Restoration Is the Goal

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

— Galatians 6:1

 

Our desire should always be to restore, not condemn a person who is in sin. Galatians 6:1 says it perfectly: "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted."

The phrase, "overtaken in any trespass," implies it was not premeditated. This is not a picture of someone who went out intentionally to commit a sin. It is speaking of someone who went out and stumbled. They slipped. They fell. It wasn't intentional. They do have a responsibility, however. They did get trapped in the sin. We should take no delight in this, but should want to help and restore them.

First we need to help them come to their senses, because we can't restore someone who doesn't want restoration. We have to first help them see they have a sin, and then we want to help them set it straight. In fact, the word used for "restore" carries the meaning of setting a broken bone or putting a dislocated limb back in place. We do that very gently, lest we do more harm.

Check the Mirror

And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?

— Matthew 7:3

 

Commentator Kent Hughes said, "We find it so easy to turn a microscope on another person's sin, but we look at ours through the wrong end of a telescope. We easily spot a speck of phoniness in another, because we have a logjam of it in our own lives. Wrath toward the speck in someone else's life may come from the suppressed guilt over the same massive sin in our own lives."

Jesus was using a little humor when He said, "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:3–4). The word "plank" speaks of a very large piece of wood, while the word "speck" speaks of a very small bit of wood, even as small as a little bit of sawdust. So to loosely paraphrase, "How can you get the sawdust out of your brother's eye if you have a telephone pole in yours?"