Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 5,198
Galatians 6:1-2 NIV 1978
“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. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
The Family of God
Another word for “brothers” is brethren, which, in context, is intended to mean fellow-believers in Jesus Christ, i.e. the family of God as a whole unit, which would include males and females. We, as the family of God, are to watch out for one another, care for one another, and encourage one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. And we are instructed in the Scriptures that we should be doing this daily so that not one of us is led astray by the deceitfulness of sin and might fall away from the Lord.
But let me add a word of caution here. If this is of a private matter, then it should be dealt with privately, male with male, and female with female. But biblically speaking, if the one committing the sin is not willing to repent of one’s sin, to turn from the sin, and to obey God, then it becomes a matter for the church to intervene (example: 1 Corinthians 5). Sadly, from my experience, I don’t see much of that happening these days. Instead I see a great tolerance of deliberate and habitual sin in what is to be the church.
Caught in Sin
Now, what does it mean to be “caught in a sin”? It can mean that one is literally caught in the act of sinning, i.e. someone else witnessed the act of them sinning. Or it can mean that someone is overtaken by sin, such as in being engaged in a sinful habit, an addiction to any particular sin. They are trapped, snared, and hooked in/on any particular sin or all sin. And they either have not sought a way out of it, or they do not desire to be relieved of it, or they have been too afraid to admit that they are trapped in sin.
And who should restore them gently? Those of us who are spiritual. So, what does that mean? It means we are those who believe in Jesus Christ, who have by faith in him died to sin, and who are now living for God in walks of obedience to our Lord in holy living. Sin is not our practice. This doesn’t make us perfect in every respect, but obedience to our Lord and living in moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, and the like, is what we practice, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, for we take God’s word seriously.
Restore Them Gently
This word “restore” means “to equip, to perfect, to prepare, to restore, to mend, to repair, to make in good working order, to make fully functional. It stems from a medical term having to do with putting a joint which is out of place back into place, which is a painful process. But this is about helping someone caught in sin to be delivered from that sin and to be brought back into a proper spiritual condition, to be made right with God in obedience to our Lord. But they have to be willing and cooperative or it won’t happen.
And to restore such a one gently is not to coddle them in their sins, nor to give them permission to keep sinning for an elongated period of time. For gentle is humble, and it is meek, and Jesus was meek, but he was not weak on sin. He did not placate sin in the life of the sinner, nor did he soften the gospel to make it less offensive to the sinner. Jesus spoke the truth plainly, with much love, knowing that it is the truth which sets people free, not the lies which make people feel good. So tell people the truth they need to hear.
But Watch Yourself!
If we are trying to help someone who is trapped in sin to come out from underneath that weight of sin, we need to be on guard against the wiles (tricks) of the devil. For Satan will try to guilt trip us or to tempt us or whatever he can do so that we will back down from helping this brother or sister in Christ to come out from underneath whatever is entrapping them. And so we need to be humble, and guarded, and not to think too highly of ourselves or we may fall into temptation and need to be restored ourselves.
And to carry each other’s burdens is not to tolerate or ignore or placate deliberate and habitual sin in those who claim faith in Jesus Christ. Too much of that is taking place today in the gatherings of the church, or of what are falsely being called “the church.” Too many are giving professing Christians a pass, and then calling that “grace.” But God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives (see Titus 2:11-14).
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
My Sheep
Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.
So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.
Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…
They know my voice, so they follow me.
Carry Each Other’s Burdens
An Original Work / June 22, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“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. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
The Family of God
Another word for “brothers” is brethren, which, in context, is intended to mean fellow-believers in Jesus Christ, i.e. the family of God as a whole unit, which would include males and females. We, as the family of God, are to watch out for one another, care for one another, and encourage one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. And we are instructed in the Scriptures that we should be doing this daily so that not one of us is led astray by the deceitfulness of sin and might fall away from the Lord.
But let me add a word of caution here. If this is of a private matter, then it should be dealt with privately, male with male, and female with female. But biblically speaking, if the one committing the sin is not willing to repent of one’s sin, to turn from the sin, and to obey God, then it becomes a matter for the church to intervene (example: 1 Corinthians 5). Sadly, from my experience, I don’t see much of that happening these days. Instead I see a great tolerance of deliberate and habitual sin in what is to be the church.
Caught in Sin
Now, what does it mean to be “caught in a sin”? It can mean that one is literally caught in the act of sinning, i.e. someone else witnessed the act of them sinning. Or it can mean that someone is overtaken by sin, such as in being engaged in a sinful habit, an addiction to any particular sin. They are trapped, snared, and hooked in/on any particular sin or all sin. And they either have not sought a way out of it, or they do not desire to be relieved of it, or they have been too afraid to admit that they are trapped in sin.
And who should restore them gently? Those of us who are spiritual. So, what does that mean? It means we are those who believe in Jesus Christ, who have by faith in him died to sin, and who are now living for God in walks of obedience to our Lord in holy living. Sin is not our practice. This doesn’t make us perfect in every respect, but obedience to our Lord and living in moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, and the like, is what we practice, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, for we take God’s word seriously.
Restore Them Gently
This word “restore” means “to equip, to perfect, to prepare, to restore, to mend, to repair, to make in good working order, to make fully functional. It stems from a medical term having to do with putting a joint which is out of place back into place, which is a painful process. But this is about helping someone caught in sin to be delivered from that sin and to be brought back into a proper spiritual condition, to be made right with God in obedience to our Lord. But they have to be willing and cooperative or it won’t happen.
And to restore such a one gently is not to coddle them in their sins, nor to give them permission to keep sinning for an elongated period of time. For gentle is humble, and it is meek, and Jesus was meek, but he was not weak on sin. He did not placate sin in the life of the sinner, nor did he soften the gospel to make it less offensive to the sinner. Jesus spoke the truth plainly, with much love, knowing that it is the truth which sets people free, not the lies which make people feel good. So tell people the truth they need to hear.
But Watch Yourself!
If we are trying to help someone who is trapped in sin to come out from underneath that weight of sin, we need to be on guard against the wiles (tricks) of the devil. For Satan will try to guilt trip us or to tempt us or whatever he can do so that we will back down from helping this brother or sister in Christ to come out from underneath whatever is entrapping them. And so we need to be humble, and guarded, and not to think too highly of ourselves or we may fall into temptation and need to be restored ourselves.
And to carry each other’s burdens is not to tolerate or ignore or placate deliberate and habitual sin in those who claim faith in Jesus Christ. Too much of that is taking place today in the gatherings of the church, or of what are falsely being called “the church.” Too many are giving professing Christians a pass, and then calling that “grace.” But God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives (see Titus 2:11-14).
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
My Sheep
Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.
So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.
Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…
They know my voice, so they follow me.
Carry Each Other’s Burdens
An Original Work / June 22, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
