I want to draw your attention to something most of us would never, otherwise, pause to consider very carefully...something that, in a way, we take for granted. Bearing another person’s burdens.
Think about this. When a man sees a woman carrying something, it is considered gentlemanly for him to offer to carry it for her. (Unless he’s a purse-snatcher in New York City) He doesn’t really think about it; he just does it because that’s the way ’Pop’ taught him.
Even between men; if a man sees a friend picking up boxes and carrying them from one place to another, he will generally (unless he suffers a chronic back ailment) step up without a word and begin helping with that chore.
Bearing a burden for someone else is an entirely self-sacrificing, unselfish thing. You’re generally doing something you have not been obligated to do, it takes your time and your effort, and it relieves the load entirely or almost entirely from someone else. In addition, it ultimately leads to time freed for friendly conversation; a stronger bond between friends; someone left with a good feeling, that someone else voluntarily stepped in and took their load upon themselves.
The load that Paul is exhorting us to bear here can be much, much heavier than a box of books, or a bag of groceries. It can be a heavy and troublesome burden, indeed.
But it’s been given us to do, and there is great fruit to be gleaned from obedience to the task.
Let’s start by looking back at chapter 5 verse 25, and explain some terms as we go.
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit”
Those who have been under my teaching in Romans know, that in the eighth chapter of that epistle, when Paul talks of walking according to the Spirit he is talking about the state of being saved; not our daily walk. The daily walk of the Christian, in obedience, striving to learn what is pleasing to the Lord, is addressed very fully in other of Paul’s epistles. But in chapter 8 of Romans he is very deliberately stressing God’s grace and provision for us, and his comparison (primarily in verses 4b through 11) is between those who are saved, and those who are not saved.
When he says that the mind set on the flesh is death but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, he is contrasting those who are saved with those who are not saved. He is not drawing a distinction between two believers; one who has an obedient walk, and one who does not.
Well, here in Galatians 5:25 we have both of those elements. If I may paraphrase; “If the life of the Holy Spirit is in us, then we should let Him manifest His life through us.” or “If we are saved, then let’s act like it.”
Now it is important that we understand that, and this is why I wanted to back up as far as verse 25 in beginning this sermon; because what comes next is only possible if we are:
1. Saved and
2. We behave accordingly.
He begins verse 26 with the phrase, “Let us not become...” So obviously, the list that follows is of characteristics that should not be found in one who is living by the Spirit and walking by the Spirit. SAVED and ACTING LIKE IT.
The list: boastful, challenging, envying.
Self-aggrandizing, looking down on those seen as lower or lesser than we, looking up in bitterness and jealousy at someone seen as higher or greater than we.
Very concisely, Paul has encompassed all the behaviors that are diametrically opposed to the spirit (small ‘s’) of humility and unity and brotherly love in a church.
1. Building up one’s self in one’s own estimation
2. Belittling others around one’s self
3. Trying to bring others down to one’s own level.
No one manifesting these attitudes, one or all three, is likely to bend to lift anyone’s burden. In fact, the example of the Scribes of Jesus’ day was that rather than lifting the burdens of the common man (which they should have been doing), they were placing added burdens on their shoulders; for which they received sharp rebuke from Jesus.
They were the lawyers. The interpreters of the Law. Here is what our Lord said to them in Luke 11:46
“Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.”
The really sad thing, if you think this through, is that those who point the finger and place legalistic burdens on others generally hold themselves to the same standards; and when they fail, they fall very hard...because they’ve failed themselves.
But Paul says, “Let’s not be that way”. You are saved. You have the Holy Spirit in you (individually) and among you (as a collective body of believers), so live and walk and treat each other accordingly. As brothers.
That’s why he opens his very next line, addressing them as such.
“Brethren...”
How important it is for us to be mindful of that relationship we share; and how easily we tend to forget. That is why we should remind ourselves and each other often. Brethren. Brothers and Sisters. Family.
What makes us family? The fact that we all have our life in Christ. We are indwelt by the same Holy Spirit, Who makes us one. We (collectively) are the Bride of Christ. We (collectively) are His body. Every part important; every part essential to the work; every part should be looked after carefully by the whole, and every part should be deeply concerned for the rest.
“...walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
Now here is the true test of whether a body of believers has understood this union and is living with each other accordingly. What comes next is the acid test, folks!
It’s one thing to ‘bear another’s burden’ if they come to you crying because their husband is not being understanding...or their son is straying from the Lord...or if they have suddenly suffered a major financial setback...or their favorite Aunt is taken seriously ill...
...But Paul is going right to the heaviest burden to bear; because he knows that if we can pass this test of love, we’ll pass the others also.
Keep in mind that for Paul there were no chapter and verse divisions. He was writing a letter, and one thought was followed by a connected thought and preceded the next connected thought. So notice that he says, “If you’re saved, act saved. Don’t be boastful, haughty or envying of one another. IN FACT, BRETHREN, EVEN IF ONE OF YOU IS CAUGHT RED-HANDED IN SIN, ...restore him!
Oh, oh... we’re going to be treading in some pretty unfamiliar territory now. So let’s watch our step carefully so we don’t trip or sink in the mire.
Yes, you (read) correctly. In this one verse of scripture that apparently many in the church have never read or thought about, Paul is exhorting us to do quite the opposite of what is apparently dearly-held church tradition.
Restore the sinner. RESTORE THE SINNER?
“Clark! Are you telling us that if someone in the church sins, we’re supposed to restore him? Wait...what does restore mean? Maybe that’s the catch. Maybe ‘restore’ is really old English for ‘reject’ or ‘burn at the stake’ or something....right?”
No.
Restore, is “katartizo”. It means to mend. To make complete or whole.
And just in case anyone reading this is now playing around with the wording of this verse, and saying, “well...my translation says ‘trespass’, which is not as bad as a sin...I mean, trespass happens sort of by accident...I mean...it’s a lot easier to forgive a brother if he trips and FALLS INTO sin, than if he yells “GERONIMO!”, and jumps in with a both feet and a smile...right?”
Nope. Sorry. Can’t let you off the hook with that one. It means sin. Furthermore, when it says ‘caught’ or ‘overcome’, it is not indicating (as would make us feel so much more comfortable) that the brother is surprised by sin, or ‘overcome’ by a strong temptation. Nope, that can’t be, because in I Cor 10:13 we’re told that as believers, “no temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.”
And Romans 6:14 says that “Sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.”
We can’t be surprised or overcome by that which is no longer our master. So what Paul is describing here is a man who has been ’caught’ in the act. ’Overtaken’ by witnesses or circumstances that brought his sin to light.
BUSTED, BIG TIME!
Get it?
Paul says...the Holy Spirit says...’restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”
Mend him. Bring him back to wholeness. Gently.
Wow. What a bummer, huh? It’s so much more fun to talk about him and sigh self-righteously.
Ok, here’s the reality, in most cases.
Someone in the church is caught red-handed in sin. Adultery, illegal drug use, cheating a fellow believer in a business transaction, ...whatever.
If we take the congregation and line them up around the walls of the sanctuary, and give them nametags and felt-tip pens so they can label themselves, then, going around the room we’d generally find these people:
Gossip
Destructive criticism
Harsh judgmentalism
Self Righteousness (I’d never do THAT)
Gloating (He had it coming...)
Indifference
Condoning
Non-involvement (It’s someone else’s problem)
Refusal to correct out of inability to confront
(“I love him/her too much” or “They might stop being my friend”)
Unfortunately, we often would not find one nametag with “Restoration” written on it.
The outcome? Well, that should be obvious. Condemnation, anger, rejection, loss of a brother from the church and maybe from ANY church, and sometimes even church splits.
Now I want you to use your imagination again, and picture this. The brother is caught in the act. The congregation is lined up around the room, handed a nametag and a pen, and when they are done writing, every nametag on every chest says, “Restore in a gentle spirit”.
Can you imagine what a strong, unified church this would be? In every area, not just the area of confrontation of the sinner. What a powerful church of love that would be!
Now let me make clear here, that by restoration I do not mean. Condoning. I do not mean letting it slide and telling the offender either in word or by silence, that he’s ok.
Restoration means returning to true spiritual health. Heaven rejoices at the restoration of the fallen.
“I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance”
Luke 15:7
Let me tell you two things that I know will have the devil shaking in his little red booties:
1. A believer who acknowledges his own sin and turns from it, and
2. A believer on his knees, praying for another believer.
“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.” -James 5:19,20
Now, three requirements must be met in order to successfully restore a brother caught in sin.
The first is that the restorer be spiritual.
I see a possibility of taking that term in two different ways, but both are applicable.
One would be that the restorer must be a believer. Spiritual by virtue of having the Holy Spirit in him or her.
Now you might say, “Well, of course. They wouldn’t be there and they wouldn’t care, if they weren’t a Christian”.
But what I mean is that Paul may be simply pointing out that this is how it should be, BECAUSE we are Christians...spiritual.
“You who are spiritual beings, living by faith in Christ Jesus, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, restore such a one...”
On the other hand, and more likely really, is that Paul was exhorting the spiritually mature to do the work of restoration.
It is not intended as sarcasm; (“If you’re so spiritual, fix him...”) nor is it intended as flattery (“C’mon. Restore him and prove yourself spiritual).
I think it is both instruction and warning. I think Paul is saying, the spiritually mature will see right away that aside from the grace of God, they might be in this man’s place right now, and approach him with humility and Christ-like love. Secondly, the spiritually mature will be pray-ers, with knowledge of the scriptures, and not as likely to be caught up in the man’s temptations simply by their proximity to the problem.
The next requirement is that it be done in a spirit of gentleness.
Meekness. Courtesy. Considerateness.
A man named Bullinger wrote: “The mender of souls must be meek, gentle, enduring all things with an even temper, tender, free from haughty self-sufficiency, tender of spirit.”
Peter says, “And the Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” -I Pet 2:24-26
There’s more than one reason that the restorer must be a spiritually mature person. The obvious, is that they win the brother back instead of driving him away with harshness or judgmentalism. But another is that the brother may very well respond badly to being confronted.
It is the spiritually mature person who will realize, even in the face of abuse and rejection, that he is fighting a spiritual battle, and be able to maintain a gentle spirit, not taking offense and being drawn into an argument or a fist fight, making matters all the worse.
The third requirement mentioned is that the restorer must look to himself, lest he too be tempted.
Don’t send a recovering alcoholic down to the local pub, to admonish a brother to go home to his wife and kids.
That’s pretty simple, huh? But there’s deeper meaning to it than that.
Remember as you go, says Paul, that next time it might be one of you who is in the wrong. That will inspire greater gentleness in your approach.
This is a warning, and just by virtue of the wording of this entire verse, it is a warning more for the spiritually mature than for the weak.
Paul has said that the spiritual should be the ones to restore, so it is the spiritual who should at the same time look to themselves and avoid falling into a pit.
A. T. Robertson said, “Spiritual experts (preachers in particular) need this caution, Satan loves a shining mark”.
During the era that encompassed World War II, part of the officer’s uniform was to wear his rank on his shoulders, and if in a helmet, on the front of the helmet. Higher ranking officers had shiny metal bars or maple leaves or stars (depending on their rank), that would attach to the front of the helmet for all to see clearly.
In battle zones however, they were required to remove all emblems of rank from their uniforms, because enemy snipers loved to look for the sun’s reflection off these shiny symbols of rank and shoot at it.
The devil, with his fiery darts, loves a shining mark. Leaders and more spiritually mature laymen of the church, should be especially on guard for themselves, when they prepare to confront a brother in sin.
There should never be a moment’s lapse of memory that we were all equally guilty before a holy God, and that it is only the shedding of His Son’s sinless blood that saved us or keeps us saved; and relate to one another on that level ground. And never go to an erring brother without the preparation of prayer.
If these three requirements are heeded and met, the final result of the very worst of circumstances can be victory for everyone involved; for an entire church body; ultimately, for the body of Christ.
Because, believers, obeying this admonition to restore in gentleness a brother caught in sin, is to have an opportunity to act more like Christ than almost any other Christian experience.
We were entirely in sin, spiritually dead, lost and undone, without God in the world. Caught, red-handed.
Yet He took our burden and carried it all the way to Calvary’s cross.
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
In Godly humility and gentleness and meekness and love, He, rather than condemning us to a well-deserved Hell, humbled himself, took the form of a bondservant, placed our heavy load of sin on His own shoulders, and took it away forever.
Here is the way I generally say it to my Romans class: Not only did we not deserve Heaven, we did deserve Hell, yet, while we were helpless, sinful, enemies of God, Christ died for us.
“There is therefore now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
So I finally come to our primary text verse to end this sermon. “Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.”
“FOR THE WHOLE LAW IS FULFILLED IN ONE WORD, IN THE STATEMENT, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
-Gal 5:14
LOVE AS CHRIST LOVED US.
