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Offer a helping hand (1)
'IF A MAN IS OVERTAKEN IN ANY TRESPASS...RESTORE SUCH A ONE IN A SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS.' GALATIANS 6:1
When somebody messes up, God says; 'Restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.' But what if they've messed up in public and provided ammunition for the critics who already think all Christians are hypocrites? Why bother with somebody like that?
Firstly, the Bible says, 'If a man is overtaken [caught by surprise]...[consider] yourself lest you also be tempted.' If it happened to you you'd want somebody to help you, right? Paul says, 'We are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so...self-confident...You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else' (1 Corinthians 10:12 TM). He's absolutely right isn't he.
Secondly, because Jesus is your example. While He had no time for the super-spiritual who hid their sins underneath a respectable religious mask, not once did He condemn anybody who was 'overtaken' by temptation and failure. When they repented He forgave and restored them. Bible boffin Victor Shepherd writes: 'When we're face-to-face with someone who's been surprised because trespass overtook them, do we deflect their shame back into their face, or do we own it as ours? Do we rub their nose in it, or do we absorb it, put an arm around them and affirm our solidarity-in-sinnership? Do we regard ourselves as superior, or do we say, "Take my hand...I know the way to the cross?"' You know the answer to that.
written by Bob Gass
'IF A MAN IS OVERTAKEN IN ANY TRESPASS...RESTORE SUCH A ONE IN A SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS.' GALATIANS 6:1
When somebody messes up, God says; 'Restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.' But what if they've messed up in public and provided ammunition for the critics who already think all Christians are hypocrites? Why bother with somebody like that?
Firstly, the Bible says, 'If a man is overtaken [caught by surprise]...[consider] yourself lest you also be tempted.' If it happened to you you'd want somebody to help you, right? Paul says, 'We are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so...self-confident...You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else' (1 Corinthians 10:12 TM). He's absolutely right isn't he.
Secondly, because Jesus is your example. While He had no time for the super-spiritual who hid their sins underneath a respectable religious mask, not once did He condemn anybody who was 'overtaken' by temptation and failure. When they repented He forgave and restored them. Bible boffin Victor Shepherd writes: 'When we're face-to-face with someone who's been surprised because trespass overtook them, do we deflect their shame back into their face, or do we own it as ours? Do we rub their nose in it, or do we absorb it, put an arm around them and affirm our solidarity-in-sinnership? Do we regard ourselves as superior, or do we say, "Take my hand...I know the way to the cross?"' You know the answer to that.
written by Bob Gass
