not ‘if’ but ‘when’, here we see it’s not ‘when’ but ‘if’. This means that it is not a matter of when the Christian gets caught using their freedom from the law to sin, but if the Christian gets caught. It does not mean they will be overcome by sin or that they will use their freedom in a way that is sinful. Only that is possible.
Point 4: Also, Paul is not necessarily referring to willful or intention sinning here.
Paul said, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression.” The Greek word for ‘caught’ means overtaken or caught by surprise. This implies not only can the Christian be overcome by sin, but they can be overcome by their sin without expecting it. That the Christian can be caught by surprise by his or her sin just as easily as he or she can deliberately sin.
We all have those sins that we know we struggle with daily, but then there are times we get blindsided by unfamiliar temptation and stumble into new sin (example: football). Perhaps, that sin that blindsides you is a sin you never before had to struggle with. Maybe it’s jealousy, or greed, or anger, or envy, or hatred, or anxiety, or a lack of forgiveness, or racism or gossiping? The list could go on.
My point is this: there will be times when unexpected temptation will hit you without warning, and you will fail to resist the temptation of your sin nature and be overcome by your sin. And this is unique to you. We have all had those times where we did something or said something or thought about something that we did not intentionally plan to do or say, and before you realize it, it becomes a sin that you are having to daily struggle with. It becomes a burden.
When that occurs how should believers, which is the church, respond? If you see your fellow-Christian overcome by his or her sin, what should you do? If you see your fellow-Christian doing something sinful, how should you react? What is the most loving thing you could do in that instant?
Point 5: When you see your brother or sister in Christ using their freedom from the law to sin, the most loving way to respond is to help him or her return to the right path of following Jesus.
In Gal. 6:1, Paul says, “you who are spiritual should restore him…” This implies that if we see our brother or sister in Christ overcome by their sin nature, the loving thing to do is approach them and hold them accountable with the intention to help them get back on the right path of following Jesus. David said in Ps. 141:5, “Let a righteous man strike me – it is a kindness; let him rebuke me – it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.” In other words, when a fellow-Christian corrects another Christian, it is an act of kindness and act of love that should not be refused. And again, it is not for no purpose, when a fellow-Christian approaches another to acknowledge sin and hold them accountable, the purpose is to restore them to Christ.
In the case of the churches in Galatia, they had wandered away from the truth to something that is false. They had wandered away from the truth that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone and wandered into the false teaching that salvation is by good deeds. Therefore, they were using their freedom to do what was not right in the sight of God. And in response, Paul being the spiritually mature one, wrote this letter to restore the believers in Galatia back to the truth.
But this is not only Paul’s duty, but it is every Christians duty to his or her brother and sister in Christ – to restore one another when we see our brother or sister on a path of ungodliness. Paul is saying to the believers in Galatia, and he is saying to us, ‘if you see your brother or sister in Christ falling away from the gospel, if you see them using their freedom in Christ to do what they should not, then it is you obligation as a follower of Jesus to help them get back on the right path.’
And doing so does not only restore them to Christ, it saves their soul from dying a sinner’s death. The Bible says in James 5:19-20, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
Point 6: However, although it is the duty of every Christian to restore his or her brother or sister in Christ, there is an exception.
In Gal. 6:1, Paul said, only those “who are spiritual”. What does Paul mean by those “who are spiritual”? That means those of us who are mature in our walk with Jesus should help our brother or sister return back to the right path. What do I mean by mature? When I say mature, I don’t mean some kind of elite Christian. I mean someone who has been following Christ for a while, someone who is not new to following Jesus, someone who has experience following Jesus in a sin-stained world, someone who knows what it’s like to do war with the flesh, someone who knows the Scriptures, and someone who is walking according to the fruit of the Spirit.
But even for the seasoned, spiritually mature Christian, Paul gives a warning about restoring our fellow-Christian back to Jesus. Paul said in Galatians 6:1, “Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” In other words, if you find yourself having to restore your brother or sister in Christ to the right path of following Jesus, you should be careful that you do not fall into the same temptation. This is why Paul calls on the spiritually mature Christian to do the pain-staking task of restoring a fellow-Christian back to Jesus: there is a risk of getting caught up in the same sin. How do we go about restoring our brother or sister on the right path? (Two answers)
Point 7: First, your attitude matters.
When Paul wrote his letter to the church in Corinth in an attempt to restore them from their deliberate acts of sexual immorality, he asked them in 1 Cor. 4:21, saying, “What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?” He was asking if they would rather he go to them in a spirit of wrath or a spirit of love. Many times I have witnessed Christians correct other Christians with a spirit of wrath rather than love. I have done so myself. We condemn them, make them feel bad, make them feel like they are the scum of the earth, and give them a good guilt trip. All too often I see Christians respond to their brother or sister in Christ who has been caught sinning with a spirit of condemnation; or, like they are some perfect human being that does nothing wrong; or, like they are some kind of elite Christian that follows Christ perfectly. This is not the way Paul went about restoring his adopted siblings, and it’s not the way we should either.
But in Gal. 6:1, Paul says, we should restore our brother or sister in Christ “in a spirit of gentleness.” Again, this does not mean we do not acknowledge the sin; we do. But we acknowledge the sin while ministering to the person in a way that is meek and gentle and respectful, in order to help them get back on the right path of godliness.
What happens if we attempt to correct or restore someone to Jesus in a way that is wrathful or cruel or callous? We do them more harm than good. If we go about restoring our brother or sister with a spirit of condemnation, then it is very unlikely that person will return to the path of following Jesus. It is more likely they will stay on a path of condemnation.
I think of John 8, when the woman was caught in adultery and all the Pharisees brought her to Jesus to have her stoned. Jesus did not dismiss her wrongdoing. He told her, “from now on sin no more”, which means, stop doing the things you are currently doing. But at the same time Jesus also said to her, “neither do I condemn you”. So, while Jesus acknowledged her sin and instructed her to cease sinning, he did not condemn her while he corrected her. And the church should act in the same way, especially towards each other as we follow Jesus in this sin-staind world.
Point 8: Secondly, not only does our attitude matter, but we are commanded to share each other’s burdens.
Galatians 6:2 states, “Bear one another’s burdens…” The word “bear” means to hold up or support or to remain firm under a load. The word burden can mean two things: the burden of sin or the burdens of everyday life. But, considering the context, I think Paul is speaking about the burden of sin.
If someone is struggling with porn, cussing, coarse joking, having sex outside marriage, alcholism, lustful pleasures, partying wildly, drugs, same-sex attraction, lying, stealing, coveting, or anything else, acknoweldge the wrongdoing, but then help the person overcome it. Don’t leave them to fight their temptation to sin alone.
One of the most loving things you can do is help bear the burden of sin for your brother or sister in Christ. When you see your brother or sister using their freedom from the law to sin and you go to gently restore them, the loving thing to do is walk with them and help them in their struggle against the temptation of their flesh. The loving thing to do is hold them up while they feel like they cannot stand, support them during their moment of weakness, and encourage them in their most discouraging moments.
How do we do that? Call them, text them, email them, Facebook them, instagram them, go to their house, or go with them to lunch. As the stronger, more mature Christian, take initiative, meet them right where they are, share Scripture with them, pray for them, and let them know you are there for them to help them fight against the temptation to sin. Let them know you love them. And encourage them.
All too often, Christians battle the temptations of this world alone. Partly, because of distrust. They feel like they cannot trust the people they go to church with. They feel like they cannot confide with anybody in the church they attend for fear of the other person going out and gossipping. They feel like they cannot be vulnerable or transparent about their struggles. And the reason they feel like that is because they have tried to confide in another Christian, but only felt judged, condemned, and looked down upon. Then, what happens is they continue to go to church while facing their struggles alone or worse, they turn away from the church altogether.
But this is what Jesus desires of his church. The church is a body of imperfect saved people who are doing their best to follow Jesus in a fallen world. We cannot do that alone. There is not one Christian in this world that is independent or without need of other Christians in his or her life. We need each other. We are meant to walk through this world together. We need to encourage one another.
The Bible says in Hebrews 10:24 & 24, that we should not neglect meeting together in order to encourage one another, especially as the return of Jesus approaches. As the day for Jesus to return draws nearer, the worse the world will become, and therefore, the greater the temptation, persecution, and discouragement we shall face. Therefore, the more we will need each other. So, Why should we bear each other’s burdens?
Point 9: According to Paul, in Galatians 6:2, we should bear one another’s burdens because it is the fulfillment of “the law of Christ”.
What is the “law of Christ”? The law of Christ is summed up in this way: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” When we share each other’s burden, when we help our fellow-Christian fight their desire to satisfy their sin nature, when we help our fellow-Christian return to Jesus, we love our neighbor as we love ourselves, and therefore, fulfill the law of Jesus.
Point 10: The reason helping our fellow-Christian bear their burden of sin fulfills “the law of Christ”, is because that is exactly what Jesus did for each of us, and we are called to follow Jesus’ example.
Paul said in Romans 15:1-3, “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build them up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” In other words, we Christians have an obligation, a duty, and a responsibility to help each other do what is right and build each other up in Christ, because this is what Jesus did for each of us. Christ Jesus came down from heaven to earth to bear the sins of every sinner, sins he did not commit, and die a death he did not deserve, so that we could be saved from our sins and be reconciled into a relationship with God the Father.