RESTORATION OVER JUDGMENT

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.

Galatians 6:1a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Christians are good at judging other people.

There, I said it.

I don’t feel good about getting this issue out in the open because it can hurt to face to hard truth about ourselves sometimes but I think nearly every Jesus believer has looked down on someone who behaves sinfully, doing so through the lens that they are somehow spiritually superior to the transgressor.

You see, Christians don’t want to hear that they are wretched sinners who are unworthy of anything from a God who hates sin. They would rather hear pastors tell them they are deserving of prosperity from a God who will make the way for them to prosper. There’s no need to worry about sinful depravity and how God’s wrath and punishment comes to those who are disobedient to His will and way. And so Christ believers will throw stones at others and forget about how it is only the unbelievable, amazing grace of God that keeps Him from wiping us all out in a moment.

This is why Paul’s words at the very start of this final chapter of Galatians are so critically important. Since all are sinners (Romans 3:23), Christians are going to catch people up in a sin and when they do so, they aren’t called here to rebuke and judge the sinner. Rather, the command is for those living by the Spirit (aka Christians) to “restore that person gently”. In other words, with grace.

If God can pardon and forgive the most wretched sinners (remember that Paul, the author of this letter, actually persecuted and saw to the execution of Christian believers), then we need to do likewise. We need to extend His mercy to those we catch in a sin. We need to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit so we can work to build people up, to help pull them up out of the pit of iniquity instead of piling condemnation on them.

Look to the cross and you will know how to address a sinner. For it’s there that we find Jesus, with His arms fully extended and hands nailed to the cross, ask for forgiveness to fall on His attackers and abusers because they knew not what they were doing,

Friends, that’s gentleness in its purest form, a selfless petition for pardon for those who sinned. Let’s follow the lead of our Savior and restore other through mercy, a mercy that we can only offer because God and His Son offered it to us first.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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