Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

Galatians 6:1

I’ve been mulling a lot lately about what it means to walk in the Spirit. It is the way Jesus walked, and as followers of our Lord, we are called to follow him by walking in the same manner. Walking in the Spirit is more than mere piety. It is complete surrender to the Lordship of Jesus over every sphere of our lives.

One way to know whether one is walking in the Spirit is evidenced by the desire to restore a brother or sister “caught in a sin” into right relationship with God. Paul says, “you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.” Sadly, too many of us tend to completely ignore the last word in that verse, “gently.” This has led some to accuse Christians “of being the only army that shoots its wounded.” We do this by gossiping, criticizing, shaming and isolating “those sinners”, rather than going to them in love and humility and seeking to restore them.

The word “restore” in this verse is a medical term. It is used medically for setting up a broken bone. When setting a bone, the surgeon must do so carefully, gently and accurately so that everything is healed in proper alignment. Similarly, spiritual restoration must be done gently and with the utmost care for the one who has sinned, so that they are realigned with a God who loves them unconditionally.

After all, Jesus walked with and dined with sinners. He did not avoid them but drew close to them. He visited Zacchaeus’ home for dinner, he dined with numerous tax collectors and sinners in Matthew’s house, and he offered the Samaritan woman with five husbands, water to drink. In all these interactions, he left the sinner better off than he found them. Can the same be said of us?

As we begin this new week, how might we position ourselves as restorers of our brethren? How can we practice walking in the Spirit? Amen.