He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

                                                                                                                 Psalm 23:3 

The Christian life is all about sharing what we have received from God with others around us. As believers, we are not just to enjoy being loved by God rather we are to share the love of God to our neighbors. As believers, we are not just to live in the blessings that God richly bestows on us rather we are to bless others as well. The same goes for restoration. Consider Paul’s instruction to the church: 

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

                                                                                                                 Galatians 6:1 

Paul gives us three reminders when assisting others in the restoration process. First, Christians can become trapped in sin. This passage is written to the church. When Paul says, “anyone caught in any trespass,” he is indicating that our desire to assist in the restoration process should be broad. It doesn’t matter who it is or what sin in which the person is involved, as believers, we should be ready and willing to walk along side these individuals until they are fully, spiritually restored.

I believe that this instruction is for believers to exercise in the lives of other believers. For the church to go out into the world (among unbelievers) and point out all of their sinful behavior is not beneficial to the spread of the gospel. We must always remember that salvation is necessary for anyone to acknowledge sin and to begin living in the power of the Holy Spirit. That is why I believe that this passage is referring to Christians who have fallen into sin. The church needs to begin to acknowledge that even believers struggle with sin, remembering that our salvation is by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. That is why we have victory. Our redemption is already secured and as we walk in that knowledge, we are able to successfully fight against the attacks of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16). But we do live in the flesh and as such are still susceptible to falling into sin.

Secondly, as we assist others in restoration, we need to always do so “in a spirit of gentleness.” This sentiment is echoed by Peter as he speaks on sharing the gospel. Consider the following:

…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence…

                                                                                                                     1 Peter 3:15 

Everything that Christians do should be done in a spirit of gentleness. We must always remember that everyone has the right to make his/her own decisions. There may situations in which the party caught in sin rejects our efforts to assist them. Believer must always respect this right yet refuse to abandon the person as they walk through the spiritual crisis. Sometimes this support has to be solely through prayer and from a great physical distance. But we must always be ready to gently approach others when offering to help.

Lastly, as we seek to help others in restoration, we must also be aware that we too could be tempted and fall into sin as well. There simply is no room for judgmental attitudes in the body of Christ. When we inflate ourselves on the basis of our own morality, we violate basic principles found in scripture. Jesus instructs us not to be judgmental (Matthew 7:1-2). Paul reminds us that leaning on our own morality for salvation is equated to being “severed from Christ” and means that we have “fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). In addition, failure to see our own vulnerability is a way of boasting, something that will not take place in the kingdom of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We must always remember that we too are vulnerable to fall into the same sin that we see in the lives of others. But as we continue to walk in the spiritual freedom that comes from acknowledging the finished work of Christ on the cross, we can have victory in each and every situation in which we may find ourselves.

Restoration is a beautiful thing. As we proclaim, “God restores my soul,” let’s determine to share that same message of restoration with those around us.